Breeding the Future with the Past in Mind

For over 65 years, the Perkins family has been breeding cow horses, producing generations of winners from East Texas to arenas across the country.

The Perkins Family

In the spring of 2020, I became consumed with researching what makes a quality Quarter Horse the type of horse with those all-around characteristics we desire as horsemen. Whether you’re looking for success in the show pen or on the ranch, what separates each horse is simple — proven pedigree, athleticism, conformation, trainability and good temperament. These traits can be difficult to find in any combination, let alone all five. At least, that was what I thought before meeting Don Perkins in the summer of 2021 as I traveled through Texas looking at stallion prospects.

Upon meeting the Perkins family for the first time, I felt like I stumbled upon the best-kept secret in East Texas. It was on the Perkins Ranch, nestled among the rolling hills outside of Tyler, Texas, where Don and his wife, Jessie Perkins, took time out of their workday to show me exactly the type of Quarter Horses for which I had been searching. If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting the Perkins family, then you’re aware of their success in the equine industry as well as their kindness, hospitality and willingness to share knowledge. Don Perkins’ father, Frank Perkins, graced the pages of Western Horsemen in 1993, American Quarter Horse Journal in 2000, and the National Foundation Quarter Horse Journal in 2004. He started breeding horses with an emphasis on Poco Bueno bloodlines 65 years ago. Building his herd with mares that reflected that desired conformation and pedigree, he then progressed by pairing them with studs that complement those attributes. With time and effort, he created a foundation within the ranch itself by adding five sons of Poco Bueno to the herd, including Poco Pat, Poco Bain, Poco Stripe, Poco Cuff and Poco Bueno Tom.

Don grew up working alongside his father as a son and partner. He remembers his father fondly, not only as a great breeder capable of recognizing bloodlines but also as a phenomenal top hand.

Don first learned the importance of being soft and supple in horsemanship. He recalls Frank’s words, “If you don’t have a good mouth on a horse, you have nothing.” His father’s lessons echoed through time and became a keystone of the Perkins Ranch. When Don would feel frustrated working a horse that had cow sense but lacked the athleticism they were hoping to find, Frank would often say, “They may not make a cutter, but there is something they can do. It’s up to you to bring it out in them.” As Don reflected on the last 20 years, he said that statement remained true.

 To this day, beliefs instilled by his father have continued to influence the Perkins family breeding program. His father always said, “It makes it easier riding horses — not trying to force it in there. If they’re not going to make it in barrels, cutting or roping, there is something that horses can be successful at. Even if they just make a good riding horse.”

The Perkins Ranch has stuck to the true Quarter Horse — 14.2- to 15-hand range, stout and with a lot of hip. They are dedicated to cultivating an all-around horse: resilient, trainable and capable of understanding a job.

In the spring of 1985, Frank Perkins called Bronc Willoughby, a 2020 National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Fame inductee and Million Dollar Rider, and said, “I’ve got three studs. I want you to see if they’re worth making show horses, and I’m sending my son. If you don’t like one of them, send ’em back. If you don’t like two of them, send ’em back. If you don’t like three of them, send ’em back. And if you don’t like that boy, send ’em back.”

Bronc Willoughby sent one stud back and sold another to the W.T. Waggoner Ranch. He chose to keep both Franks’s son Don and a stud called Mr King Peppy. Mr King Peppy was one of the family’s first top-end horses. Don showed in cutting, winning the Non Pro at the Governor’s Classic in Austin, Texas. The first horse Don trained on his own was a mare called Spooky Peppy, successfully showing her as a 3-year-old when they made the Amateur Finals at the NCHA Futurity. Don continued to show several other horses throughout the years, including an influential stallion called Mr Sun O Lena.

Since the 1970s, Frank Perkins Quarter Horses conducted its own production sales, marketing horses through an auction held on the ranch. It was at one of these sales in the early 2000s when Shane Waite came from Higgins, Texas, looking to buy a Sparta Tiveo stud and a few mares for his own ranch. This moment started a chain of interactions rippling into the future. In 2014, Frank was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and Don hired Jessie Waite, Shane Waite’s daughter, to work a two-day sale at the ranch.

“Jessie was brought in to help with the yearlings, 2-year-olds, and whatever needed to be done. She was a tremendous help. We communicated there, but as she went home, we stayed in touch. We just hit it off,” Don says.

From 2014 to 2017, she returned to the Four Sixes Ranch to work for Dr. Glenn Blodgett, DVM. In 2017, Jessie and Don married, bringing her vast experience to the Perkins Ranch.

In 2020, Jessie saddled up to rope again and became an American Quarter Horse Association World Show Level 2 and 3 Breakaway finalist from 2021 to 2024, AQHA Special Event Breakaway Short Go Champion, AQHA Open Breakaway Stakes Bronze in 2022 and AQHA Amateur Breakaway Bronze in 2023. She did so all on the back of Perkins Ranch-raised stud, Cee Bueno, a grandson of Mr Sun O Lena and Poco Bueno Tom. The stallion claimed the 2023 AQHA High-Point Amateur Breakaway Horse of the Year award, reflecting the genetics and capability of the true Quarter Horse that Don and his father Frank worked so hard to create.

Sun O Lena Legacy

In 1984, the Perkinses started their search for an outcross stallion prospect. The goal was to find an own son of Doc O’Lena, with dreams of campaigning the stud and further elevating their breeding program. However, finding the right one didn’t happen overnight. They meticulously evaluated different studs for 11 years before finally coming across a red dun stallion that caught Frank’s eye.

