Candy Bar Bobbie, with foal at side in 1989. Candy was foaled May 30th, 1972. She is still alive and doing quite well, despite the appearance of cataracts in both eyes. She sees well enough to make it in and out of the barn and an occasional romp in the pasture. Candy's claim to fame is her broodmare record. She is the dam of Sugars Investment, a 1980 gray mare that was Honor Roll Champion in Western Pleasure in 1982. She also produced multiple futurity halter champions.
Sad News: Candy began going downhill the first of March 2005. We knew her body was starting to shut down and we made the decision to have the vet put her down. The morning the vet was coming she passed on her own. She laid down on her mama's grave and died. We buried her not far from that spot. She was not a show horse but was a super broodmare, producing multiple futurity champions and the 1980 Honor Roll Western Pleasure Horse for AQHA, Sugars Investment. We truly miss seeing her out in the pasture, but have comfort knowing she lived the "life of Riley" in good health for all of her 33 years.
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Bars Minnie Chick
3/8/1979-7/26/2006
She was one of the quarter horse industries youngest AQHA Champions. She earned her title in the fall of 1982, her three-year-old year. Minnie was purchased from and trained by Eddie McMurtrie of Plainwell, MI. After her championship, she was retired to the broodmare band. At the time, I lived in Texas and Minnie was leased to Bingaman Quarter Horses in Aubrey when I moved back to Sturgis. While in Texas, Minnie was snake bit twice, foundered on pasture grass and developed navicular disease (the result of the hard pounding to get her championship). After the lease was completed, Minnie returned to Michigan. She was bred several times through the years , but only produced two show foals; Skips Elegant Chick, who achieved the ranking of third in the nation in youth mares in 1998 with my daughter, Erin, showing, and Miscalculated Step, multiple event point earner. We quit breeding Minnie in 1996 and she became a pasture pet. Minnie was a very sweet mare and often allowed foals of other mares to nurse on her. She was a great babysitter. Over the years, Minnie developed arthritic knees and the older she got the harder it was for her to get around. We kept her on special feed and supplements to help keep her comfortable but we knew her days were numbered. On July 25, 2006 she took an unusually long time to get to the water tank for a drink and afterward she laid down. She stayed down all night and we called the vet the next morning. It was time to say goodbye. The vet examined her and said she had foundered again. It was hard to comprehend because we kept her body weight light because of her knees. She was 27 years old and was buried not far from the barn. A sweeter mare never lived.
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