Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame to Induct Four

OQHA

Oklahoma City, OK – The Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame was created in 2005 to recognize outstanding individuals, horses, ranches or businesses, whose contributions involving the American Quarter Horse significantly impacted the great state of Oklahoma’s equine industry.

 

The 18th Annual prestigious Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will held Saturday January 28, 2023 at the Embassy Suites Oklahoma City Downtown Medical Center, Oklahoma City OK.

 

The ceremony and dinner is a ticketed event and is open to the public.  Tickets are available for $35 and may be purchased from the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association. Dependent on the generosity of donors, anyone interested in sponsoring an inductee or their award will find information on the OQHA website.

 

The 2022 Inductees are:

 

Three Bars (TB) 1940 chestnut stallion

 

Bred on James W. Parrish’s Midway, Kentucky, farm, Three Bars (TB) dam, Myrtle Dee, and two other mares were bought by Jack Goode, Ned Brent and Bill Talbot in the spring of 1940.  Just days after the purchase, Myrtle Dee foaled a good-looking chestnut colt.  The men named the foal Three Bars, hoping he would pay off like a slot machine.

 

Goode placed the colt in race training as a two-year-old, but leg problems kept Three Bars from winning until he was 3.  He was injured as a 3-year-old and spent most of 1944 recuperating.  Three Bars returned to competition and finished the year with three wins in four starts.  However, the last race was a claiming race, and Toad Haggard and Stan Snedigar took ownership of Three Bars for $2,000.

The partners hauled the stallion to Phoenix, Arizona, with the intention of breeding him to Quarter Horse mares and racing him.  Hearing of the Thoroughbred, Sidney H. Vail traveled to Phoenix to inspect the stallion for breeding purposes.  Liking what he saw, Vail bought Three Bars for $10,000 in 1945.

As a sire, Three Bars found his stride.  By the end of the 1950s, a number of mare owners either could not get their mares on the stallion’s limited stud book or could not afford the fee.

 

Walter Merrick of Oklahoma was impressed with Three Bars, and leased the chestnut for two years.  After the lease was up, Merrick hauled his mares to wherever Three Bars was standing.

 

The stallion’s Thoroughbred progeny include Lena’s Bar (TB), dam of Easy Jet; Lucky Bar, sire of Impressive; and Rocket Bar, grandsire of Dash For Cash.  His American Quarter Horse sons include Lightning Bar, Sugar Bars, Gay Bar King, Barred, Zippo Pat Bars and others.

 

The stallion died two days shy of his 28th birthday on Merrick’s ranch.  He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1989.   Three Bars will be the first Thoroughbred inducted into the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.

 

Doug Carpenter, Sulphur OK

 

The late Doug Carpenter, Sulphur OK, literally wrote the book about the Western Pleasure horse in 1996, in which he presented his ideas and concepts for the sport. He loved a great horse of any discipline, and his knowledge translated to success in the Reining, Cutting and Working Cowhorse industries as well as in the Thoroughbred industry. Doug earned $70,890 in National Snaffle Bit Association earnings, #30,839 as a National Reining Horse Association Open Rider and $89,927 as an NRHA horse earner.

 

Doug made incredible contributions to NRHA in numerous ways. He served on the NRHA Board of Directors and Executive Committee for several years. While contributing as a Gold level donor to the Reining Horse Foundation, Doug created revenue and recognition for the Foundation through the

Celebrity Slide with the Professional Bull Riders and the ‘Make a Wish’ Foundation in Oklahoma City.  He was instrumental in the push for global recognition of our sport, including reining’s acceptance as the first Western discipline recognized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale.”

 

As a professional trainer, Carpenter trained and showed clients’ and his own horses, including the NSBA Hall of Fame stallion Hotrodders Jet Set, proving he had the knack for picking good horses and training them to be competitive.

 

He moved to the Western performance horse world in the early 1990s, representing and selling standout individuals such as 1992 NRHA Futurity Open Champion Boomernic, 1999 National Reining Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion Smart Zanolena, 2003 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion Chics Magic Potion and 2007 World’s Greatest Horseman Champion Light N Fine. He also bought or sold other top performers including Jac Be Quick, Roosters Wrangler, Hes Dun his Time, and Bueno Chexinic.

