Good-Minded Ranch Horses Raised by a Working Family
Family-raised Quarter Horses from Fort Shaw, Montana - bred for soundness, trainability, and ranch work.
We’re Mike and Tanya Hitchcock, and Hitchcock Quarter Horses is our family-run Quarter Horse breeding program in Fort Shaw, Montana. Raising horses is a family affair around here. Our daughter, Allyson, and her husband, Dillion Dundas, are part of it, along with our son, Chad, and Jessica Zarske.
Hitchcock Quarter Horses operates alongside the daily work of Skogen GK Angus Ranch - Tanya’s family’s multi-generational registered Angus operation. Mike serves as ranch foreman, and Dillion is part of the ranch crew. Hitchcock Quarter Horses is our own program, and we proudly raise and supply the ranch horses used at Skogen GK Angus.
Tanya, Allyson, Chad, and Jessica each have careers away from the ranch, but when we aren’t at our “day jobs,” this is where you’ll find us - working cattle, riding horses, checking mares, foaling, and doing whatever else needs done.
Why We Started Raising Our Own
We began with a simple goal: raise horses we trusted for our own family and our own ranch work. We wanted a few good ones - the kind you look forward to catching, saddling, and spending a long day on. That purpose still guides us today.
When Allyson and Chad were little, one of our strictest rules for the horses in our family’s riding string was this: if any one of us couldn’t ride it, we didn’t keep it.
That never meant every young or green horse had to be a finished kid’s horse. It meant talent never got a free pass for a bad mind. As a horse matured, it had to show the honesty, willingness, and trainability to become the kind of partner we could trust with the people we love most.
“Kid’s horse. Is there a more important job on a ranch?”
- Our friend Ryan Bell
Those kids are grown now, but the purpose hasn’t changed. Good feet and bone, useful size, athletic ability, durability, and a kind, willing mind still guide our breeding decisions.
We’ve personally ridden most of our mares, and our working studs are expected to remain useful, rideable, and good citizens. Our young horses are brought along with time, handling, and work suited to their age and readiness. Ranch work helps us learn how a horse thinks, travels, and handles a job.
As Mike often says, “We don’t breed horses we don’t enjoy. Life is too short, and there are too many good ones out there.”
Our program remains intentionally small so we have time to know our horses, evaluate our crosses, and keep improving one generation at a time.
Watching our family head out to work cattle on horses we raised is a pretty darn good feeling. We want to raise the kind of horses people look forward to saddling - and the kind we sometimes have a hard time talking ourselves into selling.
Take a look through our program and the horses we currently have available, or get in touch. We’re happy to visit about our horses and what you’re looking for.
Testimonials
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This is a quick testimony of my wonderful experience purchasing a Hitchcock quarter horse. Mike, Tanya, and the kids were so helpful to me in choosing my filly. They had my filly picked out for me and said she would be the perfect horse for me to start out with. They couldn’t have been more right. Slurpee is my one year old who is calm, smart, and very sweet. When I go out and see her, she always comes up to the fence to say hello. Whenever I run into Mike and Tanya, they ask me how Slurpee is doing and are always willing to help me. I am so blessed and thankful to have a wonderful horse from a trustworthy, kind, helpful and caring people. You would not regret purchasing a Hitchcock Quarter Horse.
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The Hitchcock family lives the working ranch horse lifestyle throughout their entire program. They use their bloodlines everyday on their ranch operation and continue to produce and breed for desired traits. These are top quality horses for the full time cowboy or anybody that loves good quality horses. This is the reason my operation repeatedly invests in Hitchcock Quarter Horses.
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I’ve started several colts for the Hitchcocks. They have all been easy to start, good minded, and I’ve purchased a few of them for myself and made pickup horses with them. For a good, all-around horse, check out the Hitchcock’s breeding program.
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I work at a feedlot in the fall and winter and a mountain grazing allotment in the spring and summer. Both can be a very demanding environment for a horse and I start new colts each season. I need a horse with bone, a good mind and cow-sense and to be able to rope right away. Hitchcock Quarter Horses are exactly that with trainability, a friendly personable attitude and good looks you can be proud of.
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I contacted Tanya and Mike about a a Coy's Bonanza bred horse for my son for Christmas. They were great to work with. We had to ship her to Indiana and I was nervous about it. They jumped right in to help and ease my nerves. They met the hauler, asked him questions, and even sent me pics to show how she loaded and what her ride looked like. I couldn't be more happy with our mare and the filly she had. Not only are the bloodlines of their stock solid, the structure and temperament of these horses are wonderful. We feel like we not only gained a couple great horses but also good friends.
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The Hitchcock Quarter Horse program is one of the finest in the country. They raise and sell proven ranch horses, with a majority of the broodmares and the studs being ridden on the ranch before entering the breeding program. Hitchcock’s breed horses with cow sense, solid feet and legs, and trainable dispositions. They strive to breed a ranch horse that will work for the toughest cowboy or the wife and kids. The best part of purchasing a horse from the Hitchcock family is their honesty when evaluating and selecting a horse for their customers.