Dan H - John L. Moore here. As you must know, I have written about Hancocks to some length and it would take a long article to cover all the bases here, but much of what you hear about the Hancocks being broncs just isn't true. Yes, there were some years ago, but many of those horses then were not broken until they five, six years old. But, why all the rumors? First, Joe Hancock had some Percheron blood and some Arab blood and that has produced some great bucking horses (look at the Tooke program for example) but he had so little and that was so long ago that it simply isn't relevant today. Secondly, one well-known Hancock was Buck Hancock. Perhaps a bad choice for a stallion's name no matter his color. Third, some of the old Bartender horses bucked, but they were not Hancocks, but Roan Bar looked like many of the Hancocks and people began confusing them. Fourth, Hancocks can be big and intimidating. Big framed, big feet, big head...they look like they could really buck if they wanted to. Now, I'm sure there are some that bucked, but I could probably name four or five lines of QHs that throw more fire than Hancocks. Finally, today's Hancocks are just a really different animal. I tell people if they are looking for a really docile colt, look for a Hancock-bred colt, especially a High Rolling Roany. Many of them are a bit too big and not very agile, but they retain considerable cow and good dispositions. If posting photos were easier, I could post a number of photos of Hancock-bred geldings being handled by my small grandchildren. Now, there are a lot of different Hancock lines so you always have to investigate the individual line, but generally speaking, the idea that Hancocks may have had some validity 50-60 years ago, but it is hardly true today. I think one problem is people like to perpetuate the myth and then others treat Hancock-bred horses as if they are going to buck, and of course, they pick on them until they do. Any horse with any bottom and fire is going to have a limit to its patience. The Oswald line that I am fond of, is a line you can't pick on. As an old cowboy/ horse trainer friend of mine says about the Hard Twists, "if you pick on them, they'll ante-up."
