Appaloosa Territory
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Chief Navajo F-1970
Many of you will recognize Absarokee and Ulrich as familiar names in Appaloosa history. The Absarokee horses were known for being outstanding performance horses. Ulrich has become synonymous with leopards, much as Money Creek Ranch was known as the Leopard Capitol of the World in the seventies. Have you ever wondered who was behind them? Did you know these two lines are related?
The common ancestor was a horse named Chief Navajo. Foaled in 1944, he was a descendant of the Marcus Crowley Appaloosas. Marcus bought a leopard mare named Esther from Bert Babcock. Both of these men were early Appaloosa breeders. From Esther's descendants came Chief Navajo T-690. Although the connection to Esther was known by owners of Chief Navajo's offspring, his sire and dam are listed as unknown in the ApHC Stud Books. He is described as a red roan, white with dark chestnut spots over loin and hips. Chief Navajo was, more or less, the foundation of two lines of Appaloosas: the Absarokee and the Timberline (Ulrich) line.
Chief Navajo
Absarokee Line
Flamingo of AA
Chief Navajo sired Flamingo of AA T-1061/F-3982. Appaloosa breeders Matt and Laura Boggio of the Double A Ranch, Clyde Park, Montana bought Flamingo. They used him on a few mares before they sold Flamingo to Gwen McKittrick of Fishtail, Montana. Mr McKittrick used Flamingo on his mare, Powdered Sugar T-1266. She was the granddaughter of a Quarter horse name Wildfire. Her dam, Flicka (dun blanket), was out of Nancy Lee (blue roan). Nancy Lee was a daughter of Old Blue, an Appaloosa from Wyoming. Powdered Sugar had two colts by Flamingo that became well known: Absarokee Sunset 7322 and Absarokee Beaver 7325. [The name Absarokee comes from the Absarokee Mountains near McKittrick's home.]
Powdered Sugar
Both Sunset and Beaver became outstanding performance horses, and sired performance horses. The name Absarokee has become synonymous with performance. For a time it seemed that if you wanted to win on performance classes, you got yourself an Absarokee horse.
Absarokee Sunset
Absarokee Sunshine, daughter of Absarokee Sunset
winner of the 1968 5-Club Regional Show
Absarokee Sun, son of Absarokee Sunset
Absarokee Beaver
E2's Absarokee Maid, granddaughter of Absarokee Beaver
Some other offspring of Flamingo of AA were Fire Opal of AA T-2129/F-4034, Chief Redheart T-2287/F-4027, Flamingo's Pride 80150, Trio's Indian Rose, Gorgeous George, Flamingo May, Australian Opal 83386, Little Bug of AA, Buckshot P T-2392, Miss Reno, Absarokee Candy 7320, Absarokee Jewel 7321, Absarokee Queen 7323, Absarokee Doll 7324, and Absarokee Shamrock 7326.
Queen Bee of AA
Navajo Turquoise of AA
Money Creek's Deer Falls
Other Chief Navajo offspring were Queen Bee of AA T3831, Vanguard of AA F-2999, Rob Roy of AA T-3832, Johnny Walker F-4835, and Navajo Turquoise of AA. All were bred by the Boggios. Queen Bee was Matt Boggio's favorite mare. He felt she was something special the day she foaled. Queen Bee fulfilled his hopes by winning her share of ribbons, including Reserve Champion Mare at the 1961 Nationals.
A few other get of Chief Navajo were Chief Tahoe 12380, Little Missouri Haska F-4226, Senorita Negra 12126, Money Creek's Deer Falls 60092 and of course, Crusty T-691.
Crusty T-691, with her colt, Navajo's Candy.
Crusty T-691 brings us to the Timberline (Ulrich) line. It commenced when Chief Navajo accidentally bred an own daughter - the result was Crusty. She was owned by Ralph and Helen Brown of the Timberline Stock Ranch, Broadview, Montana. The Brown's leased the leopard stallion Candy F-320 and Crusty was one of the mares he bred. Crusty produced a leopard colt, Navajo Candy 85389, grandson of Chief Navajo, who became the focal point of the breeding program at Timberline Stock Ranch. At one point the Brown's had approximately 90 broodmares. They produced many leopards from Navajo Candy. The majority of these foals were sold before they were named. Thus the Timberline name is not as well known today as it should be.
