Million Dollar Sires: 
DRY DOC By Glory Ann Kurtz

Most horsemen will agree that a majority of horses are only "as good as their mothers."  Figures are recklessly tossed around in everyday conversation that the mare is responsible for everywhere from 50 to 90 percent of how the colt turns out and though no one has seemed to come up with the scientific answer, it is universal understanding among horsemen that a colt's mother is a very important factor when breeding. If you don't believe it, just check out prices of young horses in the sale ring. A majority of horses selling in the sale ring have great sires, but it is the dam that separates the high sellers from the mediocre.

Million-dollar sire Dry Doc is an example of the importance of selective breeding. He was sired by Doc Bar, the legendary sire that revolutionized the cutting horse business, but so were thousands of other horses. What made the difference was his dam, the legendary Poco Lena.

In the beginning

Although she was characterized by some writers as a "lanky, unwanted weanling daughter of Poco Bueno out of Sheilwin," Poco Lena was first trained and shown by Pine Johnson. She was foaled on the E. Paul Waggoner's 3D Ranch near Arlington, Texas in 1949. But Waggoner gave the bay filly to his manager, Glenn W. Turpin.

When she was a 3-year-old, Johnson rode her to her first in a string of records, winning both the Junior registered and NCHA-approved Open cutting, with 33 entries, at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas.

It wasn't long before she caught the eye of trainer Don Dodge, who purchased her. Then for 10 consecutive years, from 1953 until 1962, with Dodge and later, B. A. Skipper, Jr., who purchased her in the spring of 1959, in the saddle, she was among the NCHA Top 10 cutting horses. Although she never won the NCHA World Championship, she won well over twice as much total money in approved contests as her nearest competitor and was Reserve World Champion five times, NCHA World Champion Cutting Horse mare three times and Co-Champion of an NCHA Tournament of Champions.

In 11 years, ending in 1962, she placed in 395 cutting horse contests approved by the NCHA, winning a total of $99,782.13 in competition. This amount stood first in the all-time cutting horse money winners list until 1978 when Mr San Peppy and Buster Welch surpassed the $100,000 mark.

Poco Lena's NCHA career was brought to an end by a tragic accident to her owner, B.A. Skipper, Jr., in 1962. Poco Lena had just won a big show in Douglas, Ariz., and Skipper sent the mare home to Texas in a trailer with Pee Wee Clements, while he flew his private plane. The plane crashed and Skipper was killed on Oct. 1.

But the time also turned out to be a very traumatic experience for Poco Lena, as she was left in a horse trailer without food or water and was not found until Oct. 5. As a result, she foundered to the extent that she required medication to relieve the pain the rest of her life.

In fitting recognition of this tremendous achievement, Poco Lena was awarded the NCHA Hall of Fame Certificate No. 1 and a plaque attesting to this honor hangs in the home of the NCHA office in Fort Worth.

Poco Lena was put in the Skipper Estate Dispersal Sale and drew a bid of $14,200 from J. G. Madden, Minden, La., but for some unknown reason, the sale never went through. Later, she was purchased from the Skipper Estate by Dr. and Mrs. Stephen F. Jensen, Paicines, Calif., and bred to their up-and-coming cutting horse sire, Doc Bar.

Many felt the Jensens were foolish to purchase a 15-year-old, crippled mare that had never conceived. But the Jensens were persistent and after two years of work with the mare, she was safe in foal to Doc Bar.

The first colt out of this famous cross was Doc O'Lena. Her second and final colt was Dry Doc, foaled in 1968. Rather than allow Poco Lena to suffer any longer, the Jensens didn't rebreed her and made the difficult decision to put her to rest after Dry Doc was weaned.

As a 3-year-old, Dry Doc, destined to become a legend in his time, was purchased by Mel Chartier, a well-to-do excavating contractor from Fairhaven, Mich., who got into cutting as a hobby.  Chartier, the youngest of four children, had been raised with horses, as his father, who built roads and golf courses with horses, was also a horse trader, buying and selling draft horses and later light horses. Chartier remembers coming to Fort Worth to sell loads of horses.

