Eat Sleep N Repeat

Libby Trucco, of Delaware, Ohio, describes herself as a very small, boutique breeder.

But out of her program, which focuses on quality over quantity, has come some of the most decorated champions of the American Quarter Horse and National Snaffle Bit associations

“To own both the sire and the dam of foals that become champions is beyond mind boggling to me,” Trucco said.

Mind boggling maybe, but true none the less. And making his debut this year in the show arena is what may prove to be her best contender yet, Eat Sleep N Repeat (Lincoln), a 2013 chestnut gelding by Trucco’s stallion Repeated In Red and out of her former show partner, Kissed In The Dark (Kizzy).

“Lincoln was born loping,” Trucco recalled. “He was a very big, strong and mature colt from day one. He had personality plus and wasn’t shy about showing it to anyone that would allow him to.”

When it came time to begin breaking Lincoln, Trucco turned naturally to Brian Cox of Mt. Perry, Ohio.

“We met Brian when he worked for Ty and Karen Hornick,” Trucco said. “He was only 19 years old, but it was very obvious that he was extremely talented and was very easy to work with. We have continued to work with him ever since.”

Cox is thankful for the opportunity Trucco has given him.

Brian Cox and Historyrepeatsitself

“She (Trucco) has raised some great horses,” Cox said. “It has taken both of us some ups and downs to figure out what works best for both of our needs. At the end of the day Libby is black and white and understands the game; taking the good with the bad. I have never seen her without a smile on her face.”

Cox also trained Lincoln’s full brother, HistoryRepeatsItself (Abe), and won both the open and limited divisions of the Coughlin 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure classes at the Quarter Horse Congress aboard the 2009 black gelding in 2011. He remembers first seeing Lincoln when he was just a weanling.

“He reminded me of his daddy and just has ‘that’ look,” Cox recalled. “ I also saw pieces of his brother. He had great feet placement and seemed to be a bit proud of himself. It doesn’t hurt that his mama, Kissed In The Dark, is a great one.”

Also like his siblings, Lincoln was slow at first.

“But once you really get to the bottom they are easy; they like to be show horses and enjoy the attention,” Cox said. “Lincoln is very smart when he wants to be. If he was focused, training was easy.”

Trucco said the plan was always to take their time with Lincoln and not rush him into his show career.

“It was six months into his training before I was able to make the trip to Brian’s to see how he was progressing,” she said. “I left with very high hopes. I called my husband and told him ‘this is the best one we have raised and if all pans out….this is the ONE I want to keep for myself.’”

Repeated In Red

But in September of his 2-year-old year, Lincoln suffered an injury while at a show which sidelined him for the winter.

“It all worked out for the best,” Cox said. “He’s a better 3- year-old for it. He’s stronger, more settled and more confident.”

Cox plans to show Eat Sleep N Repeat in the Southern Oaks 3&4-Year-Old $1,000 Novice Horse Western Pleasure at The Little Futurity this month and then turn his attention to the Novice Horse Slot Classes this summer and fall as well as the Green Western Pleasure at both the Congress and AQHA World Show.

“He wants to be a show horse,” Cox said. “He comes out  every day and gives 100 percent. His retention is impressive. He remembers everything I teach him. It also doesn’t hurt that he has a great feel so he’s really fun to ride.”

Trucco said she can’t wait to watch Eat Sleep N Repeat show and hopes one day to ride him herself.

“It has been four long years since I could ride and I believe he is the horse that I could get started back with,” Trucco said. “Ideally, I would love to show him next year as a Select in Amateur Western Pleasure while Brian shows him in Junior. It would also be my hope to have someone that does the all around events buy him and see him show many other events.”

Because of the solid foundation Cox puts on all of his horses, Trucco says she’s optimistic. The key ingredient in the Cox program is ‘time’ and horses are allowed to progress at their own pace.

“The horses need to be ready in their own minds,” he explained. “I won’t push one that’s not ready. It works out best for the horse, the owners and myself.”

Over the years that recipe has been key to the success Cox has enjoyed in the show pen. He is excited about the future of Eat Sleep N Repeat, his training program and now, the arrival of his new baby girl in August with his wife, Maggie (Kerola).

Kissed In The Dark and Libby Trucco

“My wife and I are very excited and can’t wait to start this journey as a family,” he said. “We are hoping for a small fry contender in the coming years!”

The lifestyle change has given Cox pause as he reflects on his career.

“The last few years I feel like my wife has made me a better businessman and makes me strive for the best,” he said. “It’s always good to have another set of eyes and someone picking apart every stride; even if I don’t always like it.”

He also had kind words for his assistant, Sue Shippen.

“Sue has worked for me for 10 years,” he said. “She wakes up every day and loves to come to work and help the horses. She gives great care to every horse that walks through the doors. It’s always a good feeling when you can put that much trust in someone while you are gone showing. I’m very blessed to have her.”

Trucco shares Cox’s high hopes for Eat Sleep N Repeat as she does for all of the foals she raises and those bred by others. But, at the same time, she knows all too well that the path to success can be riddled with challenges.

