Tish
Quirk
Tish
was born in New Mexico into a family with a long history
of ranching, farming and horsemanship. Tish continues this
tradition into its 5th generation as an accomplished and
lifelong horseman. She has been successful as a rider, trainer
and breeder and as an educator and leader in the
field of Sporthorse breeding.
After
a successful junior show career and a college education
in horsemanship and stable management, Tish trained with
Hap Hansen and Victor Hugo-Vidal in Southern California.
She was a champion Hunter and Equitation rider for many
years and was also a partner with her husband John in Pan
Equine, which imported and sold sport horses from Holland,
Germany and Ireland. After importing Best Of Luck (Dutch
name Octrooi) from Holland in 1983, Tish and Hap showed
him to championships in both Adult Owner and Open Hunter
divisions. In developing the competition and breeding career
of Best Of Luck, Tish became an expert in matters of breeding,
pregnant mare care, foaling, and raising and training young
horses. She has been named Silver Stirrup National Breeder
of the Year by the Performance Horse Registry. She has been
named Leading Handler in the Sallie B. Wheeler/USEF National
Hunter Breeding Championships West. She and her husband
John were inducted into the Spruce Meadows Hall of Fame.
Tish is currently the owner and manager of Tish Quirk Equine
Services, a full-service stallion management, breeding,
foaling, training and teaching business in Rancho Santa
Fe, California. She stands two Best Of Luck sons, Just The
Best and More Than Luck.
Tish
is the Chairman of the United States Hunter and Jumper Association
(USHJA) Breeders Committee, is on the USHJA Board of Directors
and serves on the USHJA Hunter Breeding Task Force. She
has served on the Board of Directors of the International
Hunter Futurity and on the Board of Advisors for the North
American Dutch Warmblood Registry (KWPN-NA). She is a charter
and founder member of the International Jumper Futurity.
She holds lifetime memberships in the United States Equestrian
Federation (USEF), the Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association
(PCHA) and the USHJA. She is a member of the California
Professional Horseman’s Association, the KWPN-NA, the North
American Oldenburg/International Sporthorse Registry (OLD/ISR),
the Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) registry and
the American Hanoverian Society.
Tish Quirk was honored with the LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD by the CALIFORNIA PROFESSIONALS HORSEMEN'S ASSOCIATION in 2012.
This award is presented to a distinguished equestrian whose lifetime experience and accomplishments exemplify the devotion to the sport of horse showing and horses, and whose equestrian career has continually elevated the sport's excellence.
Tish’s
knowledge and views about breeding and training can be found
in articles and interviews published in Breeding News,
The Chronicle of the Horse, The Horse Connection, Horse
International, Hunter and Sport Horse, In Stride, The Plaid
Horse, Practical Horseman, and USEF’s Equestrian
Magazine.
Tish’s
knowledge of horses and equestrian sport is also evidenced
by her tenure as co-editor and co-publisher of HORSES
magazine in the 1980s and by her professional equine photography.
She has been the official photographer for the National
Horse Show at Madison Square Garden , for the World Cup
Finals at Del Mar and Las Vegas and at Spruce Meadows. Tish
and her husband John have been inducted into the Spruce
Meadows Hall of Fame.
Foundations
Best
of Luck (Dutch name Octrooi)
1973—2000
Foundation
Sire
Best
Of Luck was the impetus for Tish to begin breeding and raising
young sport horses. He sired many of his own champion sons
and daughters, and his sons Just The Best and More Than
Luck are continuing his bloodlines and his tradition of
producing champions.
Best
Of Luck was the son of Lucky Boy, who also sired Olympic
Gold medalists Calypso (USA) and The Freak ( Germany ) plus
Nations Cup winners Victor (USA) and Van Gogh (SWI). Best
Of Luck showed Koridon, Karamont and Cobalt on his dam side
as well. Click here to view his pedigree.
