Hancock Horse Breeders Group
Articles; History; Old Photos

Joe Hancock (horse & owner)

• The Story of Joe Hancock. March 30, 2012, America's Horse (from Quarter Horse Magazine) One of the greatest quarter-mile horses in all history had a typically American “rags to riches” career.
  
  
• The Hancocks. Featured in "The Remuda" section of the 1960 Quarter Horse Digest, written by Charles Waite of Broadus Montana.
  
  
• Get of Sire Records for Joe Hancock P-455. Listing and records on all progeny sired by Joe Hancock. Compiled from AQHA official records.
  
  
• Joe Hancock. By Phil Livingston. "The Working Horse Magazine" April 2003. Thanks to Hayden Dunsworth & his father for submitting this good article.
  
  
• Franklin Reynolds Tells… The Story of Joe Hancock; What a project! This is the complete original article (very long - 12 whole typewritten pages of text) that appeared in the 1957 Quarter Horse Journal. Plan to spend some time here! Frank Reynolds not only thoroughly discusses Joe Hancock and his lineage, he also discusses the early colonial American Quarter Horse, and why the Quarter Horse is not only the last American breed, but was also once the FIRST American breed of horse that all other American breeds were descended from. Also this article discusses how American Thoroughbreds are an original American breed, not the English breed. Fascinating stuff. Includes photos of John Jackson Hancock, Joe Hancock the man, Walter Hancock, several photos of Joe Hancock the horse, a racing photo of Joe Hancock, John Wilkens (Joe Hancock's sire) and Lindy (a brother). Thanks to Lee Jones for scanning & submitting this entire article, and to Michelle for typing it up!
  
  
• Joe Hancock P-455 ... by Bob Denhardt; February 1964 Quarter Horse Journal. Thanks to Don Woitte for this article.
  
  
• Those Hancock Horses; old article written by Chuck King, taken from the November 1982 Western Horseman Magazine. Big thanks to Lou & Janet Wood, Woodland Acres Ranch, Flippin AR for generously submitting this article and to Valene Hackney for typing it up for us.
  
  
• What Makes the Hancocks Handy?; old article By Mark Herra submitted by John L Moore from April 1951 copy of The Quarter Horse Journal. The last page was missing, subsequently provided by Lee Jones. Thanks, guys!
  
  
• Joe Hancock; a poem, written & submitted by cowboy poet and long time Hancock breeder, Lee Jones, C-J Ranch, Randlett OK.
  
  
• Who was Peter McCue? old photos & poem about Joe Hancock's grandsire; by J.A. Estes. Plus: How Peter McCue Got His Name by Otto Dover; The Quarter Horse Journal, April 1953.
  
  
• Joe Hancock Sons & Daughters; photos of Joe Hancock sons. Dun Hancock, Burnett Hancock (and son Hancock Rainy) also Joe Champ, Sonny Joe Hancock, Jo Jo Hancock, (Mr Hancock x Jo Jo Hancock), Panzarita Daugherty (by Little Joe the Wrangler), Little Joe the Wrangler (and Zella Hep, a granddaughter), Anne Joe, and Joan, 2 daughters of Joe Hancock.
  
  
• Joe Hancock Sons page 2; photos of Joe Hancock sons. Joe Tom and Buck Hancock (who were selected to carry on the Hancock bloodline on the Burnett Ranch), Texas Tom F (by Joe Tom), George Hancock (by Joe Tom), Joe Hancocks Steeldust.
  
  
• Red Man: son of Joe Hancock; 2 old photos of Red Man. Son of Joe Hancock, and sire of Blue Valentine. Also descendents: Redwood Jake, Cibecue Roan, Tio Red, John Red, Mr. Juniper Bar.
  
  
• Red Man: Roan Powerhouse; 3rd old photo of Red Man. A Chapter from Nelson Nye's Book "Great Moments in Quarter Racing History" Submitted by Lee Jones.
  
  
• Roan Hancock: son of Joe Hancock; old photos of Roan Hancock and descendents, including Dusty Hancock, Lowry Hancock, Popcorn, Roper, Lowry Boy 2 Lowry Girl 114, Darning Needle, Lady Hancock.
  
  
• Dusty Hancock: All-Around Performer; son of Roan Hancock; By Willard H. Porter --(reprinted from The Quarter Horse Journal, 1948)
  
  
• Buck Hancock: son of Joe Hancock; old photos of Buck Hancock and descendents, including Bar V Jo B, Heart Hancock & Lasso's Windsor.
  
  
• War Chief: son of Joe Hancock; old photos of War Chief, racing etc., also War Drift and War Concho, famous sons.
  
  
• Brown Joe Hancock A chapter about this son of Joe Hancock, from the rare out-of-print book "Shoat, a Champion Roper" by R.D. Carroll. (The story of Shoat Webster.) Sent to us by Lee Jones, C-J Ranch.
  
