warehouse, fully equipped with all the extras to make it run as efficiently as possible from the time the vehicle arrives to the time a part is packaged and shipped. This includes bar coding all inventory. All three children are employed at the family business.

      The Strickers became involved with horses when Katie was 9-years-old and joined 4-H.

      "As the story goes, first we bought one horse, then another and another" Cathy said.

      Cathy and Katie had decided to attend the AQHA Youth World Show in August of 2000.

      "This was our first trip to Texas," Cathy said. "We had planned to visit some farms in the area and look at prospects. Mainly, we wanted to see 2-year-olds."
      While at the youth show, they approached trainer, Jamie Pait, and asked him if he had seen any nice 2 year-olds. Jamie told them about tow that had impressed him. They were both at Cleve Wells Quarter Horses and being ridden by Jamie's brother, E.H. Pait.

      Jamie helped arrange for the Strickers to visit.

      "We wanted to see both of them so we asked E.H. to ride the mare, which we loved from the start." Katie said. "Next they got the colt out of the stall and VAVOOM!!!!!  He was so slow legged and easy going (barefoot too) and oh so strong."

      E.H. rode him out in the yard and the Strickers just stood in awe. They couldn't take their eyes off of his hocks.

      "He made it all look so easy. The bone......so much bone," Katie said

      Ziprageous is sired by Zippos Old Gold by Zippo Pine Bar and out of Goldy Jack. He is a multiple World Show and Congress Champion producer, siring winners in Open, Amateur and Youth. eh is also a proven sire of Paints. Ziprageous' dam, Zipped It Up, is by Son Oil (by Sonny Dee Bar) and out of Miss Zippo Pine. She is a multiple top ten AQHA World Show Producer, and the producer of multiple futurity winners. She consistently produces top horses.

      The Strickers were stricken.

    Looking at each other, they didn't have to say one word. Each knew what the other was thinking. They wanted to buy the pair. It turns out the owner didn't want to sell both. Ziprageous was their choice. The purchase was concluded in mid-August and the young colt was delivered to Jamie Pait's barn.

      Looking back, its easy to see the Strickers would have won either way. The filly they also liked, Check My Chip, went on to win the 3-Year_Old Snaffle Bit Derby at the Congress.

      The Strickers say Ziprageous' success is nothing short of a "Cinderella story." From Jamies's, the young colt was hauled to two shows - the idea was to just get him out and let him see things. His firts show was the Congress in October of 2000, where he won the preliminaries with firsts under all three judges. Going on to the final, Ziprageous finished as Reserve Champion 2-year-Old Western Pleasure horse. The next stop was Oklahoma City, in November of 2000 for the AQHA World Championship Show. There Ziprageous was placed first by all five judges in the preliminaries and in the finals - a unamimous World Champion. By the way, this was the first time the Strickers had visited Oklahoma or attended the World Show.

      "There are no words to describe the feeling that you get when you realize that you had just won the World" Cathy said "My legs literally went numb. People were trying to tell us to get down there and greet Jamie and Ziprageous when they come out, but I just couldn't move. I really believed that I was going to pass out when they announced that we had won by a unanimous decision....all five judges!!

      "All that I wanted to see was the victory lap that I knew that Jamie and Ziprageous were about to take. I just had to see that lope again. While we were waiting to get the pictures Katie handed Jamie the World Champion Bucle. She wanted him to have it. Jamie wouldn't even get off of Rageous to put it on. He took the old bucle off and put the World Champion Bucle on while sitting on Rageours. He finally dismounted after the pictures were taken."

      As with most World Champions, Rageous' next step was the breeding shed. Since he was just a coming 3-year-old, a decision was made to limit his first year's breeding book. With a future so promising, no chance would be taken on burning out the colt before he was a fully matured stallion, able to handle a full breeding schedule.

      "Ziprageous' first foals are just weanlings and boy are they nice,"