LadyQuest Farms

Cutter Bill
Last of the Copperbottoms

Reprinted with permission of author, Larry Thornton.

The National Cutting Horse Association's Open World Championship title places a "superstar" status on the winning horse, just as "superstar" is placed on Super Bowl Champions in football or World Series Champions in baseball. The celebrity that earns a World title has one year to enjoy his or her accomplishment before having to successfully defend their title or face being replaced by a new celebrity.

Cutter Bill became a "superstar" when crowned the 1962 NCHA World Champion for his record earnings of $16,668.95 in November 1962. Cutter Bill went on to become the NCHA Reserve World Champion and Champion Stallion in 1963, and carried his owner, Rex Cauble, to the 1964 NCHA Non-Professional World Championship.

"Superstar" Cutter Bill was kept in the limelight by Cauble in and out of the arena. 1964 saw Cutter Bill attend his own birthday party in the fifth floor Press Room of the Rice Hotel in Houston. He even presided over the grand opening ribbon cutting of the Huntingburg Furniture Company.

`By 1966, Cutter Bill occupied his own mansion at the Cutter Bill World Championship Arena five miles north of Denton, Texas. The 160' X 360' arena became a showplace for Cutter Bill and his offspring. Cutter Bill Western World opened its doors in 1968 selling many of the best name brands in western wear. Cutter Bill even had his own line of western wear in the tradition of a true superstar. The success of the Houston store led to the opening of a Cutter Bill Western World in Dallas.

` The promotion of Cutter Bill as a "superstar" put on display some of the oldest foundation bloodlines in quarter horse breeding including Copperbottom, the foundation sire of the second oldest family of modern quarter horses. Cutter Bill was a direct descendant of Copperbottom.

R.L. Underwood of Wichita Falls, Texas was the breeder of Cutter Bill. Cutter Bill was a great grandson of Underwoods foundation stallion Golden Chief by The Yellow Stud. The Yellow Stud was sired by Rocket by Rock by Copperbottom. The dam of Golden Chief was an unnamed range mare of Copperbottom breeding.

Cutter Bill's ties to Copperbottom were magnified through his 3 X 4 X 3 linebreeding to Golden Chief. Buddy Dexter, Cutter Bill's sire, was by Dexter by Golden Chief. The dam of Buddy Dexter was Little March by Dexter by Golden Chief. Billie Silvertone, dam of Cutter Bill was out of Starlight by Golden Chief.

Copperbottom was bred by Edward Parker and foaled in 1828 at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His sire was Sir Archy and his dam was a mare by the imported stallion Buzzard. Sir Archy was a foundation sire of the American Thoroughbred and the Quarter Horse. He was a son of *Diomed and out of *Castianira, an imported mare by Rockingham. Sir Archy was bred under the partnership of Captian Archy Randolph and John Taylor III. It was Taylor's practice to race mares like *Castianira and then form a partnership with others to take custody and breed them. Sir Archy was owned during his life by several different people. He died in 1833 the property of John D. Amis, who inherited him from his father William D. Amis.

*Diomed the sire of Sir Archy, won the first Epsom Derby. His arrival in America as an aged stallion occured after proving a failure at stud in England. However, his offspring sired in America made him a foundation sire of the American Thoroughbred.

*Diomed was a direct descendant of The Byerly Turk. He was sired by Florizel by King Herod by Tartar by Partner by Jiggs by The Byerly Turk. The Byerly Turk was an Arabian Stallion used in battle by an English Army Captain, Robert Byerly. Byerly took his stallion to England where he became one of the three foundation sires of the modern Thoroughbred along with the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian. Therefore, Cutter Bill was a tail male descendant of The Byerly Turk through Sir Archy's son Copperbottom.

In addition to the Copperbottom line, Sir Archy's quarter horse contribution includes the famous "Old Billy" family established b William Fleming's stallion Billy. Billy was by Shiloh by Union by Von Tromp by Thomas' Big Solomon by Sir Solomon by Sir Archy.

Two important Billy lines in the foundation of the quarter horse are the Peter McCue line and the Yellow Jacket line. Peter McCue was sired by Dan Tucker by Barney Owens by Old Cold Deck by Old Billy. Yellow Jacket was sired by Little Rondo by Locks Rondo by Whalebone by Old Billy. The champion running stallion Hard Twist was sired by Cowboy-P12 by Yellow Jacket. Rex Cauble was the last owner of this great stallion.

