"If Jackie Bee had been a man instead of a horse, he'd have been the kind of man you'd like to partner up with; the kind of man you'd be proud to call a friend."
High praise indeed, but it is exactly how Duane Walker of Canton, Kansas, feels about the big gray stallion with whom he shared 23 years of his life.
When Walker introduced the Jackie Bee line of horses to the AQHA show world in the early 1970s, it was seen by much of the country as a completely new, male-based strain. Walker doesn't disagree with that assessment, but knows that there's a bit more to the story.
"Looking back," he says, "I guess I'd have to agree with those folks who thought Jackie Bee founded a new family of Quarter Horses. They were unique in their look and consistent in their size, structure, muscling and color. And they bred true to type.
"Where I'd tend to disagree is that I don't think Jackie did it all by himself. He had a little help along the way, both from the outstanding line of foundation Quarter Horses he came from, and the outstanding foundation Quarter Horse mares he was bred to. It was a combination of those factors that created the new line. Western Horseman Legends Book
Volume 5 Ranked #9 Top Bloodline used in todays working ranch remudas by Western Horseman Magazine - October 2007 | Get Record:
Total Points Earned: 7,879.50
Registered Foals: 1,009
Number Shown: 268
Point Earners: 197
Halter Points Earned: 3,913.50
Halter Point Earners: 168
Halter Superior Awards: 12
Perf. Points Earned: 3,966
Perf. Point Earners: 222
Perf. ROMS: 91
Perf. Superior Awards: 8
AQHA Champions: 16
Total Superior Awards: 20
Total ROMS: 91
Total World Champions: 3
Total Res. World Champions: 4
High Point Wins: 3
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