37 successful cutting horse himself, Traditional Roc sired 123 registered foals and became one of Australia’ s most influential barrel racing sires. His progeny included champions such as Rocs Rager, who won numerous major titles and accumulated more than $ 125,000 in prize money. Traditional Roc received the ABHA Sire Recognition Award in 2016 and 2017.
The combination of Morn Deck and Traditional Roc bloodlines became a legendary cross, producing horses renowned for speed, athleticism, trainability and temperament. Mathea continued to build on these foundations with sires including Streak O’ Lena, Traditional Spinner and Flashy Pepto, carefully selecting bloodlines to ensure Santa Rio remained at the forefront of Australian performance and barrel horse breeding.
Flashy Pepto has carried the Santa Rio program into the modern era, producing some of Australia’ s fastest barrel horses. His progeny include Morns Akka Dakka Roc, who with Leanne Caban has become one of the sport’ s standout combinations and a four-time consecutive APRA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year, along with numerous other successful Futurity, Maturity, rodeo and Open competitors.
Throughout almost 50 years of breeding, Mathea has demonstrated an exceptional eye for bloodlines and an unwavering commitment to producing horses with the qualities required
to succeed: athleticism, speed, soundness, consistency, trainability and temperament.
Her influence extends well beyond the horses she has bred, through the sponsorship and support she has provided to barrel racing organisations, clubs, events and competitors across Australia.
Mathea’ s journey has not been without hardship. Following the serious accident of her son Luke and the passing of Brian from leukaemia in 1999, she continued to build Santa Rio while also raising her family, running a hotel and managing the farm and stud.
Today, Santa Rio Quarter Horse Stud remains an important name in Australian Quarter Horse breeding, with its bloodlines continuing to influence the barrel racing industry and performance horses throughout Australia.
Mathea Usher’ s legacy is one of vision, resilience, generosity and an extraordinary commitment to breeding excellence. Through Morn Deck, Traditional Roc and the generations that followed, she has helped shape the modern Australian performance Quarter Horse.
After five decades of dedication, Mathea Usher and Santa Rio Quarter Horse Stud stand as a remarkable and enduring contribution to Australian Quarter Horse history and are worthy of recognition in the AQHA Hall of Fame.
AQHA 2026 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER ISSUE