About Al

It may be hard to believe, but the legendary AQHA Hunt Seat stallion, Allocate Your Assets, is marking a big mile-stone in 2020. The Equistat Leading, Million Dollar producing, multiple World and Congress Champion sire, fondly known to his fans as “Al,” is 20 years old. In celebration of Al turning 20 in2020, owners, Kathy and Jerry Tobin, have decided to open his book to the public, with no limit, at a booking fee of $2,020. The sire of such champions as Al Fool Ya, Al E Hondro, Pretty Assets, Al Be Sweet On You, NSBA Horse of the Year, Couture Blue Genes, and countless others, Al has truly made his mark on the industry over the past two decades.

Discovered as a two-year-old in the barn of Brian Isbell, Jim and Deanna Searles knew right away that Al was something special. Interestingly enough, they weren’t even looking for a stallion at the time. “We actually found him at the Redbud when we asked Brian if he had anything special,” Deanna says. “We wanted something good-minded and talented, but all he had was this stud. We were looking for a horse for Kathy, but we hadn’t considered a stallion as an option… that was until we watched him lope and trot just one length of the arena! We told Brian we’d be right back, and we brought over Kathy’s sister, Susie Johns, to take a look. We bought him right then. He was this giant, beautiful bay with a kind eye. We loved his natural movement.” What also stood out was his lofty stride, striking presence, and gentle demeanor. It certainly didn’t hurt that Brian would go on to win the Gold and Silver Futurity at the 2002 NSBA World Show and 2-Year-Old Hunter Under Saddle Futurity at the Congress that year. He ended the year being named the NSBA High Point 2-Year-Old Open Hunter Under Saddle Horse. In 2005, Al would win Junior Hunter Under Saddle at the Congress with Deanna in the irons and then Senior Hunter Under Saddle at the 2006 Congress and a Reserve World Championship with Sue Ellen Vickery. Initially, when he was four years old, Al stood with Ron Horn and June Warren in Oklahoma. But Kathy decided she wanted big Al closer to home, so he left behind the red dirt roads of Oklahoma for the scenic sunsets at Circle S Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona. “It was Kathy’s goal for Al to live closer to home, so she could watch all of his babies grow up,” Deanna says. “That was always her dream, so we brought him back to Arizona. He was the first stallion we’d ever stood at the ranch, and Jim definitely did his homework picking the brains of our colleagues to ensure that we could make this work effectively.”And make it work they did. During Al’s breeding career, he has sired numerous World and Congress Champions, a NSBA Horse of the Year,multiple NSBA World Champions, and several Equine Chronicle Congress Masters winners. In 2019 alone, Al sired 13 Congress Champions, 10 Reserve Champions, and multiple Top Ten winners. And it’s not just Hunt Seat in which his offspring have excelled. He has sired champions in classes like Pleasure Driving, Over Fences, English All-Around,and Western Riding. “His percentage on his foals, even from his first crop, has been amazing,” Deanna says. “In his first foal crop of 14, he had seven point-earners and at least three were Congress or World Champions. That’s saying a lot; because, by the time a mare gets in foal, a foal is born, it’s trained, and then gets to the show pen, the average decreases. His percentage has always been so high, and he’s competing against other big name stallions with much larger books.” Once Al’s babies get to the show pen, there is no doubt of their lineage, because he truly stamps each and every one with a signature look. “They’re incredibly stamped in how they carry themselves- from their neck to their shoulder to their front leg. They all move very similarly. They’re lofty and floaty. It’s very natural, and it looks as if they could jump or change leads with ease.” “The offspring that we have are very smart and low key. They have a lot of personality and are well suited to be futurity horses or mounts for select riders or youth kids.” Because of Al’s versatility with his large size, but slow sweeping movement, he’s suited for a variety of different types of mares, Deanna says. “We have a few Last Detail mares in our breeding program and that cross has produced World and Congress Champions, but right now we’re seeing a big variety in the types of mares the public is breeding to Al. We would love to breed him to more Western mares as well ,because Al has a slow lope and has Western breeding in his own background with his sire being Protect Your Assets. My daughter’s horse, Al Be Sweet On You (2-time Reserve World Champion in Western Riding at the AQHA Youth World Show), is out of a Sweet Talkin Chip mare, and he’s turned into a wonderful all-around horse.” Looking towards the future, Al is still going strong, but Circle S Ranch is hoping to discover an Al Junior that might help to carry on his legacy for many years to come. “I would love to find a son of Al to carry on his winning tradition. It’s been so much fun to watch all his off-spring and support them and cheer them on.” “When we bought Al, this was a whole new avenue for Kathy, and we’re so thankful that she and Jerry supported us and trusted us to bring him along in the right direction. We only hope he will continue his winning ways for years to come.”