Helen Michaelis, an early secretary of the American Quarter Horse Association and horse historian, profiled Copperbottom in an October 1941 article in the Western Livestock Journal. Her story tells us that Copperbottom was brought to Texas by the legendary Sam Houston in 1839. He came by river to New Orleans and then on to Galveston. From Galveston, Copperbottom went to stand in Chambers County, then to Huntsville, Texas and finally Sulphur Springs, Texas. In Chambers County the Copperbottoms were known as the "Bismark Horses of Elmer Barber of Barber's Hill."

Michaelis gives us a description of the Copperbottoms and their role as early Texas cow horses. "At one time the Copperbottom horses were known from Galveston to Sherman and were numerous throughout Central West Texas but unfortunately there is very little available data on them because the men who bred them did not believe in racing their horses. They believed to race a horse ruined him him for top cow work. Copperbottom horses have gone down in unwritten history as ideal cowhorses with lots of bottom and refinement. They were intelligent and had a quick burst of speed; many were fast for a quarter of a mile. They were well muscled, especially over the kidney and loins; they had short backs, flat bone, short legs, beautiful heads, good withers, sloping shoulder and pasterns."

It was through the efforts of R. L. Underwood that much of the Copperbottom heritage was saved and preserved for AQHA Registration. Underwood was a founding member of AQHA and the third president of that organization. It was through the registering of his horses that many Copperbottoms officially became a part of the breed.

Bob Denhardt's book Quarter Horses , A story of Two Centuries, profiles Underwood and his interest in the Copperbottom bred horses. Underwood was born in Haskell County where his Grandfather, N. "Bud" Kelly, bred and raised Copperbottoms. Underwood later worked for Colonel C.T. Herring of Amarillo, Texas, a breeder of of Copperbottom horses. Herring was responsible for getting Underwood into the oil business and he gave Underwood the Copperbottom stallion Golden Chief.

Denhardt focused on Underwood's strong band of mares and stallions and the inbreeding program he used. Denhardt states, "It was generally conceded that R. L. Underwood had one of the most uniform bands of quarter mares at the time AQHA was organized. Denhardt credits Golden Chief, a group of mares known as Mitchell and Zurick mares and the Joe Bailey mares for Underwood's recognition. The Underwood program evolved into one in which he would breed the Golden Chief mares to the stallion Dexter to Golden Chief mares. He also bred the Dexter fillies back to Golden Chief.

Buddy Dexter, the sire of Cutter Bill was bred in similar fashion with a slightly different twist. He was sired by Dexter and out of Little March, a Dexter daughter. Generally, Underwood would introduce his outcross blood through the distaff or female side of the pedigree. March, the dam of Little March, was produced by Mustard Seed (TB) and out of a Lowe Brothers quarter mare of unknown breeding.

The significance of Underwood's undertakings was summed up best by Denhardt, "Breeding as close as Lee Underwood did shows the strength of of his stallions. Using outside blood only on the distaff (female side) is dangerous except where an extremely sound and prepotent sire is used; otherwise weakness is magnified."

At the 1956 Underwood Production Sale a good looking yearling palomino stud colt caught the eye of Josephine Cauble, Rex Cauble's wife. At Josephine's urging Cauble consented to bid up to $1,000 for the palomino colt. The bidding stopped at $2,500 with Rex and Josephine Cauble owning Cutter Bill, the beautiful palomino colt.

What the Cauble's bought that day was a son of Buddy Dexter out of an unshown palomino mare named Billie Silvertone described by Cauble as a "great mare that would cut anything including chickens and turkeys, but they never showed her." Buddy Dexter's greatest claim to fame was his defeat of the great Poco Bueno in the halter arena.

The Buddy Dexter/Billie Silvertone cross was proving to be a successful one even before Cutter Bill made it to the cutting arena. Smutty Bill foaled in 1953 became an AQHA Champion at three years and three months earning points in halter, reining, and western riding. Smutty Bill died in 1966. He sired six AQHA champions including Bill's Sunny, the earner of 94 halter points and 61 performance points. Bill's Sunny was the 1969 AQHA High Point Steer Roping Mare. Smutty Bill's AQHA Champion daughter Billietta was the dam of Sweet And Innocent, the 1982 AQHA Superhorse. Buddy Bill, another full brother to Cutter Bill, was a prominent rodeo horse used by Harry Charters as a roping and hazing horse.

Cutter Bill earned his first national title as the 1959 AQHA High Point Junior Cutting Horse. His AQHA honors include a register of merit and Superior in Cutting with 334 points, an AQHA Championship and the 1962 High Point Cutting Horse title. Cutter Bill earned $35,964 in the NCHA to garner the Bronze Award and Silver Award to go along with his World Championships.

