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Speiss. “He came up with the idea of breeding his Dash For Cash mare to Meter Me Gone,” Ronnie said. “Panther Mountain is probably the farm’s biggest accomplishment, but I had just
a small hand in that.” Raced from 2001–2003, the colt earned nearly half a million dollars and a 26-12-4-3 record.
The humility that Ronnie demonstrates, coupled with honesty and a genuine interest
in the Double S charges’ well being, are traits that clients value. “I can drop off a horse worth half a million dollars on just a handshake,” said trainer “Bubba” Orr of Brazoria, Texas, whose broodmare Texas Chatterbox foals out each
year at Double S Farm. “They take care of your horses like they were their own,” Bubba said. “They don’t spend unnecessary money, and they call you if there’s any little problem.”
Breeding about 300 mares each year on average, Ronnie embraces the challenge of rehabbing sub-fertile mares and stallions. Consequently, Double S Farm maintains a high conception rate.
Bubba added that Ronnie and Bonnie stand some of the best stallions in the industry at their farm:
• 2004 stud Simply macho (Heza Fast
Man-Scrumptiously, by Streakin La Jolla), whom Ronnie and Bonnie own jointly with Harold Chenault;
• Primetime Dream (Royal Shake Em-Honky Tonk Dream, by Rocket Wrangler), who tallied earnings of $197,279 and a speed index of 102;
• Covert (Dash Thru Traffic-Fortuna Babe, by Six Fortunes), a 2002 stallion with a 121 speed index;
• Popular sire Phantom Menace, a Chicks Beduino son out of Dash For Cash daughter Dashs Dream;
• The $411,006 earner Make It Anywhere, (First Down Dash-Separate Ways, by Hempen);
• Many-time Texas Leading Money-Earning Sire
Royal Shake Em, by Royal Quick Dash and out of Streakin Six daughter Shake Em Six.
PERSonAl BEStS
Undoubtedly, the Stewarts’ personal favorite is Walter Merrick-bred Royal Shake Em, their foundation sire, whose get have earned over $10 million. The stallion’s easygoing personality has diversified the farm’s clientele to include the barrel horse industry, and raised Royal Shake Em to member-of-the-family status. “I can get on him and he’s real catty—real quick, and then I can put my 2-year-old granddaughter on him and he’ll just take care of her,” Ronnie said. “He’s an easy breeder, an easy keeper, and puts good minds on his babies.
“My old border collie and Royal Shake Em had a game going,” Ronnie added. “That dog would sneak up on him and the horse would go around and make like he was going to bite the dog. The dog would run and just barely make it
out of the fence. When they were through with that, the dog would jump in the water trough to cool off and Royal Shake Em would go over and take a drink.”
Bonnie says the affable stallion brings them a lot of joy. “He gets along with everyone next to him and he loves the ladies. He’s never been mean to a mare,” she said. “I try to go down every day and pet him, and he likes to be brushed while he’s eating.”
The Double S Farm legacy includes producing track winners from their own stock as well as from others’. Ronnie’s use of the line breeding index theory produced this year’s $100,000 TQHA Sires Cup Futurity winner, SS Poker Face Dream. The Primetime Dream colt out of the Behold A Beduino mare Precious Serendipity has won four of four starts his freshman year, earning $50,170. Now owned by Juan Carlos Perez, the youngster resides in Paul Jones’ barn, and is a possible supplement to the All American Futurity trials.
WhAt’S IMPoRtAnt
With only Jake and one other helper to share the work load, the daily demands of the farm are tempered by the flexibility that being self employed affords—allowing Ronnie and Bonnie to take time out to attend their six grandkids’ sports and activities.
“Unless we’re expecting a mare to foal out, we can usually work our schedules around,” Bonnie said. “We always breathe a sigh of relief when that last mare foals out.”
Although the couple doesn’t find much spare time, Ronnie ekes out random moments to write for entertainment. His western-flavored short stories, which he says are inspired by
Will James, involve an old cowboy teaching life lessons to a young boy by relating personal experiences.
Ronnie has a few personal experiences he’d like to add to his resume. One is building a 100-yard-long swimming chute to rehab his horses. The other is related in that he hopes it’ll provide the revenue to get the pool built: to participate in the passage of legislation allowing video lottery terminals in Texas. He and Bonnie feel that would jump-start the state’s racing economy. “Once that happens, Texas-breds will be on a level playing field and return here from other states,” he said.
Although they continually strive for business success, the Stewarts recognize the value of what they call the real stuff in life: “...family and the people I’ve met, relationships with people like Walter Merrick, Scoop Vessels, Jerry Windham, Dr. Varner over at Texas A&M’s veterinary school...” said Ronnie. “Yet some of my favorite times are with my 6-year-old grandson—those little moments that are here for just a short moment and then they’re gone.”
Unlike the fleeting presence of those precious moments, Double S Farm and its legacy are here to stay.
Ronnie and Bonnie Stewart (top) with long-time veterinarian Dr. Theresa Dwyer, nephew Cody Stewart, and son Jake Stewart.
Bonnie Stewart with a young King.
The Stewart boys—Jake, Phil and Ron Jr.
Jake Stewart shows a yearling at Heritage Place.
SPEEDHORSE, August 17, 2012 27