“For decades, the greatest stallions were brought to the Congress and stood on Million Dollar Stallion Avenue, where hundreds of thousands of people saw the horses in person,” an OQHA Spokesperson stated. “This year, at the 2019 All American Quarter Horse Congress, we will again present the most influential stallions of today’s industry through a showcase of life-size images on the entry wall of the Celeste Center, as well as a video tribute to the many great stallions who stood on Stallion Avenue. We invite all Congress guests to visit Million Dollar Stallion Row.”
Some of the stallions featured include Winnies Willy, The Best Martini, Makin Me Willy Wild, Radical Signs Are Good, Allocate Your Assets, Its A Southern Thing, No Doubt Im Lazy, VS GoodRide, I Am The Party and Mechanic.
A special bonus was that several of these stallions were showing at Congress, and the public still has time to go visit many of them at the show.
“I loved the concept of the Stallion Row. It was wonderful to view so many great stallions that have made a mark on the horse industry and the new, up and coming ones that are sure to do the same,” says Brenda Gower, owner of VS GoodRide (Boss), who had an amazing show with a Congress Championship and multiple reserves and other placings.
“I really do think it helped bring more interest to Boss at the Congress. Just walking through the Celeste, I saw many people taking pictures of the posters and some taking selfies of themselves standing beside the posters. It was really nice to see. We had an amazing amount of people come by and view him,” Gower says.
Gower continues, “Advertising at the Congress is huge. The sheer amount of people that pass through the doors is staggering, so every penny spent is well worth it. The Congress Advertising Committee has done an excellent job of promoting the stallions and offering a wide range of advertising outlets for every owner. Being a stallion owner, I really appreciate the effort and avenues we have to advertise here.”
Debbi Trubee of North Farm adds, “For the studs that were showing there, I did have a ton of traffic wanting to see them. Today, I had the sweetest little girl who stopped by. Her mother said she’d watched Makin Me Willy Wild‘s video hundreds of times and wanted to see if she could see him. The look on her face when I pulled his sheet off was priceless!”
Amy Gumz of Gumz Farms told us that the door decals and the Stallion Row posters definitely brighten up the arenas. “Both No Doubt Im Lazy and Its A Southern Thing are having a great show, siring multiple Congress Champions, “ Gumz told us.
Stephen Stephens of Dry River Ranch who stands Mechanic told us, “I just love the awareness of the stallions on the wall.”
Additionally, many of the stallions are offering breeding specials. “We are running our traditional Congress special which is $250 off the lowest qualifying rate, meaning you can couple this discount with our repeat breeder, multiple mare and performer/producer rates,” Gumz told us. VS GoodRide is also offering a Congress special running until October 31, 2019. It is $250 off his 2020 breeding fee of $1,500.
“We do have specials going for all the studs until the end of the month,” Trubee says. “Winnies Willy is $1,400, The Best Martini, $1,400, Makin Me Willy Wild is $1,250 and Radical Signs Are Good is also $1,250. I do like setting up at the Congress because I get to meet so many people who have offspring by the stallions, and I get to put a face to our breeding customers.”
Stephens adds, “We are offering a $500 off the breeding fee of our stallions through October 31st.
The legendary Allocate Your Assets also has a breeding special. “We do have a 2020 special for Allocate Your Assets because he turns 20, too. So, his breeding fee is $2,020 and an unlimited book,” his owner, Kathy Tobin told us.
Stallion Avenue has been missed by not just breeders, but by Congress participants who looked forward to seeing these famous stallions every year. It may not look quite the same as it once did, but Congress is providing breeders and stallion owners a new opportunity to promote their stallions at the event. If you haven’t had a chance to view the Stallion Row in Celeste, please stop by, take pictures by the posters and tag them on your social media.
