Full Throttle

A Force Behind The Scenes

For a man who, “made big efforts to try to stay out of the spotlight,” Dr. Jerry Rheudasil had a major impact on the Quarter Horse world. Besides being a veterinarian (first at his own practice, and then at the famous Phillips Ranch), he established himself as a successful breeder, owner, and leader within the sport. The horses Rheudasil owned or co-owned include Yankee Win (a champion and the winner of the 1982 Rainbow Futurity); Mito Wise Dancer (who captured the 1976 All-American Derby); and On A High (winner of the 1983 All-American Futurity and sire of the great See Me Do It). He also played a major role in the legalization of pari-mutuel betting in Texas.

When asked about Rheudasil, one of the first things many people mention is his tenacity and drive to succeed. “I always had a real affinity for him as a person,” says Mike Stuart, a lifelong horseman who worked as the assistant manager of Phillips Ranch during the 1980s. “He was a good guy, he was tough, he was a very passionate man. It didn’t take much to set him off, but he gave 150 percent to everything he did and expected everybody around him to do it too.”

From the start, it seemed like Jerry Rheudasil was destined to spend his life around animals, although it wasn’t immediately clear what kind. Born in 1934, he grew up on his parents’ farm in Paris, Texas.

Rheudasil quickly displayed an aptitude for the livestock and farming business. At fourteen, he made $442.30 by selling two “beef calves,” along with fifty-five bushels of corn he had grown himself. By 1951, Rheudasil owned four Aberdeen-Angus cows and five acres of land, which he used for corn. 

His exploits earned him a place in the local Paris News, where he was named “Farm Boy of the Month” that August. When interviewed, the sixteen year old said he planned to attend Texas A&M University, study animal husbandry, and return home to be a cattle farmer. However, once in college, Rheudasil decided to change tracks and become a veterinarian. He ultimately graduated in 1958 with a doctorate from Texas A&M’s TAMU School of Veterinary Medicine. 

After beginning his career under Dr. V. V. Cox in Lubbock, he went on to open his own practice, the Rheudasil Animal Clinic, in Lewisville, Texas. Two years after graduating, he married Myrna Thompson, who had also grown up in Paris and later became a successful real estate agent. 

During the early 1960s, Rheudasil developed a passion for running Quarter Horses. “I don’t think he had a real horse background growing up,” explains Bruce Hill, the range manager at Phillips Ranch for much of Rheudasil’s tenure there. “I guess as soon as he got out of vet school and started practicing veterinary medicine, he just gravitated toward the horse industry, and then racehorses.” He continues, “Early on, of course, in Texas, there was no pari-mutuel wagering, so there were kind of bush tracks everywhere, and he [Rheudasil] had gone from showing [halter horses] to racehorses way back in the ‘60s.”

After catching the “racing bug”, it took Rheudasil more than a decade to really establish himself in the sport. “I think in the early days, he used to train on the side and still practice veterinary medicine on some of the small tracks [around Lewisville],” says Mike Stuart. “And then, as his practice grew, it just became tougher and tougher for him to do that, but he loved to be hands on with all the racehorses.” In one testament to this, he was well-known for “ponying his own horses at the track.” Hill adds, “In Flour Mound, Texas, just on the edge of Lewisville, he had his own place. It was something around twenty acres, and he always had five or six broodmares, and he always broke his own babies.” Rheudasil named it the 407 Ranch and set about building a small racing and breeding operation there.

In the 1970s, Rheudasil’s persistence began to pay off, after he purchased a Thoroughbred stallion named Mito Paint. “His success all started with one horse, and that was Mito Paint,” attests Hill. “I think he got him from Johnny Jones out of Kentucky, at any rate, he loved that horse, and he just hustled mares, and bred his own mares, and so forth, and they had a lot of success with him in the running Quarter Horse world.” Though Mito Paint only won two minor races in thirteen starts, he had a robust pedigree. One of his grandsires was the great Native Dancer, who won twenty-one of twenty-two races and nearly swept the Thoroughbred Triple Crown. His sole loss came in the Kentucky Derby where he finished second. Mito Paint could also trace his lineage to Blue Larkspur (the 1929 Horse of the Year) and Discovery (the 1935 Horse of the Year and the leading handicap horse of his era). Moreover, Mito Paint simply looked like an athlete. “He was a gorgeous horse,” recalls Dr. David Unnerstall, Rheudasil’s fellow veterinarian at Phillips Ranch. “He looked like a big Quarter Horse and was just doll-headed.” 

The Western Thoroughbred indicates that… 

January 8 – Integrity Updates for the 2025 Remington Park Meet

The OQHRA in partnership with Remington Park has announced new integrity updates for the highly anticipated 2025 racing season. OQHRA will continue the pre-race hair tests as a condition of entry which are priced at $240 and have become a cornerstone of ensuring a level playing field. New for 2025, any horse that tests positive in a pre-race hair test will not be eligible for retesting during the meet and must be removed from the grounds. This was a step to reinforce the fairness and maintain the highest standards in the racing industry. Official pre-race hair tests will remain valid for the duration of the 2025 meet and will no longer expire after 90 days. The official pre-race testing process will begin at Remington Park in the first week of February. OQHRA will also be offering on-site testing at farms for trainers who have more than 40 horses to test. This is to ensure a smooth and efficient testing process and is a way for the OQHRA to support fellow horsemen. 

