Author Archives: horseshoeangusranch
Man Crush Monday – City Smarts
Some horses leave their mark in the show pen. Others leave it through the generations that follow. City Smarts did both in his own way.
Born in 2005, this handsome chestnut stallion had a pedigree packed with performance horse royalty and all the talent to match. City loved working cattle and could really turn one down the fence. Quick-footed, athletic, and naturally cowy, he embodied the traits that made his bloodlines so respected.
City was sired by An Educated Guess, the highest AQHA point-earning son of the legendary Smart Chic Olena. An Educated Guess compiled an impressive record that included:
🏆 385 AQHA Reining Points
🏆 Over $20,000 Lifetime Earnings
🏆 Highest AQHA Reining Point-Earning Son of Smart Chic Olena
🏆 Sixth on the All-Time Leading AQHA Reining Point Earners List
🏆 Multiple AQHA and NRHA Circuit Championships
🏆 AQHA World Show Finalist and Top-10 Competitor in Reining
City inherited the athleticism, trainability, and cow sense that made those bloodlines famous. But beyond his pedigree, what made him special was his temperament. He was easy to handle, enjoyable to be around, and had the kind of willing attitude that everyone appreciates in a horse.
Unfortunately, City’s own performance career never had the chance to fully unfold. As a young horse, he suffered a broken leg that limited his opportunities in the show pen. Even so, his ability was evident to everyone who saw him move and work. Tragically, after rebreaking that same leg at ten years old, we made the difficult decision to put him down.
While his life was cut short, his legacy lives on.
City Smarts became an important part of our breeding program, passing along his athletic ability, intelligence, and disposition to his offspring. His influence can still be seen at KT Ranch and throughout the area in the horses carrying his blood today. He is also the sire of KT Jackpot City, one of the stallions that helped continue his impact on our program.
Not every great horse gets the opportunity to show the world everything they are capable of. Some leave their greatest contribution through the horses that come after them.
The man. The myth. The legend. City Smarts.
“A good horse leaves memories. A great horse leaves a legacy.”
Happy Birthday, Mom!
Today we celebrate the woman who has always been the heart of our family and a big part of everything we do at KT Ranch.
We hope your day is filled with family, laughter, and all the things you enjoy most.
Categories: Uncategorized
Sunday Filly Spotlight – KT Shez Playn Stylish
Palomino Filly
DOB: 5/12/25
Price: $10,000
If you’re looking for a filly with color, class, cow sense, and a great mind, KT Shez Playn Stylish deserves a serious look.
This beautiful palomino filly checks all the boxes—eye-catching color, proven performance pedigree, athletic ability, and a disposition that makes her a pleasure to be around. She’s the kind that catches your attention from across the pasture and impresses you even more when you learn what’s behind her.
Her dam, Promising Style (“Minnie”), is one of those mares everyone loves. Kind, gentle, people-oriented, and always willing, Minnie is broke to ride, naturally athletic, and extremely cowy. She possesses the kind of disposition and work ethic we strive to produce and pass on to the next generation.
Minnie is backed by an exceptional cow horse pedigree. She is a daughter of a son of Playin Stylish, one of the most influential sires in the cutting horse industry:
🏆 LTE $119,550
🏆 NCHA Earnings $111,330
🏆 1999 NCHA Horse of the Year
🏆 1999 NCHA Open Super Stakes Champion
🏆 EquiStat #1 Four-Year-Old Money Earner
On the bottom side, Minnie is out of Miss Oakies Chula, an own daughter of Chula Dual, an NCHA money earner of more than $168,000 and AQHA World Show Senior Open Finalist. This maternal line is packed with proven performers and industry greats including Hesa Commander, Docs Oak, and Duel Pep.
Her sire, KT Heza Pana Dude, is a stallion we proudly raised and retained. Started by Jordan Crabtree in Ferndale, Washington, Dude showed from an early age that he possessed the traits we value most—trainability, athleticism, and an outstanding disposition. He consistently sires big, attractive foals with good minds and natural ability.
His pedigree traces back to Zinks Major Kid, Pana Dude, Major Bonanza, and Skipper W, combining foundation strength with proven performance genetics.