According to Cauble, the key to Cutter Bill's success came from his disposition. Cauble was the first person to ride Cutter Bill. His memory of that day is one of Cutter Bill being saddled and when he saddled the colt "never pitched, he just walked off."

The disposition of Cutter Bill and his success as a cutting horse is very evident in the number of riders that Cutter Bill had to endure and still earn his many titles. During his career, Cutter Bill was ridden by Cauble, Connie Wills, Roy Huffaker, Willis Bennett, Milt Bennett, John Carter and Sonny Perry. Although the list of riders is an impressive one, it should be remembered that a horse and rider must adjust to each others styles. Cutter Bill had the ability to adjust and still excel.

Spencer Harden, a longtime Cutter Bill supporter, reinforced not only Cutter Bill's disposition as a key to his success, but added his "heart" to the list of words used to describe him. As he put it Cutter Bill had "a heart as big as Texas." Cauble and Harden see a good disposition as a trademark of Cutter Bill as well as his offspring. Cauble used to demonstrate the Cutter Bill disposition in his colts by walking up behind them, slapping the colt's rump and watching them squat down and never offer to kick. Harden found the Cutter Bill colts to be "gentle colts that you couldn't be abusive on. You had to lead them in training and not force them.

Just as Cutter Bill's show career got off to a good start, so did his career as a sire. His first foal was aptly named Cutter's First. Cutter's First went to the 1963 NCHA Futurity and cane away the Reserve Champion. He went on to follow in his sire's footsteps as the 1964 AQHA High Point Junior Cutting Horse. He repeated this feat in 1971 when he was the AQHA High Point Cutting Horse, just as his sire had been in 1962.

Cutter's First became Cutter Bill's first AQHA Champion. He earned his championship in a shorter number of days than any other horse to that point. Cauble concedes that it is harder for a horse to earn an AQHA Championship today than in 1964, but feels that it is still indicative of the ability of Cutter's First. In addition he earned a Superior Halter rating. In the NCHA , Cutter's First was an NCHA Top Ten qualifier and NCHA Bronze Award winner with NCHA Lifetime earnings of $19,345.24.

In the Quarter Horse Journal biography of Cutter's First, honoring his AQHA Championship, Cauble pointed out that he was unable to get Rosella, the dam of Cutter's First, in foal the year he was born. Cauble attributed this to the nervousness concerning her son's interet in the human race. Cutter's First showed no fear of humans around him. He would come up and want to be petted and scratched.

Cutter's First was not the only good performer sired by Cutter Bill ou of the mare Rosella. Blaze Face Bill was an NCHA Futurity Finalist and winner of the Fort Worth Fat Stock Show Junior Cutting. He earned 34 AQHA cutting points. Another brother, Cutter's Grande, was an NCHA Derby Finalist and the earner of 39 AQHA cutting points.

Rosella was sired by the linebred Old Sorrel stallion Red Rattler. Red Rattler was sire by Old Sorrel and out of a mare named Ed Durham's Chestnut Mare. She was by Babe Grande by Old Sorrel and her dam was the Chestnut Norias Mare. Miss Harrison 9 was the dam of Rosella. She was sired by Cauthon Horse by Old Sorrel by Bonnie Jack. The dam of Miss Harrison 9 was the Appelt Mare.

Cutter Bill earned 14 halter points in AQHA competition and was the Grand Champion Palomino Stock Horse Stallion at the 1962 Fort Worth Stock Show. Cutter Bill's contribution as a sire of conformation was first recognized in his son Cutter's Streak. Cutter's Streak was the 1964 AQHA High Point Two-Year-Old Halter Stallion and a Superior Halter Horse with 78 points. He went on to become an AQHA Champion with his performance points coming in cutting. Like Cutter's First, Cutter's Streak had several full brothers and sisters. Cutter's Jane won the Gulf Coast Cutting Maturity.

Scooter Jane, the dam of Cutter's Streak and Cutter's Jane was a daughter of Scooter S. Cauble explained the circumstances surrounding why he used Scooter S in his breeding program. It seems he had become friends with Punk Snyder, the owner and breeder of Scooter S. Snyder saw Scooter S as a "great brood mare sire" and was breeding some of his mares to the horse. Cauble pointed out the success of Cutter's Streak and Cutter's Jane as examples of Scooter S as a good broodmare sire.

