Hlllswicke Oracle, "one of Shetlandom's greatest sires and show ponies," 1 was foaled May 28, 1945. The blue roan son of Silver Crescent II, out of Bonnie Bride 22015, a blue roan by Jolly Boy Polk 21560, out of Crescent Irene of Linnwood 19831, she by Silver Crescent, was bred by Mrs. Volney Diltz, Des Moines, Iowa.

        Oracle's dam, Bonnie Bride, was a full sister to Hillswicke Houdini, dam of National Champion Little Masterpiece.

        "Oracle began his show career, and launched his fame, when he won the three year old class at the National Stallion Show in the spring of 1948 at Waterloo, Iowa. A year later, he was the grand champion stallion at Waterloo, in the largest Shetland class held for two decades up until that time, with sixteen aged stallions being in the ring photo. He made it a grand slam by winning the open and stake classes in harness. A year later, Oracle was reserve grand champion at Waterloo, and also reserve in the harness stake.

        "Meantime, he was also making his mark at the Shetland Congress, where in 1947 he was the two year old winner and Junior champion. In 1948 he was reserve grand champion, and in 1949 repeated that laurel and in addition won the harness stake." 2

        Hillswicke Oracle set a then-world's record price for a Shetland at auction in 1950, when he sold at the Perry Carlile Summer Sale, held July 28-29 in Perry, Oklahoma, for $4,300. His new owner was W.P. "Bill" Atkinson of Midwest City, Oklahoma.

        After a lengthy layoff, Oracle came back to the show ring in 1952, when he was Reserve Grand Champion Stallion at the Texas State Fair, but it was as a sire that Oracle made his mark in the following years.

        It all started with the birth of a son, Kewpie Doll's Oracle 27789, a brilliant black and white spot, bred by Roland B. "Slats" Simpson, Osceola, Iowa. Often termed the best bodied pony of the breed in his day, Kewpie Doll was a successful show pony and sire, with his get being especially dominant during the 1961-1963 show seasons. Two of Kewpie Doll's Oracle's sons, Kewpie Doll's Diablo 84342, and Kewpie's Topper of Arenosa 128818A, both sorrel and white spots, continue to sire top Original American Shetlands into the 1980's for Dr. and Mrs. C.D. Barrett, Victoria, Texas.

        A year by year analysis of the exploits of Hillswicke Oracle's get gives one a feeling for the tremendous impact this great stallion had on our Shetland Show ponies!

        Starting in 1952, Hillswicke's Q.P. Doll 28936, a blue roan full-sister to Kewpie Doll's Oracle, was Ch. Yearling Mare, Junior Champion and Grand Champion Mare at the Congress, a phenomenal feat for a yearling. She was bred by "Slats" Simpson, who consigned her to the 1955 Carlile Summer Sale, where she became the first National Champion to be sold at auction. She topped the sale at $8,500, with a suckling colt by Billy Boy Crescent at her side.

        "During the sale of this beautifully conformed mare and her colt, the sorrel youngster put on as great a show as will ever be seen from any foal in a show ring. He romped, gamboled and jumped; completely captured the crowd, and undoubtedly added much to the sale price." 3

        Q.P. Doll returned to the Carlile Summer Sale in 1958, topping the sale again at $16,100.

        1953 saw the silver dapple, Pollycrest General Mack 32065, bred by Dr. Earl McBride, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, capture the yearling class at the Congress, where he went on to be named Junior Champion Stallion.

        A sleek sorrel mare with a white mane and tail named Hillswicke Bonny Patty 41772, bred by Bill Atkinson, dominated the years 1956-1958, during which time she was Ch. Yearling, Ch. Two Year Old and Junior Champion the same year, and Ch. Three Year Old Mare at the Congress; and 1957 All-Star Ch. Two Year Old and Grand Champion Mare, and Three Year Old Champion in '58.

        Hillswicke Oracle himself stepped in to steal the limelight from his get in 1959, when Atkinson sold the super sire to Vern Brewer of Gainesville, Texas at the Ada, Oklahoma Sale on March 16, for $35,000.

        Brewer had seen Oracle show at the National Stallion Show in Waterloo, Iowa, in 1948, and also saw him sell at Carlile's in 1950.  He wanted the stallion for an outcross on his Larigo's Topper mares because he said, "Oracle put a lot of motion in his colts."