KT Shez Playn Stylish brings together generations of cow horse talent, athletic ability, and trainability, wrapped in a beautiful palomino package. She has the pedigree to excel, the mind to be enjoyable, and the kind of presence that makes people stop and look.
Whether you’re looking for a future performance prospect, ranch partner, or broodmare prospect, this filly has all the ingredients to be something special.
📸 Click here for more pictures.
Pretty enough to catch your eye. Bred well enough to keep it. Golden Looks, Cow Horse Roots
Saturday Colt Spotlight – KT Sioux Shining Truth “Truth”
Buckskin Colt
DOB: 3/07/26
Price: $6,000
Some colts are bred for the arena. Some are bred for the ranch. Truth was bred for both.
KT Sioux Shining Truth is a sharp-made buckskin colt with the kind of pedigree, disposition, and build that make a true all-around prospect. He combines elite cow horse genetics on the bottom side with generations of proven ranch horse breeding on the top, creating a colt that should have both talent and practicality.
His dam, HK ShineOMite Sioux (“Sioux”), is a beautiful mare that came to us from Texas. She is one of the sweetest mares on the place—friendly, people-oriented, and always looking for attention. More importantly, she carries an exceptional performance pedigree.
Sioux is by A Shiner Named Sioux, an accomplished performer with:
🏆 LTE $163,934
🏆 2011 AQHA World Champion Junior Working Cow Horse
🏆 2010 AQHA World Champion Junior Reining
🏆 3rd Place NRCHA Derby Open
🏆 Top 10 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open
Her dam is by Doc O Dynamite and comes from a proven producing family, adding even more depth and versatility to this colt’s genetics.
On the sire side, Nugget of Truth represents the kind of breeding that built the American ranch horse. Although he was never shown, he spent the majority of his life as a ranch remuda stallion for McMullin Ranch, where he became a cornerstone of their breeding program. His offspring are known for being:
✔ Big-boned and durable
✔ Conformationally correct
✔ Trainable and willing-minded
✔ Dependable working horses
Time and again, Nugget’s foals have proven themselves as versatile horses capable of handling long days, hard work, and multiple disciplines.
Truth brings together the best of both worlds—the talent, athleticism, and performance credentials of his dam’s side with the toughness, soundness, and usability of his sire’s ranch horse heritage.
He’s the kind of colt we love to raise: good-minded, well-bred, and built to have a job. Whether your plans include the ranch, the arena, or simply a dependable partner you can count on, Truth has all the ingredients to be something special.
KT Sioux Shining Truth — where proven performance meets practical ranch horse genetics.
Built on Truth, Backed by Champions
Finally Friday
This is a big one.
Tonight, Kaine walks across the stage and graduates from high school. It seems like just yesterday he was tagging along to feed cows, helping with chores, and dreaming about what came next. Now he’s stepping into a new chapter, and we couldn’t be more proud of the young man he has become.
Over the years we’ve watched him work hard in school, FFA, sports, ranch work, and everything in between. He has learned that success doesn’t come from shortcuts—it comes from showing up, putting in the work, and doing the job that needs done. Those lessons will serve him well wherever life takes him.
The celebration continues tomorrow with a graduation party for Kaine and his girlfriend, JayCee. Then on Sunday, we’ll be celebrating June birthdays with family as Erina, Shea, and Coco are in town for the weekend. It’s shaping up to be a weekend full of family, friends, milestones, and memories.
Around the ranch, the chores won’t stop, the horses will still need fed, and the cows won’t know it’s graduation weekend—but that’s part of what makes ranch life special. Through every season and every milestone, the work continues and the memories are made right alongside it.
Congratulations, Kaine. We are proud of you and excited to see what comes next.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Thursday Thoughts
Last Thursday was a big night for our family as we attended the FFA Banquet. We couldn’t be more proud of the boys. Kade is the new FFA President, and both Kade and Jaxsen were recognized as members of several teams that placed well at State FFA. Kaine, as a graduating senior, received his FFA sash to wear at graduation—a milestone that marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
Of course, no spring week would be complete without a little excitement from Mother Nature. Thursday night brought a tornado warning and a spectacular lightning storm that kept everyone watching the sky.
