Hello, and welcome to Chuck and Mary Crago Performance Quarter Horses. We hope you enjoy the new website and all the information we have to offer about our family and horse program. First and foremost we want to thank our many friends and customers who have purchased horses from us over the years. Your trust and loyalty kept us continuing to raise quality horses. As you can see we have a winners circle page dedicated to the horses and customers. So keep the pictures and write-ups coming of what you have been doing with them. We really enjoy knowing where all the horses are and how they have turned out. We have always chosen mare and stud bloodlines from foundation to modern that are trainable, athletic and have the minds to continue to be successful in the arena and on the ranch. In today's world a sound horse with bone, conformation and try are the ones winning. They are the kind of horses we like to ride and enjoy. We feel most people can get along with these horses and they will also work for them. We think that has been the success of our program. We use our show horses on the ranch for daily work. They also have to perform when we use them in the cow horse, ranch horse competitions, roping or barrel racing and pole bending... It really doesn't matter what event you are working, they still have to be able to run, stop and get in the ground, and still have the mind to drop the reins and settle down.

We use our studs to pasture breed our mares, therefore the colts are born out on grass, and get to have the luxury of traveling up and down hills, across water, through mud or whatever nature throws at them. We really try to pick and choose mares that we think will truly cross with each stud. Spring is like Christmas to us seeing the individuals born from each cross. We really try to look for the best in a horse. Not each horse can be perfect, but if you choose to work on his or her strong points and overlook something less than perfect you will have a better horse for it. We halter break the colts in the fall before they are picked up.  You can really learn a lot at that time from the colt. We believe the foundation of training can start right there. If you do things right, the next step will be easier. You know they always say a big percent of how the colt acts comes from the mares, well we can tell what stud each colt is by when halter breaking, so I am not sure all that is true. We teach trust and softness right from the beginning. We believe getting them to give and flex first and then moving the hips gives us success later.

As you can see we have kept a lot of our fillies through the years, riding and proving most of them before using them as broodmares. In today's market we feel this is very important to the horse industry and our program. We really wanted to create our own proven program. Our sale prices and averages over the years speak for themselves, topping nearly every sale with our horses. We think over the years we had selected some really great broodmares and studs and wanted to continue their legacy. A few of the mares have at least 20-30 rides on them also. Some of the older mares might not have been shown but several brothers or sisters had been used or shown. We are very selective on our breeding. As you visit the broodmare and stallion pages you will see the footnotes on each mare, colt and stud. We have reduced our mare herd to about 25 and we have 4 studs. We feel that is a manageable number right now to sell private treaty. We really enjoyed having a sale, but are enjoying the one on one contact we have now with placing each colt or horse with the right person. A combination of the right event or right program that horse will fit into can be very important. We have kept several horses around to ride and show and ranch on.  We like to keep some by different mares and studs. So we know how these horses will ride and think. I don't know if you will find that in every operation. That really gives us some knowledge to pass on to our customers. Some of the long days we put in horseback really makes us appreciate a good one. We do a lot of sorting, doctoring, trailing and branding of our cattle. Not all these days are glamorous either. It may be 100 degrees or it may be zero with a wind chill and some 50-60 mph winds. But when you get that perfect day, nothing compares.

We run about 400 commercial Angus cows bred to Angus bulls. We run on about 20,000 acres of deeded and leased land. We also run about 180 heifers each year. Some we have bought and some we raised. We sell some each fall and keep some replacements. We wean and sell our calves in October. We buy all of our hay, so we hope the grass is good enough or bared off enough to graze all winter. Chuck cakes and hays the cows if it gets tough several months. You can read and see more on the cattle page and what we do here in South Dakota. The mares run out all winter with cake every other day the last 3 months. We chop ice for both when the dams freeze over.  They are a hardy bunch of mares. We try not to keep too many older mares as we are not set up to baby them much. This is a great advantage for you to buy some great proven older mares.

We have minimal help, so over the years our family has been very instrumental in our operation. As they have grown up and moved on with their own lives and careers we have had to hire some seasonal help. Our oldest son Billy (29) is a foreman at Morton building is Rapid City, SD. He is a very good carpenter. Billy is a great dad to Alexia, our precious 4-year-old granddaughter. She is adorable of course, and keeps Grandma on her toes. We have been fortunate enough to get to spend a lot of time with both of them being so close. Billy is always there to lend a hand if we need it. We have really enjoying hunting together over the years. This is something he hopes to do more of. He also likes a good golf game. He rodeo'd a lot when he was younger, through high school, Little Britches, 4-H and college rodeo. But gave it up to pursue his family and career. But if he picks up a rope he still is deadly with it, and good help on the ranch and with a horse.

