NCHA News

XIT Ranch Acquires Renowned Stallion Kit Kat Sugar

CHANNING, TEXAS – The historic XIT Ranch has acquired 2008 stallion Kit Kat Sugar. The ranch, based in Channing, Texas, with equine operations in La Veta, Colorado, once relegated to the history pages, has had a rebirth in recent years, led by third great grandson of original ranch founder and owner John V. Farwell, Drew Knowles, who is focused on breeding the highest quality cattle and Quarter Horses.

Kit Kat Sugar, by High Brow Cat and out of Sugar N Dulce (by Smart Lil Ricochet), earned $240,903 during a stellar cutting career where he won seven major events in his 4-year-old year, including the National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes Reserve Champion and retired sound. The American Quarter Horse Association stallion, bred by Barbara and Lonnie Allsup, has a long list of accolades that includes winning the 2012 NCHA Open Horse of the Year honors.

“When we started building our remuda we started with a handful of the best mares in the country from the Return to the Remuda sale,” said Knowles. “The addition of Kit Kat Sugar shows our commitment to our breeding program and our dedication to building one of the best horse programs in the world. We’d like to thank the Allsup’s and Branch’s for trusting us with Kit Kat Sugar’s legacy.”

In 2021, “Skeet” was named the NCHA #7 Leading Cutting Sire and was a top 15 National Reined Cow Horse Association Leading Sire. His impact is evident as his offspring’s performance earnings totaled $7,509,695 by August 2022. Elite offspring include the NRCHA Open Snaffle Bit Futurity Reserve Champion Scooter Kat (LTE $340,375), NCHA Open World Champion Sugarspiznevrthingniz (LTE $291,735), and NCHA Amateur Horse of the Year Sweet Toothe (LTE $167,374).

“We were very patient and calculated with our first stallion acquisition,” said ranch manager Ben Lard. “Kit Kat Sugar is not comparable to any other stallion. He checks all the boxes: great feet, conformation, an intelligent mind, and exceptional athleticism.”

With that in mind, the XIT Ranch is offering horses sired by the stallion an enticing incentive—the $350,000 Kit Kat Sugar Bonus—starting with the 2023 show season. To be eligible, the breeder, owner or rider must have a

2023 breeding contract to Kit Kat Sugar on file. At the major cutting and reined cow horse futurities, the following bonuses will be paid to Kit Kat Sugar offspring placing in the Open division top three spots:

• NCHA Open Futurity: $100,000 to the Champion, $50,000 to the Reserve Champion and $25,000 to the third-place horse.

• NRCHA Open Snaffle Bit Futurity: $100,000 to the Champion, $50,000 to the Reserve Champion and $25,000 to the third-place horse.

“There is nothing left to chance with XIT’s acquisition of Kit Kat Sugar,” said Jim Ware, former owner of both the Triangle Sale and Western Bloodstock. “Drew is committed to raising the world’s finest cutting, cow and ranch horses, and this stallion has proven himself as a sire of all disciplines. I am delighted to have been a part of this transaction between the XIT Ranch and the stallion’s breeders, Barbara and Lonnie Allsup.”

The stallion will stand at the renowned Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas, and Kit Kat Sugar is poised to have his best breeding season yet.

"We are proud that XIT Ranch chose the Four Sixes Ranch to stand this highly accomplished and sought-after stallion, said Dr. Glenn Blodgett, Four Sixes Ranch horse manager. “He is a special horse who passes all his great qualities to his offspring, as evidenced by the offspring earnings and accolades.”

The partnership between these two historic ranches spans generations. Former General Manager of the XIT, A.G. Boyce, served on the Executive Committee of the Cattle Raisers Association of Texas with Four Sixes founder Burke Burnett in the early 1900’s.

"I congratulate Drew and the XIT on their purchase of Kit Kat Sugar. It's exciting to have such an outstanding stallion come to the Four Sixes,” said Taylor Sheridan. “He offers a tremendous amount of influence to the cutting, reined cow horse and ranching industries. Standing at the Four Sixes provides an opportunity to serve all those facets of the horse world."

About XIT Ranch First drawn in the dirt of the Texas Panhandle, the famed XIT Ranch brand has a history as long as its original 6,000-mile fence line. Founded in 1885 by the Farwell Brothers of Chicago, the legacy of the XIT was cemented when the State of Texas traded 3 million acres in in exchange for the brothers’ financing and constructing the new State Capitol Building in Austin.

At its height, the XIT Ranch boasted more than 150,000 head of cattle and was considered the largest cattle ranch in the world. Today, the XIT breeds top tier Quarter Horses and raises high-quality Black Angus and American Wagyu on their family owned and operated ranches located on the same land as the original Rita Blanca Division in the Texas Panhandle, and in Southern Colorado.

For more information on XIT Ranch, please visit xitranch.com or @xitranch on Instagram or @xit1885 on Facebook.