Page 44 - NMHBA_Winter2022

A MOMENT IN TIME
Robert (Bob) and Jane Stockton of Roswell believe that in raising running Quarter Horses, good breeding and expensive breeding are not necessarily synonymous.
“You don’t have to have expensive breeding to have good horses,” Bob says. He’s proven his point a number of times.
For example, he raised Go High Tymes (SI 94) who ran with the best. He was a winner 11 times at Ruidoso and at Los Alamitos. “He ran third in the Zia Handicap at Ruidoso,” Bob says. “He got outrun by Easter Wrangler by Rocket Wrangler and outran some hot-bred horses. We were tickled about that because his sire carried a $150 stud fee when he was
first standing.”
The sire was Go Sugar Bar by Go Man Go and out of an own daughter of Sugar Barns. So whether or not he was expensive, his pedigree was impressive.
The same is true of the Stocktons’ mares. Go High Tymes’ dam is AAA producer Rosetta Dial. They have a 3-year-old full sister to Go High Tymes named Rockin Jane who will run this year in the New Mexico Bred Derby at Santa Fe. She didn’t race as a 2-year- old. “I really dislike running 2-year- olds,” Bob says. “We’ve waited with some of the other horses until they were three, and they’ve stayed sound and haven’t had problems.”
However, since so much big money
is available for 2-year-olds, Bob doesn’t always wait. He has an unnamed yearling full brother to Go High Tymes he’s
really high on. “I’ll probably run him as a 2-year-old,” he says, “and aim him for the Rainbow Futurity.”
There won’t be anymore full brothers
or sisters to Go High Tymes because Go Sugar Bar died of intestinal problems in 1984. Bob and Jane were members of the syndicate that owned Go Sugar Bar. His loss
BY GLENDA PRICE
was a blow to the Stockton breeding program, of course, but they already had access to another good one, Think Big, and last year they purchased him.
Think Big is a 1975 son of Aforethought out of a Bar Tonto mare. “This horse got kicked in the knee as a yearling, so he never had the opportunity to race,” Bob says. “We don’t have that many colts by him because our main interest was breeding to Go Sugar Bar.”
Bob is pleased with the few Think Big colts he has raised, though. “We plan on keeping this stud because he’s crossing well with our mares. We’ve been happy with the colts by him.”
The Stocktons’ mares are good ones. In addition to Rossetta Dial, they own AAA producer Vanetta Lady and AAA Tough Vanetta. As their names indicate, the mares are Vandy-bred.
In 1976 I bought five strong Vandy and Three Bars mares from a fellow who had been raising chariot-racing horses in Montana and Idaho,” Bob says. “I’ve added one or two more since then. Vandy wasn’t bred to as many mares as some studs were, so there isn’t that much of his blood around. Vandy horses have a lot of bone in them and are level-headed. I sure like that about them.”
Bob points out that a good disposition is as important because out of four or five colts, a breeder might get just one outstanding runner. What about the other three of four colts?
“All our mares are good-natured, and we spend a lot of time with
the colts. I put a handle on them
so if they don’t run it doesn’t take
a whole lot to make performance horses out of them,” he says. “We’ve got a few head we’re thinking about turning into cutting horses because they have the disposition to want to compete. And we’ve got a filly doing hunter-jumper.”
Breaking and training colts is Bob’s forte. He takes in many young horses for other breeders. “A lot
of people just take them green to
the trainer at the track,” he says, shaking his head. “That can cause a wreck and get somebody hurt. Also,
I can start the colts here in a quiet environment, get them going and give the owners an idea whether or not they can run before they get a lot of money invested.”
The Sticktons’ Rockin R S Ranch south of Roswell is an ideal place for young
Previously published in the Aug. 1986 New Mexico Horse Breeder
THEY DON’T HAVE
TO BE EXPENSIVE
TO BE GOOD
42 New Mexico Horse Breeder
Three-year-old Rockin Jane, paid up for the New Mexico Bred Derby at Santa Fe,
in starting gate at home.