Twin Oaks Paint Horses was originally established by Murray and Vicki Stevens in Sale, Victoria in the early 90’s at the property, Twin Oaks, named after the two 50 year old English Oak trees which grew on each side of the old colonial house.

We started off in Paints by accident, we bought a riding horse for Vicki, Duco’s Pink Lady, who was a minimal marked Overo Strawberry roan.

The following year, we purchased the loud overo halter futurity champion mare San Antonio Pep
(Little Rose) from Carol Elliott. In the next year we bought Peppy Shaker in October. He had just turned four, was green under saddle and only shown once under saddle, having only one point in Western Pleasure and sixteen halter points. The following April of his 4 year old year in David Norbury’s capable hands, Peppy Shaker had enough points to earn his PHAA Champion award.

When we moved back to Queensland from Victoria in 1998 we changed our breeding programme to aim specifically for the Paint performance horse market ie. Reining,
Cutting, Rodeo etc.

This involved changing out some of the broodmares we had to the likes of Queen of Oaks, (Doc’s Freckles Oak* x Tequila Doll) full sister to Oaks Chelo, NCHA Reserve Futurity Champion, Yulgilbar Neat N Elegant (Playboy Roy* x Winderadeen Pure Elegance) Full sister to Yulgilbar Little Senor, NCHA Futurity finalist, Yulgilbar Missouri Playboy, NCHA Derby Finalist and Toowoomba Cutting Derby Champion, Freckles Fancy Spin (Doc’s Spinifex* x Dainty Fancy Oak) plus breeding to the likes of Gay O’Lena*, frozen semen (Doc O’Lena x Gay Curl ) the only crop out son of Doc O’Lena, Acres Destiny*, Smokin’ Doctor*, Ultimate Roc, and Dry Diamond*.

Our Sabino mares (no overo in bloodlines) bred to Peppy Shaker are producing an average of 80% colour, but the trick is the Sabino mares must have parents or grandparents that are visible Sabinos to have the depth of genetics to carry through and give the higher percentage of regular Paint registered offspring without the lethal white factor.

It does help that Peppy Shaker has four out of the six horses within two generations are visible Sabinos in his pedigree. The other two are Overo. San Antonio Rose and her sire Diamond Jim Jnr* are a line there is not much of because Diamond Jim Jnr died during his second season due to injury. There are only five registered PHAA horses sired by Diamond Jim Jnr*.
San Antonio Pep, loud Overo, is the only full sister to Peppy Shaker and has been a prolific producer of performance paint horses when bred to the following sires.
Custom Maid ( x Roman Badger ) halter futurity champion and reiner.
Twin Oaks Smoak ( x Doc's Smokin Oak ) mutiple National and State champion awards.
Twin Oaks Tailor Maid ( x Playboy Roy* ) cutting.
Twin Oaks Rocafella ( x Ultimate Roc ) Reining.
Twin Oaks Cut N Maid ( x Acres Destiny* ) Commenced cutting training.
Twin Oaks Gunsmoke ( x Smokin Doctor* ) Future performance.

We are now breeding up a band of broodmares including Peppy Shaker daughters that have a solid concentration of Doc Bar, Peppy San, Mr San Peppy, Hollywood Gold and Jewells Leo Bars bloodlines with trainable minds and are of a good type. These mares will be used to outcross to an unrelated future sire.

This future sire, it is envisaged, will be totally unrelated with no Doc Bar.

It has been said that Doc Bar horses are hot to handle. Twin Oaks Cleopatra carries four crosses to him and they don’t come any more cool minded than this dynamic mare, who, with Natasha Backhouse aboard has set new goal posts in the reining arena.

The Twin Oaks breeding programme is based on Peppy’s Doc Bar*, ( Peppy San x Fizzabar) at first subconsciously, but once I had taken an interest in bloodlines and started to look for cool minded horses with real talent we kept coming back to him as they don’t come any better bred.

We are breeding with a long term goal in mind, we do not wish to fall into the category as breeders of numbers, but as serious breeders of an established style of Paint Horse with trainable minds, conformation that will hold up under a demanding training schedule, with a higher than average success rate in the performance show arena.

Jim Page and Richard Bull have been a big influence in breeding direction and crosses that breed on, plus I have studied what bloodlines have performed well with particular bloodlines that they have used.

