Over the past 30 years, Jane Backes of Dallas, Texas has studied bloodlines and has passionately enjoyed breeding horses. Her traditional, “mare only” program was shaken up however when she raised the first colt who she thought had what it took to be a breeding stallion in her program. Good Machinery “MJ” had that special something from day one. Judging from his success in the show arena and the great looks of his first foal crop, MJ is following in the footsteps of his late sire, A Good Machine.

Her passion for horses started back in 1971 when Backes got her first horse and began showing in youth. She trained Tijuana Bang Bang herself to an AQHA Youth Championship at just 5-years-old and competed at the AQHA Youth World Show two times in three events. Her next youth horse was Miss Iron Toes. She earned an Open Superior Award in Pleasure and points in three events.

“This installed a goal of producing an all-around horse in my breeding program,” she says. “In 1984, I bred my youth mare who produced my first foal named Impressed Head To Toe who earned a double superior in Western Pleasure. After a brief break, I started back to showing in 1995 and have not stopped since. I have always loved studying bloodlines and conformation of horses since I was a kid when I read all the Quarter Horse Journals cover-to- cover. This led me to my passion for breeding.”

With a goal in mind of always trying to improve the individual you are breeding not just reproducing it, Backes has always followed the philosophy that “the magic is in the mare.”

“I believe the mare passes on at least 65 percent of the foals attributes,” she says. “When picking a broodmare, I always look at the first two to three generations of the maternal line.”

With her own daughters of legendary stallions like Ima Big Leaguer, Zippo Pine Bar and The Invester, Backes has proudly been able to raise AQHA Reserve World Champions, Congress Champions, multiple World and Congress Top 10 winners, NSBA World and Reserve World Champions, AQHA Honor Roll Top-10 winners and multiple AQHA Superior award winners.

“In 2009, I bred my mare, Vested Miss Buckeye (The Invester x Buckeye Pine Bar), to A Good Machine, owned by my friends of over 35 years, John and Kim Dean. “The resulting foal was a beautiful bay stud who changed my view about the ‘mare only’ breeding program. This was the first colt in my almost 30 years of breeding that I believe, in my program, has what it takes to become a breeding stallion.”

Jane and Leon Backes

Since Backes has always believed that it is extremely important for all stallions to prove themselves in the show arena as well as the breeding barn, MJ was sent to Cleve Wells for training as a 2-year-old where he won the Scottsdale Classic 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Futurity as well as finishing 12th place at the AQHA World Show. With trainer Tate Oakley, MJ finished his Superior in Western Pleasure and started showing in Performance Halter with Luke Castle. In fact, he has twice finished in the Top Five for the AQHA Honor Roll in Performance Halter Stallions.

In addition, he was started in Trail and lacks just a few points of finishing his AQHA Championship which Backes hopes to do this year after breeding season.

“This is an accomplishment that is rarely achieved anymore; however since a Quarter Horse is supposed to be versatile, I strongly believe we should bring back the importance of reaching an AQHA Championship,” she says.

Last year just three weeks after the breeding season wrapped up, MJ and Oakley won the NSBA Maturity Western Pleasure class at the NSBA Breeders Championship Futurity show.

“That takes a great minded stallion to get back to business on that level in just three weeks!” she says. “He has the bloodlines, conformation, movement and temperament that has earned him his ticket to the breeding barn.”

Backes could not be more excited about his first foal crop born in 2014 who seem to look like MJ from “head to hip.”

“This beautiful 15’3 hand stallion has a beautiful Halter horse type of head, a long thin neck and a huge Invester hip and his foals are looking just like him,” she says.

He will be standing the breeding season at McEquine Enterprise in Whitesboro, Texas with Rick and Kim McDonald and under the breeding management of Kim Dean who co-owned and managed his sire.

Kim Dean sees many similarities between MJ and A Good Machine and is very impressed with his foals so far.

“He is big like his dad was and good minded like him,” she says. “He is prettier headed than his sire and flatter in the front leg. Mare owners have been very pleased with his foals who have been very pretty with great movement.”

MJ will be offered at a 2015 fee of $750 which includes a chute fee. He is also AQHA Incentive Fund enrolled and is NSBA and Breeder’s Trust eligible.

“I am a firm believer no matter what a stallion’s show record, they have to prove themselves in the breeding barn,” Backes says. “I kept his fee low because the mare owners (me at heart) are the ones taking a chance with their great mares to prove your stud. I want to keep his fee very affordable and find the best crosses for MJ.”

Backes also keeps busy raising foals at her 34 acre ranch which is fully equipped with two heated barns, 70-foot round pen, indoor arena, several pastures with an abundance of trees and ponds and a house that Backes and her family enjoy on weekends.

“My family, Leon, my husband and Blake, my son, are not into the horses but are very supportive of the time and effort they require,” she says.

Working for a Children’s Charity, New Horizons for the past 20 years, Jane helps provide support for sexually and physically abused children.

“When Leon and I lost our daughter, Audrey Grace, at birth, we started the Audrey Grace House in her name,” she says. “Every year (since 2002) the horse community gets together in her honor and raises over $50,000 to help fund the home located in Abilene, Texas.”

A firm believer in showing what she raises, Jane can not wait to see some of her youngsters out in the show arena this year, like Best Kizz Ever, a 2012 filly by RL Best of Sudden out of her multiple Congress and World Champion producer Kizzy Nostra. “Bella” who is a half maternal sister to Kizz My Irons, the 2014 Reserve Congress Masters Champion in Hunter Under Saddle with Dawn Baker, will be shown by Oakley in maiden classes.

Backes will be showing Only With Honor, a half maternal sister to MJ, in Select Western Pleasure and in Performance Halter Mares while Oakley will be exhibiting her in Junior Western Pleasure events. A Good Muse, a daughter of Zippos Mr Good Bar out a great daughter of the Invester, is another 3-year-old Maiden horse that Backes will be showing in Non-Pro events. She also has a Masters 2-year-old for Oakley by Ziprageous out a daughter of A Sudden Impulse, Outrageously French.

“As a breeder, I get a huge amount of satisfaction showing only the offspring of the mares I have bred,” she says. ” I believe in my program 100 percent and want our clients to feel comfortable that I am there for them before, during and after any business we might conduct, whether they buy one of the babies I have bred or breed their mare to my stallion.”

Although Backes will always go back to her mares as the backbone of her successful breeding program, she does admit, ” I will always love my mares, but there is a new man that’s got my interest.”

For additional information on Good Machinery contact Kim Dean at (903) 815-1113 or email her at kimdeantx@aol.com. For more information on the Backes breeding program by visiting the website at www.backesqh.com. You can call Jane at (214) 384-7727.