Classic Champagne Quarter Horse showing his dappling and amber eyes that are characteristic of a classic champagne.

The hot Texas weather brings out the equine synchronized swim team.

After a morning thunder storm the temperature cooled down which caused a lot of playing around. Goober, a Gold Champagne  gelding quarter horse, is sparring with an older bay gelding quarter horse.

Hunt County Texas is home to several custom saddle companies. Some are small operations turning out a few saddles a week, some are large nationally known companies. This is a custom hand made and hand tooled cutter saddle made  in Greenville, Texas.

After a late afternoon rain shower Ruby, a sorrel Quarter Horse, grazes under a rainbow.

Cool nights and warm humid days are the time for misty mornings. Winter coats have been shed and the grass is thick. It’s a welcome change from winter feeding on hay.

Sampson, a classic champagne stallion, and Joker, a grulla stallion, check each other out prior to a minor territorial scuffle.

Sampson, a Classic Champagne quarter horse stallion, has been turned loose from a conformation photo session and is in a hurry to get back to his mares. In this picture you can clearly see the reverse dappling that is found on some champagne horses. Reverse dappling is dark spots surrounded by lighter lacing. On Sampson the dappling effect is best seen when he sheds his winter coat.

Its foaling time. Everywhere you drive you will see mares in pastures with their new born foals.

Another picture of Goober, this one taken at sunset. He is a Gold Champagne colored horse which is the result of a red colored horse, such as a chestnut or sorrel, bred to a horse carrying the dilute champagne gene. A champagne horse will have freckled pink skin, which can be seen around his mouth, and amber eyes.

Barrel racing is a major horse activity in Texas. There are events at small arenas and major rodeo facilities. Regardless of the size of the event the competitors put maximum effort into their sport. This picture shows the mirrored intensity of the horse and rider as they struggle to maintain maximum speed.

Texas has a long history of raising and competing with cutting horses. This type of competition dates back to the days of cowboys using their horse to “cut” a cow from the herd for the purpose of medicating or branding the cattle. Horses are bred for their ability to work with cattle. This picture shows horses at a cutting horse training facility grazing in one of the facility pastures.

Goober is a Gold Champagne Palomino quarter horse. The Gold Champagne color is the result of a breeding of a sorrel (red) horse with a horse that carries the dilute Champagne color gene. Champagne horses  have very distinctive amber eyes and freckled pink skin. This photo was taken when Goober was about 1 ½ years old.

Most horses in this area are pastured. They are usually provided with run in shelters for wind and rain protection in the winter and shade in the summer. Some seem to prefer using the thick cedar trees for shelter. They back into them on the downwind side. Large round bales of hay are placed in the pastures to supplement their grazing.

Many of the Cowboy Churches have their own rodeo arenas. They periodically hold youth rodeos as a way of passing on cowboy skills and values. Young cowboys and cowgirls compete in age bracket events.

Sampson is a Classic Champagne color quarter horse stallion. He has spotted another stallion and is ready to protect his territory. The classic champagne color is the result of breeding a black horse with a horse that carries the dilute champagne color gene.