The Travis family is known across the Midwest for their unshakeable faith and good, quality horses. Bruce Travis Sr. ensured both things were woven into the fabric of the Travis family framework.
Bruce Travis Sr. and his wife, Betty, moved their family to Creston, Iowa, in 1966. All of his children, Bruce Jr., Rosalie, and David, took a liking to horses. His two sons moved just a few miles North and South of Bruce Sr.'s farm to start their own families. Bruce Jr. married Dee in 1974, and started their family shortly after their marriage. They had four children – Bruce, Jamie, Clint, Adam, and Mallory.
"We always had good horses. When we were kids, we'd go to fun shows with these horses,” recalls Jamie. “We didn't have a lot of money, it was during the hard times of the 1980's, and Dad was struggling financially."
"There would be times where we'd pull into the fun shows in that old junk truck & junk stock trailer, and as kids, we'd get discouraged. But Dad would always tell us, 'It's not what you pull in with, it's what you unload out of the back.'"
Even when they didn't have hardly two pennies to rub together, the Travis family still took pride in the horses they owned and rode who were worth their weight in gold.
It was when Bruce Sr. died in 2009 that the family started thinking of a way to expand upon the quality horses they rode, all while honoring the man who started it all. While the Travis kids always had good horses to ride that they typically broke themselves, they couldn't take pride in knowing those horses were born and raised on their farm from their breeding stock. While trail riding one day, Bruce Jr. and Jamie started discussing what it would look like to combine something like this. That’s when the dream of a breeding operation became a reality.
With just three brood mares from the Arnold Ranch in Kansas - Senecas Smarty Mandy, Claytons Can Can, and JR Driftwood Ima - and one stallion - CJ Driftin Hancock - from Lee Jones of Randlett, Oklahoma, Travis Quarter Horses was born. Since then, Travis Quarter Horses has grown to 24 brood mares, 3 stallions, and too many colts to count.
Many of the Travis Family regularly compete in Mounted Shooting. But they don’t just build a shooting horse. TQH also runs a cow-calf operation and typically breeds around 450 head of heifers each year to sell in the spring. Anytime cattle work needs to be done on the ranch, they handle the cattle on a horse. The horses are bred for confirmation for the show ring, speed for the games, cow sense for the ranch work, and a sound, calm mind that anyone could ride and enjoy.
What has been the most rewarding and challenging aspect of this business?
Probably the most rewarding thing is seeing our family and friends using and competing on horses that carry our brand. Seeing Turner Thompson take one of the four-year-olds and win the CMSA futurity was amazing. Also, this year at the county fair, 7 of the 10 horses in the championship halter class were wearing a rocking T. I mentioned earlier that one of our goals starting was to raise horses with a sound mind, the kind of horse that you just enjoy being around. With 15 grandkids on the ranch, it used to be hard to mount young kids on horses you could trust. With the minds of the horses we raise, we have been able to mount 5-year-old kids on 5-year-old horses and know they will be well taken care of.
Are there specific studs or horses you are most proud of or excited about?
Flash One and Claytons Blue Train have proven themselves in the show ring for speed and agility. Unfortunately, we had to put down Flash One last year as he was in his 30s. We are excited about his son, Sandman's Cash, though. He is a 4-year-old Stallion that will compete in the 2024 CMSA Futurity. We also love the mighty colts our other stud, Poco Dakota Hancock, is putting on the ground.
What are you most excited about for the future?
Seeing kids, grandkids, and someday great-grandkids, as well as others riding a Rocking T branded horse, be successful in the future. When someone stands in front of one of our horses for a photo with a smile on their face and a shiny new buckle, we are thrilled to play a role in helping them succeed.
Bruce, Jamie & Clint Travis
For more information on Travis Quarter Horses, go to their website www.travisfamilyquarterhorses.com/
