Mike and Sandy Ellis built what is known as Ellis Quarter Horses in 1972.  The initial operation consisted of one 36 by 81 foot pole barn erected on a bare piece of property.  Over the years it has expanded into a "user friendly" complex which concentrates on breeding and raising quality quarter horses.

 

Over the years two stallions were purchased and found their homes at Ellis Quarter Horses .  The first was Royal Tailwind.  He was sired by Mr Tailwind and was out of a double bred King mare.  His first crop of three foals was outstanding and he was sold as a three year old  to Warren Ploeger of Iowa.  Royal went on to leave his mark on both the quarter horse and the paint horse industry. 

 

The second stallion purchased was Impressivist.  He was also bought as a weanling.  He was sired by Impressive and was out of a daughter of Mr Tailwind.  It was with Impressivist that the breeding program really boomed.  After standing him to about 100 mares a year for a few years, they decided that the work of breeding was taking up too much of their time and Impressivist was sold to Lanis Noble of Mississippi. 

 

The year was 1989 and the Ellis decided to scale down their operation and concentrate on producing a select group of mares and breeding them to top AQHA stallions.  Over the years Obvious Conclusion, Mr Conclusion, Impressive Dandy, Tardee Impressive, Sierra Te and Ima Cool Skip were used.   Ima Cool Skip proved to be the stallion that best exemplified what they wanted in their broodmares.  He seemed to produce the strong backs, high necks, big hips and posty hocks that they felt were essential characteristics of the kind of mare they wanted.  Currently they have 3 of his daughters that they  raised in their program and are keeping a filly from his last foal crop to be used as a future  broodmare.  

 

The Ellis Quarter Horse program is very small. The  total operation is run by Mike and Sandy with the  part time help of  Bob Luebker who has been with them for 18 years.  Mike has a full time job as a State Senator so most of the day to day operation are  managed by Sandy and Bob.  The broodmares are daughters of Ima Cool Skip, Tardee Impressive, Dandy Seeker, The Phenomenal, Obvious Conclusion, and Sonny Dee Bar.  The  program is based on the ability to do embryo tranfers out of this select group of mares.  To date, Ellis Quarter Horses has produced 4 World and Reserve World Champions and this year added the Youth World Champion Aged mare to the list of accomplishments of their program. 

 

 Embryo transfer has completely revolutionized the Ellis Quarter Horse business.  They  initiated it in 2000 because the  great producing mare, Miss Bunny Tardee was crippled and unable to carry a foal.  They  also had a mare with a torn cervix who could not carry a foal to term.  Little did they  know that the AQHA was going to pass a rule permitting people  to register more than one foal out of a mare. The  current program consists of 10 recipient mares which they  maintain year around.  Last  year 6 of the 8 foals born were carried by recipient mares.  This year only 2 of the 6 mares that are going to foal will carry their own foal.

 

Mike and Sandy invite you to check their website often as they pride themselves in  providing current pictures of the new foals as they arrive and update the pictures often to show  their development.  The 2004 crop will be sired by Im Kiddin and Kids Classic Style and all of them will be for sale.  Please  contact Sandy either by phone or email with any comments and inquiries.  Enjoy your visit.