In 1878, during a World Tour, General U. S. Grant developed a
friendship with the Sultan Hamid of Turkey. Before his departure from Turkey, the Sultan
presented Grant with tow horses whose descendants continue to make an impact on the horse
world today. One was a desert Arabian named Leopard and the other, a Barb named Linden
Tree. Both of these stallions are listed in stud books of two American breed registries,
the Arabian Horse Registry of America and the Jockey Club. There impact on the horse world
touches almost every breed in the United States.
These stallions arrived in the United States in 1879 in Virginia, where they spent
several years with Rudolf Huntington perfecting what Mr. Huntington hoped would become a
new breed of light harness horse. The introduction of the "horseless carriage"
contributed to the demise of the project. Near the turn of the century, Leopard and Linden
Tree moved west to the ranch holdings of General George Colby in Beatrice, Nebraska. Here
the two desert horses left an indelible impression on the foals of the native mares on the
Colby holdings. A new type of versatile horse resulted with the reputation of a "good
using horses with a lot of cow" soon spread.
The Ira J. Whipple family introduced these horses to Colorado through a group of mares
and stallions purchased from General Colby. The stallion was a double-bred son of Leopard,
and the mares all sired by either Leopard or Linden Tree.
Early in the 1900s, Mike Ruby, one of the greatest horsemen the plains ever knew,
developed an interest in these lines for their reputation of working ability, good
disposition and stamina. He acquired Patches, a son of the stallion from the Colby Ranch,
and Max, a halo-spotted son of the Waldron Leopard out of an Arabian mare, as his herd
sires. Mr. Ruby kept meticulous records of every mare, stallion and their offspring he
bred. This was an unusual practice at that time. These hand written records, including
color, parentage, birthdates and pedigree have been preserved as part of the Colorado
Ranger Horse Association corporate records.
In 1934, Mr. Ruby was invited to display two of his stallions at the National Western
Stock Show in Denver. The two leopard patterned stallions, Leopard #3 and Fox #10, were
seen by thousands of visitors. Encouraged by the faculty members of what is now Colorado
State University, the new breed of horse was officially named Colorado Rangers, horses
originating in Colorado bred and raised under range conditions. Verbal reference to those
"ranger bred" horses eventually led to the being more commonly know as
Rangerbreds, although the official name remains, Colorado Rangers.
With the naming of the breed came a breed registry. Mike Ruby founded the Colorado
Ranger Horse Association in 1935. Two years later he applied to the State of Colorado for
a corporate charter that was granted on January 4, 1938. Due to registration only being
available to CRHA active members and a fifty-member limit imposed, many horses with
Rangerbred heritage could not be registered at the time. Those horses with color patterns,
however, were gladly accepted by the Appaloosa Horse Club, which came into existence
several months later.
In 1964, the Colorado Ranger Horse Association lifted the fifty-member limit and
registration was opened up to all horses meeting pedigree requirements, regardless of
owner membership status. Since then, the CRHA has registered many of the Appaloosas with
Rangerbred heritage that were "lost" to the organization for so many years.
Additional Appaloosa bloodlines with Rangerbred connections are still being recognized
through continued pedigree research.
The Colorado Ranger is not a color breed. There is no color requirement or restriction
for registration and Rangers come in a wide variety of color patterns: from solid bays,
browns, blacks,
sorrels, chestnuts, grays and roans to colorful blankets and leopards. However, there are
strict conditions for registration based on confirmation and pedigree. To be registered as
a Colorado Ranger a horse must be able to trace its pedigree to one of the two foundation
sires of the breed, Patches #1Z and Max #2Z. There are several outcrosses that are
allowed, including Thoroughbred, Appaloosa, Quarter Horse, Arabian or Ara-Appaloosa.
Horses with known pony, draft, Pinto or Paint parentage within the last five generations
are ineligible for registration.
Breed Organization
For More Information, Contact:
Colorado Ranger Horse Association
RD #1, Box 1290
Wampum, PA 16157
Tel./Fax: (724) 535-4841
E-mail: crha@telisphere.com
Information supplied by the Colorado
Ranger Horse Association.