A Keen Eye for Exceptional Horses
May 16, 2023
By Keri Whitney
"They say you're lucky to have one really good horse in your life," says Joe Spitz. "And we've been fortunate enough to have several."
Joe and Carla Spitz have been in the horse industry for 52 years, but along the way they've had other business ventures. In 1979, Joe started a feed yard. At one time he owned 9 feed yards and was the 4th largest cattle feeder in the United States. His son now owns 2 and the remainder were sold off. In 2008, Joe and his partner built the Community State Bank in Lamar, Colorado. They started from scratch, purchased the land, built the building, and took in some partners. Fifty miles away in Springfield, Colorado they have a second branch. Today, 75% of the bank's clients are in agriculture.
Joe's number one passion has always been horses. With a keen eye for exceptional horses, they have been able to build a great program with stallions like Freckles Ta Fame, better known as Can Man and inaugural year Riata Buckle stallion, Streakin Boon Dox.
"He knows how to pick the good ones," Carla tells me. "He's always had good horses. He knows how to breed them and what crosses work well. But we'd never have imagined they'd go as far as they have or sell like they do. We've never seen it as a need to make a lot of money and certainly never dreamed the horse business would be as successful as it is."
Streaking Boon Dox was purchased at Brian Fulton's auction in 2008. Joe brought Boon Dox home and used him in their feed yard. After about six months, they sent him to JD Yates to rope on. Then in 2012, he went into barrel racing training. Streakin Boon Dox has been very successful competing in multiple events. He's earned 410 AQHA Points in heading, heeling, tie-down roping, pole-bending and halter. He was awarded the AQHA All-Around Year-end Champion with over $75,000 in earnings in rodeo and roping events. He has over 200 foals registered to AQHA. QData statistics show progeny earnings totaling $700,150.
One of Streakin Boon Dox's highest earning progeny is SBD A French Chicka (Out of A French Chick by Frenchmans Guy). The bay mare has QData earnings of $50,530 that include money won in the 2022 Riata Buckle Open Futurity Breakaway Roping.
"For a stallion to get proven, it takes on average about six years," says Joe. "We've sold a couple million dollars' worth of colts by Boon Dox. I like progeny by Streakin Boon Dox out of Frenchmans Guy mares. The results are horses with a ton of speed, size, athleticism, that can really work cattle and have a lot of color. We started breeding rope horses years ago. Back then, someone would give maybe $5,000 for a good one. And now it's gone crazy. Good horses are bringing a lot of money. It's amazing what people will give for a horse."
Streakin Boon Dox is currently standing at Vista Equine in Fort Collins, Colorado.
For more information please CLICK HERE.