Navajo Candy
A number of these unnamed foals and other mares were purchased from Timberline by Don Ulrich of Cody, Wyoming. One of those Ulrich purchased was a bay leopard son of Navajo Candy that he named Ulrich's Many Coups 211687. Many Coups became the focal point of the Ulrich program and boosted Ulrich's leopard production. Many Coups was succeeded by his sons, Ulrich's Monarch and Ulrich's Papillon. The Ulrich herd was dispersed in 1991, sending the blood of Chief Navajo to many locations in the world.
Ulrich's Many Coups
The accomplishments of his descendants and their continued breeding in current day Appaloosas provide him a place in Appaloosa history.
Registered Offspring
- Crusty T-691 1952 mare (photo above)
- Money Creek's Deer Falls #60092 1962 mare (photo above)
- Senorita Negra #12126 mare
- Navajo Turquoise of AA F-2645 1958 mare (photo above)
- Flamingo of AA F-3982 1953 stallion (photo above)
- Vanguard of AA F-2999 1958 stallion
- Little Missouri Haska F-4226 1951 mare
- Johnny Walker F-4835 1958 stallion
- Chief Tahoe #12380 stallion
- Frosty Ann G T-694 1952 mare
- Alamo Annie T-1016 1952 mare
- Roblene's Eijoke T-2687 1956 mare
- Honey Gold of AA T-1058 1954 mare
- Lemgo T-1102 1953 mare
- Frisko C T-1254 1956 stallion
- Roan Chief T-2055 1955 stallion
- Diamond Chief of Three Forks T-2056 1953 stallion
- Navajo's Shiek T-2044 1951 gelding
- Chimaka T-2038 1954 stallion
- Acoma T-2037 1956 mare
- Blue Spirit of AA T-889 1955 mare
- Cumberland I T-2951 1954 stallion
- Silver Navajo T-3229 1957 stallion
- 47 War Whoops T-3519 1958 stallion
- Queen Bee of AA T-3831 1958 mare (photo Above)
- Rob Roy of AA T-3832 1958 stallion
- Pow Wow of AA T-4063 1958 stallion
- Miss Chief of AA T-4064 1958 mare
- Chief Navajo's Duchess T-4792 1951 mare
- Duffer Dee 5193 1956 mare
- Tiger 5586 1952 gelding
- Miss Three Forks 8215 1959 mare
- Miss Montana M 8216 1959 mare
- Shunka V 8390 1955 mare
- Haskell's Chief Tomahawk 9281 1959 stallion
- Chief Wampum 9282 1956 stallion
- Chakita 9283 1959 mare
- Cherrycow 9348 1959 stallion
- Kelsey's Virginia 9535 1958 mare
- Kelsey's Georgia 9536 1958 mare
- Kelsey's Montana 9537 1958 stallion
- Kelsey's Earthquake 9538 1959 stallion
- Kelsey's Venus 9539 1959 mare
- Kelsey's Leo 9540 1959 stallion
- Kelsey's Capricorn 9541 1959 stallion
- Kelsey's Taurus 9542 1959 stallion
- Kelsey's Firefly 9822 1957 mare
- Kelsey's Poke 9823 1956 mare
- Kelsey's Riffle 10242 1956 mare
- Absarokee Pansy 11507 1960 mare
- Absarokee Banjo 11508 1960 stallion
- Absarokee Ruby 11509 1960 mare
- Absarokee Rose 11510 1960 mare
- Y's Navajo Gal 9999 1960 mare
- Queen's Lad 12115 1958 stallion
- Miss Haskell 12132 1958 mare
- Iowa Navajo Lady 12135 1960 mare
- Ecrepzen 12556 1953 stallion
- Roco Akima 14879 1960 mare
- Waxihachi 18623 1958 stallion
- Navajo Jiggs 19057 1957 stallion
- Kelsey's Arapaho 23408 [1961 mare]
- Kelsey's Seminole 23409 [1961 mare]
Chief Navajo died at age 19 in 1964.
."Absarokee Sunset - A King of the Appaloosa", Appaloosa News March 1964
This page last updated July 2023.