1997 - the internet was fairly new to us and I had been searching for a new stallion to improve our breeding programme. I contacted Virginia from Golden West Quarter Horses, asking what she had available and that we were replacing our current stallion the following year as we wanted cutting bloodlines from proven stock.

She said she had a nice buckskin yearling with Cutter Bill, Doc O Lena and Peppy San Badger on his papers.  She sent me photos and I said "can you put him in the back field until next year and we'll come and see him" she said she would turn him out in 6,000 acres for the year and hang onto him for us and start him the following spring.  She did and he was proving to be a "very level headed colt" with a "superb disposition". The following year, 1998, we booked a trip to Seattle to see him and also were looking for a mare also with cutting/ranch/reining bloodlines.

We spent the next few days with Virginia and Steve on their ranch, visiting mares and all their stallions they had at the time. He arrived a couple of months later with Chianti - it took us that long to find a shipper as not many people had done this before it seemed. The lorry driver, managed to get stuck on our drive and as it was a Friday night and everyone was out at the pub! we took 4 hours to find someone with a tractor to come and pull him out.  The lorry was at a dangerous angle and in danger of tipping over with Muffin, Chianti and a shetland pony on board and we couldn't get the ramp down due to the angle. Amazingly they were sane when they finally came off.

I rode Muffin for a few weeks on and off and down the main A470 trunk road which I wouldn't do now, traffic these days is nuts! Due to lack of time, he wasn't ridden since, which is a shame as he was fantastic and sensible. We will find time to start him back under saddle this year.

He has superb feet and bone, is correct and straight, athletic and gentle all of which he passes on to his foals. Since then he has produced consistent quality foals of which most are riding, only one which went straight to be a broodmare and never ridden, the rest are consistently winning many championships in both English and Western classes and then sensible enough to ride out in between shows.

Muffin is ever popular with visitors and is always gentle and calm around everybody, any age, not a nasty bone in his body and loves cuddles from children especially.  He is one in a million and will continue to cover our mares in 2011.