| In
1970, Don Davis purchased a
scenic, run-down farm along
the Elk River, near Fayetteville,
TN. which he named Hilldale
Farm. Davis had previously been
involved in the Quarter Horse
business in Florida, as a breeder
of Cutting Horses and a few
running horses. However, it
was not until 1980 that he decided
to change Hilldale Farm from
a small scale cattle operation
to a Quarter Horse Breeding
Farm.
<
Click on the photo of Skip
Agent to your left to reveal
a much larger image.
It
was in 1980 that Davis and his
daughter Tammye began purchasing
breeding stock with the goal
of producing all around horses,
capable of winning at Halter
in the morning and Performance
in the afternoon. Skip
Agent (Splash Bar X Wells
Honey by Skippers King) was
the first Stallion purchased
and the most successful horse
to stand at Hilldale Farm for
many years. Tammye showed Skip
Agent with great success
-- including making him a PHBA
World Champion, AQHA Champion
and AQHA Superior Halter Horse.
The
original broodmares selected
for Skip Agent were primarily
daughters and granddaughters
of Blondys Dude. The
cross proved most successful,
with a number of Halter and
Performance winners and Futurity
Champions. The Hilldale Farm
program was earning great respect
in the early 80's -- with three
Palomino World Championships
and two Reserve Champions among
the achievements of the Skip
Agent offspring.
<
Click on the photo of Skip
Agent to your left to reveal
a much larger image.
Tragedy
struck in 1986 when a freak
accident claimed the life of
Skip Agent. Don Davis
and Tammye tried several stallions
in search of a replacement for
the horse they had loved and
lost. None compared.
Because
of Davis' fascination with World
Class Halter Horses, he purchased
Colossus, a son of Impressive,
in 1988. Although he enjoyed
some success as a show horse,
his record as a sire was disappointing.
Because of his evil disposition,
it was felt that "the Devil
called him home" when he
succumbed to an HYPP attack
in 1992.
<
Click on the photo of Charlie,
Tammye and Heza Royal Step
to your left to reveal a much
larger image.
In
1991, Hilldale Farm had purchased
Heza Royal Step by Big
Step. Like Skip Agent, Heza
Royal Step was an all around
horse who earned points in eight
events. This horse entered Halter
competition at age 8, becoming
an AQHA Champion. This stallion
sired several successful show
horses, including Sheza Royal
Step, who Tammye's daughter,
Jessicah Keller made an AQHYA
Supreme Champion and Versatility
Champion.
Heza
Royal Step
died of colic in 1995. His son
HD Royalty stood at Hilldale
until he was sold in 1998. This
stallion, who earned a Superior
in Halter was out of a Skip
Agent mare.
In
1992, Tammye married Charlie
Hutton, a horseman who shares
her passion for conformation
and performance. Together, they
selected Nu Chex To Cash
as their herd sire, and heavily
culled the broodmare band. The
broodmare band was rebuilt with
mares from proven performance
families with emphasis on correct
and functional conformation.
By the end of the 90's, the
success of Nu Chex To Cash
and his offspring proved that
Hilldale Farm was back on track.
At
the end of the 90's Hilldale
Farm continued to focus their
competition efforts on AQHA
shows where most of their established
market was also centered. In
1999 Charlie rode to two all-time
records on Nu Chex To
Cash, becoming the
AQHA All-Time Leading Open Reining
Point Earner and the only horse
to ever earn National High Point
Championshipsin Reining and
Working Cowhorse in the same
year.
As
the new millenium arrived, the
Hilldale focus remained on Quarter
Horse shows, but with more emphasis
on major events. Accordingly,
Hilldale horses began to excel
at such shows as the Dixie National,
the Congress and the AQHYA World.
In 2000, daughter Jessicah won
the Youth Working Cowhorse World
Championship in Fort Worth,
riding Cee Nifty Cash by Nu
Cash.
As
the 2001 show season was winding
down, a change of events occurred,
almost by chance. Nu
Chex To Cash had secured
the all-time record in Reining
and Jessicah was allowed to
show the stallion in an NRHA
Ltd Non Pro class at the Kentucky
Futurity. The veteran show horse
and young rider clicked, and
the class was won, and a big
decision was made. Nu
Chex To Cash and Jessicah
were late entered at the NRHA
Futurity in the Ltd Non-Pro!
As a late entry, Nu
Chex To Cash ran as
draw three and marked a 215
1/2. That score held for first
place in a class of 108 entries.
