Baldwin, N.D. is home to some beautiful open country that has horizons as far as the eye can see. It is here that a barrel racer and retired bull rider are making claim to a number of barrel racing bred colts that are being sold all over the United States.

“This all kind of started on a whim,“ explained Kim Dunford. “We ended up buying a daughter of Chix Bedueno that was bred to a running stud and in 2015 I broke my wrist. Both my good mares ended up being hurt in 2016 and I was having a baby, so we decided to breed my mares.”

Kim explained that her husband, Jay, has a long history of riding bulls across the Dakotas and in the professional ranks has come a long way in learning about pedigrees. “Jay loves to shop, there isn’t a day or maybe hour that goes by that he isn’t scoping online for horses. Some people have their shoe addictions, but we horse shop,” said Dunford.

Jay Dunford bullriding [Photo: submitted]

The ‘whim’ is slowly showing that the impulse to breed their best mares was a decision that is putting the Burleigh County residents on the barrel racing map. This fall the Dunfords had the high selling weanling ‘It Aint Latenite Yet’ at the infamous Hermanson-Kist Horse sale and continuously have several big-name barrel horse trainers contacting them about their upcoming colts. 

“It’s pretty cool to have people inquiring about what we have to offer up here. Seeing what we are raising for horses in North Dakota and the places these horses can go is very rewarding,” said Dunford.

With their six-year-old daughter, Pressley, coming up the ranks and being as horse passionate as her parents, the Dunfords eventually have evolved from having three broodmares to now ten broodmares and numerous recipient mares on top of that.

Pressley Dunford [Photo: submitted]

“I’m always going to breed for something I want to ride. Whether it’s keeping good to train in my mind or just plain great to ride, that’s what I breed for. If the colt doesn’t sell, we will have something to ride we enjoy,” noted Dunford.

The Dunfords have both ridden and trained a variety of horses in the past four decades, and amongst the two, that adds up to a lot of history of riding horses. “My friends kept telling me, you have to ride horses that are bred for barrel racing, they are just born to do it. My game completely changed when I started doing this, and now having our first foal crops out there performing and riding them, I can see this is a great road to be going down,” explained Dunford.

With infamous stallions such as ‘Epic Leader’ and ‘Aint Seen Nothin Yet’ crossed on proven mares and the Dunfords consistently studying and looking for characteristics to make champions, the remuda in Baldwin is growing. Offering performance horses in 2023 such as ‘Famous Sierra’ and ‘Metallic Malice’, the Dunfords are busy planning and caring for the next generation.

Dunford said she has spent a lot of years and time on the road traveling to the vet and the Fed Ex or UPS trucks’ mercy, when it comes to getting the valuable shipments of stallion reproduction goods during the ‘time-sensitive’ situation of their mares’ cycles every spring through summer.

“I really have taken good notes and know my mares. I found some equine reproductive classes, and yes, it is hard, but I learned how to breed and ultrasound the mares’ cycles myself,” Dunford pointed out that in the breeding process, it is crucial to take detailed notes on your mares and their cycles annually. “Knowing your mares is critical to having success at breeding whether you’re doing it yourself or through the vet. Mares are very patterned.”

“It’s been challenging and fun for me to do this — but we eat, sleep, and breath horses.  We really enjoy the foaling part of the season as well. There is so much opportunity to be able to pick these stallions across the country that it really gives us the opportunity to raise exceptional prospects up here,” expounded the breeder.

Dunford has seen the horse industry evolve and change with the barrel racing incentives and the futurities available to compete and promote barrel horses. “The money that is involved has skyrocketed, and the opportunities are just out there,” said Dunford.

Kim Dunford barrel racing [Photo: submitted]

Dunford explained that clients like seeing the bone that these horses are laying down up here in North Dakota. In conversation, it has been brought up that it may be due the fact that horses here have to withstand the elements and combined with the quality of feed and the bloodline crosses — these horses are legit.

The most rewarding part of this journey for the Dunfords has been undoubtably the mere sight of their daughter riding their upcoming superstars. “Watching Pressley ride our horses is all worth it. She rides one of my broodmares, currently, that is open and seeing ‘Paris’ show her how to ride and barrel race is just amazing. Pressley will crawl up most of our saddle horses and some of the futurity horses and stakes claim to most of them,” laughed Dunford.

Dunford said being raised here gave her the value of family. “Staying true to your roots and family and knowing we don’t need all the frilly things in life is what North Dakota gave me,” the breeder expressed.

What the Dunfords are passing onto to Pressley is the skill to work with horses, ride, care, and keep producing the next generation. These colts and youth, like Pressley, will help carry on the western way of life and the sport of barrel racing across the horizons of North Dakota and beyond.