Page 128 - Barrel Stallion Register 2019

“We’re seeing more and more tendency for barrel racers to look for running bred horses.”
The late, great Jetta C Leo and Martha Wright won the 1996 NBHA Texas State Championships with a time of :16.070.
past 20 years, and almost every horse we’ve had during the past 10 years has been from the track. Now, we’re breeding a lot of our own horses.
“I think we’re looking for the same things most horsemen want in an individual – short back, long underline, big hip, inside muscling, intelligent eye. The Jet Of Honor (by World Champion Jet Deck) offspring really spoiled me. He put a mental attitude on his colts that allowed almost anyone to train them. They’re all willing and all of them want to turn. Jet Of Honor (a stakes winner on the track) offspring are about all I’ve ridden since 1992. I had seven mares bred to him the year he died. Four of
the babies were fillies. I kept two of the colts as studs and I bought two others.
“Our breeding program has race-bred mares. Almost all of them are AAA and one
is a track record holder by Mitey Te. We’ve basically put together the herd we want.
Now, the decisions are where to breed them. We’ve bred some to (World Champion Paint) Treasured Too, and we took an Easy Jet (World Champion) mare to a cutting horse. We try
to cool down some of the hotter mares in terms of bloodlines. We like anything that’s predominantly Jet Deck breeding.
“A horse who is mentally and physically capable can’t have too much speed for barrels. Today, it’s a really competitive horse race out there.”
Even though they’re breeding a lot of their stock, Martha and Ed still buy off the track. Ed has a widespread network set up. He knows a lot of trainers and other people at the track. “We receive telephone calls and people tell us they have a colt who won’t work at the track. We also have people call us who are looking for horses.”
Martha will average ten futurities and 30 to 40 rodeos per year, using jackpots to prepare her horses. “It’s tough to season a horse in Texas or Oklahoma,” she said. “One jackpot might have ten girls who are better than the NFR qualifiers. That’s rough.”
One of Martha’s most prized horses was Jetta C Leo (by Jet Of Honor). Last year, during their Sweepstakes run in Oklahoma City, he fractured his pelvis. “He was eight years old,” Martha said. “He fractured his pelvis and severed a major vessel. It was the most bizarre accident I’ve ever seen. We had to put him down and it was horrible.
“I bought him off the track when he was two. He was a hard-trying horse, and one of the greatest I’ve ever owned. I’d won more than $120,000 on him even though I missed a lot of competitions because of a foot abscess he had in ’95 plus four months off in ’96 because of
a fractured sesamoid. When he went back to work, it was as if he had a mission. He made one awesome run after another. He was one of those once-in-a-lifetime individuals.”
“Horses from the track know how to run,” Kay continued, “but they can also have a lot of chips. Personally, I don’t like a long-backed horse since they can bow too much in the middle.
“A barrel horse must be calm in the gate, come out of there and run like heck for 100 yards. It’s run and turn, run and turn, spurts of speed and more short spurts. That’s what it’s all about. It’s the hauling that can kill a barrel horse.”
And for Kay’s horses, hauling can be almost constant with eight to nine futurities each
year in addition to 75 rodoes. That’s a lot of traveling, but that’s also how she recently built and completely paid for a new home.
MARTHA WRIGHT
Some people say things such as, “Oh, I grew up with horses,” or, “I’ve been riding since before I can remember.” Sometimes those are accurate statements, and sometimes they aren’t. In the case of Martha Wright of Dublin, Texas, it’s definitely accurate.
“My grandfather, Everett Colborn, produced rodeos all over the country, including Madison Square Garden,” Martha began. “My father, Harry Tompkins, rode bulls and held six PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) titles. I really have been around rodeo all my life.”
There weren’t a lot of barrel competitions when Martha was first starting, but there were shows. In 1971, she won the National College title while her husband, Ed, won the national steer wrestling title. Both of them were still
in college and they’ve continued their unique partnership in which Martha rides and Ed trains.
“There have been bunches of changes since I began racing,” Martha continued, “and I think one of the most obvious has been in the money. I went to the finals as a rookie in 1971 and set a record for money won.” How much did she win? “$2,300,” Martha laughed. “I was riding a horse that went to King six times in
the first three generations. I started him as a two year old, loaned him to a friend to go to the NFR at four, and she won, and I took him back to the NFR myself as a five year old. I was offered $20,000 for him as a six year old, but he colicked and died shortly after that.”
Martha and Ed are covering just about every aspect of the barrel racing industry. She rides. They both train. They conduct clinics for aspiring barrel racers, and they’ve established their own breeding program.
“We’re seeing more and more tendency for barrel racers to look for running bred horses,” Martha said. “Ed and I have gone this way for the
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LOOKING BACK - AN EXCERPT FROM JUNE 13, 1997 ISSUE