OLDS — A local horse that was voted the Canadian champion racing quarter horse and won three races in Canada is now being prepped to race again in California.
Eyesa Timber is owned, bred and trained by Wesley and Susen Oulton who own an 80-acre ranch about a mile-and-a half north of Olds.
Eyesa Timber was named the Canadian champion racing quarter horse at the 2020 American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) racing champions ceremony last month in Oklahoma City.
The 2018 brown gelding, sired by Alberta sire First Timber and out of the Mr. Jess Perry mare Eyesa Perry is the first stallion owned and standing in Canada to sire the recipient of this award since 2002.
"For us, it’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Wesley Oulton said during an interview. "For most people that are in our business, they never get this far.”
The Oultons received the trophy in early February. The award will also appear on the AQHA official records.
Since then, Eyesa Timber has won another award in America. He was named the two-year-old open quarter horse champion in Minnesota.
In 2020 Eyesa Timber obtained four wins and two second-place finishes in seven starts, earning $56,941 US.
Oulton was asked if Eyesa Timber is the best horse he’s ever owned. He and Susen have about 40 horses on their acreage.
“Oh, I’ve got some other very good ones," he said. “I own this guy Sire. To me, he’s the best horse I’ve ever owned. He’s been the leading sire in Alberta for seven consecutive years, ever since he got here.”
That horse doesn’t race but certainly has sired horses that can.
Oulton said in his opinion, Eysa Timber isn’t even the best racing horse he and Susen have ever owned, but “we’ve never had a two-year-old that’s done this well, I will say that.”
The Oultons have been breeding, raising and racing horses as a hobby for about 40 years. Their children grew up with horses around and most are still involved in racing and ranching as well.
Oulton is pleased with how it has all turned out.
“This game is played mostly by people that have a lot of money – and we don’t," he said. "I’ve spent my lifetime accumulating the mares and the horses that I have.”
He said in the last five years, they’ve been “way above average.”
“I’m going to say we’ve had remarkable success. We’ve been the leading breeder in Alberta for the last three consecutive years and we always have one champion of one category or another the last few years," he said.
“But this time we came out on top, not only in Alberta, but this is a Canadian award, so we compete against horses that race across Canada, and most of them race in Ontario."
A special aspect of the Canadian champion racing quarter horse is that it’s voted on.
“I actually had 18 people vote on this particular one and 16 of the votes were for our horse (so I’m) pretty happy,” he said.
Oulton said another reason he’s so proud of the award is that quarter horse racing is extremely competitive, especially in Oklahoma. He calls it "the hardest place in the world to win a quarter horse race.”
“They have huge participation, huge interest,” he said. “They’ve been doing it for a hundred years.”
He estimated the potential yearly purses at about $25,000 US a year, compared to about $5,000 in Canada.
“Our horse ran two seconds in Oklahoma this year and we make more in a second (place finish) in Oklahoma in an average race than you make up here in a win in a good race,” he said.
“That’s why it’s hard to win because everybody goes there if they have a good horse because they want to see if they can make some money.”
Oulton said the races Eyesa Timber runs in California will give Susen and himself a chance to see if he is “as good as we hope he is.” That first race is likely to occur in early May – possibly sooner, depending on how preparation goes.
