Hands-off breeding
Dented K Quarter Horse Ranch emphasizes natural foaling
By Rae Lanzrath
STAFF WRITER
ST. JOSEPH — At Dented K Quarter Horse Ranch, horses are the key to many hopes and dreams come true.
Rick Kaeter, Vicki Johnston, Barb Feia, Rick’s daughter, and his two granddaughters, Kaydence and Kenzie Feia, work countless hours breeding, training and riding their horses. The family also hosts a plethora of events at their ranch, including weekly barrel races during the summer.
Kaydence and Kenzie, both teenagers, have worked with horses their entire lives and now compete in rodeos throughout the state.
Barb was also a teenager when the family moved to the farm, which they still work and live on today. In 1995, the Kaeter family purchased a bare piece of land outside of St. Joseph. What was once an empty corn field is now home to more than 50 horses, barns, indoor areans, pastures and three generations of horse experts.
“My dad goes all in with everything he does,” said Barb, part-owner of Dented K Quarter Horse Ranch. “We built all of this ourselves, and just really committed everything to the ranch.”
Two years after buying the farm, the family began breeding horses. Rick discovered the challenges and learned methods and techniques for breeding horses.
Barb said their goal is to build horses with a good mind and sound body.
“They’re fairly sensitive animals,” Barb said. “Breeding and foaling can be hard.”
Unlike many horse-breeding operations, Dented K Quarter Horse Ranch has a stallion on-site. Barb said they have not ventured into artificial insemination like other farms because they lack the handling facilities, resources and equipment necessary to do so.
“We turn the mares out with our stallion when they’re in heat,” Barb said. “If someone brings a mare to us to breed with our stallion, then we hold them for that, but otherwise we take a very hands-off approach.”
In the spring, mares will come into heat as the weather warms. They will also come into “foal heat” about a week after they have given birth, Barb said, which is in the spring as well. The mares are put into a paddock with their stallion, Sensational Mr. Rojo (Rojo), and left alone.
“We let nature do it’s thing,” Barb said. “Then, we impatiently wait 11 or 12 months for the results.”
Handling the horses during breeding is not favorable, as it puts humans and horses at more risk. Through this process, a handler holds onto the mare using a halter and someone walks the stallion in, also using a halter. The handlers have to hold onto the animals the entire time, but because horses are large, powerful animals, it is a dangerous job, Barb said.
“Horses are strong,” Barb said. “We’ve had a stallion that suffered throat injuries from being kicked so many times it literally caused permanent damage to his windpipe. They’re not small animals.”
Luckily for the Dented K crew, Rojo is a fairly even-tempered stallion and they feel safe handling him.
“Stallions can be hot-headed, but (Rojo) is not,” Barb said.
The gestation period for a horse is between 320 and 360 days. Barb said after they breed their mares, they keep a close eye on them to ensure they are not sick or injured during their pregnancy.
“That’s a long time for things to potentially go wrong,” Barb said.
Even though breeding can be a dangerous time and pregnancy is long with risks of illness or injury, things do not get easier as foaling approaches. Barb said during foaling, someone is watching the horses 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“You have the normal complications that can happen during any birth, like the baby being breech,” Barb said. “But with horses, you worry about the mare colicking after the baby is out or if she doesn’t pass her placenta.”
Colic is a disturbance within a horse’s gastrointestinal tract and can be deadly. Barb said that because of the horse’s anatomy, it cannot vomit, so when its stomach gets upset, it becomes extremely ill. Their stomach can “twist” and when that happens, colic becomes fatal. If a mare gives birth to a large foal, their stomach can become twisted as their organs shift back to their original location.
“There’s so much that can go wrong in a very short time frame,” Barb said. “They’re not hardy animals like cattle.”
Once the foals are born, they’re kept under close watch for many weeks. Barb said they have had foals that are perfectly healthy one day, and the next day are declining rapidly. The family has learned to look for signs that indicate a foal may not be thriving, and how to fix it.
“That’s why we watch them so closely,” Barb said. “It doesn’t take long for things to go wrong, and no one wants to lose an animal.”
Barb said their horses typically live for 25-30 years, and their broodmares are on the farm most of their life.
“When you own an animal for that many years, you become attached,” Barb said. “They’re with you for so long that losing one is really devastating.”
Breeding, gestation, foaling and horse care in general can be time consuming and difficult, Barb said. The family has dedicated their lives to the animals, and in return, have become extremely successful in the industry.
“Horses truly bring you the highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” Barb said. “There are some days you wonder why you do this, but most days you wouldn’t trade this life for anything.”
