For anyone that has been involved with halter horses for any significant amount of time knows that the name, Sartain, is synonymous with halter world championships. Unfortunately, the one thing Terry Sartain does regret is that he never kept up with how many World Champions he received–but he says it is probably between 250 to 300 in five different breed associations. Sartain says his current goal is to win an AQHA World Championship–that is the only one he is still striving to attain.
Currently Terry and his wife Karen of eleven years run Sartain Equine Management In Cullman, Alabama where they specialize in fitting and raising halter horses. Sartain says that Karen is the brains behind the business, and he credits her for all of his current success and accomplishments. They are currently standing AQHA Reserve World Champion and Congress winner, Conclusively A Fella.
Besides being successful in the horse show ring, Terry is also a founding member of the WCHA (World Conformation Horse Association) and has been a carded judge for over 25 years. He also has three children–Nick, 31, who recently won the World Championship for the PRCA in Heading, Amanda, 33, who is known as the golfer, and Whitney, 29, who was Terry’s horse show girl with 12 Youth PHBA World Champion titles including a Golden Horse.
Q: Hi Terry! So, where did you grow up?
A: I was born in Arkansas but raised in Nacogdoches, Texas on a dairy farm. I grew up around animals and showed cattle at my local 4-H and FFA.
Q: I heard you did a tour in Vietnam. What was that like?
A: It was in the early 70’s. I was shipped off to the Vietnam War when I was 19 where I was an infantry squad leader. It was pure hell, and I remember having eight men’s lives in the palm of my hand.
Q: Was it normal for a 19 year-old to be an infantry squad leader?
A: I don’t now if it was normal, but they sent me to leadership school, so, I guess they thought I was ready for the challenge.
Q: So, How did you end up into horses?
A: When I got back from my year in Vietnam, I helped my father, Sam McKinnie, with raising and training horses. He had always had horses, but he started to get more interested in the breeding and training aspect–that is where I developed my interest in showing horses.
Q: When did you start training for the public?
A: In 1972, I started training Appaloosas. I had raised, fitted, and showed a horse named Bando Sands, that was the High Point Halter Stallion in the state of Texas and that is what started people wanting to bring their horses to me. I had set a goal of winning a world championship within five years. In 1977, my dream came true when I was Appaloosa World Champion in the Three Year-Old Stallions with one of my favorite all-time horses, On Cloud Nine. He was an amazing show horse and sire He was a Triple A race horse with a 103 speed index which was very fast during this time period. He also cost quite a bit of money even for today’s standards–$75,000, but he was worth every penny.
Q: I heard you had a rivalry back in the day with Ted Turner who also started in the business showing Appaloosas?
A: We kind of had a love/hate relationship. (He laughs) We were highly competitive, but we are still really good friends to this day.
Q: Who would you describe as your mentors?
A: Jerry Wells and Matlock Rose. Jerry Wells was the greatest horseman that ever lived. He did it all–the racetrack, roping, halter, and had some of the best stallions–Boston Mac, Winchester. He would go into the bushes to find talent. Anybody can buy a good one–but he would go out and find them out in a pasture–fit them and win the world on them. He was a true horseman.
Q: What were some of your favorite moments that stand out in your career?
A: I remember a time when a girl who was in a severe car accident and was wheel chair bound came up to me at the Paint World Show and tapped me on my shoulder.
She said that she heard that I was going to throw my hat in the stands if I won the Yearling Mares tonight. I laughed and asked her where she heard that from? She looked at me with these big brown eyes and said that she would love to have the chance to catch my hat. It almost brought tears to my eyes. I told some of my friends that if I win that you better catch the hat so I could give it to that girl! My friends did catch it and gave it to her. She came up to me later and had me autograph it. Her mother told me when I see her from time to time that she still has it hanging on her wall.”
Q: What was another favorite moment?
A: Another memory that stands out in my mind happened four or five years ago. It involved a Paint lady who had a tremendously talented halter horse that she had raised and fit herself. She had such a nice horse, but the judge’s were overlooking her because she didn’t have a name. She came out of the arena one day really frustrated at a Tulsa show and was crying. She came up to me and said that she didn’t have any money, but asked me if I would show her horse for her at the World Show. I told her that I thought she had a horse good enough to win it and I told her that I would definitely show her horse for her. She also told me that if I won that she was gong to jump over the rail at the world show and run into the arena and give me a big hug. Well–that is exactly what happened. It was in the John Justin arena at Fort Worth–and when I did win, she jumped right over the rail and gave me a huge hug and the crowd went wild. It is stories like these that keep me in the horse business. I love the people, the horse, traveling, and judging and seeing horses I may never have the chance to see if I didn’t have the opportunity to be a judge.
Q: That is a great story. Thank you, Terry, and good luck to you in the future.
A: Thank you!
Photo © Jeff Kirkbride
