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Joe Hancock Family
Red Man 1935; Roan; Joe Hancock x Burnett Roan Mare Stallion Show Record ROM Performance, '43 Race; '52 ROM NCHA money-earner Perf Points: 2; SI: 85; NCHA Earnings: $20; Stallion Offspring Record Hall of Fame Offspring, NCHA ROM Performance Offspring Race ROM Offspring NCHA Money-earners Race Money-earners Halter Point Earners AQHA Offspring Record Total Points Earned: 119.5; Reg Foals: 125; Number Shown: 40; Point Earners: 8; Halter Points Earned: 2; Halter Point Earners: 2; Performance Points Earned: 117.5; Performance Point Earners: 8; Performance ROMS: 5; Total ROM's: 5; Race Earnings: $27,198; Stakes Winners: 2; 90+ ROMS: 2; Race ROMS: 15; Race Offspring Wins: 18; Outstanding Offspring Apache Agent, $9,486 Race Booger Red, $51,323.65 NCHA dollars, Awards: COA, Bronze, Silver, NCHA Hall
Red Man
Joe Hancock
Joe Hancock 1923-1943 (STORY) Grandson of Peter McCue, Joe Hancock built his early reputation on the race track, but his real fame was to come as a sire on a Texas ranch. He was bought for his speed by one of Texas' most astute horsemen, Tom Burnette, and it was on Tom's ranches that he was to spend his last days, siring some of the most famous Quarter Horses it has been Texas's privilege to produce. Joe was 1/4 Percheron, his Dam was the result of John Jackson Hancock breeding his Mundel mare to a registered Percheron Stallion owned by Ralph Wilson. The Percheron Stallion was 14.3 hands and about 1100 pounds, not the draft type, but used for riding and gathering cattle. Many benefits are attributed to the Percheron cross, strength in stature, bone, a good appetite, he was known to eat all his stall bedding on more than one occasion. Calmness and disposition were also added. "Joe Hancock did not himself have ideal Quarter Horse conformation, but in many ways he deserved to be in the list of the foundation sires. We registered him in 1940, not because of his conformation, but because of the consistency with which he was getting good Quarter Horses. They all looked like they came out of a mold. Tom Burnett of the Four Sixes bought him, put him on the Triangle Ranch, and there he lived out his life. He was bred almost exclusively to Burnett mares." "Jim Minnick and I went by to see Joe in 1939, and then continued on into Oklahoma to talk to Walter Hancock and John Ogle. They said his dam was one-half draft mare, and I so registered Joe in Volume 1, No. 1 of the studbook. John Ogle, who raced him and gave him his name, agreed with Hancock's story, so we can assume it is correct." Excerpt from: "Great Quarter Horse Sires - a look back at the stallions of the 1930s and '40s." By Bob Denhardt The Western Horseman, December 1986 Most accounts of Joe Hancock describe him as a big horse who stood a solid 16 hands. That, however, is not the way Tom Hancock remembers the stallion: "He stood 15.2 or maybe 15.3," he attested, "but certainly not 16. He was dark brown with that white blaze running down his face. That much I do remember." "Daddy and Uncle Bird (Ogles) agreed on another quality about Joe… his conformation. They used to say they couldn't improve on it for racing even if they could take a pencil and literally redraw it." "Regardless of what anyone may have said about Joe Hancock, there were some noted horsemen in whose opinion he was outstanding. Elmer Hepler often said he was one of the best-looking horses he'd ever seen. Tom Burnett of the 6666/Triangle Ranch was also quoted as saying Joe was one of the most outstanding-looking horses he'd ever looked at. Newt Keck, who saw Joe when he was a 2 and 3 year old, always insisted Joe could go to the track today and not be out of place in terms of conformation. He said he looked good then and he'd still look good today. He further said Joe had the best hip and one of the heaviest loins he'd ever seen on a horse. My mother, Cora Hancock, always said Joe was not only good looking but a perfect gentleman as well." Excerpt from: "Joe Hancock - Tom Hancock tells the story of this great Quarter Horse stallion." By Diane Ciarloni Simmons The Western Horseman / November 1990 Joe Hancock was almost gelded, he was in the harness waiting for the vet to ride when a friend told Joe David Hancock that he surely wouldn't geld that colt. And history was made. Joe Hancock was broke to ride as a 2 year old and it wasn't long before they discovered what they always expected to be true, that he had a world of speed. So he was taken to a trainer named, Elbert