In 1963, Chartier had gone to Dallas, Texas, with a friend on a business trip and watched his first cutting horse work. Later, he took lessons from the now great Western artist, Chuck DeHaan, and decided that he wanted to own a cutting horse. His first horse was Bellmat, the 1966 World Champion gelding, later described by Mel's son, Randy, as a "homely Texas reject," but ironically he became Randy's first cutting horse. Next, Mel purchased a gelding, Doc Luck Bar, which, ridden by Shorty Freeman, placed third in the 1969 NCHA Futurity.

Chartier went to the 1970 NCHA Futurity and saw Doc O'Lena take home the championship in an impressive manner. Later, he spotted an ad in the Quarter Horse Journal that read: "Introducing Dry Doc, 2-year-old colt by Doc Bar and out of the great mare Poco Lena."

Chartier called Buster Welch, who he felt was the greatest cutting horse trainer, and asked him to make arrangements to buy Dry Doc, which he knew was a full brother to Doc O'Lena.  Welch managed to work out a deal with Jensen, allowing him to take Dry Doc for training and give Chartier the option to buy him within 60-90 days.

The price for Dry Doc on March 11, 1971 was $25,000, and Chartier took two of his business partners in with him on the deal: Stanley Petitpren, who owned a Budweiser Beer franchise and Frank Ward, a furniture dealer.

"They both believed in me and when I asked them if they wanted in on the deal, they said yes," said Chartier in a recent interview. "We didn't have a contract, but the deal was that they wouldn't go near Dry Doc's stall or touch the horse. They're both great guys and are still both my friends today."

Welch continued to train Dry Doc and the pair were entered in the prestigious NCHA Futurity. But they had a lot to live up to since Dry Doc's full brother, Doc O'Lena and Shorty Freeman, had won the event the year before.

But Chartier didn't need to worry, as Welch rode Dry Doc to the 1971 NCHA Futurity Championship. Chartier's hobby had now turned into a growing business.

Shortly after the Futurity, Chartier bought out Ward's share of Dry Doc and later Petitpren's part. On Nov. 23, 1975, he became the sole owner of Dry Doc.

"They took pictures of us and Dry Doc after he won the NCHA Futurity and Ward's wife saw the picture and made him sell his interest," said Chartier. "We had purchased some mares and a farm together, and later he said, 'It's your horse,' and he sold his interest in all of that back to me. Sometime later, Petitpren also sold his interest back to me because his wife didn't like the horses. But they both made money."  After the Futurity, Chartier and his son, Randy, were the only ones to ride the great stallion.

In 1973, Dry Doc was awarded his AQHA Register of Merit in cutting and in 1974, he was the AQHA Reserve World Champion in Senior Cutting, ridden by Mel Chartier. The following year, Mel Chartier and Dry Doc finished third at the AQHA World Show and received their AQHA Superior in Cutting.  In 1976, the pair were Reserve Champions in the NCHA Non-Pro World Championship Finals.

Mel Chartier's business interests kept him from showing Dry Doc extensively until 1977, when he entered the Indiana, Ohio and Michigan State Fairs, the Quarter Horse Congress and the Washington International Horse Show, gaining dollars and points at each. The last stop for the year was the NCHA Finals in Amarillo, Texas.

The year 1977 proved very productive as Dry Doc won $4,683 in 19 NCHA Open shows. He earned his NCHA Bronze Award that year, by winning more than $10,000 in lifetime earnings in NCHA Open competition, and his offspring, Dry Doc 15 and Dry Docs Dottie, also began to prove his ability as a cutting horse sire, by placing 4th and 9th in the NCHA Futurity.

In 1978, Mel Chartier, riding Dry Doc, finished fifth for the year in the NCHA World Championship standings. It was the first year he was shown consistently all year. They also were Reserve Champions at the NCHA Non-Pro Finals.