Scooter S was sired by Silver King, a son of Old Sorrel by Hickory Bill. The dam of Silver King was a George Clegg mare sired by Sam Watkins by Hickory Bill making Silver King a 2 X 2 linebred of Hickory Bill. Hickory Bill was sired by Peter McCue. Several notable Cutter Bill foals out of Scooter S mares include Pecos Billie, an NCHA Non-Professional Futurity Champion; Bill's Sylvia, an NCHA Futurity Finalist and Bronze Award winner; Mertz Scooter, winner of the Houston Cutting Horse Association Futurity; and Master Bill, a noted AQHA roping horse.

The use of Scooter S in the Cauble breeding program brought Silver King to the attention of Cauble. When Cauble found that Silver King was for sale he bought the horse for $3,000. Silver King mares crossed well with Cutter Bill as did his mares by Scooter S. Bill's Highness, the 1970 AQHA Reserve High Point Cutting Horse was out of Silver Highness, a daughter of Silver King. Silver Highness was out of a King mare and her dam was Queen H.

Cutter's Pretty, the dam of NCHA aged event finalist Golden Denny was out of Silver Fairy by Silver King. Silver Fairy was out of Bay Fairy by Bay Bob, a son of King. Cutter's Dixie, dam of Brink's Jose Cutter and Uno Dixie was out of Silver King Mare, Silver Siemon. Her dam was Dixie Siemon by Star Deck by Oklahoma Star P-6.

Cutter's Indian was the 1970 AQHA High Point Western Pleasure Stallion and the High Point Three-Year-Old Halter Stallion. His dam was Fancy Indian, a daughter of Silver King. The dam of Fancy Indian was Diamond Doll by Diamond Bob by Flying Bob. Diamond Doll's dam was Gondola H who was by Zantanon and out of Jabalina. Gondola H was a full sister to King P-234.

Cutter Bill's success on the Old Sorrel sire line doesn't end with Scooter S, Silver King and Red Rattler. Sunshine Bill an AQHA Champion, was out of a mare sired by an Old Sorrel bred stallion. His dam was Sodia by Wimpy Munson by Wimpy P-1. Wimpy was sired by Solis by Old Sorrel and his dam was Panda by Old Sorrel. The dam of Wimpy Munson was was Tortugita by Peppy by and her dam was Adelita 90 by Solis. Peppy was sired by Little Richard by Old Sorrel and out of a mare by Cardenal by Old Sorrel.

Rex Cauble was the last owner of Wimpy P-1 just as he was the last owner of Silver King and Hard Twist. Cauble was able to purchase Wimpy after the King Ranch gave the horse to George Clegg, the breeder of Old Sorrel. Cauble bought Wimpy shortly before the death of Mr. Clegg for $3,000. Ironically, despite the reasonable purchase price, Cauble only got four foals out of the horse.

Bill's Pet is a Superior Western Pleasure mare out of Pet's Wimpy by Red Wimpy. Red Wimpy was sired by Wimpy P-1. His dam was La Queen by Tomate Laureles by Old Sorrel. Queen Chiquita was the dam of La Queen by Little Richard by Old Sorrel. Pet's Wimpy focuses on the influence of King P-234 blood in Cutter Bill's success as a sire. The dam of Pet's Wimpy was Pet's Princess by King P-234. Pet's Princess was a double bred Zantanon mare, being sired by King by Zantanon and out of Uncle's Pet by Zantanon. King is found in the dams of Cutter's Indian (through Kings full sister), Bill's Highness and Cutter's Pretty.

The King daughters proved to be successful with Cutter Bill through Cutter's Willie, the 1970 High Point Junior Cutting Horse; Bill's Willpower, NCHA Area Work-off Champion; and Cutter's Sunburst, an NCHA aged event finalist producer. Willful Bill another full brother to these Cutter Bill foals was unshown due to an injury but was used in the Cauble breeding program. The dam of these foals was Willful Miss, a daughter of King P-234.

Bill's Lady Day, a mare by Cutter Bill, is a multiple AQHA World Champion Roping Horse. She is out of a double bred King mare, King's May Day. King's May Day was by King out of Sun Princess whose dam was Sunday Fleet by King. Bill's Breezer was a fourth AQHA Champion sired by Cutter Bill. His dam was Lizzie Breeze by King Breeze, a double bred King stallion. When asked, "Which bloodline do you feel crossed the best with Cutter Bill ?" Spencer Harden and Rex Cauble replied without hesitation, "The Royal King Mares."

