At any given show or futurity held in the past couple of years – whether a World Championship or a weekend circuit, chances are that when results of a Western Pleasure class were announced, there was something familiar about the winner, the top three or even in some cases, the majority of the top 10 horses – their popular sire, Machine Made.

The 2007 bay stallion by A Good Machine and out of Gypsys Little Image, is breaking records, as a sire, left and right. He has been the American Quarter Horse Association’s Leading Sire of Western Pleasure performers two years in a row (2019 and 2020) and he’s currently in the lead for 2021. He was the NSBA’s Top Money Earning Sire for 2020 and his foals won back-to-back NSBA Horse of the Year titles – Lexus Made Lady in 2016 and Made N The Shade in 2017.

And now, Machine Made offspring have topped the $2 million in earnings mark, according to Q-Stallions, Powered by AQHA.

Bred by Hank & Donna Rosciti, Machine Made, affectionately known as Hershel, was purchased in 2010 by Dr. Cory Seebach and Dr. Candice Hall.

As a show horse, he earned $45,466 and AQHA Superior awards in Western Pleasure and Western Riding. He was the 2011 Reserve Quarter Horse Congress Champion in Junior Western Pleasure with Gil Galyean in the saddle and Galyean also rode him to a Reserve Championship in the Open Western Pleasure Maturity at the 2011 Tom Powers Futurity. Hall captured a Reserve Championship of her own on Hershel in the Non-Pro Western Pleasure Maturity at the Powers Futurity.

“He was a natural at Western Pleasure,” Hall said. “When he loped, you couldn’t hear his feet touch the ground. It was effortless for him.

He had it all – the deep hock, flat front leg, balanced topline – everything you look for in a great pleasure horse.”

In Western Riding Machine Made’s athleticism and superior cadence really shined through. He won a NSBA World Championship title in Junior Western Riding and in 2016 he was the AQHA Level 2 Champion in Amateur Western Riding with Hall.

But as successful as Machine Made was in the show pen, his success as a breeding horse is nothing short of incredible.

“We knew he had all the characteristics to be a breeding horse when we bought him – excellent conformation, a big, kind eye, a beautiful head, soft movement with a deep driving lope and so much self-carriage, plus a great pedigree,” Hall said. “But we did not foresee the incredible impact he has had on the industry.”

Of his 780 foals, 232 are already money earners, logging $2, 251,165. Of that $1,867,573.02 in Western Pleasure; $65,871.73 in Hunter Under Saddle; $4,217.62 in Halter; $54 in Barrel Racing; $48.20 in Reining and $304,476.43 in other events. The average earnings per money earner is $9,703.

His offspring have earned 20,318 AQHA points. There have been 63 AQHA Superior Awards earned; 621 AQHA Register of Merit Awards earned; and 13 AQHA Champion Awards earned.

His first foal to win an AQHA World Championship title was Sucha Machine in 2016. Kristy McCann rode the 2012 brown gelding out of Shes So Sizzlin to a win in the Junior Western Riding for owner Kelly Lake of Arlee, Montana.

To date, he is the sire of five AQHA World Champions; five AQHA Reserve World Champions and numerous NSBA World and Reserve World Champions as well as Quarter Horse Congress Champions and major futurity winners.

Some of the many Machine Made foals dominating the show pen this year included:

• KM Slot Machine (out of KM Weknowsheshot) – AQHA World Show Level 2 Junior Western Pleasure Champion; The Championship Show 3-Year-Old Limited Open Western Pleasure Champion; Tom Powers Futurity 3-Year-Old Intermediate Open Western Pleasure Champion.

• Ima Golden Machine (out of Ima Golden Pleasure) – Arizona Sun Circuit 4-Year-Old & Over Open Western Pleasure Champion; The Madness 3-Year-Old & Over Maiden Western Pleasure Champion; A Sudden Impulse Futurity Novice Horse Open Western Pleasure Champion; The Championship Show $5,000 Maturity Open Western Pleasure Champion and $2,500 Limited Horse Open Western Pleasure Maturity Champion; Tom Powers Futurity $2,500 Limited Horse Open Western Pleasure Champion.