Friday was horse-moving day. John came out to pick up Nutter and her filly, Butter, to get Nutter bred back. They attempted to catch John’s new mare to send along, but she apparently knew exactly what was happening and had other plans. Toni spent the day showing horses to prospective buyers, and by the end of the day Might Gun had headed off to his new home.
Saturday brought a junior high student working on her SAE project. She spent the day shadowing Toni while horses were shown, sold, and photographed. Outlaw and Sparkles both found new homes, and Lil Guy has a home lined up for this fall. Anna, Kade, and I tackled fence repairs around Cappy’s pen before the dogs and I made the rounds checking on Sagebug, Gunner, and the cows.
Meanwhile, Kaine spent part of the weekend working on my old red half-ton pickup since I’ve been driving the ranch pickup that he normally uses. McCall and McKenna stopped by for pictures with July and Twiggs, which made for a fun visit.
Sunday was more of what ranch life is all about—checking cattle, building fence, putting out hay, fixing pickups, filling mineral feeders, and catching up on the endless list of chores that always seems to grow faster than it shrinks. Alvina brought Memphis out, and we turned her out with Tank.
Monday, Costco delivered what felt like half the store in preparation for the upcoming graduation party. Toni and Dad also made a trip to Allie’s to pregnancy check Reba and Lendy and bring MB home. We were happy to learn that Lendy is confirmed in foal to Cookie for a 2027 baby.
The days are long, the to-do lists are longer, and the weeks seem to fly by this time of year. Between graduations, FFA accomplishments, horses finding new homes, breeding season, and ranch chores, there’s never a dull moment around here.
Have a great week, everyone!
And we also got some more fun updates of horses sold. These colts all went to the Dansie family.
Categories: Uncategorized
Feature Foal Wednesday – KT Stinging Kat “Sting”
Colt
Sire: Midnight Kat DR
Dam: KT Major Stinger Bee (“BB”)
DOB: 3/23/26
Color: Bay
Price: $6,000
Some foals have that special look from the moment they hit the ground—and Sting is one of them.
KT Stinging Kat is a sharp-made bay colt with presence, athleticism, and a pedigree loaded with proven performance horses. He’s the kind that catches your eye in the pasture and makes you stop to take a second look.
On the top side, Sting is sired by Midnight Kat DR, a stallion whose pedigree blends some of the most influential names in the performance horse world. Midnight Kat DR is by Starlight Midnight, an NRHA money-earner, AQHA World Show qualifier, and AQHA Register of Merit horse with more than 60 AQHA points. Starlight Midnight is a son of the legendary Grays Starlight, whose offspring have earned more than $10 million and excelled across reining, cow horse, and cutting disciplines.
Midnight Kat DR is out of Slick As A Cat DR, bringing in the powerhouse blood of Metallic Cat and Smooth As A Cat. The result is a pedigree packed with cow sense, athletic ability, and trainability.
Just as importantly, Midnight Kat DR possesses the qualities we value most in a sire—good-minded, kind, athletic, and enjoyable to be around. He is soft-eyed, fluid moving, and naturally talented, passing those traits on to his foals.
On the bottom side, Sting is out of KT Major Stinger Bee (“BB”), a beautiful palomino mare with a pedigree full of proven performers. She is by Zinks Major Kid, a son of John Zink whose pedigree includes Major Bonanza, Skipper W, and Quincy Dan. BB’s dam, Wright On Sugarinic (“Stinger”), won the Pro Division of the Cascade Cutters Futurity and is an own daughter of Lenas Wright On. This maternal line traces to greats such as Smart Little Lena, Slide Me Again, and Just Plain Colonel.
Stinger has also proven herself as a producer, with offspring including our stallion Just Plain Starlight and our eye-catching brindle mare KT Gun In A Million.
With proven cow horse genetics, athletic ability, a trainable mind, and a look that turns heads, Sting has all the ingredients to make a versatile performance or ranch prospect. We’re excited to watch this colt grow and think his future is bright.
Some foals are born with potential. Sting was born with a pedigree designed to turn that potential into performance.
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