Texoma Quarter Horses

Texoma Quarter Horses of Madill, Oklahoma, located just north of the Texas/Oklahoma border, stands stallions with some of the most sought-after bloodlines in the barrel racing industry today!  Joleen Hales, owner and operator, was born in Pennsylvania with an immediate fascination for horses.  She moved at a young age to Southern California where she remained until 1992. She then moved to Dallas, Texas and began raising her own horses, and later relocated to Oklahoma to take advantage of their state racing program incentives.

Joleen had a strong interest in horses from the time she knew what they were.  In her younger years, Joleen’s parents weren’t wealthy, so she worked many jobs as a child to be able to keep the one horse her parents finally broke down and bought. She kept her horse at a stable where she was able to meet some fascinating people and discuss the great quarter horses they owned and had seen throughout the years.  Through their mentoring and stories she became interested in what made those horses great.  She took a job at the track during summer vacation and was further exposed to some great minds and horses.  “I worked hard and must have asked a million questions,” says Joleen. From that point on, she was determined to someday raise nice horses herself!

Texoma Quarter Horses was purchased and established in 1998.  Although raising horses in Texas, Joleen had always had a few barrel horses and one at the track each year.  The racing programs in Oklahoma were beginning to become more lucrative and she also became interested in the barrel futurities. When she relocated to Oklahoma, she moved in just a few miles from the Stanley Family who owned and raised some phenomenal horses in First Down Dash, Dash For Perks and Disco Jerry. Joleen hung around them, picking their brain and became close friends.

Joleen’s goal was to establish a program to be able to play in both the race track and the barrel arena. She used all the knowledge she had gained and the information that was available in every publication she could get her hands on! She also started mentoring with Susan Larkins of Nevada, who helped her to understand the pedigree and mating game.

“I think my breeding program is based on what all breeding programs are trying to achieve,” says Joleen. “Raising a horse who will last, is very quick and athletic, and able to easily do what we ask of it with great disposition, mind and personality, with a big emphasis on soundness. Breeding for soundness takes some effort and sometimes you have to make decisions and cull those mares if they are not doing what you expect of them.” Joleen also breeds to outside stallions if she feels she can get what she wants in the mating through those daughters in the pedigree.

At Texoma Quarter Horses Joleen stands all her stallions, and raises and sells all their offspring through private treaty at the ranch.  She is fortunate to have some great customers who understand what she’s doing and is considering having a sale in the futurre.  At this point, her main goal is to continue to plan some great mating’s, and improve on what she has done so far.  “I believe in the stallions that I have. I don’t have any lofty goals in mind, as I don’t run the numbers as some of the bigger ranches, I just do what I know best and work hard.” For Joleen, it’s nice when you are able to watch them grow up, knowing each of them personally and then seeing them go on to a great home and winning.  “There’s no greater reward than that.”

Texoma Quarter Horses is currently standing stallions with the most sought-after bloodlines in the barrel racing industry, including: Dash for Perks, On the Money Red, Bugs Alive in 75, Dash Ta Fame, Rare Jet, and Fols Native. Joleen owns and stands Perks Alive, Streaking Ta Fame, Rare Cigar and Tres Kings. Tres Kings is the latest addition to the stallion lineup. He is an 8 year old son of Chamion Tres Seis, out of First Place Dash (a mare that won over $800,000 on the track). He is a royally bred stallion who will compliment both the barrel pen and race track.

Perks Alive, who is out of Dunns Rocket Bug by the leading sire Bugs Alive in 75 (a race stallion who produced some great running horses as well as prolific barrel horses) and sired by Dash for Perks (who was a leading barrel racing sire at the time) was a product of her first crop of babies and has yet to disappoint. People who ride his foals as well as amateur trainers love these colts, saying they’re easy to get along with, athletic, and mentally want to please. Perks Alive is now 14 and the soundest animal Joleen has ever owned.

Rare Bar was purchased for her program later in his life and is now deceased.  He had a SI of 102, had 32 race outs, was a graded stakes winner, 2X track record setter and retired sound at the age of 5. He was an impeccably bred AQHA World Champion Running Horse who was siring some really nice horses in the barrel pen as well. Joleen says, “He was probably the best looking horse I’ve ever seen in person, and his foals were doing everything.” He sired world class race, roping, jumping hunter under saddle and barrel horses. Although he is now gone, he carries on through Joleen’s pasture full of his daughters.

Streaking Ta Fame was one of the best looking foals Joleen had ever seen when he was born.  “He was a beautiful, breathtaking animal to look at.” He is also very well bred and it shows. His name has not let her down, having won at the track, also winning the very first futurity he was entered in. In March of 2015 he qualified for The American where he had the second fastest time in the first round, advancing to the top four in the final round, against the top 10 qualifiers and 15 NFR qualifiers! At the age of 8 he has already sired a race winning filly.  Joleen is patiently waiting for his babies to get a chance in the barrel pen.

Rare Cigar came about when Joleen went out in search of a good son of Rare Bar after losing him. He was an Indiana Champion two year old colt, also champion aged stallion.  He was a five time stakes qualifier, stakes winner and produced two Indiana Champions from his first crop of babies to the track.  His foals have won almost $700,000 at this time and he is also a half-brother to Hoosier Fame, ran by Tianny Shuester, who is one of the best barrel futurity/derby horses winning over $200,000 in the barrel pen and still winning today.

Joleen’s broodmare band consists of thirty-five mares who have some good, solid, older blooded pedigrees under them; blood that has been proven both on the track and in the barrel pen.  “I try to keep the best older blooded mares I can find, in order to keep the soundness and hardiness in my foals,” says Joleen.  She loves a mare who is line bred to the blue hen mares of the past, mares that are well-made, good minded, and have proven that they can do something.  Joleen says, “The line breeding to those blue hen mares is very important, because my stallions also include those mares, and I find that bringing those forward and then outcrossing them when I can, produces a really nice animal.” She also pays attention to the large heart gene theory and has a pasture full of double copy mares. She feels there is an advantage to using those mares, and so far it seems to have been true.

The Texoma Quarter Horse Ranch is quaint, not fancy, but built with safety for the horses in mind, set up to be easy to work through and around. She has some of the finest pasture on a hill with a limestone base and lots of free minerals and outstanding grasses, benefiting her horses. Joleen says, “Breeding farms are a lot of work. It’s very long hours and not for everyone, but I feel fortunate to be able to work for myself and have been very blessed to have this place and the horses I have to be able to make a living.”