• The Cooki Monster (out of A Cooki For Certain) – NSBA World Show 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure Champion; Quarter Horse Congress Level 1 Open Western Pleasure Champion; The Championship Show 3-Year-Old $2,500 Limited Horse Open Western Pleasure Champion.

• Forever Kool (out of Forever N Ever) – Fun In The Sun Futurity Maturity Non-Pro Western Pleasure Champion; A Sudden Impulse Futurity Non-Pro Western Pleasure Maturity Champion.

• Nothin But Nett (out of KM Hot Number) – The Championship Show 4&5-Year-Old Limited and Open Non-Pro Trail Champion and Open Performance Halter Stallions Champion; NSBA World Show Green Junior Open Western Riding Champion.

• Justa Machine (out of Zip N Therapy) – AQHYA World Show Level 2 and Level 3 Western Riding Champion; AQHA World Show Level 2 Open Senior Western Riding Reserve Champion.

• Start UR Engines (out of Momma Knows Best) – Congress 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure Champion; A Sudden Impulse Futurity 3-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure Champion; The Madness 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure Champion; AQHA World Show Level 1 Open Western Pleasure Champion.

• Made To Ride (out of Huntin For A Cowboy) – A Sudden Impulse 3-Year-Old Limited and Intermediate Open Western Pleasure Champion; NSBA World Show 3-Year-Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure Champion; AQHA World Show 3-Year-Old Western Pleasure Stakes Champion.

• Fiire N Ice (out of Diamond R Best) – A Sudden Impulse Futurity 3-Year-Old Maiden Open and Limited Open Western Pleasure Champion.

• Its Game On (out of Moonlite In Dixie) – Fun In The Sun Green and 3-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle Champion; NSBA World Show 3-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle Champion; Congress 3-Year-Old Limited Open Hunter Under Saddle Champion; Tom Powers Futurity 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle Champion and 3-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle Champion (tie).

• Madefourit (out of Hope Four The Best) – Tom Powers Futurity $2,500 Limited Horse 3-Year-Old Limited Open Western Pleasure Champion; NSBA World Show 3-Year-Old Novice Horse Open Western Pleasure Champion and Green Western Pleasure Champion; Congress Level 1 Open Western Pleasure Reserve Champion and 3-Year-Old Limited Open Western Pleasure Champion; The Championship Show Green Western Pleasure Champion.

• Hey Look Ma I Made It (out of LDR Look My Way) – Congress 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Stakes Champion.

• Pinball Machine (out of Too Lazy To Pass) – Fun In The Sun 3-Year-Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure Champion; Tom Powers Futurity 3-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure Champion; NSBA Breeders Championship Futurity 3-Year-Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure Champion; Congress 3-Year-Old Limited Non-Pro Western Pleasure Reserve Champion.

• Itzonly Make Believe (out of Sophisticated Invite) – Congress All-Around Youth 11 & Under and Level 1 13 & Under.

• Air Ryde (out of KM Hot Number) – AQHA World Show Level 1 Trail Champion and Level 1 Junior Trail Champion; The Championship Show Green Western Riding Campion.

• Woulda Coulda Shoulda (out of A Certain Gypsy) – Congress 4&5-Year-Old Open and Limited Open Trail Stakes Champion.

• Made Like No Other (out of Dontskipzips Version) – Congress Masters Open Western Pleasure Champion; AQHA World Show Level 3 2-Year-Old Open Western Pleasure Reserve Champion.

Hall and Seebach say the Machine Made foals all have the same strong self-carriage that helps them excel in the show pen.

“The self-carriage combined with their trainability and versatility help them win in classes from Trail to Hunter Under Saddle,” Seebach said.

Machine Made stands at Riverside Ranch in Sulton, Washington. His 2022 stud fee is $5,000 with consideration for multiple & proven mares. His foals are eligible for the NSBA Breeders Championship Futurity, Premier Sires, Southern Belle, Tom Powers programs, among others. For information email Cindy McCraw, breeding manager at riversideranchtexas.com.

Hall and Seebach said the future holds a lot of apples for Machine Made.

“He loves being totally spoiled at Riverside Ranch,” Hall said. “We could not have found a better place for Hershel to live.”