As the 1979 NCHA point year rolled around, Chartier realized he had done everything with Dry Doc he would ever want to do Ñ with one exception, he had not qualified him for the Hall Of Fame. So Chartier hauled only to selected cuttings in 1979, easily earning the $3,376 needed to qualify Dry Doc to the Hall of Fame.

"I believe the Washington International, which I won, was the last show that I showed him at," said Chartier in a recent interview.

Before he was retired from the cutting arena, Dry Doc had earned 96 AQHA cutting points and over $85,148 in NCHA lifetime earnings. Following in his famous mother's footsteps, he also became a member of the NCHA Hall of Fame in 1980.

Dry Doc as a sire

"He's just too valuable to haul down the road," said Chartier, referring to Dry Doc after the 1978 year was over. "I wanted to haul him enough last year to get him in the Hall of Fame. We only needed $3,300 and we won over $35,000." Chartier then retired Dry Doc to stud.

Throughout his lifetime, Dry Doc sired 1,388 colts from 26 foal crops. Of those 1,388, 527 were AQHA performers. A total of 205 offspring earned 90 Register of Merits and one was an AQHA Champion. Eight performers earned their Superior and three were All-Around champions. His offspring earned 3,160 total AQHA points.

According to Equi-Stat, the statistical division of Quarter Horses News, 406 of Dry Doc's offspring have won over $4 million in cutting, reining and working cowhorse competition, averaging a whopping $9,866 for each horse that showed. According to the National Reining Horse Association, his offspring have won over $50,520 in reining competition. Several offspring have also been stars in the working cow horse discipline, including Plumb Dry, who won over $80,000 and the 1984 championship of the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity.

Some of his early winners included Dry Doc Myrene, which won the first go-round of the 1975 NCHA Futurity. Dry Doc Dottie was 4th and Dry Doc 15 was 9th in the 1977 NCHA Futurity. In 1978, Dry Doc Dottie won the All-American Quarter Horse Congress, Dry Sherry was Reserve Champion of the California Snaffle Bit Futurity, Miss Dry won the Non-Pro Division of the NCHA Futurity.

In 1979, Bo Doc, a gelding that was out of a half Thoroughbred mare, was third in the nation in NCHA Open competition, with Randy in the saddle, was World Champion Cutting Gelding and was winner of the NCHA cutting at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress. De Doc and Randy were also the 1979 NCHA Non-Pro Division Area Work-Offs Champion.

As Randy worked toward becoming the 1979 World Champion Non-Pro rider, he used Bo Doc through September and finished the year with De Doc. At that time, De Doc was the only horse that had won both go-rounds and the Finals at the NCHA Finals, held that year in Amarillo, Texas. And Randy was the all-time high money winner in the Non-Pro division, winning $38,732.45.

"The story about Bo Doc and De Doc are interesting," said Chartier, "Buster bought eight mares from the 6666s and I bought four, breeding some for him. Bo Doc was out of a Triangle Dancer mare that was half Thoroughbred, so she didn't have AQHA registration papers.

"I stood Dry Doc at Dr. Graham's in Elgin, Texas, and Buster took his mares to him, including Josey Fime by High Time Billy, De Doc's mother. He turned the mares out at Sweetwater and when he brought the colts up to break them as 2-year-olds, they looked like sheep. He wormed them and fed them up a bit and sold De Doc and Bo Doc to Billy Chipps and Ronnie Titsworth, Paducah, Ky., for $2,500 each.

"Billy Chipps broke and trained them both and later Pat Earnheart rode Bo Doc in the NCHA Futurity, where I think he made it to the semifinals. I bought him after that for $7,500.

"Billy Chipps rode De Doc in the Non-Pro and didn't do much good, so he took him home. In the meantime, in 1979, Randy was on the road, showing Bo Doc in both the Open and Non-Pro, and it was getting hot and Bo Doc was getting tired, so I bought De Doc from Billy Chipps in September for $50,000 for Randy to ride."