“What I believe is that it improves your odds if you go with a proven mare and sire,” Trucco explained.

Sweet On Occasion and Alyssa Trucco

And that’s exactly what she has done. At the center of her breeding operation are two mares Trucco herself showed to success at the highest level. She rode Kissed In The Dark, a 1998 black mare by Dynamic In The Dark and out of Somebody New (by Dynamic Deluxe) to a Congress Championship in the 2000 Congress 2-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure and earned her AQHA Superior Award in Amateur Western Pleasure. She returned to the Congress in 2001 to capture a Reserve Championship in the 2-Year-Old Non-Pro Western Pleasure aboard Sweet On Occasion, a 1999 bay mare by Sweet Talkin Chip and out of Occasion For Roses (by Snazzy Story) that she bred herself. Sweet On Occasion went on to win several futurities, earn 45 open and 70 amateur performance points and was the 2003 Congress Reserve Novice Amateur Western Pleasure Champion with Trucco’s daughter, Jackie.

But Trucco added the manpower to her breeding operation in 2007 when she purchased Repeated In Red, a 2003 sorrel stallion by Invitation Only and out of Krymsun Jet Set.

Ironically, Trucco first saw the full brother of One Hot Krymsun in 2003 during a shopping trip to Bailey Farms.

“At the time I only wanted a filly, so I passed on him,” Trucco said. “I just couldn’t get him out of my mind. I followed him as his career in the pen started…still in love. Brian called me in July of 2007 and asked if I could come to his farm to test out a horse that he believed would work for me. After one lap around his arena….I was sold. Red was originally purchased for me to show amateur and to breed to only my mares.”

The Trucco Family

During his show career Repeated In Red earned 37 performance points, nine Performance Halter points, two Grand Championships in Halter and won the Limited Division of the Performance Halter Stallions at the 2008 Congress. An injury in the breeding shed ended Repeated In Red’s career as a riding horse but it was the start of an amazing journey for Trucco.

In 2009 the first foals by Repeated In Red and out of Trucco’s prized mares arrived and she was on her way to success as a breeder. HistoryRepeatsItself was the first foal by Repeated In Red and out of Kissed In The Dark and, besides his Congress championships, he has earned over 240 AQHA points and has logged over $26,000 in NSBA earnings.

In 2010 Sweet On Occasion delivered a bay Repeated In Red foal that was to be named Rewind And Repeat. The youngster was sold to Allen and Marilyn Wade and in 2012 Brian Cox rode him to a Reserve Congress Masters Western Pleasure Championship and a third place in the 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure at the AQHA World Show. He was sold to Jenna Dempze in 2013 and since then he has earned numerous Congress and World Championships and Reserve Championships with both Dempze in Amateur events and with Gil Galyean in open competition. He has recorded nearly 300 AQHA performance points and over $61,000 in NSBA earnings.

In all, five foals out of Kissed In The Dark’s total of 12 offspring have earned 650 AQHA points and recorded just shy of $30,000 in NSBA earnings. Three of those 12 foals are only yearlings.

Jenna Dempze and Rewind and Repeat

The First To Repeat, a 2011 sorrel gelding by Repeated In Red and out of Kizzy is just starting his show career with Abby Querry in 14-18 All-Around events. They are already off to a great start with points already in several events.

“Kizzy gave me so many successes in the show pen, and now she is continuing to do so with her foals,” Trucco said. “We are blessed to still have her and have hopes of yet another full sibling to Abe and Lincoln in 2017.”

These days Kizzy spends her days enjoying her retirement at Trucco’s farm. “We have been very lucky to be successful with embryo transfer with her,” Trucco said. “We have four full siblings to Abe and Lincoln, one I plan to show in Longe Line this year.”

Currently, Kizzy is carrying for 2017 and will probably retire as a broodmare the following year. Every so often, she may be asked to take someone for an easy trail ride. Sweet On Occasion is the dam of 11 registered foals and eight are performers, logging 420 AQHA points and nearly $62,000 in NSBA earnings.

In addition to Kissed In The Dark and Sweet On Occasion, Trucco owns a few younger broodmares she purchased along the way to breed to Repeated In Red in the hopes of raising some Hunter Under Saddle prospects. Repeated In Red is proving to be a successful breeding horse, siring numerous Congress AQHA and APHA World, NSBA, PHBA and Tom Powers Champions and Top 10 finishers

In 2015 he sired two different Congress Champions, Rewind And Repeat in Junior Western Pleasure and The Grateful Red, in Junior Pleasure Driving. He stands at Griffey Equine Center in Pataskla, Ohio and will continue there in 2017.

“Being able to take a dream and make it into a larger reality than ever expected has been so thrilling,” Trucco said. “This certainly wouldn’t have ever happened without the support and encouragement of my husband, Mark, and my family.”

For more information on Repeated In Red visit www.repeatedinred.com or contact Libby Trucco on Facebook.