On The Cover – Raylan Givens
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10 – May/June, 2026
By Delores Kuhlwein
“He was beautiful from the day he was born. He’s super flashy, and he grabs your attention. He stands out because he’s so pretty and correct,” Joy Stehney said of Raylan Givens when the young stallion began racking up wins in his weanling year.
The 2019 sorrel stallion is the result of a cross of Stehney’s beloved former show mare Excuses Xcuses, the #1 Dam of Halter Money Earners of All Time (Q-Data, 4/2026), and Four Million Dollar Sire My Intention, Jeff Stehney’s favorite stallion.
“Raylan” was so exceptional when he was born, trainer Jason Smith and the owner of the now late My Intention, breeder Jim Snow, took a road trip to Kansas to see him. Snow explains, “He was a beautiful baby, and he’s stacked on the bottom side. We had a good bit of success with My Intention, but I give most of the credit to his mother and his sire’s mother.”
Stehney, who also owned and showed World Champion My Secret Jewell, dam of Excuses Xcuses, aptly named the quiet, correct colt after Timothy Olyphant’s character from the series Justified: Raylan Givens. The good-guy marshal and popular character always carried himself with soft-spoken confidence and virtue that commanded respect.
