The 2019 American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame inductees were honored at the Hall of Fame Banquet on March 10 at the Omni Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas.
“Induction into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame is the highest honor possible in our Association, and we welcome these deserving individuals into the Hall of Fame,” said Craig Huffhines, executive vice president of the American Quarter Horse Association.
The horses inducted into the Hall of Fame are the stallions Harlan, Mr Jess Perry, Tiger Leo, Trippy Dip (TB), Zippos Mr Good Bar and the mare Vital Signs Are Good.
The four men and one woman who joined the Hall of Fame are Billy Allen of Scott City, Kansas; AQHA Past President Johne Dobbs of Gastonia, North Carolina; the late J.M. Frost III of Houston; the late Hans Hansma of Granum, Alberta; and AQHA Past Executive Director of Publications Jim Jennings of Amarillo, Texas.
Harlan
Harlan was foaled in 1951, sired by Hank H and out of the Beetch’s Yellowjacket mare Dixie Beach. He was bred by Paul and Jack Smith of Indiahoma, Oklahoma, and was last owned by the Harlan Syndicate of Collinsville, Oklahoma. Harlan sired the earners of $15,241 in the National Cutting Horse Association and one AQHA world champion. He sired 17 AQHA Champions. His get earned 1,123 halter points and 1,873 performance points. Six of his foals started on the racetrack. Eight foals earned Superiors. In 1965-66, Harlan was the leading get-of-sire winner. Harlan died in May 1973 of a stroke and was buried on Bob and JoAn Robey’s farm in Perkins, Oklahoma.
Mr Jess Perry
Mr Jess Perry is a leading sire of champion racehorses. The 1992 sorrel stallion was by Streakin La Jolla and out of the Sinn Fein mare Scoopie Fein, and was bred by Jesse Perry of Alexandria, Louisiana. Born to run, Mr Jess Perry was the AQHA racing champion 2-year-old and champion 2-year-old colt in 1994. In the breeding barn, Mr Jess Perry sired the earners of more than $52.7 million, making him one of only three Quarter Horse stallions to do so. He also sired 138 stakes winners and 156 stakes-placed horses, including nine racing champions. He is known as a sire of sires, as he sired Apollitical Jess, the current leading sire of money earners, and One Famous Eagle, the current No. 2 leading sire of money earners. Mr Jess Perry was euthanized November 15, 2017, at age 25, due to complications of laminitis, and was buried at the Four Sixes Ranch.
Tiger Leo
The 1958 sorrel stallion Tiger Leo was by American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member Leo and out of the Thoroughbred mare Connie by Reno Lion. He was bred by the late Bud Warren of Perry, Oklahoma, also a member of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. After retiring from his AAA-rated racing career, Tiger Leo went to the show ring where he earned an AQHA Champion title and earned AQHA points in cutting, reining and halter. In the breeding shed, Tiger Leo was a versatile sire. Of his 482 foals, 91 point-earners earned 5,943.5 points in AQHA competition, as well as $94,380 in cutting and other performance events.
Trippy Dip
The 1976 Thoroughbred mare Trippy Dip, bred by S.F. Henderson of Odessa, Texas, earned $78,169 on the track and then went on to become the definition of a model broodmare, earning the AQHA Racing Dam of Distinction title. In all, the speedy mare produced 16 foals that shared her speed and earned $1.746 million on the track. Of 15 starters, seven earned black type. Her first foal, Calyx, was the first AQHA champion distance horse, and he has sired the earners of more than $7 million. Trippy Dip’s 1987 daughter, Florentine, has also been recognized as a Dam of Distinction. Trippy Dip was euthanized in June 1999.
Vital Signs Are Good
The 2000 red roan mare Vital Signs Are Good was by Zippos Mr Good Bar and out of Vitalism by An Awesome Mister. She was bred by Kristin T. Rinkenberger of Morton, Illinois, and was last owned by Joe and Karen Moran of Laguna Hills, California. She won the AQHA 2-year-old western pleasure world championship in 2002 and continued winning. She earned 13 world championships, eight reserve world championships and eight Superiors. She earned $288,581 before becoming a broodmare. Of her 24 foals, 18 have been performers, including two open world champions, an amateur world champion, two open reserve world champions and the earners of 3,132.5 points. Her offspring have earned $67,561 at AQHA world shows and $374,586 in National Snaffle Bit Association competition. She died January 24, 2017.
