As Told by Quarter Horse News
April 30, 2001

Most horse folk feel fortunate when they have the opportunity to own that one good "horses of a lifetime."

Having two outstanding horses, on the other hand, is truly a blessing.  Having those horses at the same time might well be just short of a miracle.

The Good family, Long Valley, S.D., count their blessings-their two blessings that is--each time they burst out of the box at the rodeo.  The Goods have been lucky enough to own a team of horses, a doggin' and a hazing horse, that have carried them, as well as numerous other steer wrestlers, to the winner's circle many, many times.  On top of sharing these  victories as a duo, the two wonder horses are full brothers, as well.

The palomino geldings are by Sky Watch (Tiny Watch x Bunny Raider) out of Beggar Dazz by Beggar Toots.  Snort Watch, 17, has been named Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year six consecutive years in the PRCA Badlands Circuit, while his brother, Uncs Watch, 16, has been named Hazing Horse of the Year for five consecutive years within the Circuit.

Bred by long-time family friend Glen Hollenbeck, Clearfield, S.D., the geldings were sold as weanlings to the goods, who trained the horses to do what they do best, and still own them to this day.  At the start of the horses' 4-year-old year, the Goods began hauling the pair to rodeos full time.  The rest is history, as the geldings have been going full-throttle ever since.

Primarily traveling the Badlands Circuit, Alan Good and his brother, Darin, have had uncountable qualifications for the Badlands Circuit Finals, in which Allen won the Circuit Finals Steer Wrestling Average title in 1999.  Although Allen and Darin both bulldog off of "Snort," Allen is usually the primary steer wrestler, while Darin or his father, Gordon, haze on "Unc."

The horses have also made a name for themselves of the larger PRCA rodeos around the nation.  In addition to carrying Allen to two Dodge national Circuit Finals in Pocatello, Idaho, the geldings have placed riders in Cheyenne, Wyo., San Antonio, Texas, and qualified for the Houston, Texas, rodeo in 1995.  According to Allen, the golden pair has "been everywhere."

As it is customary to do, many cowboys other than the Goods take their fair share of dives off of Snort.  Allen said that, at a recent PRCA rodeo in Valley City, N.D., 12 or 14 steers were run off of Snort.  This, and the fact that they've been going strong for 12 years, it is testimony to the solid minds possessed by these horses.
 Although the geldings are full brothers, a person couldn't judge their personalities by the gene pool.

"They're totally opposite," Allen explained.  "The hazing horse is real temperamental; he might pull back or kick if you surprise him.  Snort, the other horse, is real gentle.  He's never kicked, and you could crawl underneath him if you had to."

Although each horse has different qualities, Allen does attest that both geldings have big hearts and a lot of try.

Aside from Snort and Unc, the Goods have been privileged to own 14 other horses by the 1972 stallion, Sky Watch, now deceased.  Bred by Lester Ford, Wayne, Okla., the stallion was purchased by Glen Hollenbeck from Lynn Thompson, Gary, S.D., in 1982.

Hollenbeck purchased the stallion with the intent to raise arena performance horses.  By Tiny Watch, sire of 1974 World Champion Quarter Running Horse Tiny's Gay, Sky Watch possessed an amount of speed blood that appealed to Hollenbeck.

"I like a little running blood mixed in there," Hollenbeck explained.  "We rope calves, and we don't like to go down to the far end of the arena; it's so muddy down there."

Aside from speed, Hollenbeck noted that Sky Watch also passed his gentle disposition on to his offspring.

"They're gentle horses," he said.  "You can do just about anything on them."

Hollenbeck recently acquired a stallion by Lady Bugs Moon, and plans to cross him with Sky Watch mares.

Aside from having up-and-coming horses at all times, as well as training bulldoggin' and hazing horses for others, the Goods have purchased some Tiny Watch mares in the hopes of producing another pair of wonder horses in four or five years.

Perhaps a black stallion by the name of Okie Joe Glo, which the Goods have chosen to breed to their mares, will be the right component for another magical cross.  By the great arena horse sire Okie Leo and out of Glitter Glo by Mr Joe Glo, the '77 stallion was bred by legendary horseman Jack Brainard, and is now owned by James leach Jr., Interior, S.D.
 
Although more winning horses are in the works for the Goods, Snort  and Unc will continue to be their mainstay mounts, and, hopefully, will remain so for a few more years to come.

"We exercise them every day, so they're in real good shape," Allen explained.

Hopefully they'll last another five or six years, but a guy can't ever count on that."

With the pair's past winning record however, and the mental and physical stability that they've shown all these years, the only thing being counted in the future is sure to be dollar bills.