Troy (27) left home at 18 to join the Air Force. We are very proud of him serving his country. He has got to travel and see the world and it wasn't always in the greatest conditions. We really didn’t get to see him nearly as much as we wanted to.  Troy now makes his home in Knoxville, Tennessee working as a civilian for the Dept. of Energy. He enjoys the outdoor fishing and hunting also. He is a computer whiz and I do call on him for help. He is very disciplined and focused on his life and dreams. Troy rodeo'd some when he was young. He was always a natural with horses. His career path took him in another way, but somehow the country and horses always come around again. As he is wanting to find land to buy and get a horse again.

Courtney (21) is our only daughter, she is living in Yukon, Oklahoma.  She is a sales rep. for several big western boot, hat, jewelry, and clothing companies. She travels the state of Oklahoma. She also works the western market in Dallas and Denver. She owned her own store at 18. Sold it after 2 years to follow some dreams and have her own life. She is a go-getter, very artistic and fashion oriented. Which usually kept us broke, but now is working to her advantage. She is one of the top reps.. She is horse crazy and has been riding since she was 3 and winning. She rodeo'd all her life. She has had to give it up the last year to focus on her career, but she now has a place in the country and hopes to get her horses soon. So watch for them on the rodeo circuits down south soon. She really enjoys the warmer climate, but  the tornadoes not so much..

Jade (13) is our last son. He has kept us busy with basketball and Little Britches rodeo. He is an honor student and we are very proud of that. When you are our age, you really appreciate a kid that does his homework without being told. Jade has enjoyed the Little Britches rodeo immensely. We went to Nationals in Pueblo, Co. last July. He had a great time and showed well in 5 events. We hope to go back this year. Jade really enjoys the horses and the breeding program. He owns a few cattle and horses of his own already. He has his dads good sense and memory when it come to cows and calves. Jade hopes to continue the ranching tradition.

 Chuck keeps busy running the ranch, getting some time to show his horses. His passion is being a rancher. He is good at it. His dad Vince (now deceased) was an avid cattleman and horseman. Like his dad he really knows cattle and horses. He has had much success in the working cow horse and ranch horse competitions, team penning and team roping. There’s not much he can’t do on a horse. We hope to slow down some and show more horses, but it seems to get busier and more work just to make a living.  I love the horses with all my heart and soul. I grew up on a ranch and always rode and helped my dad. I rodeo'd through high school. I have continued to rodeo, and especially love barrel racing, but enjoy working cows and training young horses. The kids have kept me busy through the years with sports, school and rodeo. I love to cook thanks to my mom, so that keeps my husband and kids and help happy when they are home. I really enjoy being a grandma to Alexia. She is so much fun. She loves to play at Grandma and Grandpa's house and is always excited to come stay. I hope to rodeo more now than the last couple of years. I have had 2 back surgeries that have went well, so I am pain free and back to riding and loving it.

I can’t go without thanking our help. Autumn McDonald (Dempewolf ) was my summer help for years. She is now married and has her own cosmetology business. She and Zane train horses also. They live in Montana. I don’t know what I would have done without her. She was a good hand and hard worker. Tom Leach, Iowa came to work for us every summer since he was about 10. There is anything he won’t do, or try to do. He is excellent help halter breaking colts. Tom attended college and now has a good job with the city in his home town. He has a Tivio colt he trained himself. Curt Westland, friend and neighbor has also worked for us off and on since he was about 13. He’s a good roper and good cattleman also. He has a good Tivio gelding he ropes on. He said to say he is single, good looking and a heck of a hand. He is also our part time comedian. Curt also is also certified in equine massage and trains rope horses.  Ryan Collins, Belle Fourche native has worked for us the last 3 years in the summer. He has done a tremendous job breaking and training colts and helping on the ranch. Ryan got his college degree this year in Equine management and is training horses on his own pursuing a reining career. Ryan has a Dually mare that he will be showing. These kids along with our own have made our job much easier. And special thanks to Kathy Lee, who has done our ads and website. You have made my life easier.   

Just this past month we have had about 15 inches of moisture, so I think we are officially out of a 10 year drought, that had almost brought us to our knees. So we are very thankful now for green grass, full dams, and drenched soil. We both have lots of family very close we love and are thankful for. Margaret Crago, Chucks mom continues to run the La Mode Dress shop in Spearfish, SD. She is still very active and loves her home and garden. She keeps up with all the family in the ranching and horse program and continues to stand behind us. You will see several colts out of Margaret’s mares for sale in our program.

So please come look at the horses and take a look at our program. Feel free to call or email or click on our new "Feedback" form if you have any questions. We have about 20 weanlings for sale along with a few yearlings, two year olds, started and seasoned horses. Our door is always open and coffee on.  We love to meet new friends and see the old ones. Hope to see you all soon.

Sincerely,

Chuck and Mary Crago and Family.

Chuck, Jade, Mary, Alexia, Courtney, Troy, and Billy
         

Rest in Peace Mini we will miss you 

New to the staff this year is Bling!

We want to welcome her to customer service.

Dally (Yard Foreman)    

Dawson (Security)