Lightning Bar (1951–1960) was 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 ...

who raced and subsequently became a

breeding Breeding is sexual reproduction that produces offspring, usually animals or plants. It can only occur between a male and a female animal or plant. Breeding may refer to: * Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rab ...

stallion. He was bred by his lifelong owner Art Pollard of

Sonoita, Arizona Sonoita (; ood, Ṣon ʼOidag) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 818 at the 2010 census. The origin of the name of the CDP is the O'odham ''Ṣon ʼOidag'', which may be best t ...

, and was the offspring of

Three Bars 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

, a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

, and Della P, a Quarter Horse mare from Louisiana, then noted for the breeding of sprint horses. Lightning Bar raced ten times, achieving four victories and four other top-three finishes. His racing career was cut short by illness after only one year, following which he spent two years as a show horse. As a breeding stallion he sired seven crops, or years, of

foal A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal i ...

s, among whom

Doc Bar Doc Bar (1956–1992) was a Quarter Horse stallion that was bred to be a racehorse, became an outstanding halter horse, and in his sire career revolutionized the cutting horse industry. Life Doc Bar was foaled in 1956,Close and Simmons, ''Leg ...

was the best known. In 1960 Lightning Bar died of an intestinal infection at the age of nine. He was inducted into 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 ...

's (AQHA)

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

in 2008.American Quarter Horse Foundation "Lightning Bar"

Early life

Foaled, or born, in 1951, Lightning Bar was bred to be a race horse, but injuries and bouts of illnesses kept him from racing past the age of two. His breeder, Art Pollard, owned him for the horse's entire life.American Quarter Horse Association ''Official Get of Sire Record for Lightning Bar''. Lightning Bar was sired by Three Bars, a Thoroughbred

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 ...

later inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame. His dam was Della P, a daughter of the Thoroughbred stallion Doc Horn. His second dam, or maternal grandmother, was a mare who was never given a name, sired by Old D. J. Art Pollard purchased Della P from "Dink" Parker for $1,750 () in the late 1940s. Della P was bred in Louisiana, a leader in breeding short distance racehorses between 1900 and 1940,Denhardt ''Quarter Horses'' p. 55. and was taken to Arizona by Parker.Simmons "Lightning Bar" ''Legends 2'' p. 143. When Lightning Bar was about five days old Pollard was afraid that he had leg problems and was buck-kneed, and considered putting 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 ...

to sleep. He sought Parker's advice, and as Pollard later related the story, "Dink just looked at me and shook his head. 'Ain't you ever gonna learn nothing? That colt's just what you're looking for.' "Simmons "Lightning Bar" ''Legends 2'' p. 145. When mature, the

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 '' ...

-colored Lightning Bar stood tall and weighed about .

Racing and show career

Lightning Bar started on the racetrack ten times, winning four races, coming in second three times, and third once. Among those finishes, he ran second and third in two

stakes race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargon ...

s, a type of race for higher quality horses with a higher payout.Price and Shiers ''Lyons Press Horseman's Dictionary'' p. 200. His total earnings on the track were $1,491 (), and his highest

speed index Speed index (sometimes speed rating) is a system of rating the performance of Quarter Horse racehorses. The American Quarter Horse Association (or the AQHA) has used two systems over the history of Quarter Horse racing to evaluate racing performan ...

, or comparative rating of his speed, was AAA, the highest achievable at the time.Wagoner ''Quarter Racing Digest'' p. A-8. Lightning Bar raced for only one year, as he suffered from bouts of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

strangles Strangles (equine distemper) is a contagious upper respiratory tract infection of horses and other equines caused by a Gram-positive bacterium, ''Streptococcus equi''. As a result, the lymph nodes swell, compressing the pharynx, larynx, and tr ...

, and leg injuries. He equalled one track record for two-year-olds at the Los Angeles County Fair race meeting in

Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polyte ...

, running in 17.2 seconds.Simmons "Lightning Bar" ''Legends 2'' p. 146. After his racing career Lightning Bar went on to become a

show horse A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer fo ...