Best
Of Luck is one of only two U.S. stallions to score over
100 on the Dutch Stallion Index for improvement of the breed
in both Dressage and Show Jumping. He has produced International
Grand Prix Jumper Champions, FEI Dressage Champions, International
3-Day Event Champions and many Working and Conformation
Hunter Champions. His foals have dominated the International
Hunter Futurity on the west coast. His list of champions
is too long to list in total, but the list includes:
January’s
Best, who was Circuit Champion at Indio and Palm
Beach, Green Working Hunter Champion at Devon and Reserve
Grand Hunter Champion at Devon and Grand Hunter Champion
at Harrisburg and Grand Green Champion Washington.
Stroke
Of Luck was Green Conformation Champion at Devon,
South Salem and Capitol Challenge and Grand Hunter Champion
at Capitol Challenge.
Helmsley
was Grand Champion in the International Hunter Futurity
West.
Best
Preview, The Diplomat, Happy Go Lucky, In The West, Luck
Is A Lady, Lucky Karma, Lucky You, Saturday Matinee, West
Of Luck … the list of hunter champions sired
by Best Of Luck goes on and on.
Hap
Hansen’s colt Just By Luck was Reserve
Champion at the West Coast Finals of the International Jumper
Futurity.
Surprise
was Circuit Champion A/O Jumper on the Arizona Circuit before
winning the Puissance at Monterey, several Open Jumper Championships
and Grand Prix victories including the Los Angeles National
$50,000 World Cup Qualifier in which he beat several Olympic
veterans.
Wallena
successfully competed in dressage, winning Region 5 Reserve
Champion in Prix St. Georges and Colorado Springs Champion
in Prix St. Georges. She was a member of the Young Rider
Championship Team and also competed in the World Cup, Dressage,
in Tampa , Florida , earning 3 rd place.
Timely
Persuasion
Timely
Persuasion produced Just The Best, and as such is considered
one of our foundation mares. Timely Persuasion is a registered
Thoroughbred mare with First Premium accreditation from
the KWPN-NA.
Timely
Persuasion is a 1982 grey Thoroughbred mare by Close Watch
and out of Orohena. Click here to view her full pedigree. She shows Nasrullah, Nearco,
Grey Sovereign and Young Emperor in her pedigree. Grey Sovereign
was also the grandsire of Silbersee, who won the Grand Prix
of Aachen. Silbersee himself sired Katie Monahan Prudent’s
Silver Skates and was the grandsire of South Pacific. Grey
Sovereign is also found in the pedigrees of Francie Steinwedell
Carvin’s Sylvia, Caro, Tashiling, Ping Pong and Loyal Pal.
Timely
Persuasion was first bred at age 4 and proved to be such
a valuable broodmare that she has never shown. Her offspring
include Good Luck (Overall 2-year-old
Champion at L.A. International), I Wish You Luck
(Reserve Champion at the IHF 4-year-old Sweepstake),
Lots Of Luck and Just The Best
.
Inetta
We
also consider Inetta to be one of our foundations, as she
has produced More Than Luck (by Best of Luck) and
several wonderful offspring by Just The Best.
Inetta
is a 1990 16.3h chestnut Dutch mare with incredible bloodlines—she
was sired by Beach Boy and is out of Binette by Rothschild
by Ramiro. Beach Boy is by Zeus out of Sefane by Lucky
Boy. Click here to
view her full pedigree. Inetta was purchased in Holland
and imported as a 3-year-old specifically to breed to Best
Of Luck in hopes of obtaining a stallion prospect. More
Than Luck was the result.
Inetta
was named Top Star Mare in North America by the KWPN-NA
as a 3-year-old. Two years later, she earned the Highest
IBOP (Riding Test) Score in North America along with her
Keur Predicate. At Indio, Hap Hansen rode her to win
a jumper class with 125 entries.
Inetta
has produced a versatile champion in More Than Luck, and
she has continued to produce champions with her subsequent
offspring. Inetta’s foals have all received First
Premium and have all been named Best in North America at
their KWPN-NA Keurings. Inetta has recently been inducted
into the International Hunter Futurity Hall of Fame because
of the success of her offspring sired by Just The Best.
Her offspring include More Than Luck, R. Best Yet,
Truly The Best, Just In Time, Zabest, All The Best and Best
Of All .