A breeding operation

Although Mel Chartier had reportedly been offered $3 million for Dry Doc, he wouldn't sell him. He built a major horse operation around the stallion in Fairhaven, Mich., called Fairhaven Farms.

But the mares didn't just flock to Fairhaven. At first Chartier felt the number of mares bred to Dry Doc was adversely affected by some of his friends' prejudices.

According to an article in the September 1980 issue of Western Horseman Magazine, Chartier said, "He (Dry Doc) was a Yankee living up in Yankee land and there were two years he got 'zero' mares from Texas."

"If Dry Doc had a problem, it was me," said Chartier recently. "If he would have been standing in Texas, he would have been bronzed."

His first foal crop of seven offspring came during 1972. The following year, that jumped to 21 offspring. However, after Dry Doc was retired to stud, and his offspring began to win, his court increased substantially. In 1980, there were 98 foals born, in 1981, 107. His largest foal year was in 1986, when 127 foals were registered with the AQHA.

Looking back today, we find that Dry Clean, a 1983 gelding out of Snip's Cherie by Smoke 49, was the leading offspring of Dry Doc, earning $279,505 in the cutting arena, including the Open Championshp of the 1987 NCHA Super Stakes for $109,339. Dry Oil, a 1978 stallion out of Leoila Sue by Leo Oil earned $217,905 as a weekend warrior owned by J. V. Cox III.

Dry Dot, a 1978 daughter of Pocita Minos by Wimpy Jr. earned $124,521 for Louisiana politician J. E. Jumonville, Jr., who won the championship of the 1982 NCHA Non-Pro Super Stakes and tied for third in the Open.

"Right after her win, Marion Flynt wrote a check for $250,000 for the mare," said Chartier.

But the fact that the mare was even born is a miracle.

"Pocita Minos was bought in a load of killer mares," said Chartier. "Kenneth Meister, who owned restaurants and met markets in Michigan, took her out of the load and bred her to Dry Doc twice."

Other offspring winning over $100,000 included Dry Doc's Dottie, a 1974 daughter of Limestone Bird by Leo's Question, winning $104,608. The mare was owned by Charles Chatfield and ridden by Lindy Burch when she finished third in the 1985 NCHA World Championship Open Standings and was named World Champion Mare.

Dry Darlena, a 1980 mare, out of Hug Me Chickadee by Hug Me Chick, owned by Jim Weaver and ridden by Tom Shelly, had $102,016 in lifetime earnings.

Magic Cross

Dry Clean's $279,505 in earnings, made the magic cross for Dry Doc, Smoke 49, but the real magic cross seemed to be the cross of Dry Doc on Leo's Question mares, with four Leo's Question mares producing foals with $249,469 in earnings. The most consistent mare seemed to by Limestone Bird, the dam of Dry Doc's Dottie, $104,608; Drys Peppermint, $41,062; Stone Dry, $35,190; Dotties Brother, $28,051; Limestone Dry, $18,405 and Seco Doc, $1,525.

Another Leo cross was with Leo Oil, whose daughter Leoila Sue produced six head with earnings of $239,560.

The best cross, while Dry Doc was owned by the King Ranch, was on the Peppy San Badger mares, with 18 mares producing foals which won over $224,550. Crossed with Mr San Peppy mares, the offspring won a total of $195,425.

But Dry Doc's offspring's success was not limited to the cutting arena. Besides siring Plumb Dry, the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Champion, he also sired Miss Rey Dry, owned by Paula and David Hunsicker and ridden by Sandy Collier to the championship of the 1993 NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity and earnings of $40,556. In fact, according to Equi-Stat, in the past seven years, he sired 21 horses competing in the reined cow horse arena, winning $62,196.

Also, over eight years, he sired 33 horses that earned close to $40,000 in reining competition.

