While a fast quarter horse race can last about 20 seconds, it takes more than two years of hard labor, along with plenty of patience, for Mike and Yealonda Logan and his team at ML Racing & Farm in Hondo to prepare for the New Mexico-bred Yearling Sale on Saturday, Aug. 15.
“We’re always working two years ahead,” Mike said. “It starts with studying the breeding crosslines, breeding the mare, foaling, and then raising a potential race horse with daily care and constant attention.”
Originally from Odessa, Texas, Mike Logan has been involved in breeding and raising quarter horses for fifty years. Mike Logan has bought, sold and raised enough horses to know something about how to get them prepped for sale day.
“Buyers typically want to see a horse with correct legs and being physically well-balanced,” he said. “They are reading the sale catalog and going up and down the bloodlines, but a horse’s physical appearance at the time of the sale can make a big impact in the price.”
That’s why Mike Logan rarely leaves his farm, located just off Highway 380 near Lincoln. There is plenty to do every day. His horses are fed regular meals that include vitamins and supplements. Each horse is gone over daily with a personal groom, placed on a hot-walker and is regularly getting brushed and given a bath. This process is repeated every single day to prepare the yearlings for the annual sale.
“When a horse looks and behaves like a quality individual in the ring—that’s our payday,” Mike said. “This is why we put the hard work into these horses. We’re looking to get the best price possible in the ring for a yearling that we’ve been working with for ourselves and our clients.”
Mike and Yealonda Logan have owned their New Mexico breeding farm since 2014. They will consign a total of 22 quarter horses in this year’s New Mexico-bred sale. “You never know what’s going to happen until the gavel comes down for each horse,” Mike said. “We do everything we can to give our yearlings every advantage going into the ring.”
