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Rowdy Yates is one of America's best known and loved Colonial Spanish Horses. He is registered with the Horse of the Americas, the American Indian Horse Registry, the Spanish Mustang Registry and the Southwest Spanish Mustang Association.
To begin Mr. Yates' story, meet one of the world's finest Spanish Mustang mares. She's Espéranza (Spanish for "hope"), originally owned by Sharron Scheikofsky of Caballos de Destino in Pringle, South Dakota. "Hope" was a red dun roan mare by Dobie out of Blue Corn. Here's another shot of "Hope" in her winter coat.
Her unequalled production record was just beginning in 1987 when she foaled a grullo stud colt by the great old stallion Jack Slade, the patriarch of the famous Cayuse Ranch sires.
Here is Jack Slade with Tomlyn Speir in 1996--Jack was 25 at the time, and Tomlyn is 10.
The cross was always a successful one. In fact, Emmett Brislawn had chosen an older brother to the new-born grullo to remain on the Cayuse at stud and as successor to Jack Slade. The older brother is named Sundowner. Sharron named this one "Rowdy Yates" for the trail herd's scout on the old black and white western series, "Rawhide". It was Clint Eastwood's first big role.
Three more foals were to follow from this cross over the years. Rowdy has 3 full brothers and a full sister. Rowdy's dam Espéranza had 16 foals in her lifetime. She died at age 24. Rowdy's sire Jack Slade died during the winter of 2002 at the world famous Cayuse Ranch in Oshoto, WY.
Rowdy ran free on the Cayuse until he was a long yearling, watering in South Dakota waterholes with his buddies and grazing the strong grass of the Cayuse.
Well-known Mustang breeder Bryant Rickman purchased Rowdy along with a number of Brislawn bred youngsters when he made a trip to the Cayuse and Caballos de Destino in 1989.
Bryant brought 2 trailerloads of Spanish Mustangs home to Soper, Oklahoma--with Josie Brislawn driving one of the rigs.
She stayed a couple of days and visited with the Rickmans, getting a good look at the Jones/Rickman herds that run free around Blackjack Mountain near Finley, Oklahoma and on Bryant's own ranch.
Here is Mr. Yates as he appeared shortly after arriving at Rickman Spanish Mustangs, flanked by Blue Feather and Utah Smoke from the Cayuse.
At Karma Farms we needed another Spanish Mustang stallion.
The great Choctaw Sun Dance had given us some lovely daughters, but we had no outcross stallion use to on Dance's adult daughters.
Bryant thought that stallion should be Rowdy Yates. Vik agreed and hauled the long-maned grullo home to East Texas.
The grullo was already growing the mane that would become his trademark.
Rowdy grew strong and tough. But he was nervous and opinionated.
When it was time to put him to work, he did fine until asked to move out.
Then he showed a real talent for bucking! He wasn't going to become a riding horse TOO easily! Before Rowdy was ready to compete under saddle, he was sent back to Oklahoma where Bryant rode him as well as Jerry Hilligoss. Finally he gave it up and decided he'd work for a living.
He came home to Karma Farms and started his career in competition. He had already won some Indian Horse halter classes,
He was ready to begin long distance work, and NATRC beckoned.
That spring he had that fabulous mane braided for the first time so he'd get used to having it up.
He would need to cool out as quickly as possible at the P&R checks!
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On the trail Mr. Yates was a natural--easy gait, low P&R's, legs of iron.
He could tackle the toughest hill, make time on the toughest terrain.
He learned to love being soaked down in a cool pond or lake on a hot ride.
Often he was one of--if not THE--smallest horse in the ride, but he always placed high and often won his division.
He was being shown in AIHR Shows at the same time, spending one weekend as a competitive trail horse and the next at a show.
At the 1993 AIHR National Show, he really proved his mettle. First he won the Champion Original at Halter.
By the end of the show he had claimed Original Champion in Performance, too! What a horse! 
Rowdy Yates has continued his winning ways right up to the present, wading streams...
...winning show championships (like this High Point title which he captured at the 1993 Fall Show at Medicine Springs Ranch),
He and Vik accept their award from SSMA founder Gilbert Jones)...
...climbing up, over, around and through in NATRC competitions...
...like here as he goes through the "needle's eye" at the Angelina National Forest CTR on Lake Sam Rayburn...
...and taking care of Vik who was badly injured when a colt fell on her in December of '96. Since the doctors finally let her start back riding, who is her main mount?
Why, none other than Rowdy Yates who is SO careful--even when they went to the Renaissance Fair as Mad Meg and her faithful steed.
Screenwriter John Fusco loves Rowdy and his family and honored us by naming the dam of his wonderful cartoon stallion Spirit, Stalllion of the Cimmeron "Espéranza". Karma Farms not only owns Rowdy Yates, but also five other Espéranza offspring including Rowdy's full sister Dreamgiver. Hope's Karma Farms offspring include:
(2)Dreamgiver,'95 grulla mare by Jack Slade, a full sister to Rowdy, Sundowner, Cactus Jack, and Dakota Blue. Dream returned to Karma Farms from John Fusco's Red Road Farm in Vermont in late June '99. She is has had 2 foals, Dream of the Archer by the purple roan Horse of the Americas stallion Geronimo Fusco in 2000. Geronimo is by Little Bit (Four Lane/Little Thing) out of Wild Honey (Crane/Country Club). Dream's second foal was Hero, a dark grulla appy now owned by the Norush family of Crooked Fence Acres in Attica, ID where he will stand. Dream rides great, and we'll probably put her back to work under saddle in 2004.
She had her first foal by Dance Magic (Choctaw Sun Dance/Little Corn) in 2003, a lovely filly we named Sing In The Sunshine . Sing has adopted her dam's winning ways and already was Reserve Champion 2003 filly at the AIHR National.
(4) Magneto, '97 sorrel colt by Broom. Here's 'Neto, another long maned Espéranza son:
(5)Hope's last foal was Xena!
Hope foaled by the services of X-Files (Choctaw Sun Dance/Pie) in late June of '99. The foal was a filly! She's a blue corn appy which we named Xena. And she's surely our "warrior princess". We'll start Xena under saddle this year.
We often have Rowdy Yates offspring for sale. Come visit Rowdy and his brothers and sisters here at Karma Farms and start your own Spanish Mustang legend! Visit us at our Karma Farms website more more info on America's First Horse. And be sure to check out our Ready To Ride horses at http://www.karmafarms.com/undersaddle.htm. You might find your next champion. Why not the best?
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