January 9 – 2024 PCQHRA Board Meeting and Awards Postponed

The Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association announced they have postponed their board meeting and awards banquet. Following suit with the AQHA, they will be waiting until all purses for recent Los Alamitos stakes races have been paid out to announce the champions in over twenty categories. “The Board and Awards Committee feel that it is very important that we get the year-end awards correct and that’s the main reason for this postponement,” said Vince Genco PCQHRA President. “As soon as we get verification from the racing jurisdiction, we will make our decision on new dates for these events”. 

January 14 – The Jockeys’ Guild Holds Virtual Assembly

The Jockeys’ Guild held its annual virtual assembly on Jan. 14. The meeting was attended by active Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse jockeys from around the country. Kim Quigley, the CEO of Onrise, discussed the joint effort between the Jockeys’ Guild and HISA along with the Racetrack Chaplaincy of America to provide jockeys with access to free mental health services using Onrise’s online platform. The meeting also went over the jockey’s retirement plan and that is available through the horseman’s bookkeeper at a variety of tracks. The members elected were John Velazquez and Mike Smith as Co-Chairmen, Javier Castellano, Julien Leparoux, and James Flores as Co-Vice Chairmen, Tyler Gaffalione as Secretary and Julien Leparoux as Treasurer. Joe Bravo, Drayden Van Dyke, James Graham, and Rodney Prescott were elected to serve on the Board of Directors. 

January 21 – Jockey Ricardo Ramirez Adds Quarter Horse Wins To Resume 

Ricardo Ramirez, a jockey who is known for his success in distance races, has made a name for himself this year at Los Alamitos among the Quarter Horses. Ramirez finished out 2024 at Los Alamitos reaching the winner’s circle with over 20% of his mounts, the leading rider at 1,000 yards with 50 victories, and finished in the top two with 22 wins riding Thoroughbreds. He carried his winning streak over to Quarter Horses this year to be in the top 7 leading riders on Quarter Horses. He secured 24 wins and the only riders ahead of him are “Quarter Horse Specialists”. Ramirez piloted EG High Desert Farms’ Favorite Jesshawk to victory in the Governor’s Cup Futurity and the Los Alamitos Two Million Juvenile. Overall, Ramirez won on 17% of his Quarter Horse mounts and is already continuing his winning streak in 2025.

January 25 – APHA Champions Banquet

The American Paint Horse Association will hold their Champions Banquet in conjunction with the OQHRA Awards Banquet on Feb. 22 at the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The 2024 APHA World Champion Running Horse title will be presented to WF Jess Candy and Vesper Martini, both two year olds who had an outstanding year. In addition to World Champion Running Horse, WF Jess Candy will also hold the titles of Champion Two Year Old and Champion Two-Year-Old Gelding. Vesper Martini will add World Champion Solid Paint-Bred Running Horse as well as Champion Two-Year-Old Solid Paint-Bred Filly and Champion Two-Year-Old. Other awards such as the Champion Leaders, Champion Running Horses, and the Regional awards will be given out the same night.  

February – Tres Seis’ 22nd Year at Stud

Champion Tres Seis has entered his twenty-second year at stud at Zerlotti Genetics, Ltd., where his breeding fee has been set at $9,800. Owned by Blessed River, Ltd., Tres Seis is among the top in the barrel and racing industries. He has sired 676 winners, 182 blacktype earners, and over $30.1 million in race earnings from 21 crops to race. As a broodmare sire he has produced the dams of 92 stakes winners, including All-Time Leading Money Earner KJ Desparado ($3,340,109). Tres Seis is the 8th Leading All-Time Barrel Horse Sire with 283 performers and nearly $10 million in earnings. He is the 9th All-Time Leading Broodmare Sire of Barrel Money Earners. As the sire of dams of 209 barrel performers, they have combined earnings of over $4 million. 

February 2 – Crazy Down Corona
Makes History

Hes Judgeandjury, out of Crazy Down Corona, surpassed the $2 million mark after finishing fourth in the $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park on Feb. 2. The $17,500 paycheck moved Crazy Down Corona to the top leading mare by money earned. She is the only Quarter Horse mare to now produce two $2 million earners. Two-time Champion, Hes Judgeandjury, joined his half-brother, World Champion Empressum, on a short list of only fifteen Quarter Horse runners to earn over $2 million.  Crazy Down Corona is the dam of 13 foals, 9 starters, and 2 Champions.

February 3 – New Streak for First to Arrive at Remington

Trainer Tammy Johnson has now taken her streak of being the first to arrive at Remington back. With nine horses in tow, Johnson pulled into Remington at 1:30 am on Feb. 3. She had held the streak six years in a row prior to 2023 when Dee Keener ended her streak. Among those nine on her first trailer were stakes winners Rock Ya Later and Uncle Eds Idea. Rock Ya Later has just come off of two victories at Zia Park, including the King Rick Rack Stakes-G2. Uncle Eds Idea is Johnson’s leading active earner. Johnson will have twenty-four horses at Remington Park this year to add to her already successful training record. Many of Johnson’s 14 stakes races won have been at 870 yards earning her the title of “Queen of the Hook” at Remington Park. Johnson has been training for 34 years and has had a total of 1,798 starters, 235 wins and earnings of $4,851,237 with hopes of improving those numbers at this year’s meet at Remington. 

