By Karen Cannon, originally published in the January 2003 issue of BHN.
You are at a barrel race and you notice someone inspecting the young horse tied to your trailer. As they make their way over to you, you know what their first words will be… “How’s that horse bred?” What will you say? Will you be able to rattle off the colt’s sire’s parentage, offspring earnings and average? Will you be armed with the information to justify your decision to breed your mare to the colt’s sire?
In a business where 1/1000th of a second can make a world of difference, barrel racers have learned to pay close attention to detail. The same theory goes when prospective buyers and stallion and mare owners dive into the depths of breeding season. The wise breeder looks before he leaps.
Barrel Horse News has researched and answered the questions on your minds about the top 20 barrel sires; from offspring average to stud fee. Along with Equi-Stat, the statistical division of Cowboy Publishing Group, we have put together a list of the top 20 barrel horse sires, based on their offspring’s earnings for 2001 (2002 figures will not be available until March 2003).
The offspring money includes winnings from all divisions, including futurities, derbies and sweepstakes, NBHA Super Shows, National Shows, State Shows and World Championship money won during the year 2001.
Due in part to a phenomenal year with Terri Wood-Gates, Maine Dash Ta Fame’s earnings of $63,895 and KJS Fame’s earnings of $22,720.68 skyrocketed Dash Ta Fame from fifth in the sire standings to first. An additional $61,354.33 earned by Fame Fox Kirk and Martha Wright, along with 25 other money-earning offspring, boosted Dash Ta Fame’s total offspring earnings to $246,801, with an average per offspring of $8,814.