Bird Ogle in Claypool, Oklahoma. The first race he was in was in Comanche, Oklahoma. When Bird Ogle went to register him he was asked his name, at that time he didn't have one so he said "Joe Hancock owns him so call him Joe Hancock." And a racing career was born. Before that career was over Joe was open to the world at any distance from the starting line to three-eighths of a mile. He was never beat at the quarter and only beat one time at the half-mile. It was nearly impossible for to find any takers to race against him after a while. But that didn't stop Bird Ogle. He took him to Arlington Downs (owned by W.T. Waggoner) and told everybody that he was a pony horse. There is no idea how much money was won because of Joe Hancock, but it has been said that a lot of people bought farms because of him. One day George Ogle came along and wanted to buy Joe Hancock, Joe David didn't want to sell him so he priced him high at $1000, well George didn't blink. He bought the horse and they took him and resold him to Tom Burnett for $2000. Joe Hancock could run and he transmitted his speed quite consistently to his offspring. His offspring were in strong demand as rope horses because of their strength, speed and action. Many ropers of today say that Joe Hancock was the greatest sire of rope horses. Old time ropers say that Hancock horses are big stout, tough and with good bone. Because they are so durable Hancock horses could stand up to a lot of hauling. And ropers to this day still swear by these big hard-working horses. No horse has produced more top-caliber ranch and rodeo horses than Joe Hancock. It is small wonder the real cowmen still rever his name and use his blood. Joe lived out his days with Burnett at the 6666/Triangle ranch. Joe cut his foot in the pasture there he got a bad infection, the infection did clear up but a year later he foundered really bad and had to be put down on July 29, 1943. Joe Hancock received recognition for his contribution to the quarter horse industry in 1992 Joe Hancock was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame! His progeny included: • 15 Foal Crops • 155 Foals Registered • 2 Performance Point Earners • 23 Performance Points Earned • 6 Race Registers of Merit • 7 Race Starters Stallion Show Record Hall of Fame, '92 AQHA Inductee Stallion Offspring Record Race Money-earners ROM Performance Offspring Race ROM Offspring Performance Point Earners AQHA Offspring Record Total Points Earned: 23; Reg Foals: 155; Number Shown: 16; Point Earners: 2; Performance Points Earned: 23; Performance Point Earners: 2; Performance ROMS: 2; Total ROM's: 2; Race Earnings: $337; Race ROMS: 6; Outstanding Offspring Brown Joe Hancock, 21 performance points, '57 performance ROM Little Joe The Wrangler Red Man, '43 RC ROM Wonder Lad D, si 75, 7 wins, $337 RC, '46 RC ROM So we begin to see that a truly great Quarter Horse family is one deriving from a single stallion, who begets sons who in turn become great sires themselves. And through this breeding process, which can continue on for generations, the qualities and characteristics of the original founding stallion are maintained faithfully - even perhaps improved on in certain sensational breeding nicks." "Still another requisite of an outstanding family line is the ability of sons or grandsons or great grandsons of the original sire to start their own line - a sort of family within a family." "What professional rodeo roper has not heard of Joe Hancock, the original sire of a line of rugged, active, and speedy calf and steer horses? He was by John Wilkens by Peter McCue, and he sired, among others, Red Man, Roan Hancock, Hancock King, and Joe Hancock Jr. And these sons of old Joe in turn sired some of the best short-distance race horses and rodeo rope horses in the Southwest." Excerpt from: How to Enjoy the Quarter Horse / Chapter 15 / "Are Quarter Horse Families Important?" 