Poco Pine facts for kids
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| Breed | Quarter Horse |
|---|---|
| Discipline | Halter |
| Sire | Poco Bueno |
| Grandsire | King P-234 |
| Dam | Pretty Rosalie |
| Maternal grandsire | Pretty Boy |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1954 |
| Country | United States |
| Color | Bay |
| Breeder | E. Paul Waggoner |
| Owner | Paul Curtner |
| Honors | |
| Honors | |
| American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame | |
Poco Pine (born 1954, died 1974) was a famous American Quarter Horse stallion, which means he was a male horse used for breeding. He was an amazing show horse, winning 50 Grand Championships during his career. After he passed away, he was honored by being added to the American Quarter Horse Association's (AQHA) American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2010. This is a very special award for horses who have achieved a lot.
Poco Pine was also a great father! Two of his children or grandchildren have also been inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame. Plus, 37 of his offspring (his children) earned an AQHA Championship, which is a top award for show horses.
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Poco Pine's Early Life
Poco Pine was born in 1954. He was a bay horse, meaning he had a reddish-brown body and a black mane and tail. His father was a famous horse named Poco Bueno, and his mother was Pretty Rosalie.
When Poco Pine was just a baby horse, called a foal, he was bought by a man named Paul Curtner. This happened at a big horse sale held by E. Paul Waggoner in 1954. Paul Curtner had planned to buy other horses, but he ended up buying Poco Pine and his mother instead.
At the sale, two of Waggoner's employees told Curtner that he had bought a really great mare (female horse). One of them, Pine Johnson, who was Waggoner's horse trainer, also thought Poco Pine was the best foal he had ever seen from Poco Bueno. Because Pine Johnson praised the young horse so much, Curtner decided to name the foal "Poco Pine" after him.
Poco Pine's Show Career
Poco Pine started his show career when he was still a very young horse, called a weanling. He competed in about five shows and won every halter class he entered. Halter classes are where horses are judged on their looks and how well they are built.
However, Paul Curtner felt that Poco Pine was growing slowly. So, he decided not to show him when he was a yearling (one year old) or a two-year-old.
Winning Championships
By 1957, Curtner thought Poco Pine was ready to compete again. He took the horse to a show in Fort Worth, Texas. Poco Pine won his class, but Curtner was so sure he wouldn't win the overall Grand Champion award that he made a bet! He bet two friends that Poco Pine would not win. But Poco Pine surprised him and won the Championship, which meant Curtner lost his bet!
Paul Curtner had a big goal for Poco Pine: he wanted the stallion to win 50 Grand Championships in halter showing. Poco Pine reached this amazing goal on October 27, 1960, when he was six years old. After that, Curtner decided to retire him from halter shows.
While Poco Pine was busy winning halter awards, he was also competing in cutting competitions. Cutting is a type of horse sport where a horse and rider work together to separate a single cow from a herd. He was also a very popular breeding stallion, meaning he had many mares come to him to have foals. For example, in 1958, he bred 80 mares!
In August 1960, Poco Pine earned enough points in performance events to qualify for an AQHA Championship. After this, he was retired from performance showing too. Overall, Poco Pine earned 135 points in AQHA Halter classes and 17 points in AQHA Performance classes.
During his show career, Paul Curtner had two chances to sell Poco Pine for a lot of money. The first offer was $40,000, and the second was $100,000. But Curtner loved Poco Pine and turned down both offers.
Poco Pine's Breeding Career
Poco Pine was not only a great show horse but also a very successful breeding stallion. His children earned over $14,000 in National Cutting Horse Association competitions.
He sired (was the father of) many successful horses, including:
- 37 AQHA Champions
- 19 Superior Western Pleasure Horses
- 2 Superior Trail Horses
- 15 Superior Halter Horses
- 84 Performance Registers of Merit
- 4 year-end high point horses with the AQHA
Poco Pine had 19 groups of foals, with a total of 464 foals during his lifetime. His son, Poco Pecho, became the father of Pecho Dexter, who was also inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame. Another famous horse, Zippo Pine Bar, who was out of a Poco Pine daughter, also made it into the Hall of Fame.
Death and Honors
Poco Pine passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 1, 1974. His amazing contributions to the American Quarter Horse breed were recognized when he was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2010.
