Two Eyed Jack 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 ...

and showhorse, and the leading all time sire of

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) Champions.

Life

Two Eyed Jack was foaled in 1961, a

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 '' ...

stallion bred by H. H. Mass. His sire was Two D Two, a descendant of

Old Sorrel Old Sorrel, sometimes known as The Old Sorrel (1915–1945), was a Quarter Horse stallion who was the foundation of the King Ranch linebreeding program for Quarter Horses, and the cornerstone of the King Ranch horse breeding program.Denhardt ''K ...

. Two D Two's dam was a

linebred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders and o ...

Little Joe mare, Little Joe being a son of Traveler. Triangle Tookie was a daughter of Grey Badger III, and a granddaughter of

Grey Badger II Grey Badger II (1941– 1972) was a noted Quarter Horse match racer and sire in the early days of the American Quarter Horse Association or AQHA. Life Grey Badger II foaled on May 5, 1941.Simmons, et al. ''Legends 2'' p. 58 He was registered w ...

. Tookie's dam traced back to Joe Hancock P-455.All Breed Pedigree Database Pedigree for Two Eyed Jack
retrieved on July 17, 2007 Triangle Tookie produced five AQHA Champions in her breeding career, including Two Eyed Jack.Gaines "Two Eyed Jack is #1" ''Horseman'' August 1979 p. 22-30

Show career

Howard Pitzer bought Two Eyed Jack in 1964 to cross on Pitzer's Pat Star Jr mares, after the horse had already earned many of his lifetime 217 AQHA open halter points. Owned by Pitzer, he earned the rest of those halter points, as well picking up another 46.5 points in

Western Pleasure Western pleasure is a western style competition at horse shows that evaluates horses on manners and suitability of the horse for a relaxed and slow but collected gait cadence, along with calm and responsive disposition. The horse is to appear to ...

, 7 points in hunt seat, 3 more points in Western Riding, 3 in working cow horse and 6 points in

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 ...

. Those points earned Two Eyed Jack an AQHA Superior Halter Horse award along with his AQHA Championship and a Performance Register of Merit.Pitzer ''The Most Influential Quarter Horse Sires''p. 149-151 Pitzer had previously looked at Two Eyed Jack twice before purchasing him, once when he was ten days old, and then again when Jack was two at the Denver Stock Show. The second time, Pitzer told his companions that Jack was a nice horse, and that he'd make an "awful nice gelding."Dixon ""He Would Make An Awful Nice Gelding"" ''Quarter Horse Journal'' November 1979 p. 130-137

Breeding record

Two Eyed Jack is the all-time leading sire of AQHA Champions, having sired 119 Champions. He also sired sixteen AQHA World Show Champions, as well as 242 Performance Register of Merit earners.Thornton "Two Eyed Jack" ''Southern Horseman'' July 1990 p. 64-78 He also sired three AQHA Supreme Champions.Swan ''Legends 3'' p. 160-167 His daughter Vickie Lee Pine was the 1978 AQHA World Show Superhorse. Among his other offspring were Two Eyed Patti, Two Eyed Donna, Watch Joe Jack, Two Eyed Del, Deacon Jack, Two ID Bartender, Jack Eyed, and Two Jack.

Death and honors

Two Eyed Jack stood 15.2½

hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...

high and weighed 1350 pounds. He died on March 2, 1991. He's buried on Pitzer's ranch in

Ericson, Nebraska Ericson is a village in Wheeler County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 92 at the 2010 census. History Ericson was platted in 1886 by the C.B.& Q. railroad when the railroad's line to Greeley was extended to that location. It was nam ...

where Pitzer buried all his stallions.Wohlfarth "Last Rites" ''Quarter Horse Journal'' July 1996 p. 14 He was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2007 ''Western Horseman'' magazine chose Two Eyed Jack as number four on their list of top ten ranch horse bloodlines.Denison "The Top Ten Ranch Horse Bloodlines" ''Western Horseman'' October 2007 p. 34-41

Pedigree

Notes

References

All Breed Pedigree Database Pedigree for Two Eyed Jack
retrieved on June 20, 2007
AQHA Hall of Fame
accessed on November 11, 2010 * Denison, Jennifer and Ross Hecox (ed.) "The Top Ten Ranch Horse Bloodlines: ''Western Horseman'' ranks the top bloodlines used in today's working ranch remudas" ''Western Horseman'' October 2007 p. 34-41 * Dixon, Cathy ""He Would Make An Awful Nice Gelding":Howard Pitzer Talks About Two Eyed Jack" ''Quarter Horse Journal'' November 1979 p. 130-137 * Gaines, David "Two Eyed Jack is #1" ''Horseman'' August 1979 p. 22-30 * Swan, Kathy ed. ''Legends 3:Outstanding Quarter Horse Stallions and Mares'' Colorado Springs:Western Horseman 1997 * Thornton, Larry "The Working Lines: Two Eyed Jack" ''Southern Horseman'' July 1990 p. 64-72 * Wohlfarth, Jenny "Last Rites" ''Quarter Horse Journal'' July 1996 p. 14

External links

Two Eyed Jack at Quarter Horse Directory

Two Eyed Jack at Quarter Horse Legends
{{authority control American Quarter Horse show horses American Quarter Horse sires 1961 animal births 1991 animal deaths AQHA Hall of Fame (horses)