Schafer Quarter Horses is owned and operated by Richard, Linda, Sara and Curt Schafer. They reside in Barnard, located in Northwest Missouri, approximately 100 miles north of Kansas City. They have raised quarter horses for over 25 years and pride themselves on producing trainable and athletic horses that can excel in a working or show environment.

RAISED TO LOVE HORSES

Richard's family came from a long line of horsemen. His father’s family used horses daily to take care of cattle and crops. Richard's family often purchased random horses that they would pick up at sales or from family members. Richard found himself riding anything from the docile, riddled with bad habits, or horses that where just plain mean. Once Richard acquired a nice sorrel quarter horse type mare his taste in horses became a preference that would last a life time.

Linda Schafer's mother, Esther, was the horse lover in her family. Charles and Esther Kenny both came from a generation that used horses daily for farming, riding, and basic transportation to school before and during the depression. Even though Charles did not have fond memories of using horses Esther persevered and they came to a compromise. They purchased two ponies for both Linda and her sister Cindy. Later, as Linda continued to grow Linda learned to drive a pony and cart and later she acquired the use of her brothers full sized quarter horse. After a summer of riding and gathering cows there was no other breed of horse that she would consider.

THEY DEVELOPED A NEED FOR GOOD HORSES

After Richard and Linda married in 1977, the Schafer's managed a family owned feedlot in Skidmore, Missouri. They purchased geldings and took in horses from friends and neighbors to help with the ample amount of work for the humid summers to frigid cold winters of Missouri. It was hard on both the Schafer's and the horses pushing fat cattle in the summer's stifling heat and deep mud to the winter's windy and frozen conditions. Horses with bad legs, soft feet, and hard headed dispositions (that made the work even more difficult) didn't have a very long career at HRS Feedlot. The Schafer's became increasingly frustrated with the quality of horse flesh they recieved from local outlets.

After the purchase of their daughter Sara's first horse, Missy Mae Bar, the Schafer's learned what it was like to have a horse with great conformation, athletic ability, natural cow, and a sweet disposition. The Schafer's found themselves looking for more horses just like Missy and they began toying with the idea of starting their own breeding program. In theory this would enable them to consistently produce the same kind of horse with all of the qualities that Missy possessed.

THE BEGINNING OF A DREAM

As one breeding program was in it's foramtive years another breeding program had hit hard times. A local breeder owned a stallion named Doc Clabber, a grey son of the legendary Doc Bar, had a dispersal sale. This was a great opportunity for the Schafer's to jump head first into a proven program and that is exactly what they did! After the sale, Richard and Linda came home with around 40 head of horses consisting of stallions, geldings, broodmares, and colts. A majority of the older stallions where gelded, broke to ride, and they excelled in the feedlot environment. Also, included in the purchase, was a nice little stallion that was terribly athletic and intelligent but he wasn't a good sire. After a few crops of mediocre colts they decided to buy a stallion that would cross well on their Doc Bar granddaughters. Even Missy, who was everything they wanted in a good horse was producing beautiful but not trainable offspring. "Pretty" alone does not get the job done!

The Schafer's researched bloodlines and later traveled to Texas and purchased a son of Colonel Freckles, Colonel Dickens. Richard felt that Dickens had the bone structure to handle hard work and should have the mind and athletic ability to handle cattle at a whole new level. Richard also had a budding interest in cutting. He had his new stallion started by a local trainer in cutting and later stumbled upon a daughter of Poco Champ that was very athletic, intelligent, and a finished cutter. The Schafer's often found themselves fighting over who got to ride Champ. As a result while Dickens was in training the Schafer's bred their mares to a son of Poco Bueno, Poco Blunder, who had an impressive show record in multiple events, pedigree, and all of the traits for good “working” conformation.

Even though the horses they produced where performing well in the ranch setting and feedlot environment cattle prices took a depressing turn downward and corn prices went up. The days of feeding out and owning cattle where numbered and the Schafer's eventually left the feedlot and the cattle business all together. Then they began to focus on their breeding program as the market was beginning to flourish. Richard started showing Dickens himself in NCHA events and later had a young trainer, Matt Gaines, finish Dickens' NCHA Certificate of Ability.

THE FINAL PRODUCT

The Schafer's where then armed with a proven stallion, a set of broodmares with outstanding pedigrees of Doc Bar and Poco Bueno, and a great set of talented, trainable, and intelligent colts. Those colts then began to make their way out of the Schafer’s hands and to the public through sales and marketing via the internet. Later, the same horses that where produced to work efficiently in a feedlot and ranch setting where making their way into the arena as competitive performance horses! The progeny of Schafer Quarter Horses has excelled at multiple performance events such as team roping, team penning, barrels, cutting, working cow-horse, reining, and even western pleasure and halter.

They have been very happy with the progeny of their breeding program. By taking the line bred Poco Bueno horses and crossing them on their stallion Colonel Dickens and his daughters, with a Doc Bar bottom side as an outcross they have developed a horse that has speed, durability, bone mass, cow, good feet, longevity, and good looks. Their breeding program is a constant work in progress as mares are selected and culled due to their dispositions, conformation, and they must produce better than themselves. The stallions have to pass the same test beyond producing better than themselves they also must produce the same traits consistently. This is imperative so that the right crosses can be selected for the best end result.

THE FUTURE OF SCHAFER QUARTER HORSES

Through the years the Schafer’s have owned and raised grandsons of Poco Bueno, a son of Colonel Freckles and a son of Easy Jet that you can see in their breeding program today. As their mares and stallions age the Schafer’s continue to stick to the true cow-horse bloodlines even as they look for new prospects. They have saved back several of Dickens' fillies and a couple of stallion prospects to bring back into the breeding program.

In 2005 they purchased  Smart Little Ramrod. Ramrod was chosen for his performance record, trainability, size, conformation, and pedigree. Not to mention he is a stunning palomino shimmering palomino. With Ramrod's first crop of colts on the ground they are convinced that he is the stallion that will bring the next generation of Schafer Quarter Horses to the next level in the performance horse world.

The Schafer’s continue to focus their breeding program on producing horses with the same “working” conformation, temperament, and intelligence using proven working pedigrees. They use a combination of foundation and modern bloodlines to produce exceptional bone structure paired with cow-eating instinct and natural athletic ability.

Today, twenty-five years later, they continue to raise horses and enjoy watching the breeding program’s progeny perform and win. Feel free to stop by and visit the Schafer's!