Clabber (1936–1947) was a

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 ...

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 ...

known as the ''Iron Horse'' for his ability to run and win match races after a day of ranch work.Simmons, et al. ''Legends 2'' p. 129

Life

Clabber was registered as number 507 with the

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 ...

(or AQHA). Foaled in 1936, he was

sorrel Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ('dock' being a common name for the genus '' ...

in color. His registration listing gives his sire as My Texas Dandy #4900 by *Porte Drapeau (TB). His first

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

was Blondie S by Lone Star by Gold Enamel (TB). The second dam, or maternal granddam, was given as Emory Goldman by Capt. Joe.American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) ''Official Stud Book and Registry Combined 1–5'' p. 94 He was recorded as having been bred by Frank Smith of Big Foot, Texas. A. A. Nichols of

Gilbert, Arizona Gilbert is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located southeast of Phoenix within the city's metropolitan area. Incorporated on July 6, 1920, Gilbert was once known as the "Hay Shipping Capital of the World". It is the fifth-larg ...

registered him with the AQHA. He traced twice to Traveler on his dam's side.Clabber Pedigree at All Breed Pedigree
retrieved on June 23, 2007 Sometimes his dam is given as a daughter of Uncle Jimmie Gray (TB) named Golden Girl or Golden Wheel, but the AQHA considers his dam to be Blondie S. Nichols said that as a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

, the

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 ...

had such big feet that his friends teased him and said that the horse's feet looked like

clapboards Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of these terms, is wooden siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping. ''Clapboard'' in modern Americ ...

, thus the horse's name. Certainly, Clabber was no pretty horse, and had a number of conformation faults.Groves "The Iron Horse: Clabber" ''Quarter Horse Journal'' p. 18

Racing career

Clabber's racing record is listed as "not available" in the ''Quarter Racing Digest'' but it does list that he was awarded a Race Register of Merit and was named World Champion Quarter Running Horse for 1940–1941.Wagoner ''Quarter Racing Digest'' p. 223–224 In 1944, Clabber beat Painted Joe but in the Stallion Championship race only managed a

dead heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...

with Bartender.Haskell ''Racing Quarter Horses 1944'' p. 19 Besides his racing career, he also was a ranch horse, and the ranch hands also competed on him in

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

events, winning events at the local rodeos in

team roping Team roping also known as heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a steer (typically a Corriente) and two mounted riders. The first roper is referred to as the "header", the person who ropes the front of the steer, usually around ...

and calf roping. It was through Clabber's ability to be a ranch horse all week, run races on the weekend and maybe compete in a rodeo that he earned his nickname of "The Iron Horse."Staff "Iron Horse' Clabber Dies" ''Western Livestock Journal''

Breeding record

Frank Vessels Jr of

Los Alamitos, California Los Alamitos () is a city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,780 at the 2020 census, up from 11,449 at the 2010 census. The adjacent unincorporated community of Rossmoor uses the same 90 ...

bought Clabber from Nichols in October 1944 for $5000. Vessels only got two foal crops before Clabber died. Vessels said of him "Although most of his offspring had many of his conformational defects, they also had much of his ability, desire to run, and general intelligence." Among Clabber's foremost offspring were Chester C, Buster, Jeep, Flicka, Wagon N, Peggy N, and Tonta Gal. His leading money earner on the track was Clabbertown G, a 1946 sorrel stallion who earned $16,130.00. Twenty-six of his offspring earned Race Register of Merits. He died of a head injury on January 1, 1947, in California. Clabber was inducted into the

AQHA 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 ...

in 1997.

Pedigree

Notes

References

*
All Breed Pedigree Database Pedigree of Clabber
' retrieved on June 23, 2007 * * * * * * * *

External links

Clabber at Foundation Horses

Clabber at Quarter Horse Directory

Clabber at Quarter Horse Legends
{{authority control American Quarter Horse racehorses American Quarter Horse sires 1936 racehorse births 1947 racehorse deaths AQHA Hall of Fame (horses)