Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

Family Continues Lifelong Quarter Horse Breeding Program At TS Ranch

The Quarter Horse tradition continues.

It’s in the blood in more ways than one, so to speak.

Marcia and Wayne Bailey and their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephew and great-nieces and nephews are emphatic in their objective to continue forward in operation of the renowned TS Ranch at Cottonwood Falls, Kansas.

“The ranch is set up in a trust with us all as equal partners, and we are all in complete agreement to continue with the Quarter Horse and Hereford operations that Mom and Dad worked their lifetimes to build,” explained Marcia Bailey, executor of the TS Ranch Trust.

Elmore Stout passed away three years ago at age 93, and Doris, his wife of 63 years, died eight years earlier.

“We intend to follow through with his intuition and further develop both the Quarter Horse and Hereford breeding programs and hopefully make a profit,” Marcia assured.

The 48th annual TS Hereford and Quarter Horse Ranch Sale date is February 25, 2012, at the Chase County ranch not far from the Bazaar Cemetery where the couple is entombed.

Nearby is the grave of their son, Marcia’s brother, Stanley, an acclaimed livestock auctioneer, and partner in the operation, who died in 2006.

Those involved with Marcia and Wayne are their sons, Buck and Wes Bailey, in addition to Stanley’s children, Jodie Brethour, Jamie Felton, Jessie Romfo and Justin Stout, and all of their families.

Hereford cattle had been produced on his home farm, so Elmore had an instinctive appreciation for the breed and was fortunate to form a partnership with Dr. A.E. Titus, a local physician who was coincidentally Doris’ dad, on land where the ranch is today.

Purebred Herefords and merchandizing their offspring as seed stock was the  background of the operation, which demanded horses to do the farm work in beginning years.

Just as important to Elmore, his wife, and their children, were the horses to handle their cattle.

Early background on the Quarter Horses has been lost in time, but TS Ranch was  honored last fall for 50 years of continuous registrations in the American Quarter Horse Association.

“Dad taught us how to see a horse and evaluate its quality at first glance,” Marcia noted.

The foundation mare that was close to the all of the Stout family was Night Gold P-41005 by The Deuce P-512.

The first offering of horses in conjunction with the Titus and Stout TS Herefords production sale was 1966. That sale featured a broke gelding out of the famed mare and neighbor Dan Matile’s stallion, King Sport 2.

Ridden by Elmore on the ranch, Bueno Valor, a double bred Poco Bueno stallion, sired foals offered in the 1968 sale.

Four years later, Elmore contended, “We hope to get our horses better each year,” while introducing his next new stallion, Sun Otoe, a son of Otoe.

“Dad always insisted that his horses have cow sense, but they had to be sound, have a nice disposition and be good looking horses with some speed. Sun Otoe definitely offered that,” Marcia credited.

TS-bred Quarter Horses became increasingly popular as Sun Otoe offspring proved themselves throughout the Midwest.

The Stouts then went to Matlock and Carol Rose’s production sale in Texas, which featured offspring of Zan Parr Bar.

“We saw a buckskin colt, and the bidding was fast and furious, but Doris punched me in the ribs, and said I’d better buy him, which I did,” recalled Elmore, who admitted that the purchase of Zans Rawhide was a definite progressive-turning point in the Quarter Horse program.

Within two years, the Zans Rawhide foals, many of them buckskin and palomino, out of Sun Otoe daughters, hit the sale ring, then the show ring and calls came from a wide area seeking the production, according to Marcia.

“Dad could hardly believe the demand for those yearlings at the sale,” she admitted.

As Zans Rawhide matured, Fancy Zan Gold Bar became his dad’s replacement being mated to mares produced in the TS program, including his own sisters.

Fancy Zan Gold Barn worked along with a Sun Otoe son called Sun Otoes Dude and a chestnut stallion called Sparkle Brian.

That TS lineage remained successful in the pasture and arena and in demand at the sale.

“In order to increase the cattle working ability, we’ve started adding more modern-bred cutting horses into the program now,” Marcia said.

“We have purchased a sorrel stallion called TR Kit Rey, by TR Dual Rey by Dual Rey by Dual Pep,” she noted.

Today, more than 100 registered Hereford cows and 28 Quarter Horse mares graze the 2,500-acre ranch.

“We still believe a good Quarter Horse should be able to do it all on the ranch and look good, too,” Marcia insisted. “Our intention is to continue developing what TS Ranch has been known for, for more than 70 years.”

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