The Black Stallion
Jul 11, 2023
When
you start looking at the Riata Buckle stallions, they all seem to get buttonholed
pretty quickly. It gets a little murky when you start listening to breeders
talk about their breeding strategy.
Theoretically there are unlimited assumptions and presumptions when
conversations and debates turn to crossing running blood, cow blood, cutting
blood, reining%u2026 and on and on. It is no surprise that Riata Buckle is
attempting to get a visual on strong bloodlines that win the most money in
roping events during their lifetime.
Some of the stallions arrived at
the Riata program for obvious reasons and others not so much. The arrival of
Gilligans Black Tux would have to fall into both categories. Lee and Nikeela Abrams
run the A Arrow Ranch located in Caldwell, Idaho. Nikeela was a jockey for 14
years until an accident left her paralyzed, which is quite a story in itself. Since
that time, her and Lee have focused on raising barrel horses. That doesn't mean
that when she is watching Lee rope that she isn't observing every horse in the
arena.
"I'm always looking for a good
stallion to breed to," says Nikeela Abrams. "I went to a roping to watch Lee
and there was this beautiful black stallion, Gilligans Black Tux. He was
classy, his presence really caught my eye. I fell in love with him. I didn't
know Katie McFarlane at that time, but Lee did. So, I asked him about the
stallion, and he introduced me to Jerad and Katie McFarlane."
Enter the McFarlane family from
Wilder, Idaho. If you are in the rodeo community up in that country, then you
are familiar with the McFarlanes. The McFarlanes ride outside horses, run
cattle and have a few cow-bred broodmares. Jerad McFarlane picks up at rodeos.
The entire family, wife Katie, 15-year-old twin sons Trey and Trell and
16-year-old daughter, Sloan can be found horseback every day.
The discussion started as a
breeding inquiry as Jerad explained the background, Black Tux is the third
generation from the blood line started by Jerad's father with Doc Tom Tucker,
and then Black Tux's sire Dox King Gilligan.
Jerad quickly explained,
"Gilligans Black Tux is so talented, you can win a high caliber roping on him
one day, I haul him to PRCA rodeos and the next day the kids go compete on him.
My son Trey won the Junior BFI heeling on him for Devin McDaniel in 2022. My
daughter, Sloan won the 2023 year-end district high school finals in breakaway.
Katie has won the Kim Grubb's all-girls roping on him."
"A lot of rodeo guys have rodeoed on
horses by Gilligans Black Tux's sire Dox King Gilligan", says Katie. "Turtle
Powell headed on a horse named Joe, a full brother to Gilligans Black Tux sire,
Dox King Gilligan. Colby Lovell
headed on Spring Fling at the NFR. Caleb Twisselman heeled on Skipper,
another full brother to Dox King Gilligan. Trevor Knowles steer wrestled on a
mare named Reba, same bloodline. Colby Lovell headed on Dox Louise E Anna, also
known as Annie. Paul Eaves heels on JM Bourbon Gilligan and has won a lot
of great ropings and rodeos on her the last couple years and Cody Snow has been
heading on Fanci Dox Ringo."
It wasn't a sales pitch, but the
Mcfarlanes are proud of this bloodline and wanted Abrams to understand that if
you are interested in performance, this is the horse to breed to. It didn't take much discussion before a deal
was struck but it went well beyond a breeding. The McFarlane's sold a
percentage of ownership rights to the Abrams family.
According to Nikeela, "The four of
us knew Riata would be a successful stallion program and we wanted to be part
of it! I love breeding quality horses, I knew Gilligans Black Tux and the Riata
program would be a great fit".
Gilligans Black Tux is currently
being used in the rodeo arena but is hauled to Outback Equine Reproduction
Center in Caldwell, ID for collection. Watch for him at the Riata Buckle in
November, the family will be roping on him.
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