By Rae Lanzrath
STAFF WRITER
ST. JOSEPH — At Dented K Quarter Horse Ranch, horses are the key to many hopes and dreams come true.
Rick Kaeter, Vicki Johnston, Barb Feia, Rick’s daughter, and his two granddaughters, Kaydence and Kenzie Feia, work countless hours breeding, training and riding their horses. The family also hosts a plethora of events at their ranch, including weekly barrel races during the summer.
Kaydence and Kenzie, both teenagers, have worked with horses their entire lives and now compete in rodeos throughout the state.
Barb was also a teenager when the family moved to the farm, which they still work and live on today. In 1995, the Kaeter family purchased a bare piece of land outside of St. Joseph. What was once an empty corn field is now home to more than 50 horses, barns, indoor areans, pastures and three generations of horse experts.
“My dad goes all in with everything he does,” said Barb, part-owner of Dented K Quarter Horse Ranch. “We built all of this ourselves, and just really committed everything to the ranch.”
Two years after buying the farm, the family began breeding horses. Rick discovered the challenges and learned methods and techniques for breeding horses.
Barb said their goal is to build horses with a good mind and sound body.
“They’re fairly sensitive animals,” Barb said. “Breeding and foaling can be hard.”
Unlike many horse-breeding operations, Dented K Quarter Horse Ranch has a stallion on-site. Barb said they have not ventured into artificial insemination like other farms because they lack the handling facilities, resources and equipment necessary to do so.
“We turn the mares out with our stallion when they’re in heat,” Barb said. “If someone brings a mare to us to breed with our stallion, then we hold them for that, but otherwise we take a very hands-off approach.”
In the spring, mares will come into heat as the weather warms. They will also come into “foal heat” about a week after they have given birth, Barb said, which is in the spring as well. The mares are put into a paddock with their stallion, Sensational Mr. Rojo (Rojo), and left alone.
“We let nature do it’s thing,” Barb said. “Then, we impatiently wait 11 or 12 months for the results.”
Handling the horses during breeding is not favorable, as it puts humans and horses at more risk. Through this process, a handler holds onto the mare using a halter and someone walks the stallion in, also using a halter. The handlers have to hold onto the animals the entire time, but because horses are large, powerful animals, it is a dangerous job, Barb said.
“Horses are strong,” Barb said. “We’ve had a stallion that suffered throat injuries from being kicked so many times it literally caused permanent damage to his windpipe. They’re not small animals.”
Luckily for the Dented K crew, Rojo is a fairly even-tempered stallion and they feel safe handling him.
“Stallions can be hot-headed, but (Rojo) is not,” Barb said.
The gestation period for a horse is between 320 and 360 days. Barb said after they breed their mares, they keep a close eye on them to ensure they are not sick or injured during their pregnancy.
“That’s a long time for things to potentially go wrong,” Barb said.
Even though breeding can be a dangerous time and pregnancy is long with risks of illness or injury, things do not get easier as foaling approaches. Barb said during foaling, someone is watching the horses 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“You have the normal complications that can happen during any birth, like the baby being breech,” Barb said. “But with horses, you worry about the mare colicking after the baby is out or if she doesn’t pass her placenta.”
Colic is a disturbance within a horse’s gastrointestinal tract and can be deadly. Barb said that because of the horse’s anatomy, it cannot vomit, so when its stomach gets upset, it becomes extremely ill. Their stomach can “twist” and when that happens, colic becomes fatal. If a mare gives birth to a large foal, their stomach can become twisted as their organs shift back to their original location.
“There’s so much that can go wrong in a very short time frame,” Barb said. “They’re not hardy animals like cattle.”
Once the foals are born, they’re kept under close watch for many weeks. Barb said they have had foals that are perfectly healthy one day, and the next day are declining rapidly. The family has learned to look for signs that indicate a foal may not be thriving, and how to fix it.
“That’s why we watch them so closely,” Barb said. “It doesn’t take long for things to go wrong, and no one wants to lose an animal.”
Barb said their horses typically live for 25-30 years, and their broodmares are on the farm most of their life.
“When you own an animal for that many years, you become attached,” Barb said. “They’re with you for so long that losing one is really devastating.”
Breeding, gestation, foaling and horse care in general can be time consuming and difficult, Barb said. The family has dedicated their lives to the animals, and in return, have become extremely successful in the industry.
“Horses truly bring you the highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” Barb said. “There are some days you wonder why you do this, but most days you wouldn’t trade this life for anything.”