, earning 18 open

halter A halter or headcollar is headgear that is used to lead or tie up livestock and, occasionally, other animals; it fits behind the ears (behind the poll), and around the muzzle. To handle the animal, usually a lead rope is attached. On smaller ...

points with the AQHA, and an AQHA Champion award in 1955. He won one grand championship and one reserve championship in halter classes at recognized AQHA shows.

Breeding career

The first year Lightning Bar stood as a breeding stallion his

stud fee A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species (stallion, bull, rooster, etc.) usually imply that the animal is intact—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspr ...

, the amount charged to breed a mare to him, was $250 () but only nine

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

s were bred to him. The next year, he bred 11 mares, but in 1956, he bred 102 mares at $500 () each. One of Pollard's attempts to advertise his stallion involved letting one of his ranch hands take the horse to a local jackpot roping. Pollard assumed that the hand would just ride Lightning Bar around and show him off, but he later discovered that more was involved. Pollard said later that "I should have been suspicious when he (the ranch hand) returned with Lightning Bar that afternoon, with a sheepish grin on his face. I asked him how the horse was received and he said 'The stud did good and I won the jackpot!' After congratulating him, I asked which rope horse he had used. He replied, 'The stud.' "Simmons "Lightning Bar" ''Legends 2'' p. 147. Pollard said of Lightning Bar that "I always had to be careful about the kind of latch I used on a gate with that horse. He could figure them out faster than I could. He would open a gate, and go for a stroll." Lightning Bar sired 148 foals in his seven breeding seasons, and 118 of those foals went on to either race or show careers. Of his foals, 108 started races, and 77 won, earning a total of $476,949. The most successful of his foals, Lightning Belle, earned $60,134 (). Five of Lightning Bar's foals earned AQHA Championships: Cactus Comet, Crash Bang, Lightning Rey, Pana Bar and Relampago Bar; Lightning Rey earned a Supreme Championship. In addition, Lightning Bar's offspring earned $1,163.32 in

National Cutting Horse Association The National Cutting Horse Association (or NCHA) is a non-profit equestrian organization headquartered in the US. Their primary purpose is to promote and sponsor cutting events.cattle cutting competitions, and four earned a Superior Halter Horse title from the AQHA.Pitzer ''Most Influential Quarter Horse Sires'' p. 72.

Death and legacy

Lightning Bar died in June 1960 from

colitis-X Colitis X, equine colitis X or peracute toxemic colitis is a catchall term for various fatal forms of acute or peracute colitis found in horses, but particularly a fulminant colitis where clinical signs include sudden onset of severe diarrhea, abd ...

, a disease of unknown origin that can kill rapidly and without warning.Belknap ''Horsewords'' p. 113. It infected many of Pollard's horses; of those affected only three survived. Heartbroken, Pollard sold his remaining stock and did not return to the Quarter Horse business for 15 years. He said later that "it was a nightmare when they were wiped out. Even now, we can still feel the sadness of losing those horses."Simmons "Lightning Bar" ''Legends 2'' p. 149. Another time, Pollard remarked that "Someone once said that a man deserves one good woman and one good dog in his lifetime. To that quip I would add one good horse. I certainly had one in Lightning Bar."Nye ''Complete Book of the Quarter Horse'' p. 283. Lightning Bar was inducted into the AQHA's American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2008.Staff "Hall of Fame: Inductees Represent the Best of AQHA" ''Quarter Horse Journal'' p. 48. His most famous son was

, who was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. Lightning Bar's daughter Glamour Bars was the dam of Impressive, who became well known as one of the leading sires of halter horses.Simmons "Lightning Bar" ''Legends 2'' p. 148. Two stakes races were run in Lightning Bar's memory, the first at Los Alamitos Race track in California for one year in 1961. The second ran from 1962 to 1966 at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico.Smelker ''Quarter Racing Stakes Horses I'' History of Events section, p. 53.

Pedigree

Notes

Citations

References

* American Quarter Horse Association. ''AQHA Official Get of Sire Record for Lightning Bar''. American Quarter Horse Association Records Department. Accessed on May 24, 2009. * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

All Breed Pedigree of Lightning Bar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lightning Bar American Quarter Horse sires American Quarter Horse racehorses 1951 racehorse births 1960 racehorse deaths AQHA Hall of Fame (horses)