The plan was to get him ready for the World show, even though he was
an April foal. He stood 3rd. The reaction from spectators
and trainers at his stall encouraged us to get him ready for the National
Show in 2004. About 8 weeks before the show our young stallion got
hung up in the stall and he had major surgery on his front foot.
He was never lame, but it prevented any “fitness program”
before the major show. He stood a close 4th. At that time he
wasretired due to on-going treatment.
The cross worked, however that yearling injury turned out to be much
more extensive than we originally thought, and it has made it tenuous
in the breeding pen. An Awesome Secret has become known for his
production consistency at a very young age. He has sired a top ten
contender in performance and a World Champion in Halter in 2008.
An Awesome Secret was born in 2003.
As we evaluated future plans we were able secure another breeding to The Secret. We also leased our mare, Pretty Inclusive, to a syndicate member. Pretty Inclusive shares the same dam as An Awesome Secret, Shes Pretty Fancy. She is by All Inclusive. All Inclusive died at a very young age, but he left a a mark in the ApHC industry through his foals. His get have become well recognized for their production capabilities. The more we thought about it, we offered to buy Pretty Inclusive's foal before it was born*. The colt was born on Valentine's Day. We knew, right from the moment he was born, this colt was the one that would be able to carry on our plan if An Awesome Secret's breeding life were cut short. He would need a name of his own and stand on his own. We named him Indelible Image. Ten days later Awesome started having trouble breeding and we realized just how fast things can change. But we were a minimum of 2 years away from his first test breeding. We brought An Awesome Secret home from our collection facility in Minneapolis..
Since that horrible time in our life, we have been able to rehabilitate An Awesome Secret to be used in a limited breeding situation, but the doctors told us, it is a matter of time when it cannot be "fixed". It could be tomorrow or next year, at some point we will not be able to manage his pain. We have contracted with Northstar Stables, Georgetown, MN, which is much c;osser to home, to be our collection and shipping site.
We are really excited about Indelible Image. His incredible production bloodlines should prove to be as strong as an Awesome Secret's early accomplishments.
We have evaluated the economy and realize that we have a limited amount of mares and as people are cutting back on the number of broodmares, that it is more economical to own a part of an incredible stallion and spend the money to promote him to his maximum potential. Indelible Image will not stand to the public. Instead, we are looking for a few more breeders, not unlike ourselves. Someone that has a couple of great mares and are looking to promote their own stallion, but can't justify the investment to own a stallion like this. The racing industry has done well with this concept and the number of people in the Winner's circle has grown. If you are looking at getting in on the ground floor.experiencing the excitement of winning and promoting your own stallion, but at a fraction of the price, browse through the site and take a look at his pedigree and pictures. There will be a limited number of shares available. We are going to have fun with this one, and there is always room for one more in the win picture.
*Shes Pretty Fancy had a filly. So in this case, we gambled a little and got our replacement stallion.
Welcome to Smith Show Horses!
We are located in Fargo, ND!
We have been raising Appaloosas
for over 30 years. Mark’s involvement
started years before when his Grandpa Smith
put him on his first horse. Gail fell in love with
Mark and his horses immediately. They purchased
the family farm from Mark’s Grandfather as newly
weds and have been active in the local and regional
level. Due to time constraints and jobs we had
not been able to go beyond that level, but
we continued to build our breeding program.
Enter Dave Aasand… Long time friend and Appaloosa
competitor, Dave Aasand who spent months away from
North Dakota approached us to become partners.
The first order of business for Dave and Mark was to find a GREAT mare.
She had to have a pedigree that not only included titles, but production bloodlines, as well. We found
She’s Pretty Fancy at Bob Kletchka’s AND she was bred to The Secret, a syndicated Appaloosa stallion.
This foal would be out of his first foal crop. An Agreement was made and Mark and Dave brought their
World Champion halter mare home and looked forward to an April foal.
It was the consensus we all wanted a filly! Welcome to our world. A stud colt was born. BUT when Dave was called the description included adjectives such as Incredible, Awesome, COLORED, “a face like a deer" and the tiniest ears!
Donate $10 to the ApHC Museum & Heritage Center,
earn a chance to win a 2010 breeding to
An Awesome Secret!
... They have some pretty cool Appaloosa Valentines Day gifts, too!
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