        "Opening bid on Oracle was $25,000, offered by C. Clyde Smith, veteran horseman from Ontario, Oregon. This was upped to $30,000 by Penn Wheelis, ringman, with an order from Mrs. Lloyd W. Richardson of Aransas Pass, Texas. Brewer bumped it for another $5,000, and what proved to be the winning bid. Several other individuals teetered on the brink of bids, among them J.A. Stovall, and lastly, Perry Carlile, long a booster for this stud, and who stood for five minutes in a state of indecision at ringside." 4

        1959 brought the debut of the beautiful bay, Atkinson-bred mares, Atkinson's Hillswicke Bonny Cindy 53842, who Vern Brewer called "the greatest mare I have seen,"; and Lady Oracle 61258, who Brewer rated just "fifteen cents" behind her. Bonny Cindy was Jr. Ch. Mare, 42"-46", at the Congress, as well as All-Star Ch. Two Year Old and Gr. Ch. Mare, 42"-46", while Lady Oracle was All-Star Ch. Yearling Mare. Hillswicke's Sir Galahad 42082, an Atkinson-bred, sorrel with a white mane and tail, was Congress Ch. Three Year Old Stallion, 42" and Under; and the black and white spot, Miss Oracle A'S Doll 40733, bred by Perry Carlile, Perry, Oklahoma, was All-Star Ch. Yeld Mare, 42" and Under.

        1960 was a banner year for Hillswicke Oracle's get, as Bonny Cindy defended her 42"-46" Congress grand Championship, as well as annexing the 42"-46" Three Year Old Mare and Senior Mare championships, while also gaining Ail-Star titles in the 42"-46" Three Year Old Mare and Gr. Ch. Mare divisions. Lady Oracle was Ch. Two Year Old and Jr. Ch. Mare, 4l 1/2"-44 1/2", at the Congress. In the 42" and Under stallion division at the Congress, Hillswicke's Sir Galahad was Ch. Aged Stallion, and the Atkinson-bred sorrel roan with a white mane and tail, Hillswicke's Copper Larigo 53851, was Ch. Three Year Old, Sr. Ch., and Gr. Ch. Copper Larigo also was Ch. Model Stallion at the Congress and All-Star Champion in the 46" and Under Jr. Fine Harness division. Among the 42"-46" stallions at the Congress, Hillswicke's Dynamic Flash 53852, an Atkinson-bred bay, was Ch. Three Year Old; while yet another Atkinson-bred stallion, Hillswicke's Captain Supreme 41767, a sorrel with a white mane and tail, was the All-Star and Congress Ch. 42" and Under Single Fine Harness Pony, and also won the 42" and Under Fine Harness Stake at the Congress. All of this activity was good enough to earn Hillswicke Oracle the number one ranking in the halter and combined harness/halter divisions of the JOURNAL'S Annual Sire Ratings for I960, with 6,552 and 9,058 points, respectively.

        1961 was a landslide victory for Oracle in the sire ratings, as his get scored 15,081 points in halter and 18,416 points in the halter and harness divisions combined, a whopping 13,791 points higher than his nearest competitor! Needless to say he was again the nation's top sire of halter ponies and number one in the combined division. In '6l, Copper Larigo was Ch. Aged Stallion, 42" and Under, and Ch. Model Stallion of both the Congress and the All-Star, as well as 42" and Under All-Star Gr. Ch. Stallion, Single Fine Harness champion and Ch. Combination Pony! Bonny Cindy was Congress Ch. Aged Mare and Sr. Ch. Mare, 42"-46", and All-Star Ch. Yeld Mare and Gr. Ch. Mare, 42"-46". Lady Oracle was Congress and All-Star Ch. Three Year Old Mare, 42"-46", and Captain Supreme was again the Ch. 42" and Under Single Fine Harness Pony and winner of the Under 42" Stake at the Congress. Two Vern Brewer-bred yearlings, Sonny Oracle 74555, a black, and Oracle's Roan Lady 74553, a blue roan, made their debuts, as did another yearling Gee Bee's Copper Oracle 68841, a sorrel with a white mane and tail, bred by C.C. Bales, Atlanta, Georgia. Sonny was Ch. Yearling Stallion, 40" and Under, in both the All-Stars and at the Congress, where he was also Jr. Ch. Stallion, 4l 1/2" and Under. Roan Lady was All-Star Ch. Yearling Mare, 40"-43", and Gee-Bee's Copper Oracle was Ch. Yearling Stallion in the same division.

