Silver Thistle was foaled in 1949. He was by Green Flash, a brown stallion by Green Wave. Green Flash sired Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses and Paints. Some of his most notable offspring included Just-a-Flash, a Thoroughbred sire of AAA racehorses; Green Flasher, an AQHA performance champion; and Osceola, an APHA halter champion. Thistle Cleo, the dam of Silver Thistle, was by Wildair and out of Flora McFlimsey, by Ballot. She was unplaced in ten official starts on the track. Thistle Cleo produced five other registered Thoroughbred foals – Dr. Mudbug, Justa Grand, Sunny Beau, Cleo Flash and Anna Thistle. Silver Thistle was her most successful son.
In his prime, Silver Thistle stood 14.3HH and weighed 1,100 pounds. He had a huge hip, strong shoulder, and a remarkably robust frame. Silver Thistle was owned by W. R. “Chick” Wehrle of Ponca City, Oklahoma. After each breeding season, Chick welcomed any horse to match race against Silver Thistle on official tracks in Oklahoma. Allegedly, the chestnut stallion was never defeated at distances between 50 and 870 yards. He outran Vandy Lee, Red Pepper D, Mac Lee, and many other great Quarter Horses. Silver Thistle only covered a handful of mares in his first years at stud, but his books filled once he gained a reputation for stamping his get with tremendous speed and conformation.
Silver Thistle was first advertised to the public in the March 1955 issue of The Quarter Horse Journal. His best Quarter Horse starter, Real Silver, was foaled the following year. Real Silver won the 1958 Oklahoma Quarter Horse Exhibitor’s Association Futurity at Osage Downs. Other stakes horses by Silver Thistle included Thistle Baldy and Silver Creek. Reed Thistle, a sorrel gelding by Silver Thistle and out of Sandy Maid, by Sandy Norfleet, set a new track record at Muskingham County Fair for 220 yards in 12.260 seconds. Thistle Sox and Thistle Bit also set or equaled track records
While his offspring were undoubtedly fast, they were also great performance horses. “I had been a fan of Silver Thistle for years,” wrote Darol Dickinson on his website, Dickinson Cattle Co. “The Silver Thistles were tight twisted, a little nervous, lots of speed and medium size with a lot of hip, depth and athletic style.” Darol bought a daughter of Silver Thistle named Thistle Belle. She earned 47.0 halter points and was Grand Champion at the Colorado State Fair. Darol says that Thistle Belle was “fun to show and always alert standing at attention.” She was later bred to Two Eyed Jack, Silver Skip and Three Bars.
Linda Scotland, a chestnut mare by Silver Thistle and out of Bonnie Scotland, by Golden Seal, was his best performing daughter. She made 29 starts and earned $1,840 on the track before beginning her career as a performance horse. Linda Scotland competed in multiple events including steer roping. In total, she earned 31.0 open halter points and 48.0 open performance points. She also earned a Youth Performance Register of Merit for the 29.0 performance points she earned with a youth rider. Linda Scotland was an AQHA Champion in 1964 and a Supreme Champion in 1972. She has no foals on record.
Other performance and halter point earners by Silver Thistle included Easy Victory and Goldie’s Thistle. Horses such as Star Thistle, Silverama, Lady S Thistle, My Thistle, Thistle Scoots, Big See, Silver Toot and Tara Thistle earned AQHA performance points. And Tumbling Thistle, Thistle Chick and Silver Squared earned AQHA halter points. In total, Silver Thistle sired 189 registered Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse foals in eighteen foal crops. His offspring included 42 race winners, 27 performance and halter ROM earners, 24 racing ROM earners, and one AQHA Champion. They earned $97,068 on the track and 201.0 points in the arena.
His Appaloosa offspring were not included in those statistics. His best Appaloosa starter, Mr. Silver, was out of a daughter of the ApHC World Champion, Quanah’s Warrior. He was a liver chestnut with spots over his hips. In 1970, Mr. Silver earned the title of Wyoming State Champion Race Horse after he set track records for 660 yards at Cheyenne and Central Wyoming Fair. After his racing career, Mr. Silver was successful in barrel racing. He was also an ApHC Champion Halter Stallion. Mr. Silver went on to sire Appaloosa racing and performance horses.
His Quarter Horse sons Dun Thistle, Mr Thistle, Queen’s Thistle, Real Silver and Thistle Joe were alright sires, but as with many Thoroughbred stallions, Silver Thistle made his biggest mark on the bottom side of pedigrees. His daughters produced 410 registered Quarter Horse foals that earned $318,880 on the track. Pal’s Top Cross, a sorrel mare bred in Oklahoma by Jesse L. Powell, was one of the top-earning racehorses out of a Silver Thistle mare. She won nine races including the R M Benavides Memorial Futurity, Ground Hog Futurity and Christmas Futurity. Pal’s Top Cross also set a new track record. She went on to produce multiple stakes winner Pals Real Cross. Other top starters out of Silver Thistle mares included Just Silver, Easy Kick, Mr Shawnee Bug, Rocketeye and L’il Honda.
In the 1970s, Silver Thistle became a leading broodmare sire of AQHA point earners. His daughters produced earners of over 700 points in the arena. Double Thistle, a by stallion by Double Bid and out of Gale’s Thistle, by Silver Thistle, earned 174.0 halter points and 18.0 performance points. He was the 1966 National High Point Halter Stallion. Double Thistle also earned a performance register of merit. He went on to sire ROM-earners on the track and in the arena. Among his best performing progeny were Sweet Little Anne, Bidin Double, Double Boomer, Mr Double Tuff and Shi Thistle Rum.
Silver Thistle’s grandget were exceptionally versatile. Pal’s Tamak, a sorrel mare bred by Joak and out of Silver Tamo, by Silver Thistle, won the Oklahoma QH Exhibitor’s Association Futurity and Southeastern Oklahoma Derby. She also set two new track records. After Pal’s Tamak left the track, she earned 15.0 halter points and became an AQHA Champion. She went on to produce race winners Chick’s Pal and Tiny Watch Tamak. All Business, a bay gelding by Skip Deck and out of Bonnie Thistle, by Silver Thistle, also had a successful post-track career. After winning eleven races and setting a track record, All Business went on to earn $8,493.41, the equivalent of about $50,000 today, in the National Cutting Horse Association. A career transition like that is unheard of nowadays.
Other point earners out of Silver Thistle mares included Eagle Eye Leo, Deck Record, Li’l Thistle Bar 9, Afton Thistle, Thistle’s Cajun, Skips Super Star, Fancy Grey Dream, Deck of Thistle, Boston Silver and Go Della McCue. Full siblings He Mights Peach and Regers Rocky both earned over 100 points in barrel racing. In 1998, Carol Hrdlicka and Regers Rocky won the Senior Barrel Racing World Championship title. Their time of 16.968 seconds was faster than Willy Nick Bar and Dena Kirkpatrick who won the Junior Barrel Racing World Championship that year.
Towards the end of his life, Silver Thistle was owned by Stanley Johnson of Konawa, Oklahoma. His last foals were born in 1970. His descendants are still competing in halter, racing, cutting, reining, barrel racing and roping today!
Sources: Equineline, Equibase, AQHA, Dickinson Cattle Co., All Breed Database
The Western Thoroughbred 