He’s the kind of horse that catches your eye. With his striking bay roan color, two hind socks and a snip of pink on his nose, VS Goodride (Boss), a 2015 stallion by VS Flatline and out of World Champion and World and Congress Champion producer, Goody Goody Gumdrops, draws attention even on a walk out to the practice pen at a show. He’s a breeding stallion but he’s also always calm, cool and collected. And people notice.

It’s part of what caught Brenda Gower’s eye back in 2018 and it’s part of the reason she and her family purchased him from Charlie Cole and Jason Martin, at Highpoint Performance Horses in Pilot Point, Texas. Brenda’s sons, Cole and Kade compete under the guidance of Highpoint.

“We had seen Boss a few times throughout the year and were really drawn to him,” Brenda explained.

Brenda and her husband, Tracy, got to see Boss again at the Congress later that year when they attended with their sons, who were competing and they all loved him.

“I am usually looking for Trail horses for my sons to show so even though we definitely liked him he didn’t fit the criteria of the boys being able to show him,” Brenda explained. “We went home for the Congress and he was still on our minds. In the next couple weeks, Jason and Charlie posted a video of Boss during the AQHA Open World show. I must of watched that video 100 times. Every time Tracy asked what I was watching I commented about the video featuring Boss. It was at that point we sat down as a family and decided to contact Jason and Charlie about purchasing Boss. The rest just fell into place.”

VS Goodride started his show career in 2018 and by the end of 2019 he had earned Congress and World Championship titles.

With Jason Martin in the saddle, VS Goodride was named Reserve Champion in the Junior Green Western Riding at the 2019 National Snaffle Bit Association’s World Championship Show and he placed third in Junior Western Riding.

Two months later, at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress VS Goodride teamed with Danny Desmond to win the Limited Division of the Maturity $10,000 Limited Horse Open Western Pleasure Stakes and they were Reserve Champions in the Open Division. Robert King and VS Goodride placed fourth in the Green Western Pleasure there. Charlie Cole and Boss captured a Reserve Congress Championship in Junior Trail and Jason Martin collected a Reserve Congress title in Level 1 Western Riding and a third place in Junior Western Riding.

VS Goodride capped off the year by claiming numerous titles at the American Quarter Horse Association’s World Championship Show in Oklahoma City. Boss was named World Champion in Level 2 Junior Western Pleasure teamed with King and that same team placed third in the Western Pleasure L1 Stakes. VS Goodride earned a Reserve World Championship title in the Western Riding L1 Stakes and placed third in L3 Junior Western Riding with Martin. He collected another Reserve title in Level 2 Junior Western Riding with Sara Simons.

It says a lot about a show horse to be able to win at that level for a variety of different riders.

“I’ve been around a lot of studs and trained a lot of studs and I would’ve never thought that a stud would’ve gone around for several different riders the way he did,” King said after the AQHA World Show. “There have been a few of us show him here, and we all won trophies with him.” 

Gower could not be any more proud.

“I think every stallion owner’s dream is winning the Congress and the World Show,” said Brenda Gower. “Boss won the Congress this past year and was also Level 2 Western Pleasure Champion at the World Show so those dreams have come true already.”

VS Goodride will continue to compete in Western Pleasure, Western Riding and Trail. His first show of 2020 will be at the Arizona Sun Circuit.

“After 2020 we will take it from there,” Gower said. “I do hope Cole and Kade get to show him before he retires as they are his biggest fans and believe in his talent more than anyone.”

Gower says they are fortunate in that Boss has no problem whatsoever making the transition back and forth from the show pen to the breeding shed and back.

“He does not have the usual stud-like personality,” she explained. “For example, during the 2019 Redbud Spectacular in Oklahoma City, Boss had a full (show) schedule. He would show during the day in multiple classes, get loaded onto a trailer and make the trip back to Pilot Point to fulfill his breeding contracts. Christi Christensen (Highpoint breeding manager) would collect first thing in the morning then Boss would get hauled back to Oklahoma City to show in a class that afternoon. He did this several days during this lengthy show. To me, this speaks volumes about his mind set and personality to be able to do two completely different jobs and maintain his gelding-like attitude. We asked a lot of him to do this and he handled it like the champ he is.”

That’s one of the things Gower loves best about Boss – that and his ability to compete in multiple events.

“His ability to move out for the Western Riding and Trail and be able to come back and lock in for the Western Pleasure is a HUGE feat,” she said. “Most horses show in the Pleasure then move on to the all-around events. It’s amazing that he is a stallion accomplishing all of this at one time.”

To date, VS Goodride has earned a total of 112 Trail points; 77.5 Western Pleasure points; and 73 Western Riding points, with limited showing in 2019.

Brenda was born and raised in and around Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada. She and Tracy own and operate Gower & Co Oilfield Maintenanc, a company they founded in 2003. They have three sons. Cole, 25, and his wife Samantha, have a 3-year-old son, Beau and are expecting their second child in March. Dane, 22, recently bought his own house in Lloydminster and Kade, 19, lives with his parents on a farm they own about 10 minutes outside Lloydminster. All three sons work for the family’s business and two years ago Brenda and Samantha opened a retail shop in Lloydminster.

Both Cole and Kade share their mother’s passion for horses and competition, while Dane has other interests, such as snowmobiling and motorized sports in general.

Brenda already has two foals by Boss out of mares she owns or once owned (including AsShesWalkingAway), from his first (2019) foal crop, which included 110 AQHA, APHA and ApHC babies.

“We got a beautiful big bay filly with excellent movement from her,” she said. “She has his attitude and is starting her ground work under the guidance of Julie Voge in Whitesboro, Texas.”

The second foal, a colt, is out of Hot Dashin Miss.

“He is also big bodied, has height and is bay in color,” Brenda explained. “He too has great movement and is being started by Voge. We are impressed with both babies and look forward to watching their progression. I have had inquiries if either will be available to purchase so we are very excited about the marketability of Boss’ foals.”

Gower also has two Boss babies coming in 2020 – one out of her show mare, She Made It Happen.

“We are beyond excited to see this cross,” she said. “Skylar has an amazing show record and this cross has us extremely impatient for these foals to arrive. But, to be honest, I get tons of breeders showing me their babies when they are born. I am just as excited to see their babies as I am my own.”

VS Goodride is once again standing at Highpoint Performance Horses. His 2020 stud fee is $1,500 which includes the chute fee but shipping is extra. Past breeders rate is $1,250 and World/Reserve or Congress or Reserve Congress Champion rate is $750 plus shipping.

Boss is 6-panel negative and is homozygous for the black gene.

VS Goodride foals are eligible for the following programs: NSBA Breeders Championship Futurity; NSBA Color Breeders Championship Futurity; NSBA Stallion Incentive Fund; APHA Breeders Trust; Premier Sires; Tom Powers Futurity; Southern Belle Breeders; Iowa Quarter Horse Association Breeders Futurity; Virginia Color Classic Futurity; and Michigan Breeders Futurity.For additional information on VS Goodride visit the Highpoint Performance Horses website at www.highpointperformance.com. You can also reach Breeding Manager Christi Christensen by calling (903) 816-1428 or emailing her at christi@highpointperformance.com.