Dry Doc's producing daughters

While Dry Doc was a great sire, he has turned out to be an even greater maternal grandsire. He sired 46 mares that produced offspring earning $2,033,299, averaging $44,202 per producing mare.

Some of his leading producing daughters included Miss Dry, which earned only $7,306 in NCHA money herself, but produced eight offspring earning $234,836. Her highest money-earning offspring was Haidas Dude, a 1989 gelding, owned by Silverbrook Farms and ridden by Rodney Schumann.

"I believe she sold in the NCHA Futurity Sale for $75,000," said Chartier.

Rey Jay Janie produced six offspring with $191,137 in earnings, with her leading offspring being Rey J Smart, earner of $58,783. Dry Docs Jubilee produced four head which earned $136,783, including Dox Happy Times, a 1985 gelding owned by Dan Lufkin with earnings of $102,649. He was ridden by Lindy Burch to the finals of the 1988 NCHA Open Futurity and Lufkin rode him to sixth place in the Non-Pro Futurity.

Prissy Doc was the dam of six head with $133,713 in earnings, including Peppy Lynnea, a great horse on the West Coast ridden by Scott McClurg to numerous wins, with total earnings of $103,357.

Dry Doc was the maternal grandsire of 374 grandbabies earning $5,308,980, averaging $14,195 per grandbaby.

The list is headed by Dry N Freckled, the 1984 gelding, sired by Freckles Playboy and out of the Dry Doc mare Miss Santana Doc. The gelding was owned by Gil Galyean and ridden by Jody Galyean to numerous aged-event wins and has lifetime earnings of $288,816. However, later, while owned by Tom Loeffler, he took Stanley Bush to the 1991 NCHA Finals. In 1992, Bush finished the Finals as the Reserve Champion and Loeffler finished the Non-Pro Finals in third place.

Peppy Polka Doc, a 1980 mare by Peppy San Badger out of Polka Doc, carried her owners, Buster and Sheila Welch to many wins and $192,795 in lifetime earnings.

Miss Peppy Also, a 1977 mare, sired by Mr San Peppy and out of Miss Dry Doc, and owned by Helen Groves' Silverbrook Farms, won over $168,324 in lifetime earnings, including the Reserve Championship of the 1981 NCHA Open Super Stakes and 1982 NCHA Open Classic/Challenge with Buster Welch in the saddle. Haidas Dude, owned by Silverbrook Farms, sired by Haidas Little Pep out of Miss Dry, also won $162,199, including finishing fifth in the 1992 NCHA Futurity and winning Augusta in 1993.

Other maternal grandbabies earning over $100,000 include Lena Dry Doc, a 1985 mare by Freckles Playboy out of Docs Bratsur with $156,162 in earnings; Chloes Freckles, a 1983 mare by Colonel Freckles out of Dry Doc 27, $126,645; Peppy Lynnea, a 1982 mare by Peppy San Badger out of Prissy Doc, $103,357, and Dox Happy Times.

The winning didn't stop in the cutting arena, however, as Dry Sugar Rose, a 1995 mare by Primary Pine out of Dry Sugar Lena, won $105,188 in reining competition. Charles Vaughn owned the mare but Larry Rose rode her to a tie at the 1998 All-American Quarter Horse Congress Reining Futurity and finished third at the prestigious NRHA Futurity in Oklahoma City.

Dry Doc as a grandsire

As a grandsire, Dry Doc had 590 grandbabies earn $2,365,056, averaging over $4,000 per grandbaby. Plumb Dry, the winner of the National Reined Cow Horse Snaffle Bit Futurity was the leading stallions sired by Dry Doc, and is the sire of offspring earning close to $375,000, including Branded I Love, a 1994 gelding that has earned over $77,120 in lifetime earnings. The gelding, owned by the owners of Plumb Dry, Lee and Karen Brooks, won the 1997 PCCHA Non-Pro Gelding Stakes and finished second in the Non-Pro of the PCCHA Futurity.

