Three Pokes

THREE POKES

In the sixties and seventies there was a great demand for professional livestock photography. From one airport, to a rental car to ranches from Canada to Mexico I was going day and night mostly capturing the best possible angles, light and poses of great stallions. No stallion could be marketed well without great photos. 

The Western Trails Ranch in Omaha, Nebraska, was a prominent horse breeding, training, and equestrian center that reached its peak mid-century prominence during the 1960s and 1970s. It was highly regarded within the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) community as a top-tier horseman's center specializing in elite performance and halter horses with all kinds of services for horse people.

Western Trails, during its era of high-profile operations, the ranch was managed by prominent local figures, including former Nebraska Cornhusker football player Gary Parker. The scope of the business plan was exorbitant. It was the center of so many history making equine spinoffs such as stud service, frequent shows, training services, farriers, vet services, arenas full of activity. Up to 500 stalls were in use for the ranch and trainers who would lease facilities. To horse people it was more than a 10 ring circus. Famous trainers and showmen headquartering there included Jim Wilky, Wayne Jordan, Jimmy Brown and famous reins-man Bob Loomis was right down the road. 

The ranch famously owned and stood Three Pokes, a legendary stallion foaled in 1966. Three Pokes won the title of Grand Champion Stallion at prestigious regional events ran AAA and earned his AQHA Championship, but had been difficult to photograph. That was my job. I went to Western Trails several times around1972 and photographed dozens of famous horse for days. They knew I was there and kept leading them out of the barns to get photos. 

My fee was about $100 to work with a stallion. I normally would spend an hour depending on the talent of the handlers and the horses cooperation. I would take about 100 photos and send the owner the best head, front, rear and side shot/shots. In those days color was costly so nearly everything was black and white. My job was to quickly judge the horse and find the flaws and virtues, then use angles and light to present the good parts and avoid showing the flaws. 

I encouraged Gary and all stallion owners to do ads showing different angles  for total transparency to the viewer. This ad of Three Pokes was typically what I encouraged. Western Trails Ranch was the most exciting place any horse person could go to see them all and meet famous people--all with different colorful horse stories to tell all day and all night.