1973 by Willard H. Porter John Burns, who during Joe Hancock's life managed the Burnett estate, wrote about Joe Hancock: "Joe Hancock could run and he transmitted his speed quite consistently to his offspring. He was a big horse, heavily boned and muscled and quite well balanced in his conformation, and stood on well set legs. His feet were on the large side, and one could sum him up by saying that he was a big horse, powerfully built, with a lot of speed and action. He would weigh 1450 pounds in just ordinary condition. His offspring were in strong demand as rope horses because of their strength, speed and action." "In the eyes of the old times ranches, the top mounts were the cutting and steer roping horses. No horse has produced more top cutting ranch and rodeo horses than old Joe Hancock. It's no wonder that real cowmen still revere his name and use his blood." Excerpt From: Quarter Horses - A Story of Two Centuries by Bob Denhardt It's been 47 years since Joe Hancock died and he's still influencing the industry. I don't think anyone - not even P.T. Barnum himself -- could fool the public that long! To me, Joe Hancock himself was his own greatest promoter. To me, his unquestioned prepotency in the stud is the reason his bloodlines are still being sought today." Excerpt from: "Joe Hancock - Tom Hancock tells the story of this great Quarter Horse stallion." By Diane Ciarloni Simmons The Western Horseman / November 1990 Modern horses that carry the great Joe Hancock lineage include Rugged Lark (AQHA Super Horse) French Flash Hawk (traces to Joe Hancock three times, "Bozo" is a 4 time PRCA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year), Flit (great broodmare who is the dam of Flit Bar, Bar Flit, Kings Pistol, Sugar Leo) this great broodmare not only sired AAAT running horses, but cutting horses as well. Progeny of this great mare include Firewater Flit, a sire that has swept the nation in the barrel racing world. Red Man was a son of Joe Hancock who was a speed horse and top rope horse sire. He sired fast horses and are very popular with ropers and barrel racers. Driftwood Ike was a great grandson of Joe Hancock and was a great sire and top rope horse War Chief was a son of Joe Hancock , he sired War Concho and War Drift who were both great sires in their own right. Wonder Lad D was a son of Joe Hancock who was a track record holder Some of the top crosses on the Joe Hancock lineage include Driftwood, Wagonner, Leo, Sugar Bars, Clabber, Chicaro, King and many others. Joe Hancock mares crossed well on virtually any stallion that needed more size, depth and sturdiness. The ropers called the Driftwood/Joe Hancock cross "the magic cross" and loved to ride horses that were bred in this manner. Clay O'Brien Cooper in his book "Team Roping" said that one of the best rope horses he had ever owned was a Red Man (by Joe Hancock) bred horse. Cooper won his first two World Team Roping Championships on this horse.
Blue Valentine 1956; Roan; Red Man x Beauty's Dream Stallion Show Record Performance Point Earner Perf Points: 1; Stallion Offspring Record Race Money-earners Performance Point Earners AQHA Offspring Record Total Points Earned: 5; Reg Foals: 210; Number Shown: 8; Point Earners: 4; Performance Points Earned: 5; Performance Point Earners: 4; Race Earnings: $10; Blue Valentine is probably the most well known grandson of Joe Hancock. He was an outstanding horse. Well know in rodeo circles for his abilities in Steer Tripping. Blue Valentine was bred by Kenny Gunter who owned Red Man. Del Haverty purchased Blue from Kenny and trained him. Del stood him for many years before selling him to Buster Hayes and Hyde Merritt. Blue Valentine horses are know for their astounding cow sense. They are some of the smartest cow horse around. They will follow, cut and do just about anything you want with a cow. Blue Valentine had never been trained for barrels, but when Kathy Haverty sold her barrel racing horse at a local rodeo and ol’ Blue had to fill in. She made a couple of practice runs and took 3rd in the competition. On another occasion her mother Connie entered Blue in a women’s queen contest during the Ranch Days Rodeo in AZ. Blue was the only horse the Haverty’s had that was dependable enough to use in this competition. Blue like his grandsire Joe Hancock was good minded and gentle. He could be caught in the pasture and rode like a gelding, even around mares. One family member remembers a time her 5 year old sister and 4 year old brother had climbed up on the fence and crawled up on Blue and were riding him around the pen, with no bridle or saddle, next to the mares. In the absence of official accomplishment records( due to the fact that most of the foals off of him were used in rodeos and as working horses, not AQHA show horses), Blue Valentines legacy must depend on reputation and great offspring. Took from the June 2004 Quarter Horse Journal. Blue Valentine...did everything on him--roped calves, team roped, tripped steers. Whenever there's cowboyin' to be done--out in the open or in the Rodeo arena--the Hancocks have proven they can handle the job. Western Horseman article.