He also sired Plumb Eternal, a 1988 gelding with $68,428 in lifetime earnings, also owned and ridden by Brooks in Non-Pro competition, as well as Plumbs Blaze, a 1990 gelding, owned and shown by the Brooks to over $48,705.

Other successful stallions by Dry Doc include Dry Doc 15, sire of money earners winning $163,084; Dry San, $131,795; Dry Deck, $121,453; Dry Doc 17, $122,300; Mr Canada Dry, $121,912, and Dry Rein, $106,993.

Dry Doc sells

Why didn't Chartier syndicate Dry Doc? In that same issue of the Western Horseman, he said, "Money isn't everything. I've got that pride of ownership. I've owned Dry Doc for nine years, he's a friend of mine and I've had a lot of fun with him." But in February 1982, Chartier sold half interest in Dry Doc to Forrest Warren of Warren Quarter Horses, Rosharon, Texas.

"He gave me $1.5 million for half interest," said Chartier in a recent conversation. "He was to pay all the expenses and I was supposed to be able to breed all my mares to him for life."

Warren was a former chairman and chief executive officer of Southwest Bancshares, the fifth largest bank holding company in Texas at the time, and a former officer and director responsible for the groundwork and growth of the Houston Oil and Minerals Corporation.

Dry Doc stood the 1982 breeding season at the Oak Tree Ranch, located south of Houston, owned by L. M. Pearce, Jr., for a $7,500 stud fee.

"Forrest was a good man," said Chartier, "and he always kept his word. I delivered the horse and gave them two weeks to examine him and collect him and then they paid me out on time, which was fine."

That was a relaxing year for Mel Chartier, as he hauled De Doc for the NCHA Non-Pro World Championship title. The pair finished the year in third place with $53,848, following John Paxton and Sandra Cardwell, who rode another Dry Doc offspring, Dry Deck.

However, in May 1983, at the age of 15, Dry Doc joined Mr San Peppy and Peppy San Badger (Little Peppy), when he was sold to the King Ranch in a reported "multi-million-dollar deal." His fee in 1983 was $10,000.

"Forrest called me one day and said that he wanted to sell out," said Chartier, "so I delivered Dry Doc to Joe Stiles on my birthday, July 15,1983 to the King Ranch. That was one of the sadest days in my life."

But Chartier was rewarded with half of a deal amounting to $4 million, which included the price for the sale of the horse and breedings he would receive in the future.

The sales contract included a clause which entitled Chartier to 10 breedings per year for the next 10 years and two breedings every year thereafter, to both Dry Doc and Peppy San Badger. Little Peppy stood the 1983 breeding season for $5,000. The contract made Chartier's interest worth more than $1.5 million in breeding fees alone.

The sale reunited Welch, who was a consultant to the King Ranch, with the horse he trained and rode to the NCHA Futurity Championship 12 years before.

The King Ranch owned Dry Doc for six years, but then, in 1989, in a surprise move, a decision was made to sell Dry Doc. According to Chartier, the sale had to be done by Dec. 31.

"Joe Stiles called me one day and asked me if I wanted to buy Dry Doc back," said Chartier, "but after selling him for that much money, I knew I couldn't pay anywhere near that to get him back. I kept hoping he would call me and tell me I could have him for $250,000, but he never did."

Instead, the stallion went back to California, the state of his birth. But Chartier's two breedings per year were intact. John Hanley of the Hanley Ranch, San Rafael, Calif., and Jerry Louie, Chico, Calif., formed a partnership called Pacific Coast Ltd., and purchased Dry Doc.

The 21-year-old stallion stood the 1989 breeding season at the Hanley Ranch for a $1,500 stud fee. Hanley was ecstatic with his purchase, saying that owning Dry Doc made his cutting horse world change forever.