Zippos Mr Good Bar
Zippos Mr Good Bar was by American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Zippo Pine Bar and out of Tamara Wess by Blondy’s Dude. He was bred by Norman Reynolds of Lexington, Nebraska, and was last owned by John and Sondra Narmont of Auburn, Illinois. From the breeding shed, Zippos Mr Good Bar passed on his good looks and his winning ways. His foals have earned 22 AQHA world championships, 17 reserve world championships and 286 Superiors. They have earned more than 5,000 points in Palomino Horse Breeders of America competition and almost 63,000 in AQHA competition. Zippos Mr Good Bar’s offspring have earned $3.2 million in the show ring. He was inducted into the National Snaffle Bit Association Hall of Fame in 2000. He died July 22, 2016, and was buried at Richland Ranch. His daughter Vital Signs Are Good joins him in the Class of 2019.
Billy Allen
Billy Allen was born into a family of farmers who had working horses, not show horses. He grew up dreaming of being a world champion roper and rodeoed for a while, but in his mid-20s, he started training horses instead. Since he started roping in AQHA, Allen has earned 11 world championships in halter, heading, heeling, reining and working cow horse. In 1976, Allen campaigned three different horses to year-end high-point titles in reining, tie-down roping and team roping. In addition to training horses, Allen established Billy Allen Feed Co. Allen is a 30-year breeder and a longtime judge who taught at AQHA judges seminars. He is a past president of the Kansas Quarter Horse Association and was inducted into the KQHA Hall of Fame in 2005.
Johne Dobbs
AQHA Past President Johne Dobbs has spent her life with American Quarter Horses. She began competing in the youth division and then started in amateur competition in 2016. Her children also grew up showing in AQHA. She established Johne Dobbs Insurance Agency in 1992. Dobbs was a youth adviser and director for the Illinois Quarter Horse Association before becoming an AQHA director in 1997. She served on the marketing, equine research, and nominations and credentials committees. She was elected to the AQHA Executive Committee in 2010 and served as president in 2013-14.
J.M. Frost III
The late J.M. Frost III was an exhibitor, owner and breeder of Quarter Horses from its beginning and was active in AQHA until his death. A fourth-generation Texan, he was born at the Frost Ranch in Houston, where he became involved in the oil and gas industry, which supported his ranching and horse endeavors. In 1971, he had a complete dispersal sale, well before the establishment of the AQHA World Championship Show, but the Frost-bred Call Me Royal won a world championship in senior reining in 1978 and the Frost-bred Ossun won a reserve world championship in youth western pleasure in 1977. In all, Frost bred horses that earned 6,502 points in all divisions. Frost was influential in setting up the National Cutting Horse Association and was inducted into the NCHA Member Hall of Fame. He also owned influential Thoroughbreds, including Azure Te. Frost became an AQHA director in 1962 and served until 1985 when he became one of the first directors emeriti. At the 2013 AQHA Convention, he was recognized as the senior member of the AQHA board.
Hans Hansma
The late Hans Hansma was an American Quarter Horse breeder who founded the Quarter Horse Association of Alberta and promoted American Quarter Horses in Europe. Hansma was a founding director of the Alberta Stakes and Futurities Association, which has become the Canadian Supreme, the largest western performance event in Canada. Hansma was a founding director of the Alberta Reined Cow Horse Association and the Junior Quarter Horse Association of Alberta. He has been inducted into the Canadian Supreme Hall of Fame. In 2002, Hansma was awarded the distinguished service award from The Horse Industry Association of Alberta.
Jim Jennings
For more than 37 years, Jim Jennings was the publisher and historian for The American Quarter Horse Journal. He began with the magazine in 1971 as an associate editor. From 1974 until 1998, Jennings took photos of every AQHA world champion. Jennings led the publication division through changes, including the establishment of two more magazines, the Quarter Racing Journal and America’s Horse. Under his guidance, all of the publications won multiple awards. He has written four books. He retired in 2008 but continues to write, including award-winning scripts for “Red Steagall is Somewhere West of Wall Street” on RFD-TV.
About the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame
The American Quarter Horse Foundation connects people and horses through charitable giving in order to develop and support programs or initiatives that preserve our horse’s legacy and further the overall well-being of the American Quarter Horse and the people who comprise the Quarter Horse family.
The American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum fulfills the Foundation’s mission by beautifully showcasing the hundreds of horses and people who have earned the distinction of becoming part of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. These inductees are chosen each year by a selection committee and inducted into the Hall of Fame at the annual AQHA convention. They are also honored each year at the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame Dedication, which is a special celebration where the newest class’ display cases, featuring artifacts and information about each Hall of Famer, are revealed.