A new era for Hilldale Farm
had begun.
The
2002 show season was to place
Hilldale Farm "on the map"
with NRHA. With Tammye at the
wheel and Jessicah in the saddle,
the Hilldale trailer travelled
to an NRHA show almost every
week from April to December.
As he had every year, Nu
Chex To Cash stood
to a full book of mares. He
was usually collected just before
he was loaded in the trailer,
so semen would be available
at home for the weekend.
By
the end of the '02 season, Nu
Chex To Cash had earned
a place in NRHA history as a
performer. He had become the
2002 Limited Open World Champion
and the Intermediate Open World
Champion, plus the Non-Pro and
Intermediate Non-Pro Reserve
World Champion. Showing in at
least two classes daily, he
had remained honest and unbelievably
consistent.
Although
Nu Chex To Cash
had already sired winners from
every foal crop, his emergence
as a major sire also began in
2002. His son, Wimpys Little
Step won the Congress Futurity
and went to Oklahoma City as
the favorite. At Oklahoma City,
under masterful rides by Shawn
Flarida, he won the composite
go-round scores with a record
setting aggregate score and
then won the Finals with a 233.
Hilldale
Farm was now playing at a new
level and the new question became
"could they continue at
this altitude?"
Back
at the farm, the Huttons continued
to work on improving their program
from the breeding barn to the
show ring. New facilities were
completed at Hilldale Farm in
2003 - a new breeding barn and
an enclosed and insulated 100'x200'
arena.
Cowhorse
classes remained important for
the Hilldale Farm 2003 show
string. David Hutton hauled
three talented cowhorses, HD
Continental Chex, Reminics Award
and ML Great Badger. All three
stallions earned a place in
the record book as the season
finally concluded. HD Continental
Chex earned the AQHA High Point
title, setting a new record
for the most points ever earned
in a year. HD Continental Chex
aka Romeo also won the Palomino
World for the second consecutive
year, this time showing in the
bridle as a Senior horse. Reminics
Award finished the year in second
place in both Junior and All
Age Cowhorse. Finally, ML Great
Badger finished on top in the
AQHA Senior Cowhorse standings.
Back
on the farm, the emergence of
Nu Chex To Cash
as a proven sire inspired the
Huttons to work harder on improving
the broodmare band. Their selection
principles remained unchanged
-- using pedigrees to screen
potential broodmare candidates
and then making the actual choices
on conformation and temperment.
In
regard to bloodlines, the Hilldale
Farm had been built along proven
performance lines with emphasis
on strong, balance mares with
outstanding bone and low hocks.
The original mares could be
described as foundation-bred
and were chosen to pay for themselves
with their first foal. Most
were fairly close descendants
of King 234, but Peppy San Badger
mares also proved to cross consistently
well with Nu Chex To
Cash. Some new bloodlines
were added including Doc OLena
and Doc Tom Tucker. Because
Bueno Chex mares had proved
to be a good cross, mares by
Tuf N Busy,
one of the best Bueno Chex sons,
were also added and tested.
The results were good. Finally,
a "magic cross" was
discovered in the One Gun mares.
One Gun had sired Charlie Hutton's
first Honor Roll Reining Champion,
a mare called Bug A
Boop. Charlie had known
One Gun well throughout his
life, and considered him the
very best son of Mr Gun Smoke.
With his linebred King bottomside,
One Gun brought an outcross
plus the trainable mind for
which the King 234 horses are
best known.
The
first One Gun mare purchased
was Snip O Gun,
a bay mare out ouf Miss Kim
OLena by Doc OLena. Her first
Nu Chex To Cash
colt was Flash Me A
Chex, a buckskin gelding
who made the Ltd Non Pro Finals
at the NRHA Futurity. Her next
colt was Hot Smokin Chex, trained
and shown by Mike McEntire,
this good colt won the Congress
Futurity and placed third at
the NRHA Open Futurity. His
earnings now exceed $138,000.00
The
third colt from Snip O Gun was
a loud palomino overo named
Big Chex To Cash. Trained and
shown by Andrea Fappani, Big
Chex won the West Coast Spectacular
Futurity in California and then
was Reserve Champion (by 1/2
point) at the NRHA Futurity.
He now has earnings of $119,000.00
Twelve
One Gun mares now graze the
Hilldale pastures. Three are
full sisters to Snip O Gun,
who is now an all-time leading
producer of Reining Horses.
Date
added to site: 01/11/06
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