can of worms - DOC BAR ASSASINATED JESSIE JAMES

Whats wrong with this picture???? Doc Bar. Born 1956. Bred for speed .... in four starts won a total of $95. Shown at Halter 13 times Grand Champion 10 reserve Champion 1. Wasn't much of a performance horse. Regarded as the most influential stallion in the history of cutting.

Jessie James. Born 1943. Reserve World Champion Cutting Horse 1951. Described by many including rider Matlock Rose as the best Cutting Horse they have ever seen. Total earnings $18,961. Not much of a record as a sire.

How does a stallion with no cutting credentials overtake one of the most highly regarded cutting horses in history, as a sire? Of the 54 Doc Bar progeny to earn over $10,000 in NCHA earnings All but 16 horses had Poco Bueno in their bottom line. Another three traced back to King. The rest traced back to Hollywood Gold, Rey Jay, Music Mount and other “foundation horses”

Whilst poor old Jessie James only had 19 progeny to earn NCHA money. Of those only two earned over $10,000, Fannie James and Martins Jessie. Martins Jessie was the only one of Jessie James's progeny to have Poco Bueno on the bottom line. There were about 8 or 9of these horses who have no recorded bloodlines in their bottom line.

Is this a case of the Sivertail with the privileged upbringing and a bit of Blue blood outdoing the little battler? Had Jessie James been put across Poco Bueno mares or even King mares could it be possible that today the leading sires could have been Jessie O'lena, Highbrows Jessie or Smart Jessie Lena? Jessie James as an eight year old was still getting down and dirty in the cutting arena and being lugged around the country trying to be World Champion, whilst Doc Bar was admiring his pictures in the glossy magazines and being spoon fed the best bloodlines available at the same age.

Is Jessie James the one that got away, and as a result his bloodlines will be lost forever because they weren't fashionable? Or how many horses were and are now out there that are more prolific than Doc Bar who will never get a chance to prove themselves as sires because they don't have Doc Bar in their bloodlines.

In the meantime the percentage of the "Hot Blooded" Doc Bar horses increases with every new generation decreasing the size of the Gene Pool in Cutting Horses and eliminating the chances to put some Hybrid Vigour back into the breed.

If anyone would like to comment just email admin@justcuttin.com.au

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