Blue Valentine
Story By Chip Merrit about Blue Valentine It all began in 1880 when my great-grandfather, Vince Hayes, trailed a herd of good mares from Ft. Riley, Nevada to Thermopolis, Wyoming. His two sons, Buster and Laurie, continued the tradition of raising and riding top horses and sought ways to improve them. Around 1951, they purchased Texas Blue Bonnet, a son of Joe Hancock. They started crossing him on their own mares and in 1955 a Patron mare bred to him produced a foal named Plenty Coup, who went on to also produce many top colts. At about the same time my grandfather, King Merritt, brought one of the first Quarter Horse stallions, "Old Red Buck P-9" to Wyoming. As a respected horseman, King had judged the first Quarter Horse show in California. He and all his children were well known for their horsemanship skills. King and his son Hyde brought additional stallions to Wyoming, including Ambrose and Patron. Hyde inherited from his father the satisfaction of riding a good horse he knew he had raised. In the fall of 1956, Ken Gunter gave Del Haverty the pick of the Red Man colts. Del picked a blue roan stallion named Blue Valentine. Del trained Blue to rope calves, tie-down team rope, and haze dogging steers. Blue later was most famous as a steer roping horse but Del always felt he was a better calf horse than anything. Del sold half interest in Blue Valentine to Buster and Laurie Hayes Buster and Laurie stood Texas Blue Bonnet, Plenty Coup, and Blue Valentine. It was quite an experience to see these studs out with the excellent set of mares Buster and Laurie had accumulated The tradition continued when my mother, Dede (Buster's daughter), married my father, Hyde. Hyde started breeding his Ambrose mares to Hayes' Plenty Coup, then took that cross and bred to Blue Valentine. This program produced the stallion Gooseberry, Crow Creek (Lory's top calf horse), and many good mares. Hyde and Dede then bought the other half interest in Blue Valentine from Del. Hyde felt like it was a great privilege to rope steers on Blue. In 1970 Hyde roped at his last Cheyenne Frontier Days on Blue. Everet Shaw, who rode his share of great steer roping horses, told Hyde that Blue was the best horse at Cheyenne that year. Hyde and Del both felt that Blue started out of the box quicker and could catch cattle easier than any horse they had ridden. The combination of Blue's athletic ability and Del's training made him hard to beat. Kathy and I continue this tradition by raising horses with as much Texas Blue Bonnet, Plenty Coup, Ambrose and Blue Valentine blood as possible, hoping to preserve the heritage of these great horses. By Chip Merrit
Roan Ambrose Roy Cleveland of Brule, NE hauled him to rodeos and picked up riders off of bucking horses on him in the fall. He sired 143 foals in 21 foal crops, one of which has been used in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo as a pick up horse, also hazing steers, ropes, and is used for daily ranch work.
Roan Ambrose
No Picture Available at this time
Happy Hancock 1956; Red Roan; Pepper Hancock x Betty Buster Stallion Offspring Record NCHA Money-earners Performance Point Earners AQHA Offspring Record Total Points Earned: 9; Reg Foals: 63; Number Shown: 2; Point Earners: 1; Performance Points Earned: 9; Performance Point Earners: 1; AQHA Offspr NCHA LTE: $635
Happy Hancock
No Picture Available at this time
Hancocks Blue Boy
Hancocks Blue Boy 1986; Brown; Mr Roan Hancock x Bluebird Hancock Stallion Specialties: Foundation, Ranch Horses Location: Broken Bones Cattle Company; Lander, WY; 82520
Plenty Coup
Driftwood
1932 Brown Miller Boy x The Comer Mare Stallion Offspring Record Hall of Fame Offspring, PRCA AQHA High Point Performance Offspring ROM Performance Offspring NCHA Money-earners Halter Point Earners Performance Point Earners AQHA Offspring Record Total Points Earned: 278.5; Reg Foals: 153; Number Shown: 32; Point Earners: 28; Halter Points Earned: 34; Halter Point Earners: 5; Performance Points Earned: 244.5; Performance Point Earners: 27; Performance ROMS: 19; High Point Wins: 1; Total ROM's: 19; Race Earnings: $60; Race ROMS: 1; AQHA Offspr NCHA LTE: $427 Outstanding Offspring Big Three, 16 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Calzona Katy, si 55; Race LTE: $60 Chakaty, 4.5 Perf Pts; Cowboy Schell, si 75; Race ROM Driftwood II, 5 HLT & 12.5 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Driftwood Ike, 54 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM; '69 2nd High Pt O Steer Roping Firewood, 11 HLT & 6 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Gray Chip, 5.5 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Hallie Wood, 11 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Jay Wood, 9 HLT & 27.5 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Jernigan Peake, 7 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Mac McCue W, 1 Perf Pt; O Perf ROM Mescal Brownie, 22 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM; '60 High Pt. WCH Miss Driftwood, 11.5 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Peake, 8.5 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Poker Chip Peake, 7 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM; '79 PRCA Hall of Fame Quick A Lick, 1 Perf Pt. Sierra Speedy, 1 Perf Pt. Speedey Scat, 7.5 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Speedy N, 2 Perf Pts Speedy Peake, 16 Perf Pts; NCHA LTE: $262.25; O Perf ROM Speedywood, 5 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Tomita Hall, 1 Perf Pt; O Perf ROM W P R Lucky Drift, 5 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Wood Wasp, NCHA LTE: $165.00 Wooden Nugget, .5 Perf Pt. Woodkee, 6.5 Perf Pts; O Perf ROM Zaca Mist, 2 Perf Pts.
Piggin String
1965 AQHA Chestnut
