Dan Dillon Casement

Born in 1868 in Ohio, Dan Casement moved with his family to Kansas when he was 15. His father bought land and raised cattle, and Casement continued the legacy, raising champion Hereford cattle. As a respected cattleman and horseman in the Big Blue Valley near Manhattan, Kansas, “Mr. Dan” was also part of the nucleus that founded the American Quarter Horse Association. In 1911, Casement purchased his first “Steeldust” horse, Concho Colonel, sight unseen from William Anson of Christoval, Texas. Casement liked the stallion so much he bought Concho Colonel’s best son, Balleymooney. This started a passion in Casement for the breed, and he began researching the origins of Steel Dust. Casement was a part of the organizational meeting held during the 1940 Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show in Fort Worth, Texas, and was elected as a director for the American Quarter Horse Association.

During the first meeting in 1941, Casement proposed a resolution concerning conformation which stated that a stallion needed bulldog-type conformation to be registered in the studbook. Through the early years of the AQHA, Casement continued to support the bulldog-type Quarter Horses. He thought speed and cow sense were essential qualities to the breed. He also believed if people concentrated solely on speed for racing, then bloodlines and conformation would be sacrificed. Casement’s personal herd of Quarter Horses produced Red Dog and The Deuce. Ranchers from all over the Southwest traveled to Casement’s ranch to buy horses.

Casement was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1986.