Peptoboonsmal Dies at age 32

Peptoboonsmal, National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Open Futurity Champion has died at the age of 32. Owners, Aaron Ranch announced his passing on their FaceBook page today.

The stallion had passed on Oct. 22 from age related complications with Cresha Aaron by his side. In the month prior the Aaron family had noticed he wasn’t acting himself. They ordered blood work and fecal tests, which returned normal results.

He’s now buried on the Aaron Ranch in Commerce, Texas where Aaron said the family plans to erect a memorial for him. At the time of his death he’d sired the earners of over $28 Million according to EquiStat. His daughters have gone on to produce the earners of over $85 Million.

“He was so quirky, funny, he had the best personality. He knew he was Pepto and he demanded attention,” she said.

The Beginning of A Legacy

Peptoboonsmal (Peppy San Badger x Royal Blue Boon x Boon Bar) was bound for greatness from his very humble beginnings. Born on Larry and Elaine Hall’s ranch in Weatherford, Texas in March of 1992, the Halls made a tough decision to keep and register the son of Royal Blue Boon.

At that time, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) would only register one offspring of a dam per year and the Halls had breed Royal Blue Boon for a few embryo transfers. Along with their decision to keep the red roan colt, they decided that he would remain a stallion and became the first stud prospect they campaigned.

His royal linage played into this decision. Until recently, Royal Blue Boon reigned as the All-Time Leading Western Performance Horse Dam, she produced the earners of $2,614,455. The Halls purchased Royal Blue Boon (Boon Bar x Royal Tincie x Royal King) as a 2-year-old and campaigned her through her show and breeding career. They then bred her to the likes of Peppy San Badger, Dual Pep, Smart Little Lena and Freckles Playboy. She produced the all-time leading money-earning cutting horse, Red White and Boon ($922,063); NCHA Open World Champion Bet Yer Blue Boons ($350,615); NCHA Super Stakes Open Derby Champion Autumn Boon ($259,685); Abilene Spectacular Non-Pro Derby Champion Duals Blue Boon ($197,448) and NCHA Futurity Open Champion Peptoboonsmal ($180,487).

The Aaron Ranch breeding program was led by Peptoboonsmal, left, with Lori Aaron, for a decade and his son Blind Sided, right, with Phillip Aaron. • Photo by Kate Bradley Byars.

His sire, Peppy San Badger, was ridden by Buster Welch to the 1977 NCHA Futurity Open Championship and the 1978 NCHA Summer Spectacular Derby Open Championship. He went on to sire the earners of more than $25 million including 1991 NCHA Futurity Open Champion Little Tenina; 1995 NCHA Futurity Open Champion Peptoboonsmal and the horse they called ‘The Great Paint” 1986 NCHA Super Stakes Open Champion Delta Flyer (PT).

From the Show Pen to the Breeding Shed

In 1995, when the young stallion headed to Fort Worth for his NCHA Futurity debut, he did so in stunning fashion. With Gary Bellenfant in the saddle, Peptoboonsmal eased through the first two go-rounds with a 219.5 and a 216. Then, he topped the semi-finals with a 225 and marked the same to win the coveted title worth $100,000.

The following year, Peptoboonsmal and Bellenfant made the NCHA Super Stakes Derby Open Finals. They won the South Point Winter Championship Derby Open and the Bonanza Cutting Derby Open.

He then retired to the breeding shed where he made another big mark on history.

His top earners are Brazos Bash Derby Open Champion Little Pepto Gal ($526,229), Abilene Spectacular Derby Open Champion Copaspepto ($480,290), NCHA Super Stakes Derby Open Champion One Time Pepto ($331,097) and NCHA Summer Spectacular Classic Open Champion Once In A Blu Boon ($316,564).

Phillip and Lori Aaron with Peptoboonsmal. * Photo by Stacy Pigott

He was sold to Jackson Land and Cattle LLC in 2007 and sold again to Aaron Ranch in 2014, where he lived out the rest of his days. Lori Aaron, Cresha’s mother, met the stallion and immediately fell in love with him.

“She wanted to go see him because we were breeding so much to him and she just fell in love with him,” Aaron explained. “She got hurt on a horse when I was a little girl, so she loves horses but she does not just go in with all of them. So I think she felt comfortable with him and wanted to bring him here.”

When Peptoboonsmal arrived at Aaron Ranch, at age 22, they brought in a team of nutritionists to put him on a special diet and their farrier paid extra attention to his shoeing regimen.

“He was able to really live a lot longer, I think, than he would have and just enjoy life,” she explained.

A Decade at Aaron Ranch

Since his move to Aaron Ranch, many of his offspring have made their mark in the National Reined Cow Horse Association (NRCHA). Bad To Tha Boon (Peptoboonsmal x Bet On Merada x Bet On Me 498) earned $185,425 in his reined cow horse career with major achievements such as the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Intermediate Open Reserve Championship, the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Open Hackamore Reserve Championship and the NRCHA Hackamore Classic Open Two-Rein Championship.

Most recently, Venom Boonsmal (Peptoboonsmal x Black Widow x High Brow Cat) won the Open Hackamore class at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity and Rockk Star (Peptoboonsmal x Aristocratic Star x High Brow Cat) placed fourth in the American Rope Horse Futurity Association World Championship Open Heeling.

Peptoboonsmal * Photo by John Brasseaux

“His record sort of speaks for itself,” Aaron said. “His babies are still competing and winning. They’re still in the top. They just stand the test of time.”

Fresh semen was collected from him well into his 20’s, a testament to his health, but the Aarons limited his collections and relied on frozen semen out of respect for the aging stallion. They also began only selling ICSI breedings to him, in an effort to extend the use of his frozen semen.

Next spring, they’re expecting a Peptoboonsmal baby out of standout mare Smart Chic An Tari (by Smart Chic Olena) and another from Bet On Merada.

Although the Aaron’s are mourning the loss of their special stallion, they’re excited to see his future offspring compete and will stand three of his sons during the upcoming breeding season.

“I wanted everybody to love him for the horse that he was and not just because he is a legend. And, I get that, but he was more than that to me,” Aaron said.

She pointed out that his quirky personality will live with those who knew him for a long time to come.

“He loved peppermint. When he got older and his teeth got worse I had to get him those softer ones,” Aaron said. “He loved me but he would trade me for a peppermint in a heartbeat.”