Jim Page thinks outside the box compared to most breeders. Friends Peter Hall, Alex Hough and Cathy Marsh have been supportive of our ideals over the years and given constructive advice when asked.

Our children have played an active roll in the development of the stud.

Jesse, the eldest, used to ride but is now more into computers than horses, but has helped out and had some input. He was responsible for the name Squid O’Lena. This filly was breach birth and was “wind swept”, therefore as a newborn foal in his opinion, with her large dewy eyes and legs all over the place, she reminded him of a squid.

Of course having a computer technician in the family is a huge benefit.

Candice has been fortunate to finish in the top six Paint Youth Nationally during the qualifying period for the last two USA Youth team trips and therefore had the opportunity to compete at the World Paint Horse Show twice.

On the last trip, Candice won the hipology contest (comprehensive equine knowledge), having attended Longreach Pastoral College has helped prepare her for the horse industry. Candice worked in the USA between 2003 and July 2007 where she gained valuable cutting horse training experience when she worked with people such as Lindy Burch, JB Mc Lamb, Eddie Flynn and Gerald Alexander. Candice has now set up her own horse training business on the Sugarloaf property.

Courtney, our second son, is a lover of all creatures big and small. It’s been a battle to contain his menagerie to save us being turned into a Noah’s Ark. He has competed and placed at National and State levels. Courtney finishes his degree in Veterinary Science in 2009 and he will then concentrate his skills on horses and cattle.

Sheridan, the baby of the family, qualified and competed with the PHAA Youth Team at the 2002 World Paint Horse Show. She has competed on her horse, Twin Oaks Smoak to achieve many National and State awards. She is wishing to pursue a career in the horse industry also.

When the Queensland property, Myora, located on the Logan River at Beaudesert was purchased, it was set up as a breeding/agistment centre to accommodate the Thoroughbred walk-on industry and also to cater for the Equine AI industry.

During the couple of years Beaudesert AI Centre and Myora Thoroughbred Lodge was run it was very successful with a high percentage of return clients, but due to Murray’s work commitments and therefore the use of costly labour, it was closed down. This has left us with a first class facility in which to nurture the growth of our Paint horse stud.

Myora was sold in September 2008 when the family moved to the 1,200 acre property, Sugarloaf, near Rockhampton in Queensland.

The Paint horses, together with a commercial cattle breeding operation will be the family’s future focus.

One horse that has helped evolve Twin Oaks into the stud it is today is the studs 'matriach' San Antonio Rose, dam of both Peppy Shaker and his full sister San Antonio Pep.

~Vale~
San Antonio Rose- Loud Chestnut Overo Mare

Foaled 13.11.81- Deceased 11.99
Sire: Diamond Jim Jnr (IMP) (By Diamond Jim)
Dam: San Jose (By San Leo QH (IMP) X Leo San)

Bred by Mike and Carol Elliot in Victoria who campaigned her, then bred her four times.
Sold to Danny Chipperfield in Victoria in 1990 who owned her until her death which was due to heart failure while foaling a loud overo colt by Paint N His Stuff which also died with her.
One of only five PHAA registered progeny sired by Diamond Jim Jnr* who died from an injury caused by being kicked in the jugular by a mare. Diamond Jim Jnr* sired one crop of foals in the USA before coming to Australia.


San Antonio Rose matured at 15hh and was a 100% colour producer of coloured foals to four different stallions.

Her progeny have earnt four PHAA National Champion and multiple State Champion awards.
San Antonio Rose winner of:
1982 Vic State Weanling Halter Futurity
1982 Vic State Champion Weanling Filly
1982 SPHC Hi-Point Weanling Filly
1983 Vic Yearling Futurity
1983 Vic Champion Yearling Filly and Junior Champion
1983 PHAA National Yearling Futurity
1983 NSW & Vic Hi-Point Filly
1983 NSW Champion Yearling Filly & Junior Champion
PHAA Superior Halter Horse

Dam of:
Painted Warrior- minimal chestnut overo colt
San Antonio Pep- loud chestnut overo filly
Peppy Shaker- loud chestnut overo colt
Painted Peppy- loud red dun overo colt
MSQ Rose N Moon- loud red roan overo filly
MSQ Alamo- loud chestnut overo colt
MSQ Salisaw Sis- loud bay overo filly
MSQ Sasoy- minimal chestnut overo filly
MSQ Danny D- loud chestnut overo colt