"Buster Welch was a Dry Doc fan and I was a Buster Welch fan, so I asked him for his thoughts. Buster said, 'John, of all the studs available, Dry Doc is certainly the best. They will love him out on the Coast. The No. 1 asset this horse has is that the babies are trainable and he has genetic integrity. The bloodline works.'

"He was the real thing," said Hanley. "He promised and then he delivered on all fronts. Jerry Louie, Dry Doc and me became partners. We made a deal. Jerry and I would take care of him and he would take care of us. And he did, over and over again. Ask Jerry, he'll tell you that the Dry Doc partnership was the best horse deal he ever made."

Hanley said that it was a gamble to purchase Dry Doc in a down market, wondering if he would stay potent at age 21. But the breeders responded with a resounding "yes," and the gamble paid off beyond expectations.

The 1992 foal crop consisted of 47 foals; in 1993, there were 28 foals; 1994, 22 foals; 1995, 10 foals and 1996, 11 foals were registered with the AQHA.

The rest of the story

Although Chartier is now retired with Christine, his wife of 16 years, and is living in Kerrville, Texas, he still owns a couple of Dry Doc geldings and a few Paint horses, along with a few cattle that keep him busy.

"My stepdaughter, Elizabeth Jo Cameron (BJ), 35, cuts in the Amateur division and her two kids show in Youth competition," said Chartier.

Randy, who is a very active NCHA judge, runs the old broodmare facility in Fairhaven and rents the old Fairhaven Farms, where he trains outside horses and helps non-pros. He and his wife Kelle, who also rides cutting horses, have three children ages 17, 15 and 13.

Mel Chartier's youngest son, Todd, who has never had an interest in horses, is doing a highly successful job of running Mel's old excavating company. Mel also has two daughters that have no interest in horses.

But Mel still has many happy memories about Dry Doc.

"He knew he was special," said Chartier. "When we took him out of the stall to show him to someone, he would stand like a king."

But what Chartier remembers most about the stallion was how disciplined he was.

"Wherever we went with Dry Doc, and wherever we put him, he never caused any trouble," said Chartier. "You could put him in a chicken coop and he would never touch anything and never try to get out. You could put him in any old, broke-down place, and you could be sure he would be there in the morning."

Chartier said you could unload him, tie him to the side of a horse trailer and go into a restaurant and have supper, and you could be assured when you came out that he would still be standing there - just like a ranch horse.

"You'd never know he was a stallion," said Chartier, "but maybe it's because I always bred him at 10:30 in the morning in a certain spot ... never anywhere else at any other time.

"But what really blows my mind," said Chartier, "was that no matter how many ramps we would drive up or over, when we went up the ramp and exited I-94 at our homeplace exit, he would always nicker. We could have gone up and over 100 ramps, and he wouldn't say a word, but at that ramp, he would always nicker."

Dry Doc put down at 29

On April 4, 1997, Dry Doc was humanely put down at the age of 29. He had finished his life with dignity at the Hanley ranch, where he stood since 1989.

"We bred him last year, but he was really sore from having been foundered some time in his life," said Brad Vaughn, the Hanley Ranch general manager, following Dry Doc's death. "I quit breeding him; I thought it would help. It didn't."

On that final April morning, Vaughn told Hanley, "this horse doesn't owe anybody anything. I think it's time." John sadly agreed and they walked Dry Doc down the lane out into the mare pasture and onto a little knoll, where he was put to rest.

Only one mare had gotten in foal to Dry Doc in 1996, and the spring of 1997, the final offspring, a precious filly, was born out of Docs Hobo Star, a daughter of Docs Star Barred. Vaughn's wife, Kim, talked candidly of her experiences with the stallion after his death.

"Dry Doc was definitely one in a million. He was so very special and handsome and he knew it himself. When people came to the ranch, we would take him out and walk him out on the lawn outside the barn. He would show off every time for them. He would stand so proudly.

"The Quarter Horse industry will miss him as so will everyone else who knew him. I hope he is never forgotten."