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Compact Quarter Horse Stud History

Just a bit of history about the stud for those interested in this, one of Australia's oldest and continuously breeding Quarter Horse Studs.

Compact Quarter Horse Stud has been actively breeding all round performance and working quarter horses since 1963. All names from A to Z through baby name books, dictionaries and other sources for innovative names to fit these babies. Bill Amos, situated in the Hay/Oxley area of New South Wales, established Compact Quarter Horse Stud in 63/64. Bill had always been a horse lover and was very impressed with the Quarter Horse for their temperament, physical athletic ability and cow sense.

Bill started out by breeding good type station mares of solid confirmation and solid dark colour to outside stallions to get some of the best of the old bloodlines available in those days. Bloodlines which today are recognised as the foundations of the Australian Quarter Horse of Australia, stallions such as, Vaquero Q1 Imp, Mescal Q35 Imp, Quarter Master Q32. But to improve on the quality of broodmares Bill took his first mares to the grand old heroes of the cutting horses, namely Quarter Elgrando R1-167, Top Hand R1-168 and Quarter Two R1-360 with the theory that to breed to first crosses would give a bit more depth of QH bloodline in his broodmares (infused bloodlines), these fillies, when old enough were then taken to Purebred stallions, thus making the first cross foals more than half Quarter Horse in depth of bloodline. He remembers taking 1 mare to each Elgrando and Top Hand and four mares to Quarter Two and the resulting progeny were six fillies, what a positive start to this young Quarter Horse Stud. Whilst Bill took several mares to various pure bred stallions each year, the infused fillies were to form the nucleolus of the "Compact" Stud. These infused mares were equivalent to 25% Quarter Horse blood and when put to pure bred stallions would then produce foals that were in reality 62.5% Quarter Horse blood although only eligible for 1X registration.

By this time (1971) the stud had purchased their first purebred Quarter Horse stallion, by Hill King Pistol Q119.. This bloodline of Broomfield Kings Beam Q483 was used extensively over the next 12 years over mares showcasing a variety of bloodlines including Commanders Boy Imp Q215 , Chickasha Dan Imp Q444, Dell Mingo Imp Q118, Breezy Hollywood Imp Q304, Vaquero Imp Q1 to name a few of the impeccably bred horses to come Down Under.

It was at this time (1974) there was a new addition to the stud, Bill had met and married an American schoolteacher, Mary Lu, who was from a cattle ranching background in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. 1975 saw the Compact Quarter Horse Stud move to Tasmania. Over the next ten years the Amos family increased, the horses increased and injection of new bloodlines of Clover Crackerjack Q 378, Tondara Dickie-Di-Do Q 994, Moore Park Cobbler Q 1256, War Creek Imp Q 546 and Doc's Cylip Imp/Exp Q 1449.

In 1982 Bill and Mary Lu shipped most of the stud back to the Hay NSW area, it was the biggest single consignment of horses to leave the state in one consignment according to the transport company at the time. "The horses had travelled every which way but fly," stated Mary Lu. In 1984 Mary Lu and Bill plus three children moved north to western Queensland.

By this time they had sold Broomfield King's Beam Q483 (by Hill King Pistol Imp Q119 out of Quarter Beam R2-5) and acquired a colt by Clover Crackerjack Q378 (by Jackhammer Imp Q47) out of Cry Baby R2-313 from Mr Jack Reeves, Lower Barrington Tas. This young liver chestnut stallion, Cracker Jake Q4812 went on to sire the next long-term sire for the Compact Stud. A jet-black colt (out of a Breezy Hollywood/Chickasha Dan granddaughter) Compact Lady Luck Q 3245, the black colt was fittingly called Compact Quart Pot Q 13655. Quart Pot went on to sire a large number of good working horses in Western Queensland. Quart Pot was joined by the next Junior Sire, Hancock Hollywood Q21892 (purchased from Rita Randall, Miles Qld.), and this big liver chestnut stallion with a lot of scope, athletic ability and brains showing the optimum of the old established successful cutting/working bloodlines. At 15.3 "Rooster" as he was called improved the overall standards of excellence of the foals and many of the existing broodmares of the 21st century Compact Stud go back to him. Bill had also been very impressed with the Clover Leaf bloodlines and purchased a Jackhammer Q47/Clover Cherry Q56 grandson in 1990 from Graham Ward near Rockhampton Qld. Here was the ideal cool headed working blood to cross into the present bloodlines of the time, unfortunately Clover Smokodoo Q 6692 was injured in the paddock and after lengthy vet supervision had to be humanely put down but "Smokey" had sired some excellent fillies to carry on this excellent cross to produce "cow horses".