  
• Little Black Joe: the Forgotten Hancock; By Norman E. Seargeant. Another son of Joe Hancock. This article was submitted by Sally Tvedt, a dedicated Hancock breeder along with her husband George. Thank you. Now added to our original webpage of old photos of Little Black Joe, Tarbaby, Schoolboy H, Wredes Classy Bay. More old photos added.
  
  
• Blue Valentine: grandson of Joe Hancock; old photos & info. Son of Red Man. Also photo of Mr. Jack Daniels (full brother to Blue Valentine).
  
  
• John Red. Son of Red Man. Reprinted from the *Quarter Horse News* June 1, 2003, Foundation and Ranch Horse Section, by Christie Miller. He set the pace for generations of South Dakota runners and ranch horses.
  
  
• Bogie Black, the Untold Story, by Rickey Morales.
  
  
• More old Photos of Hancock Horses; Collection of photos - various Hancock Horses from old books and magazines. (Quarter Hancock, Steel Bars, the great mare Flit, Osage Roan, Pelican, Plenty Coup, Copper Hancock, etc) PLUS we have included on this page additional excerpts about Joe Hancock gathered from old books & misc. sources - interspersed between the photos.
  
  
• The Rodeo Kind; this is a 6-page article from the Nov 1980 AQHA Journal, with no page numbers and no author listed, about Hyde Merrit & family, and the kind of horses they raised; submitted before his death by Fred G. Gist of the Wagon Wheel Ranch Quarter Horses, and his son John.
  
  
• Lady Lou Hancock; an article about a special Hancock bred roping mare - appearing originally in Western Horseman Magazine, written by cowboy author, roper & long time Hancock breeder, Jim Overstreet.
  
  
• Ranch Horse Legacy ... The Blue Valentine Story, by Baru Spiller. Here it is, the article that appeared in the June 2004 Ranch Horse issue of the AQHA Journal, and again in the May 2005 Reining & Foundation issue of the Pacific Coast Journal, official publication of the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Association, and again in the May 2006 issue of the Horseman's News in CA. This article has helped spark the recent renewed surge of interest in this renowned bloodline.
  
  

• Hancock Super Stars; a Directory of today's "hot Hancocks!" A tribute to modern day Hancock horses who are carrying on the tradition of excellence in performace areas. Many Hancock horses of today are hard at work on ranches and feedlots, but, these featured horses demonstrate that Hancocks can hold their own with any QH performance bloodline.
  
  
• Blues Kingfisher dies at age
  
  
• Leo Hancock Hayes Leo Hancock Hayes dies at age 27. Summer 2007. Photos & article by Baru Forell Spiller.
  
  
• Cowhorse Confluence, a partnership of linebred Peter McCue / Hancock horses in Montana - a breeder profile that outlines history being continued into the present day, by author John Moore. Read John's tribute to Lynne Taylor (of Shepherd, MT, shown below on his stallion, Roanys Tomcat), who passed March 2008.
  
           
  
  
  
• King Hickory Star AQHA #3995647; article submitted by Karleen Hubley, Free Union, VA, whose big bay Hancock gelding shows how versatile these horses can be!
  
  
• River Lightning Bug 2007 AQHA Steer Roping Horse of the Year (as voted by top PRCA cowboys)
  
  
• A Discussion of Equine Roan Color Genetics article by Donna Vickery (Oct 2003). I wrote this while we Hancock breeders were demonstrating to the world that the roan gene can be homozygous... now we've been shown right; but this article still has some good reading & color genetics information.
  
  
• In the GENES; A published study sheds new light on breeding for the popular roan color. PDF format - article featured in the December 15, 2004, pgs 24-27; Quarter Horse News, we wish to express our gratitude to Rebecca Overton, author, for graciously allowing us to post her article here on HancockHorses.com in its complete original form. This article introduces the UC Davis study that has now proven the roan gene is not lethal. As of 2009, the UC Davis study has now shown that the roan gene can be tested for. This article will download and pull up automatically in your Adobe Acrobat Reader® program. It can be viewed and read from there. Click on the button below for a free download of Adobe Acrobat Reader® if you don't already have one on your computer.

  
  
  

• List of 100% Roan-Producing Stallions; (homozygous roans) past and present. A long-time pet project of HancockHorses.com, which eventually led to proving roans can be homozygous. We do know of a couple non-Hancock bloodline AQHA stallions that are also 100% roan producing, but for our purposes have limited this listing to just Hancock stallions. Have we missed any? If so let us know. (Email Donna)
  
  
• The White Stuff; Rebecca Overton, American Paint Horse Journal January 2002, discussing and showing photos of roan paint horses. This is a .pdf document.
  
  
• What Makes a Horse, "Hancock Bred?", by Michelle Thompson. Is your horse Hancock "bred" or Hancock "influenced?" This article introduces new guidelines for membership qualification. Your Hancock breeding horse(s) should have a minimum of 10% Joe Hancock blood.
  
  
• Archived Hancock Horses.com Newsletters
  

HancockHorses.com was featured in April 2008 AQHA members' America's Horse Magazine. (distribution: over 311,000 to all 50 states, Canada and 70 countries)