THE ALL AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE CONGRESS REINVENTS STALLION AVENUE

Back in the day before social media and the Internet were available, people had to travel to see stallions in person to make their breeding decisions. One of the places that horse enthusiasts loved to see well-known stallions was at the Multi-Million Dollar Stallion Avenue in Congress Hall every year. Many recall watching the video of Reynolds Rap over and over and the excitement of seeing so many famous stallions all in one place. In 1970, some of the greats that could be seen at the show included Sonny Dee Bar, Two Eyed Jack, Otoe, and Eternal Dell. Other famous studs that took part included Kids Classic Style, Rugged Lark, Shy Prescription, and Artful Move to name a few.

“People would line up on the weekends to meet these magnificent creatures up close and personal,” says longtime-OQHA supporter and breeder, Leigh Ann Griffith. “Our planning would begin a year in advance, as we wondered how to improve our display and hand-outs for the following year.
A popular stallion’s booth was simply the place to be. People loved to come enjoy refreshments, sit at the booth, and talk for hours face to face about the horse industry.”

Trainer Jim Becker of Pennsylvania, who has been to every single Congress, reminisces about the old Stallion Avenue. “One of my favorite ones to see was Two Eyed Jack. I remember going to the ranch as a small boy and seeing him in person when we bought Denver Jack, but when you saw him against the other studs, he was really something. Mr Pitzer took the time to tell me all about him. I also got to see Cutter Bill, Sonny Dee Bar, Diamond Duro, Eternal Dell, Wallaby, Bar Flower, Triple Chick, Savannah Jr, Blue Siemon, and Eternal Too. I would spend hours looking at them and as the years went on showing a lot of their babies.”

Trainer and AQHA Judge Sid Griffith adds, “Stallion Avenue was a huge attraction, and what was really special was that along where Rod’s is, they had stalls for Congress Champions to be showcased. It was the only time that people could see these horses since we had no social media. It was extremely impressive. It impressed me because I saw horses I had only dreamed of watching in magazines.”

 

While seeing breeding stallions in person is a thing of the past, Congress is reinventing the concept to have a Stallion Row in the main hallway of the
Celeste Center. There will be life-sized stall billboards that will showcase current breeding stallions and their accolades. Some of the stallions include Winnies Willy, The Best Martini, Makin Me Willy Wild, Radical Signs Are Good, Allocate Your Assets, Its A Southern Thing, I Am The Party, No Doubt Im Lazy, VS GoodRide, Zippos Mr Good Bar, The Born Legacy, Kissin The Girls, Tinseltown Flash, Rumerz, Best Kept Secret, Heartz On Fire and Strutin On The Range.

Stallion Avenue has been missed by not just breeders but by Congress participants who looked forward to seeing these famous stallions every year. Congress is providing breeders and stallion owners a new opportunity to promote their stallions at the event. “It is not a substitute for the Million Dollar Stallion Avenue but another avenue to reach the public with today’s hottest stallions,” says Amy Gumz, who stands her stallion, Its A Southern Thing as well as No Doubt Im Lazy.

Debbi Trubee of North Farm who has billboards for four of her stallions, Winnies Willy, Radical Signs Are Good, The Best Martini, and Makin Me Willy Wild adds, “I think it’s awesome. It is a high traffic area that hits our target audience. Glad to see OQHA reaching out to the breeding industry to
showcase our stallions.”

If you are planning to be at the Congress, please stop by the main hallway in Celeste Center to check out some of the premiere stallions in the industry. Congress spectators will also have the chance to remember the original Multi-Million Dollar Stallion Avenue with a slideshow of pictures from its heyday.

2019 STALLIONS Include:
Allocate Your Assets
Makin Me Willy Wild
Winnies Willy
The Best Martini
Radical Signs R Good
I Am The Party
VS CODE RED
VS Flatline
Its A Southern Thing
No Doubt Im Lazy
VS GoodRide
The Born Legacy
Mr Zippos Good Bar
Fortunateson
Iron Enterprise
Mechanic
Kissin The Girls
Strutin On The Range
Certainly A Vision
Best Kept Secret - Steve Headley & Kathy Headley
Rumerz
Heartz On Fire
Tinseltown Flash
Extremely Hot Chips
Multiple World and Congress Champion HOT ONES ONLY