During the fall of 1995, Frank Perkins was on his way back from Oklahoma after looking at several Doc O’Lena studs. Unfortunately, the trip didn’t produce the desired outcome. Deciding to make the most of the drive, spur of the moment, he went to visit with longtime friend Matlock Rose. Matlock met Frank in the driveway, and as they were catching up, the conversation eventually turned to what Frank was doing — explaining how he had been looking over a few sons of Doc O’Lena and was unimpressed so far. Matlock responded, “I bet I’ve got one here you would like.” Then, he explained that he received a stud from Ken Hill in California and was tasked with finding the stud a new home. Curiosity piqued, Frank asked to see the stud in question. The horse immediately made an impression as Matlock brought out the 15-hand red dun stallion Mr Sun O Lena. The stud was in his “everyday clothes,” but his conformation and demeanor set him apart from the other stallions Frank had looked over. He informed Matlock that he would get back in touch with him.

On paper, he was the magic cross for which they had been looking. As a son of Doc O’Lena and out of Sunflower Sana, it didn’t take much to discern he was exactly what they wanted to add to their program. The transaction was made, and Mr Sun O Lena became a part of the Perkins Ranch. With the goal of making him the first AQHA Champion by Doc O’Lena, they started off by sending him directly to Harvey Spicer for halter training. He stayed from November until early April, winning 16 AQHA Open Halter points (nine grands, six reserves), as well as earning the AQHA Halter Register of Merit against a tough field of competitors in the Open division, bred specifically for that event in the late 90s.

When Mr Sun O Lena returned to the Perkinses, Don spent the next six weeks using him on the ranch, shaping up for the next part of their journey. Once ready, the Perkinses reached out to Paul Hansma and Winston Hansma to ride Mr Sun O Lena in cutting events. Eventually, Winston Hansma invited Don to ride at the Bar H Ranch. Before long, Don took up riding Mr Sun O Lena again, and in the summer of 1996, they began to hone their skills together. Mr Sun O Lena qualified for the AQHA World Show Finals, finishing in 1996 as AQHA Reserve High-Point Junior Cutting Stallion. The stud went on to earn 23.5 AQHA Open Cutting points and two Amateur Cutting points.

The accolades didn’t stop there. In 1997, Don and Mr Sun O Lena became the NCHA Summer Cutting Spectacular Second Go Non Pro Champions with a score of 222, before finishing the Non Pro Finals in third place with a score of 219. A quick YouTube search of those runs gives a glimpse of the size, power and agility the stallion had when working a cow.

“He was a special horse at 15 hands and 1,200 pounds. Super cowy, athletic, and a hard stopper,” Don says. “There are three horses that really stand out to me in my career: Mr. King Peppy taught me how to cut; Trips Double Bueno, who was a tricky mare, taught me how to show; but Mr Sun O Lena taught me how to win.”

Mr Sun O Lena continued to prove his worth and versatility in the show pen, becoming a 1998 AQHA World Show Senior Working Cow Horse Finalist, earning 10.5 AQHA Working Cow Horse points, then in 1999 Houston Livestock Show NCHA $50,000 Amateur Champion. Mr Sun O Lena’s athleticism and ability came together to accomplish Don’s and Frank’s goal, making him the only offspring of Doc O’Lena to become an AQHA Champion. Though his versatility as a sire would exceed all expectations. Mr Sun O Lena acquired an impressive sire record of over 50 money earners, accumulating more than $1 million across the AQHA, NCHA, National Reined Cow Horse Association, National Reining Horse Association, Ranch Horse Association of America and Stock Horse of Texas, in both team roping and halter events.

Their hard-earned success garnered the attention of fellow ranchers and horsemen who wanted to purchase Mr Sun O Lena for their own programs. However, Don and Frank were adamant about keeping the stallion, consistently turning down even the most attractive offers. The Perkinses eventually received a phone call from Dr. Glenn Blodgett, DVM, asking if they had thought about standing the stud. Four Sixes was interested in adding Mr Sun O Lena to their stallion roster, and Blodgett wanted to personally look over him.

Frank explained that while Blodgett was more than welcome to visit Perkins Ranch, they purchased Mr Sun O Lena to show and then use for their own breeding program. If they were to stand him in Guthrie, it would be difficult to breed their own mares almost six hours away. Blodgett understood but still wanted to keep in touch. After continued discussions and one visit to the Perkins Ranch to see Mr Sun O Lena in person, Blodgett asked Frank and Don if they could find time to make it over to the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. Blodgett wanted them to at least see the Four Sixes facilities before completely writing off the idea. The Perkinses agreed, and Four Sixes sent a jet to pick them up, turning the six-hour drive into a 40-minute flight. Don and Frank were equally impressed by the setup at the Sixes. They surveyed the horse division before ending their tour in Blodgett’s office.

“Doc was really trying to make a deal to stand Mr Sun O Lena. He asked if we would be interested in standing with them for five years, but Dad didn’t really want to be locked into a contract for that length of time,” Don says. “Doc countered with a three-year contract, but that still wasn’t what we had planned for. Finally, Dad offered one year, and they would see how things went from there.”

The men agreed, and Mr Sun O Lena stood at the Four Sixes on a handshake deal, one year at a time. The agreement continued with yearly renewal for a total of 10 years.

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Submission by Blaine L. Williams. Photography courtesy Don Perkins

Blaine L. Williams was born and raised in western North Carolina and has long been drawn to stories rooted in the spirit of the American West. When not writing, he is a history teacher and entrepreneur who enjoys raising Quarter Horses. This is his debut article.