The Land Report

Texas 2016

The Magazine of the American Landowner is an essential guide for investors, landowners, and those interested in buying or selling land. The award-winning quarterly is known for its annual survey of America's largest landowners, The Land Report 100.

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T E X A S 2 0 1 6 | The LandReport 85 LANDREPORT.COM After Captain King's death in 1885, a son-in-law, Robert Kleberg Sr., and Kleberg's nephew, Caesar Kleberg, augmented the ranch's manadas with Standardbred and Thoroughbred bloodlines. Occasional infusions of Arabian, Morgan, and Kentucky Saddlebred were also added. Although first and second Thoroughbred crosses to the captain's Spanish mares produced excellent ranch horses, the Klebergs opted not to perpetuate the old Spanish lines. Instead, they achieved greater success by introducing Standardbred bloodlines, which better toler- ated the wilting South Texas sun. King Ranch Standardbreds excelled as carriage horses, and the Klebergs found a ready market for them in the years before the Model T. But the need for a calmer, more compact, and agile cow horse was becoming apparent. Robert Kleberg Jr. fell in love with a manada of beautiful mares known as the Wax Dolls just up the road from King Ranch in Alice. The only problem was they were owned by a savvy Quarter Horse breeder named George Clegg. Kleberg lacked the authority to buy one, but his cousin Caesar could. In 1916, one of the Wax Dolls and her suckling colt caught Caesar's attention. He asked Clegg what he'd take for "a colt like that." "One hundred and twenty-five dollars," Clegg said. "I'll take him," Caesar replied. Clegg protested, saying he didn't mean that particular colt, but Caesar held him to the deal. In short order, mare and colt were driven 25 miles to King Ranch. A few months later, the colt was weaned and the mare returned to Clegg. The young colt was especially easy to train. As he matured, he distinguished himself under the most demanding conditions. Known simply as "the Sorrel Horse" and later as "Old Sorrel," he transformed the King Ranch horse herd from respectable to one of the world's finest. Exceptional in his confir- mation, temperament, and cow sense, Old Sorrel also transfered his qualities to his get. (By comparison, King Ranch's most famous runner, Triple Crown winner Assault, was a disappointment in the stud barn.) Buddy Gonzales pushing calves through the Ebanito Pens on his four-year-old son of King Ranch sire, KineƱo's Moon.

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