Outlaw Trail Ranch Arabians - Crockett Dumas

In the late 1970’s, after several years of erratic performance from “bargain” Arabians, I began a quest to establish a breeding program at the Outlaw Trail Ranch (OT) in Escalante, Utah, that would produce an endurance genotype without metabolic or mechanical problems, (i.e. a long-distance fixed genotype that could run up front, carry weight, recover quickly and consistently finish well). Thus be

gan the long quest to select and prove championship mares from which a high-quality foundation might be established to start an endurance-horse breeding program. Thirteen years later, this led me to the blood of Richard Pritzlaff’s (RSI) 1958 importation of five heavily blooded Abbas Pasha horses from Egypt. In the 1870’s, the British were racing the Abbas Pasha horses in India. Major Peter Upton stated, “Their ligaments and tendons are like steel - they don’t bow or pull . . .” In 37,500 miles of endurance racing, I have found this to be true, along with their ability to carry much more weight than most other endurance competitors and recover fast without metabolic and mechanical problems. Essentially, I found with these Asil horses, which the Bedouins had proven by Natural Selection - only the fittest survive; that the Egyptians had proven through their great racehorses of the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s and that Richard Pritzlaff (RSI) had imported and preserved the blood of . . . that the major work of establishing a foundation for a fixed endurance genotype had already been done for me. All that remained was to select the best possibilities from Richard, pay for them and breed only proven horses, and with Richard’s eccentricities known to old Asil horse people . . . As an example, a friend of mine had gone to RSI in 1984 and told Richard he wanted to buy one of his horses. Richard told him immediately to “Get the hell out of Dodge.”

Over time, I did manage to accomplish all of the above. RSI blood also produced the first 100-mile World Champion, RO Shikos Omar ridden by Sandy Schuler in Italy in 1987; Becky Hart’s three-time World Champion, RO Grand Sultan and Linda Tellington’s Bint Gulida (from John Doyle), besides the bulk of Outlaw Trail Ranch's 49 overall AERC National and Regional Championships. I am now into my 4th generation of Asil horses and producing endurance champions with both Asil and hybrids (Asil crossed with non-Asil Arabians). Now after spending so many years to get a little bit of equine experience in breeding, raising, breaking, training, shoeing, doctoring and riding endurance, there is nothing left to do but eat . . . Then what happens? Our teeth fall out! But even though the body is deteriorating, it still feels good to be astride a fine horse! By Crockett Dumas
Outlaw Trail Ranch Arabians
Escalante, Utah
Feb. 2012