Carol Harris (March 26, 1923 – August 7, 2021) was an

American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum was created by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), based in Amarillo, Texas. Ground breaking construction of the Hall of Fame Museum began in 1989. The distinction is earned by people and ...

horsewoman. Harris made her way into a self-proclaimed "good ol' boy" industry. She was one of the first women

American Quarter Horse Association The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive even ...

's (AQHA) judges. She judged at the AQHA World Championship Show, the first woman to do so.

Life

Carol Harris was born on March 26, 1923, in New Jersey. She spent her childhood in West Orange, New Jersey. Around 1930, Harris was focusing her time on horses, dogs, cats, and other animals she was interested in. But it was the horses and dogs that she chose to breed, train, and show. Harris had horses as a child, and her first was a Standardbred. The standardbred was a pacer that she turned into a trotter. Harris also showed Hackney ponies, Arabians, Saddlebreds, and

Tennessee Walkers Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

. Harris graduated from

Westover School The Westover School, often referred to simply as "Westover," is an independent college-preparatory day and boarding school for girls. Located in Middlebury, Connecticut, United States, the school offers grades 9–12. Early History Mary Hilla ...

in 1941. Her father rewarded her with a trip to California and Arizona. She saw an

American Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at s ...

for the first time on a stopover to a rodeo in Phoenix, Arizona. She noted that "I immediately recognized the Quarter Horse as being really exceptional – elegant, yet powerful." In 1945, Harris married, which resulted in three children.

Career

As her friends kept working with hunters and jumpers, she started buying quarter horses. She grew to having about 30 quarter horses and discovering cutting. She became the president of the East Coast Cutting Horse Association. In the 1950s she started showing

Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at s ...

s. Harris moved her farm to

Reddick, Florida Reddick is a town in Marion County, Florida, Marion County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 449, down from 506 in 2010. It is part of the Ocala, Florida, Ocala Ocala, Florida Metro ...

, in 1963, and started Bo-Bett Farm. She soon turned that 400-acre facility into what has been labeled a "Quarter Horse Camelot." In the late 1960s, Harris's mare, Judy Dell, kickstarted her business. She was a granddaughter of

member

Poco Bueno __NOTOC__ Poco Bueno was a brown American Quarter Horse stallion foaled April 10, 1944.Simmons ''Legends'' p. 31-37 He was sired by King P-234 and out of the mare Miss Taylor who was by Old Poco Bueno. Poco Bueno was named for his maternal grands ...

. Judy Dell's first foal, Eternal Dell, by

Eternal Sun Eternal Sun (1958–1985) was an American Quarter Horse foaled in 1958. He was a Quarter Horse race horse and an American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) show horse who competed in cutting and halter classes. He earned numerous AQHA awards thr ...

, became the farm's first stallion. Eternal Dell sired the

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

Majestic Dell who sired nine AQHA champions. In 1982, she bought a

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

named

Rugged Lark Rugged Lark (May 1, 1981 – October 26, 2004) was Quarter Horse stallion who was a two-time American Quarter Horse Association (or AQHA) World Show Superhorse as well as being a three-time AQHA World Champion. He is also the winner of the S ...

. "

Reining Reining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. All work is done at the lope (a version of the horse gait more commonly known worldwide as the canter), o ...

dressage Dressage ( or ; a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrian sport defined b ...

, driving,

hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

, pleasure horse, Breyer model, sire, bronze statue, Silver Spur winner, AQHA Superhorse, philanthropist. That was Rugged Lark." He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2006.

Death

Harris died on August 7, 2021. She was 98 years old. Harris was at home when she died from complications of cancer. She made her mark upon the equestrian world in many ways, including breeding, judging, and holding the president position at several equine associations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Carol 1923 births 2021 deaths People from West Orange, New Jersey American female equestrians AQHA Hall of Fame (members) 21st-century American women