Page 98 - September 2019

The Colemans are running in partnership on two horses in 2019, including Mr Tres Points (below) who was purchased in the 2018 Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale by Newcomb Cattle Company
Their breeding program consists of putting the mares under lights beginning Thanksgiving Day to get them ready to cycle. Then, Dr. Canaday checks them and sets them up on a schedule to get them ovulating for breeding season. He has Randy and Sandy bring them to the 6666 according to their schedule to be bred. In terms of foaling out mares, Dr. Canaday has the Colemans bring them to the ranch about 10 days out from their due dates.
“This last year, both 6666 and MJ Farms got all of our mares bred on the first try,” Randy says.
Sandy says Dr. Blodgett has taken the Colemans’ breeding program to heart and advises the couple on potential sires, and went above and beyond by taking in the mares when Randy was recovering from surgery and Sandy was struggling with the flu.
The couple works hard to keep their feeding program consistent, both in content and schedule. They do nearly all the horse work themselves, with help from a student intern
who assists with feeding and general operations. “We’re not really big enough to hire somebody full time, but we’re big enough to work ourselves pretty hard,” Sandy says.
“We study these horses; we know their habits and we don’t spare any expense in terms of their care here at home,” Sandy adds. “I was raised knowing the right way to take care of a horse, and Dr. Michelle Bessire from Brock’s Vet Clinic in Lamesa comes here every week or two; she’s done a magnificent job helping us along with all the issues that come up. She ultrasounds lungs and even if there’s nothing wrong, we’ll walk through the horses and the babies to make sure everything’s right.”
Sandy adds that they start trimming feet
at four weeks old, and they never miss a vaccination. “Everything is geared to growing as much bone in these babies as we can so they’ll hold up as well as possible at the track. We’re just all about the horse, and we always have been.”
In addition to caring for the horses, Randy says he’s made the comment that God created
more than a full-time job at the house, and then he also has to go take care of the farming operation. “We’re blessed with good employees at the farm and whenever we get in a bind here, they come help us,” he said.
The work is worth the reward. While at the TQHA Sale recently, a trainer bought one of their horses for a client, who then asked about the Colemans’ operation. The trainer responded that every horse at Coleman Racing has never missed a meal and has had the best of care.
“I’ve had a lot of people tell me that if they believed in reincarnation, they’d want to come
back and live here because the horses are so well taken care of,” Sandy says. “We are the definition of homebreds here. The mares may go to foal out at the 6666, but we bring them and the babies home within two or three days, as soon as the babies’ legs are ready to travel and Dr. Canaday gives them the okay. Then, they leave when it’s time to go to Blane’s to either be sale prepped or go to boot camp to become a racehorse. Other than that, they’re home.”
96 SPEEDHORSE, September 2019