90 EQUUS 498 AUTUMN 2019
Grey Badger II (1941, 14:2 hands) was by Midnight Jr. by
Midnight, a grandson of both Peter McCue and Billy the
Tough; out of Grey Annie by Billy the Tough by A.D. Reed
by Peter McCue. Grey Annie was out of a mare by Casey
Jones, also by Peter McCue so this horse is “double bred”
to more than one ancestor. Grey Badger II sired Grey Badger
III (1947). Like King P-234, the Badgers exemplify Quarter
Horse “type,” but unlike Peter McCue and many of his get,
they are stout-bodied with legs of iron, and they are built for
all-around ranch use. Note the shapely but slightly shorter
neck, the deep muzzle which almost guarantees correct
eruption and occlusion of the teeth, and more substantial
fore and hind limbs. Badger-breds have tons of “cow” while
Grey Badger II was also a speedy racehorse and sired some
successful racehorses. Grey Badger II is an AQHA Hall of
Fame horse and the maternal great grandsire of Peppy San
Badger, the all-time great cutting horse bred by the King Ranch.Doc Bar (1956,
14:2 hands) was by
Lightning Bar by Three
Bars, a Thoroughbred
of the Touchstone
branch of the Eclipse
family; out of Dandy
Doll, a granddaughter
of My Texas Dandy.
Dandy Doll’s dam
was Bar Maid F,
tracing in sire line
to Thoroughbreds of
the Himyar line, and
her tail-female also
goes to Thoroughbred.
The Doc Bar dynasty
produced numerous
champions in reining including Topsail Cody (1977, 14:1
hands, by Joe Cody of the King Ranch Old Sorrel line). Doc
Bar’s influence in cutting and reining has lasted for decades.
Although Doc Bar himself is three-quarters Thoroughbred
and shows no Arabian characteristics, this author can
personally attest that many of his get and grand-get show
Arabian traits in both conformation and behavior. This came
about during the 1960s when a hardship clause in AQHA
rules allowed mares to be registered by inspection, so that
no matter what their actual bloodlines, they could receive
Quarter Horse papers. Many American Arabians that camefrom *Indraff breeding
had “cow” and could
turn around very fast,
something well proven
by Harold Brite who
trained many of them
for reining and beat
Quarter Horses in open
competition so often
that he was ultimately
officially invited not to
come back.
The “Quarab” or
Quarter Horse-Arabian
cross is today the
most common of all
“grade” crossbreds in
the United States, and
in this author’s opinion not only one of the most beautiful
strains but also very useful for beginner riders because
Quarabs combine the placid Quarter Horse temperament with
the sound feet and endurance capabilities of the Arabian.
Doc Bar-bred Quarter Horses tend to be rather small, some
standing below 14 hands, and thus are not suitable for
general ranch work. Doc Bar himself is well-conformed
and has an exceptionally beautiful head. Doc Bar remains
a leading sire of AQHA champions, National Reining Horse
Association champions and Arena Register of Merit winners
and has rightly earned his place in the AQHA Hall of Fame.GREY BADGER II
DOC BAR
RANCH-BREDS AND SHOW HORSES