        Another highlight of 1961 was the Brewer Blue Ribbon Sale, held May 29 in Gainesville, Texas, where Bonny Cindy topped the sale on a $14,500 bid. Her full sister, Lady Oracle, was second top at $11,000. The four daughters of Hillswicke Oracle in the sale averaged $8,075.

        1962 was more of the same, as Gee-Bee's Copper Oracle was named Model Stallion of the Congress, and All-Star Ch. Two Year Old Stallion, 4l 1/2"-44 1/2"; and Sonny Oracle, All-Star Ch. Two Year Old Stallion, 4l 1/2" and Under. Three more Brewer-bred ponies made their mark, Patton Oracle 74544, a brown stallion, was Congress champion in the 42" and Under open Roadster class; Cee Bee's Roan Wolf 84486, a red roan, was Congress Ch. Yearling Stallion, 40"-43"; and the brown Cee Bee's Dixie Oracle 84854, was Congress and All-Star Ch. Yearling Mare, 40"-43". This kept their sire at the top of the halter ratings and also moved him to number one in the Registry of Merit (total points scored by get since 1953).

        1963 was the last season Oracle would claim the number one spot in the Registry of Merit, as Cee Bee's Copper Oracle was All-Star Ch. Three Year Old Stallion, 42"-46"; Sonny Oracle, Congress Ch. Three Year Old Stallion, 42" and under; Cee Bee's Roan Wolf, was Ch. Two Year Old Stallion, 41 1/2"-44 1/2", at the Congress, but All-Star champion in the 41 1/2" and Under division, as most of his wins came early in the year before growing over the 4l 1/2" limit. Patton Oracle rounded out the awards with a Congress title in Roadster, 42" and Under.

        Mention should also be made of AAA Blue Chip 103849, a good Vern Brewer-bred, blue roan breeding son of Oracle,
who continues to sire top Original American Shetlands in the 1980's for Vern Benna, Albert City, Iowa.

        T. Nelson Jeffress of Waveturf Farm, Easton, Maryland, contracted with Vern Brewer to purchase the entire crop of Oracle foals for the years 1962-1966, inclusive, just as he had done for Brewer's Larigo's Topper foals. In 1965. at a time when the pony market was very depressed, Brewer sold Oracle to Jeffress for $35,000, the same price he had paid for him during the height of the "pony boom" in 1959. Jeffress believed that the pony business was merely in a temporary slump and would make a quick comeback. Said Brewer, "Had the pony business came back, he would have really been in business," as he then had the greatest concentration of Oracle and Larigo's Topper blood in the country, as well as the two famed studs themselves (he had Topper leased).

        Hillswicke Oracle died December 8, 1966, in his pasture at the B&B Pony Farm, Zachary, Louisiana, where Jeffress stabled him.
Burt Zuege, the editor of the AMERICAN SHETLAND PONY JOURNAS, hailed Oracle as "one of the very best...a winning show pony...and the sire of many, many, champions."5

    That he was.
 

Footnotes
1-Hillswicke Oracle Dies, ASPJ, Feb.-March '6?, p. 1?
2-On The Cover, ASPJ, April '6l, p. 30
3-Carlile Gross at Half-Million. ASPJ, Aug. '55, p. 26
4-Hillswicke Oracle to Brewer $35.000. ASPJ, April '59, p.29
5-From Zig's Desk, Burt Zuege, ASPJ, Feb.-March, 196?, p.l6
Other Sources
The Year in Review, ASPJ, Dec. '58, p. 21
Cody Repeats (The Annual Sire Ratings), ASPJ, March '6l
p. 25
Landslide for Oracle (Sire Ratings). ASPJ, March '62, p.8 The 1963 Sire Ratings. ASPJ, March '63, p. 8 The Annual Sire Ratings, ASPJ, March '6k, p. 12