February 5 – Debut Races for Six-Figure
Sale Yearlings 

Retama Park was the host of twelve training races where five yearlings purchased for six-figures made their debut. Sixty-seven individuals ran 250 yards to gain valuable experience before they enter their first race of the season. A $170,000 purchase for Valenzuelas Racing Stables at the Ruidoso Select Yearling Sale started in Race 3. Go Valiant Knight by Favorite Cartel was saddled by trainer Jose Sanchez, III. Also a Sanchez, III trainee, $110,000 Candy Baby, who was purchased by Michael Valenzuela at the TQHA Yearling Sale, ran in race 4. LQHBA Yearling Sale graduate… 

You may be pretty familiar with how your dog looks to you when he wants something or demonstrates acquiescent or aggressive behavior when asked to obey commands. While you may depend on the tail wag and eye and head position of your dog to alert you to his feelings, you will need a different level of finesse to read your horse. If you take the time to learn to “listen,” you may find that your horse is communicating volumes of information. Horses demonstrate specific body postures when relaxed, or when resisting or acquiescing to an interaction with their humans. All animals show their emotions with physical postures but even more uniquely, horses are able to make specific facial and eye expressions that can tip you off to their emotional undertones. 

Behavioral Signs of Discomfort

It’s easy to decipher when a horse is upset or angry: The snaking neck, the bared mouth, the threatening stance of potentially kicking out, the hunched back when saddled or girthed. It’s also easy to determine when he is complacent and comfortable based on his soft eye, relaxed musculature, and cooperative nature. 

Yet, more subtle signs of issues take a bit of time to sort out. It is often difficult to determine whether a horse is acting out just “because,” or if he is, in fact, feeling pain or discomfort. Signs of stress are sometimes obvious based on how a horse interacts with the environment, other horses, and people. 

A horse with discomfort, pain, anxiety, or illness demonstrates many variable signs. A stoic horse that tends to internalize his emotions may be difficult to read. Some signs are indicators of an obvious problem while others are more subtle and warrant further investigation. Subtle changes in body language include:

• Decreased activity
• Lessened interest in surroundings
• Retiring to the back of stall or paddock
• Standing with head lowered
• Decreased appetite
• Decreased interaction and socialization with other herd members
• Grumpiness
• More overt signs of a problem include:
• Lessened weight bearing on a painful limb
• Restlessness, pawing; or depression
• Flank watching, pawing, rolling due to   colic pain
• Self-mutilation, such as chewing on a  painful leg
• Changes in attitude and/or performance
• Rearing or bucking behavior when ridden, especially with problems of spine in neck    or back
• Hypersensitivity of the flanks 
• Aggression

Behavior-based assessments require longer periods of observation, particularly if a horse only experiences minor pain.

Physiologic Signs of Distress

Veterinarians and scientists measure a horse’s emotional state and/or pain based on an elevated heart rate, or blood testing to identify increases in blood cortisol and/or beta-endorphins, or elevated oxytocin levels. During periods of distress, oxytocin levels increase. Blink rate is associated with dopamine levels, which tend to elevate with pain.

Physical efforts to detect if a horse is experiencing pain or discomfort further rely on somewhat tedious and time-consuming methods such as the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) or opioid-type medications or hands-on manipulation and palpation of musculoskeletal structures. A horse’s limb withdrawal from manipulation may direct attention to a painful area. If the horse improves on anti-inflammatory medications, then that may point to a physical rather than solely a behavioral problem.

Yet, these parameters aren’t easily measured without professional expertise, instrumentation, medication, or laboratory results. So, without initially relying on these protocols, how can you figure out what your horse is “thinking?” 

Horse Grimace Scale (HGS)

A different paradigm of body language markers is currently used to effectively assess equine pain and discomfort. Not only are a horse’s ears and eyes extremely expressive, but mobility of lips and nostrils further expresses emotion. A coding system of specific facial expressions has been developed to correlate with a horse’s pain or discomfort: The Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) was developed by an Italian veterinarian, Emanuela Dalla Costa, and her colleagues.
Changes in equine facial expressions are detectable quickly and from a distance and so this assessment is applicable during routine daily work around the horses. Some training is helpful for the best discrimination of what you may be looking at.

Complex facial muscles enable a horse to express a wide range of facial movements that convey emotions. Easily recognizable facial action units include: 

• Asymmetrical and lowered ears or ears held stiffly backwards 
• Contraction and tension of muscles above the eye area with tightening around the orbit
• A withdrawn and unfocused stare 
• Strained or flared nostrils 
• Muzzle tension and/or pursed lips with a pronounced (crescent-shaped) chin 
• Tension of facial and chewing muscles

In a grooming study, discomfort was identified by…