A Beaver Doc Q2980/Docs Spinifex Imp Q5015 colt purchased from John Barton, Toogoolawah Qld, replaced Smokey. Beaver Brook Q24730 crossed genetically very well with the mares in the stud to produce blue ribbon quality, cool headed, and thinking cutting horses as well as general performance for all events. Beaver Brook was sold to Rusty Ferguson of Thargomindah Qld and was standing at Thargomindah and in the Roma area, producing excellent foals.

As the junior sire to Beaver Brook, Compact Quarter Horse stud purchased a young colt by Strutting His Stuff Imp/Exp dec Q25612. out of the well performed mare Miss Ultimate Q17232. Both sire and dam have been very successful performance horses with numerous life-time points awarded in "A" shows

Gest A Struttn Doc Q37535 has been shown successfully and has produced a swag of eye catching foals who are showing the optimum confirmation, temperament, brains and athletic ability to do all sectors of horse activity. In Halter, under Western, English and Australian tack and in a large variety of activities. "Strutters" fillies constitute the younger broodmares of Compact Quarter Horse Stud.

2000 saw the Compact Quarter Horse Stud on the move again, to western Victoria, where Mary Lu took a position in Senior Management in Local Government. Bill and Mary Lu plan on retiring in Victoria when the time comes to continue the enjoyment of breeding excellent all around Quarter Horses. The family is grown and moved into their selected career paths, Helen (daughter) has set up her own stud (Helios Quarter Horses) but works extensively with Compact QH Stud. Bill and Helen concentrate on doing the ground-work with the stock and basic breaking in and the ever lasting paperwork. Mary Lu assists with paper work and has a passion for in depth extended pedigree research and document production.

It was in Victoria that the Compact Quarter Horse Stud took a new direction in stud stock production. Whilst the calibre of stock is excellent in confirmation, temperament, athletic ability and "cow sense" there is an opportunity to value add to existing bloodlines through producing colour, palominos and buckskins, to meet the market. Through the use of a purebred cremello, Helios Xanthus Q-63469, by Cee Cook Q-25220 out of Compact Merrimac R2-3031, this young stallion is producing exceptional quality foals for the consumer. Helios Xanthus is registered with the White Horse Association and Australian Quarter Horse Association .

Now 48 years later as of January 2011, with names of foals from Compact April to Compact Zip N Silk and starting the alphabet again and now down to "T" names for the 2009 foals we look back on a successful endeavour of producing our kind of Quarter Horses, that of the old bloodlines with some new crosses to lift size to meet the markets of camp drafting, English events and performance. The Compact Quarter Horse Stud has a range of bloodlines, colour and size to make sure the consumer is happy with their purchase. We are quietly achieving what we have sought to breed over the past 46 years, good quality, brainy, athletic horses which are a credit to the Australian Quarter Horse Breed and are as the Quarter Horse Association stated many years ago; "the horse for all seasons".

Compact Quarter Horse Stud Standards of Excellence

Confirmation -- to breed standard and general balance

Temperament---well balanced mindset and "liking to play the game"

People friendly---liking people, quiet and friendly

All round using horses for all needs

Athletic ability

"Cow - sense"

Good strong colour

Some of the Imported Bloodlines used over the years

Most of these bloodlines are solid working lines with the occasional performance/racing line thrown into so as to put a bit of extra height in to meet the campdraft, pleasure and english market needs. These bloodlines were introduced either by taking mares to these stallions or purchasing stock by these stallions.

Hill Kings Pistol Q119

Chickasha Dan Q444

Tijano Chico Q2

Vaquero Q1

Kool Smoke Q3004

Breezy Hollywood Q304

Struttin His Stuff Q25612

Grande Muchacha Q730

Hunch Bid Q591

War Beaver Q206

Docs Spinifex Q5015

Jackhammer Q47

Chickavaroo Q24

Alazan De Lela Q36

Mescal Q35

Town Crier Q48

Dell Mingo Q118

Parr Black Q158

Hollywood Return Q186

Commanders Boy Q215

Docs Cylip Q1449