Spencer Harden rode Pecos Billie to the 1972 NCHA Futurity Non-Professional title. Not long after earning the title, Harden traded Pecos Billie for Bill's Jazabell, by Cutter Bill out of Royal Jazabell. Royal Jazabell was by Royal King and out of Jazmau by little Jazz. Bill's Jazabell went on to place in the finals of both the 1973 NCHA Futurity Open and Non-Professional divisions.

The best was yet to come as Bill's Jazabell was the 1976 NCHA World Champion Mare with with top ten finishes in the open and non-professional divisions. In addition, she carried Harden's son Mark to the NCHA Reserve Youth Title. Harden believes that this is the only time in history that a horse finished in the top ten of these three divisions. Retired to the broodmare band, Bill's Jazabell foaled only one foal, Jazabell Quixote by Doc Quixote. Jazabelle Quixote followed in her dams footsteps as a finalist in both divisions of the NCHA Futurity. The only difference being, she finished as the Non-Professional Champion with Harden in the saddle. She later added the Reserve Non-Professional titles in the NCHA Super Stakes and Derby.

Jazabell Quixote is busy producing Champions for Harden like Hickoryote, winner of over $100,000 in NCHA Limited Aged Events and Jazalen, the 1988 NCHA Non-Professional Futurity Reserve Champion. Harden nearly captured the big double in the 1989 NCHA Futurity when he was named the Champion of the Open Futurity and Reserve Champion of the Non-Professional Futurity riding July Jazz, a gelded son of Jazabell Quixote and Sons Doc. Through the miracle of embryo transfer Jazabell Quixote had two NCHA Futurity Open Finalists with Sons Royal Jazabell, a full sister to July Jazz, winning nineteenth place.

Harden described Bill's Jazabell as an "exceptional individual with exceptionally strong blood that comes from Cutter Bill through Royal King." Harden found that "she never needed work." When Mark Harden suggested to his dad that he make a run for the 1976 World Champion Mare title, he left Bill's Jazabell in Texas. He would fly in and out of the state to show the mare and since he didn't have time to work the mare they went directly to the shows. She would go for two weeks at a time without work, yet she maintained her consistency without the extra work to earn her title.

"She has passed her style of work on through Jazabell Quixote to her grandget," confides Harden when talking about the Bill's Jazabell family of cutters. The success the Hardens are having with Jazabell Quixote's offspring certainly reinforce that thought.

Cutter Bill foals out of Royal King mares include Royal Cutter, a three time CRCHA Snaffle Bit Champion. His dam is Royal Ida May by Royal King out of a Peter McCue bred mare. Cutter's Lad was an NCHA Futurity Finalist out of Mary Clegg by Paul El by Hickory Bill by Peter McCue. Mary Big Enuf was out of Big Enuf by A. D. Reed by Peter McCue.

Hard Twist was the broodmare sire of several good cutters by Cutter Bill. Lady Cutter, a Reserve Champion of the NCHA Futurity is an example of this cross. Lady Cutter was out of Flo Twist, whose dam was Billy's Flossie V. by Billy Anson. Billy Anson was a double bred Peter McCue stallion through the sire Harmon Baker.

Cee Bars was another good broodmare sire that crossed with Cutter Bill. His daughters have produced such noted cutters as Cutter's Cee Bar, an NCHA Futurity Reserve Champion. His dam was Sabine Sal out of Georgia Gray by Guthrie Chief by Chief P-5 by Peter McCue.

Some interesting breeding surfaces with Cutter's Cee Bar, his dam, Savine Sal, is 4 x 4 linebred to Tom, also known as Scooter. Tom (Scooter) was used in the famous Burnett Ranches breeding program. This particular Tom was sired by Midnight by Badger by Peter McCue. Tom was the sire of Miss Tommie, the dam of Dexter giving Cutter's Cee Bar four crosses to Tom (5 x 6 x 5 x 5.

The legacy of Cutter Bill has been carried on over the years by a number of good foals that are mostly out of mares by Cutter Bill. They must include Brinks Hickory Pat, 1983 Gold an Silver Non-Professional Champion; Brinks Jose Cutter, an NCHA Top Ten qualifier in 1984; Frosty Doc, 1978 NCHA Futurity Edgar R. Brown Memorial Trophy winner; and Skipalight Suzy, 1982 Reserve World Champion Junior Western Pleasure winner and many, many more too numerous to list.

The life of Cutter Bill a "superstar" of the cutting industry came to an end on September 17, 1982. He was put down as a result of old age. His life had been filled with many honors as a performer and sire. Cutter Bill continues to be remembered for his many contributions to the legend of cutting. What must not be overlooked were his ties to the past as the last of the true "Copperbottoms."

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