Im Doc O Lena: Turning Heads and Raising Eyebrows
by Cindi Nakagawa

Anyone who looks at Ima Doc O Lena's record and is tempted to say, "Not bad for an Appaloosa", should take a further look at the records. Ima Doc O Lena's show and breeding record are impressive by any breed's standards. But the simple fact that he's an Appaloosa makes it all the more dazzling.

Ima Doc O Lena's sire is, of course, the great Quarter Horse Doc O Lena. Doc O Lena won the 1970 NCHA (National Cutting Horse Association) Futurity with a sweep of the final three rounds of competition and went on to sire numerous NCHA and AQHA performers and was inducted into the NCHA and AQHA Hall Of Fame.

Ima Doc O Lena's owner had hoped for a bay filly when mating Wa Jo's Freckles to Doc O Lena in 1978. Instead, what she got was a stud colt - complete with frosting over his loin and hips. It was a double blessing, because there were no provisions to allow solid-colored horses to compete in Appaloosa shows. Additionally, the fact that the mating produced a stud colt allowed Ima Doc O Lena to have a more immediate, and profound impact on the Appaloosa cutting scene than any single mare would have. He remains Doc O Lena's only Appaloosa son in the United States. Ima Doc O Lena's owner raised a second, but he was sold to a breeder in Germany.

Jimmie Smith (Ima Doc O Lena's owner) named him after his sire to allay any doubts about the stallion's right to compete in the big leagues. But, pedigree-wise, Ima Doc O Lena has never been an underdog. His biggest obstacle to overcome was the stigma at the larger NCHA events that doubted the ability of an Appaloosa to perform well.

Although Ima Doc O Lena didn't make headlines at the NCHA Futurity like so many of his half-siblings did, he still had plenty of time to make a mark in the industy. And he did. He was a semi-finalist at the NCHA Superstakes and a finalist at the Bonanza cutting. Then, the noted Bill Freeman showed Ima Doc to the PCCHA (Pacific Coast Cutting Association) championship, no questions asked.

That same year, with Ima Doc working at the top of his game, he won his first Appaloosa World Championship in Junior Cutting. The next year he was the ApHC World Champion in the senior division. By that time, he had earned his NCHA Certificate Of Ability. In 1996, Ima Doc O Lena was inducted into the ApHC (Appaloosa Horse Club) Hall of Fame.

As Ima Doc O Lena began his career as a sire, Jimmie Smith was urged to buoy his dam's show credentials. The stallion had more than proved himself in competition, his sire was well known, but Wa Jo's Freckles wasn't getting any credit to the magic combination. And within serious cutting circles, a seamless pedigree is a must! Jimmie Smith quickly put Wa Jo's Freckles in training and the mare qualified for her NCHA Certificate of Ability. The mare also won an ApHC World Championship title in cutting and has gone on to produce numerous world and national champions.

Ima Doc O Lena is the only Appaloosa stallion to have produced a National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity World Champion. Ima Jo's Doll won the title in 1989, throwing the AQHA sponsored "America's Horse" television crew into a dilemma as to how to cover the event. Quarter Horses had always won the event in the past!

But Ima Jo Doll's isn't the only celebrity offspring of Ima Doc O Lena. His get have won more than 32 national and world titles, primarily in cutting, reining and working cow horses, but also in roping, team penning, and timed events. Just a few of his ApHC medallion-winning get include Ima Bonita O Lena, Ima Docs Delana, Ima Poco O Lena, Ima Docolena Doll, Ima Southern Lena, Ima Colida O Lena, Ima Zippo O Lena, My Pops the Doc, and Ima Docs Happiness.

They hold their own in NCHA and NRHA (National Reining Horse Association). Ima Quixoteo'lena was the 1998 NCHA Reserve World Champion $3,000 Novice Horse. A number of Ima Doc's sons and daughters also have their NCHA Certificates Of Ability and have been on the NCHA top ten lists.

Ima Doc O Lena
1979 chestnut frost Appaloosa stallion
2x ApHC World Champion Cutting
NCHA Certificate of Ability
ApHC Hall Of Fame

-----Lightning Bar AAA, AQHA CH
----Doc Bar, AQHA Hall Of Fame
-----Dandy Doll AA
--Doc O Lena, NCHA Futurity CH
-----Poco Bueno, AQHA CH
----Poco Lena, 5c NCHA Res. World Champ
-----Sheilwin
IMA DOC O LENA
-----Wapiti, ApHC Hall Of Fame
----Wa Jo Re
-----Joker's Miss Reed
--Wa Jo's Freckles, ApHC World Ch Cutting
-----Comanche's Freckles
----My Happiness
-----That's My Lasy

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