Our Horses

Bentley is a Grade 3-year-old Palomino Gelding, came out of a ranch in South Texas, trained originally by Shelby Waggoner Performance. Bentley’s training is focused on having beginners on his back, doing barrels and roping. Bentley has a bright future with Rockin' J Ranch.

Duke is a Grade 8-year-old Sorrel Gelding, who has worked on a ranch for most of his life. He had 60 days of training with Shelby Waggoner Performance, followed by 45 days of barrel training with Morgan Johnson. Duke is great for anyone to ride, but if you’re looking to compete on the high school rodeo team or for local jackpots, this is the horse for you. Duke loves head scratches and prefers cattle cubes for treats, but will eat anything!

Foley is a 5-year-old Red Roan AQHA and APHA, and was bred from the famous Peptoboonsmall. Foley came from Stephenville, Texas, where he was trained to do calf and team roping. Foley is also trained in reigning, western pleasure and all other rodeo events. Foley is great for beginners and loves going for trail rides or just hanging out! He’s always the first one to greet you in the fields, and loves all treats, but apples are his favorite.

Nelson is a 12-year-old Sorrel Gelding, and is one of our top beginners and intermediate horses. Nelson has the smoothest walk, trot, and lope around. He is great for people just getting started who may need a confidence boost. He is not trained in any performance skills, but is one of our best lesson horses. He enjoys trail rides and loves to work with his buddies. Nelson came from Parisi Performance Horses in Texas.

Please meet Happy Angel Bar AKA Elvis. Elvis is a 12 year old Palomino gelding.  He Ioves barrels, poles and trail riding and his favorite thing to do is get a bath.  Elvis is for intermediate riders and he came to us straight from Texas by Allie Renfro.

Blue is our two-year-old that we got in April of 2020. Blue cowboyed down in Lubbock, Texas and worked on many feed lots. He came up to New Jersey last May and was the trail riding king. He is now being trained to be a heel and head horse. Blue has a huge bright future and will be seen at the rodeos roping next year.

Boone came from Texas to New Jersey when he was a two-year-old in a trade. Boone has outstanding breeding comes from the 15^th time NFR Champion, Lisa Lockhart horse, Louie. Boone will be WPRA Morgan Johnson’s main barrel horse running at rodeos this summer.

Maverick has been all around the world and competed at the top level of roping with world champions. He was Brian’s college rodeo horse on the number one college rodeo team in the world, achieving many arena records. Maverick is 18 years old now and an EPM survivor. He'll be used lightly, such as for teaching kids how to rope. Maverick is a Rockin' J forever horse.

Spartan is the one of the horses in the Proprietary Horse Training Certification Program. Spartan's story starts out very sad. Spartan had been owned by a woman that never fed him. He was found on the side of the highway and picked up by people that wanted to sell him. So when Morgan and Brian went to try him, they had little interest. But when Brian rode him for the first time, he felt his speed. Everyone looked at us as though we were crazy when we brought home this emaciated horse. “That’s going to be a kids rodeo horse”, they said. But we had hope, and Spartan was saved!

Brian worked with Spartan for 60 days. The first week we just let him eat and enjoy life. Then, so that he could learn to trust humans again, we started doing a little bit of ground work exercises in the round pen.

Then the training started. Most days, Spartan gave us a run for our money. But then one day it all clicked, and he became a horse. He trotted with his head down. He loped the smoothest he ever had. He would get excited to work. We knew that the family we were giving him too wanted him to be a barrel horse, but he was not ready for this.

So we hauled him and our horses, Maverick and Blue 2, from Texas to New Jersey in the spring of 2020. Spartan then met his match, Abbie, and they have been attached at the hip ever since! Spartan loves his trainer, and loves having a job more than anything in the world! Spartan and Abby had about 3-5 lessons a week with Rockin' J barrel trainer Morgan Johnson. They had their first competition at Cowtown Coliseum with the high school rodeo team and ran a 27.3 pattern...and once again, everyone thought we were crazy. In the same rodeo Abbie rode Rockin' J's horse Maverick in the poles, and ended up winning 2nd in poles of the whole rodeo. They continued their training throughout the summer, and started to compete again in August of 2020.

When Morgan and Brian went back to Texas to get married and focus on getting Rockin' J Ranch started, Abbie continued working with Spartan. She'd put her airpods in and have lessons with Brain and Morgan,in her backyard over facetime. Morgan says about Abbie, "When you want it, you want it, and that kid wants it!"

In the middle of November they started to compete at Chichas' Ranch, running 18 second patterns and still clocking 1st in the 2d. After 2 months of training with Morgan again, Spartan is running a 16.0 in the same arena. Morgan and Spartan are a team: trainer, horse, and athlete.

Thanks to his papers, we also figured out that Spartan is an Appendix, and was initially bred in Wyoming to be a race horse! His great grandmother had a speed index of 109. On the quarter horse side of him, he is bred to the famous "Dash For Cash", a top barrel horse of the year 3 years in a row and top stud for many years. Dash for Cash bloodlines are honored by barrel racers all over the world!

We are so blessed to have Spartan. He will be a Rockin' J horse forever!

Please call Lisa at 888-534-0989 with any questions about Rockin' J Ranch!