Carpenter, the quintessential horseman with an eye for greatness, continues to impact the industry through the many horses he bought and sold, and with his legacy of working tirelessly to promote reining, and reiners.

 

He was inducted into the 2021 NRHA Hall of Fame and the 2022 NSBA Hall of Fame.

 

Bob Story DVM, Perkins OK

 

Both his dad and step-dad were racehorse trainers, but he knew that was not his path.  He decided to remain involved in the equine industry by pursing a degree in Veterinary Medicine at Oklahoma State University (OSU).  While completing his course work to apply for Veterinary School, OSU approached him to implement a horse production class, which had been absent from the curriculum for fourteen years.  He taught high school, community college and then OSU’s horse production class before earning his DVM degree from OSU in 1983.

 

The Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association (OQHA) asked him to serve as advisor and coach the 1978 Oklahoma Junior Quarter Junior Horse Association and prepare them to compete at the American Junior Quarter Horse Association World Championship Horse Show in Tulsa OK.

 

In order to have a well-rounded team, he started recruiting young people with registered American Quarter Horse competing in high school rodeos, Little Britches Rodeos and American Horse Show Association.  Then he visited ranches and requesting families with young children to consider fitting their horses for youth halter competition.  Story sought great professional horsemen like Jerry Wells, Dale Livingston and Neil Gwaltney to help with the finishing touches.  Story cultivated a healthy team spirit and by the end of the completion, OJQHA had complied enough points to win their first AJQHA Team Championship.  In the fall of 1979, Story had been accepted into Veterinary School so his had only planned one year as coach.  Some thought the OJQHA’s Team Championship was a fluke, so he was challenged to successfully do it again.

 

For 30 years Dr. Bob Story worked as a racetrack veterinarian at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico. His impressive career has resulted in trophies, statues, and paintings filling every room of his Perkins, Oklahoma home representing the horses he has treated over the years.

 

One of ten to fourteen veterinarians at the track, Story spent his career working with owners, jockeys, grooms, trainers and horses helping produce fourteen All American Quarter Horse Futurity winners. The All American Futurity is the richest quarter horse race in the world.

 

On a small day, Dr. Story would treat 120 horses and the number increased from there.  The most number of horses he has ever worked on in one day was 342. He started at 1 o’clock in the morning and finished at 11 that night.  This is demonstration of his commitment and passion for the industry and to the profession.

 

BUD BREEDING OKLAHOMA SPIRIT AWARD

Ron McMillian, Collinsville OK

 

Ron McMillian has been involved in the breeding and showing of an AQHA Champion and multiple World and Reserve World Champions for more than 40 years.

 

He is a past President of the Ozark Quarter Horse Association, a past member of the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association board of directors.

 

Ron has worked with the International Equine Judges seminar for the past 20 years and instructed classes for their Judges Academy. He has served on the Judges Committee for the American Paint Horse Association and is currently on the Professional Horseman’s Committee.

 

Ron has served as a Ring Steward for the past 35 years for numerous prestigious World Champion Shows for American Quarter Horse Association, Palomino Horse Breeders of America, American Paint Horse Association, Pinto Horse Association of America, American Buckskin Registry of America, American Miniature Horse Association, Appaloosa Horse Club, and National Snaffle Bit Association as well as the National Western Stock Show, Florida State Fair, Texas Classic, Dixie National, and Florida Gold Coast and Gulf Coast Shows.

 

Ron retired from Public Service Company of Oklahoma after 36 years a laboratory technician. He resides in Collinsville, Oklahoma with wife of 51 years Karen. They have one daughter Stephanie Kirkland, her husband Jay and son Jaxton.

 

For additional information contact Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association, 3021 W Reno Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73107-6125 * 405-440-0694 voice * 405-440-0649 fax * okqha@sbcglobal.net email https://okqha.org/website