"There were those who thought we'd 'stepped in it,'" recalls Steve with a smile. "But the first time I saw that horse, I knew I could use him." As it turns out, he was right. The splashy chestnut's sire record to date-one that puts the Dreamfinder son at the top of the nation-is a satisfying validation of Steve's canny eye for horseflesh.

It's not the first time the horseman has made a shrewd selection, either. In the 1980s, Steve's radar locked onto a three-year-old stallion he was competing against in the halter ring.

"I kept looking at this horse and, even though I was consistently beating him, thinking he could do more," he recalls. And, sure enough, after Mister Re joined the Dal Porto program, the heavily muscled liver chestnut went on to win National and World championships two years in a row, then became a wildly successful sire. (The Gojak son was inducted into the Cal-Western Appaloosa Hall of Fame in 2002.)

"Halter is so competitive, you can't get behind for a minute," observes Steve. "You have to stay ahead of what's happening with the breed." This he does religiously. A student of genetics since he began breeding horses in the 1970s, Steve says making successful, modern crosses is not simply a matter of breeding one good horse to another.

"You've got to be able to look at an individual and his family history-how he's bred-and put it all together to know his potential," he explains. "Then, you have to know how a particular stallion will fit into your own group of broodmares."

This emphasis on mare power is something that hasn't gone unnoticed in the industry.

A TIME-HONORED APPROACH TO BREEDING

"He's a horse breeder in the truest sense," says Frank Holmes, author of Spotted Pride, a history of the Appaloosa breed and part of the Appaloosa Heritage Series. A spotted-horse fancier since his childhood, Frank has been observing Steve's breeding program with interest since the late 1970s.

"Everyone today goes at breeding by getting a stud, then finding mares to complement him," says the historian, who's studied and written about all the major stock breeds. "But the old greats-people like Walter Merrick and Hank Wiescamp-they started with mares, then found a stallion that'd cross well on them. They kept the best young mares of that cross, then found another stallion to cross on them. And that's exactly how Steve has gone about it."

Indeed, the Dal Porto broodmare band still includes many descendants of Fair Charles, a stallion Steve purchased in the early 1980s to cross on the mares he had at that time.

"I have a great deal of respect for him as a breeder," concludes Frank. "His efforts over the years have clearly improved the breed."

Steve is accustomed to having his efforts rewarded with success. Raised on his family's cattle ranch in Oakley, California, he excelled in high school sports and attended the University of Colorado on a football scholarship (he played halfback and wide receiver). After graduating in 1970 with a degree in marketing, he was drafted by the National Football League, but chose instead to establish a career involving his first love-Appaloosa horses.

"In some ways, breeding horses is a lot like playing football," he reflects. "You have to work hard, keep your eyes open, and recognize when opportunity's knocking. Then, when it does, you have to go for it."

Today, Dal Porto Ranch shows the results of much opportunity and hard work. The sprawling facility boasts evergreen pastures and a spectacular view of Mt. Diablo, which stands between Brentwood and the nearby Bay Area. On average, 90 horses, including four stallions, call the ranch home. A full-service breeding operation offers both cooled and frozen shipped semen. A 24-stall barn houses mares, while a 20-stall show barn and four-stall shedrow barn are devoted to the training operation. Round pens and a covered arena complete the complex.

On any given day, visitors will find Steve overseeing the breeding schedule and the fitting of halter horses, while Carol heads up the performance horse program. A professional on the Appaloosa circuit since 1980, Carol has been hooked on the breed since she got her first horse-a spotted-roan Appaloosa mare-at age 9. Since then, she's trained and ridden countless champions, but she values every horse for the lessons it can teach.

"No horse is perfect," she observes. "And, ironically, what we label as 'imperfections' in a horse are what wind up teaching us the most." Intense and articulate (her stepfather was an English professor), Carol sees to it that a great deal of thought goes into how the ranch's performance program is put together.

PERFORMANCE: WINNING SOLUTIONS, YEAR AFTER YEAR

Like most busy show barns, the ranch offers both training and instruction in open, amateur, and youth competition. Most major ApHC events, English and Western, are part of the Dal Porto program. But that's not all.

In 1999, the Dal Portos looked into their crystal ball and realized there was one other thing they could be doing that would benefit not only their own goals, but also the community they lived in and the horse industry at large. They placed an ad in the Brentwood Press, a local newspaper, offering horseback riding lessons for beginners.

"It's something our area needed, plus it recruits new horse enthusiasts into the fold," notes Carol of the program, which has a waiting list of participants. "And, over time, some of the riders in our entry-level program go on to join our show team. It's a win-win-win proposition."

Typically about a dozen students, adults and children, comprise the beginner program. Twelve hours per week are devoted to their entry-level lessons; one Saturday a month, students also have the option of participating in a group ride.

"I invite these students to our schooling shows, too, to help them realize why we teach what we do-things like straightness, balance, and quiet hands and legs," says Carol. She adds that there are several types of students in the program-including those who've never ridden before, those who're coming to advance their skills, and those who've had a bad experience and are now dealing with fear issues.

"Safety is our number-one priority," she says. "Our lesson horses are retired show horses--they're super well-trained, and they have a lot to teach these students."

At the other end of the spectrum, there are typically about a half dozen Dal Porto clients competing on the Appaloosa circuit at the local, state, and national level. Eighteen-year-old Whitney Dal Porto, Steve's daughter from a previous marriage, is part of the competitive group. Carol helps all her students set goals afresh each fall, and encourages every person to go as far as he or she is able.

At last year's World Show, the Dal Porto show team earned top-10 finishes in all their classes, and Carole Larsen was the Champion Masters Hunt Seat Equitation.

Apart from the thrill of winning, Carol says showing horses is just plain good for everyone, particularly children.

"People learn to believe in themselves, and they come to realize that hard work and perseverance pays off," she explains. "Nowadays, with kids, there's so much instant-gratification stuff out there. With horses, you learn to stick with something to earn your reward. Shortcuts just don't work."

She notes that the values imbued by horsemanship can pay dividends in the classroom, too.

"Parents report back that their kids now have increased focus and interest in learning," she says. "You can't let your mind wander when you're riding a 1,200-pound animal; you've got to be looking inward and focusing. This learned concentration shows up in kids' schoolwork-to their parents' delight."

Carol says coaching her students is the most rewarding part of her job.

"Watching people overcome obstacles and master their fears, then discover their own potential and grow toward it-it's incredibly satisfying," she says.

The horsewoman, who uses yoga for relaxation and to increase her "quietness" and focus with the horses, says she strives for balance in all things.

"I'm passionate about what I do, and very detail-oriented, especially at a show. But I've learned there needs to be room for spontaneity, too, and for 'going with the flow.' Sometimes things you think are problems just take care of themselves, and that's nice."

A HISTORY OF HAPPY CLIENTS

Dal Porto clients tend to come and stay. Barbara Johnson first enlisted Steve to show halter horses for her in the 1970s. When Carol came on the scene, Barbara got into the show pen herself, competing in non-pro trail and pleasure.

"They're wonderful people to work with," she says. "You can always talk to them, and they're scrupulously honest." A partner with the ranch in the stallion Just Zip It, Barbara owns Bar Rose Appaloosas in Livermore, California.

A businesslike approach to things is what most impresses Art Strong, a client since 1978. "The Dal Portos treat you like an equal, with respect," he says. "When they sit down with you, you come away with a clear plan of what you want to accomplish, and how to go about it. Then, they help you stay on track."

And, often as not, that track leads to achievement and success in the world of Appaloosa horses.

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