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Merritt Quarter Horses
Chip, Kathy, Brady & Corey
The Start of A Tradition...
It all began in 1880 when my great-grandfather, Vince Hayes, trailed a herd of good
mares from Ft. Riley, Nevada to Thermopolis, Wyoming. His two sons, Buster and Laurie,
continued the tradition of raising and riding top horses and sought ways to improve them.
Around 1951, they purchased Texas Blue Bonnet, a son of Joe Hancock. They started
crossing him on their own mares and in 1955 a Patron mare bred to him produced a foal
named Plenty Coup, who went on to also produce many top colts.
At about the same time my grandfather, King Merritt, brought one of the first Quarter Horse
stallions, “Old Red Buck P-9” to Wyoming. As a respected horseman, King had judged the first
Quarter Horse show in California. He and all his children were well known for their horsemanship
skills. King and his son Hyde brought additional stallions to Wyoming, including Ambrose and
Patron. Hyde inherited from his father the satisfaction of riding a good horse he knew he had
raised.
In the fall of 1956, Ken Gunter gave Del Haverty the
pick of the Red Man colts. Del picked a blue roan
stallion named Blue Valentine. Del trained Blue to rope
calves, tie-down team rope, and haze dogging steers.
Blue later was most famous as a steer roping horse but Del always felt he was a better calf horse
than anything. Del sold half interest in Blue Valentine to Buster and Laurie Hayes.
Buster and Laurie stood Texas Blue Bonnet, Plenty Coup, and Blue Valentine. It was quite
an experience to see these studs out with the excellent set of mares Buster and Laurie had
accumulated. The tradition continued when my mother, Dede (Buster’s daughter), married my
father, Hyde. Hyde started breeding his Ambrose mares to Hayes’ Plenty Coup, then took that cross
and bred to Blue Valentine. This program produced the stallion Gooseberry, Crow Creek (Lory’s top
calf horse), and many good mares.
Hyde and Dede then bought the other half interest in Blue Valentine from Del. Hyde felt like it was
a great privilege to rope steers on Blue. In 1970 Hyde roped at his last Cheyenne Frontier Days on
Blue. Everet Shaw, who rode his share of great steer roping horses, told Hyde that Blue was the best
horse at Cheyenne that year. Hyde and Del both felt that Blue started out of the box quicker and could
catch cattle easier than any horse they had ridden. The combination of Blue’s athletic ability and Del’s
training made him hard to beat.
Chip, Hyde & King Merritt
Buster Hayes with three sons of
Texas Blue Bonnet.
Hyde steer roping on Blue Valentine
at Wyoming State Fair.
Vince Hayes in the late 1800s.
Buster and Laurie Hayes
Blue Valentine in the pasture.
Chip on Romeo.
Chip on a son of
Blue Valentine.
Lory, Heidi, Randy & Chip on
3 sons of Blue Valentine and a grandson
of Texas Blue Bonnet.