William Hutson and his 16-year-old son Collin are passionate about Quarter horses. William, Collin and grandfather Wayne own and operate Hutson Quarter Horse at their 40-acre ranch located in rural Carthage, Mo.
The business is a family endeavor with William working 12-hour shifts at his job, and Collin faithfully watching over the horses and tending to the daily chores. It’s not all just work though. They also enjoy riding the trails at Wilson’s Creek, Crowder, Bicentennial, Neosho and at the Von Holten Ranch near Mora, Mo.
Collin’s love of horses began early, at just 4 years of age when they rescued a gelding that William thought they’d basically lost money on.
“He turned out to be one of the best horses we ever had. He was just an old ranch horse that we rode in the pasture and on trail rides, but he was an excellent first horse to teach a little girl or little boy to ride on,” William explained. “On a trail ride one day, Collin was falling out of the saddle, and I literally watched that horse stumble and shift his weight to keep my son from falling.”
In the early days, Collin had a fear of loping.
“When I first started to lope, it felt too fast for me and I would shut my horse down,” he explained.
Collin has come a long way since then. He was recently named Missouri Reserve Grand Champion in the youth division and he also qualified in the Top 10 at the American Horsemen Challenge Association Nationals.
William and Collin attend clinics with Lee Hart of Topeka, Kan. Lee is a 14-time world champion whose goal is to teach the rider how to understand their horse. Through constant communication they forge a brave and more trusting relationship. He specializes in creating the “all around horse” that can be used in many different disciplines. His ultimate goal is to develop a horse into a willing and trusting partner.
At Hutson Quarter Horses, they breed only foundation stock and prefer the older bloodlines, like Poco Bueno and Jessie James. Many of their horses came from Mike and Marissa Clonts of Diamond, Mo., and Earl and Valerie Stoner of Thornfield, Mo.
Their current stallion is registered with the Foundation Quarter Horse Registry and the American Quarter Horse Association and is 100 percent foundation bred. They rely on word-of-mouth and also use social media, where they post photos of their horses in training, for sales promotions. They also attend FarmFest and the Spring Round Up in Springfield, Mo. with their colts every year.
“Around here the color babies are what sell, like the buckskins and bays; the sorrels don’t sell quite as much,” William explained. “People want the flash and color.”
So what do they do for excitement? Compete. Both men are members of the American Horsemen Challenge Association and in October they traveled to Sedalia, Mo., to compete at AHCA Nationals. Collin placed fifth in both the Youth and Green Horse divisions and William placed fourth in the Futurity division.
Father and son agree that the obstacle course at nationals was extremely challenging this year.
“It was a doozy,” Collin said with a smile. “They had a slant bridge. The first part of the bridge was slanted, then they had a small, square pedestal box that you had to go over, then another slant bridge, and at the end was a bigger pedestal box you had to step out and off of.”
To really get the adrenalin pumping the slant boxes were at a 45 degree angle. There were 13 obstacles in total, including a spider jump, and weasel alley- a narrow path with two sets of podiums that the rider and horse has to maneuver through. And to take the excitement to a new and exciting level, they had weasel ball dog toys on top of the podiums.
“They also had spinning tops and some spewed music,” Collin recalled. “That’s what really got my horse going.”
They also had PVC pipe gates to open, and a solid curtain “garage” with a cart inside that your horse pushed with its chest.
The course simulates walking on the side of a hill, working around various animals, going down a trail or across a field and stepping on or hitting a branch that swings up at either your horse or the horse behind you. The horse must respond well and be in partnership with the rider to complete the course.
“The object of nationals is to not get disqualified,” William said. “This is not the Extreme Cowboy Challenge. The AHCA is more focused on how well you handle your animal, the softness in the mouth, its hindquarters, and correct form. It’s not just speed oriented.”
In the future, Collin and William are deciding how they will grow their business. Hopefully, next year’s nationals will be an avenue for them to show off their stock.
On this day, however, out on the porch on this beautiful autumn afternoon, the men sit and admire their handsome, new silver buckles they won.
