A Morning with Danny Moore, Moore Quarter Horses
July 20-26, 2015
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Equine
Photographer Genie Images San Antonio
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Up Hwy 281, just north of San Antonio past
Highway 46, you’ll notice a very large round pen made of poles on the west side
of the highway. You have probably driven
by it a million times and wondered, what exactly happens there? If you look real close, you will notice a
cowboy (or two . . . or three) working horses on cattle. Since 1975, this has
been the home of Moore Quarter Horses and Danny Moore.
A morning at
Moore Quarter Horses is well worth your time.
I knew the minute I walked up to this cowboy and introduced myself, it
was going to be a good day. He stopped
watering, hung the hose up properly, closed the gate, and looked up from under
the brim of his hat, stretched out his hand, and said, “Welcome”. And welcome is how I felt the remainder of
the day as he talked about cutting, groomed horses, brought cattle in, gave a
lesson to a newcomer, and worked some fantastic horses. Every move he made was smooth and
unhurried. Even his dogs waited
patiently within earshot to respond to his simple and clear commands. Respect was in the air. All of the animals and people surrounding
this man gave him the respect he was due.
They did not pin their ears nor cower away at his presence; instead they
looked to him with eager willingness.
Danny’s mannerisms have created champions in the barn, loyalty in his
dogs, and lasting friendships in his life.
I asked a few folks to
share some stories about Danny and they were more than willing to chime
in. Claire and Kerianne Robertson were
some of the first to respond and say, “Danny is a rare individual; any cowboy
who can tolerate the antics of a teenage girl on a young horse working cattle
while maintaining his pragmatic composure is okay in our book.” They go on to
tell stories of Danny and how generous he is with his time. He happily let kids and adults alike, “camp”
at his place in order to spend the hours in the saddle that are needed to
really get a good feel for your horse.
The Robertson’s
also mentioned Danny's trait that is most appreciated by both horses and
people; his calm perseverance in the face of anything ranging from
uncooperative critters or humans, to calamity, to downright ignorance. If the
Second Coming happened while you or he was working with cattle or a horse, he
would calmly give instructions to finish your work. Danny has an unhurried pace while getting
things ready… a plus for horses and cattle.
His lessons are not a quick mount up, go around a few times, and get
off. Oh no, the whole process will take
time - lots of it.
Lee Allen (well respected Realtor of Horse Properties by Lee Allen), says she has known Danny for over 30 years. Lee has a multi champion Arabian mare,
Phantom Gayle, which Danny has tuned up many times. She loves his methods of “reward and
repetition” instead of the common “jerk and spur”. The Arabian mare is definitely not Danny’s
normal client; he is a Quarter Horse man through and through, but never shies
from a good horse.
Danny
grew up showing champion halter and performance horses here in Texas. It did
not take him long to make the switch to where the action was; cutting. When I asked Danny who impacted his cutting
career, he thought for a minute and then quickly rattled off Claude Stamper,
Joe Blaylock, Olan Hightower, Bobby Lewis, and Teddy Johnson to mention just a
few. He said each of these folks
represents values and training methods that he has molded into his own style.
Danny’s
life has been horses; his 45 year membership with the American Quarter HorseAssociation is part of that proof. He
has also been an active member of, and participates in National Cutting HorseAssociation, American Cutting Horse Association, World Cutting HorseAssociation, and Hill Country Cutting Horse Association events and
activities. He has done a little bit of
it all; competitor, trainer, instructor, and has even held an APHA judges card
for 40 years, He figures that on any given year, he happily hauls to
approximately 35 cutting events for one reason or another.
Recently Danny traveled to Abilene for the 4-H
state horse show to help two of his youth clients in the cutting. He was
chosen to settle the cattle and turned back for many of the youth competitors. Andra
Wisian, long-time friend and client of Danny’s was there and said, “One youth
participant was younger than most, about 11 years old. He didn't have a
lot of horsepower underneath him, but was able to make fairly good cuts.
Danny coached him in the first go and the kid made it back to the finals.
In the final round, Danny's coaching of the boy was so intense that the two
could have been in the practice pen all by themselves and not in front of a few
hundred people in the Taylor Expo Coliseum. Danny hollered loudly instructions
to the youth every step of the way: step up, slow down, ride, get across, sit,
quit. The youth did better than he ever imagined and it was easy to see
that if he rode regularly with Danny, he would have a far better chance of
ending up in the money. It didn't matter to Danny that the youth was not
his client. He saw a way to coach a kid who was grateful for the help and
that was all that mattered”.
Danny Moore and the Quarter Horses
he breeds and trains, are the gold standard in the cutting business. Danny has bred many champions over the years,
but there is one favorite horse that stands out-Wild Conversion, also known as
Boon. This horse was on the cutting
horse honor roll 2010-2013 and holds a special place in his heart. Owned by Andra Wisian, Boon still continues
his winning ways placing 1st and 3rd at the State 4H
Championships this year. This horse, and
other established champions, mix well in the barn with the young talent that
are coming up. Danny says he has some
great stock by Bet Hesa Cat and Metallic Cat that are
going to be superstars in the very near future.
Moore Quarter Horses has stood the test of
time; breeding, training, and showing winning cutting horses for over 40 years.
Danny, his sons Dewayne of MooreCattle.net and Clay, wife Vicky, work
tirelessly on the farm to make it the success it is today. I asked Danny for some parting words and he
said, “I still have lots of goals I’ve yet to achieve, and I am looking forward
to the future of this business”. Thank you Danny Moore
for being the professional you are, and taking the time to educate me and
countless other on the incredible world of cutting.
Jeanne Harford
San Antonio Photographer
San Antonio Equine Photographer
San Antonio Event Photographer
Texas Horse Show Photographer
Texas Event Photographer
