DOC BAR

Doc Bar revolutionized the cutting industry in a way never seen before or since. The chestnut stallion was foaled in 1956 on Tom Finley’s Arizona ranch.  Doc Bar was by Lighting Bar by Three Bars (TB) and out of Dandy Doll by Texas Dandy.  The chestnut colt was bred to run, but failed miserably.

Earning a total of $95 in four outs, Doc Bar was given to Charlie Araujo of California to show at halter. This endeavor seemed doomed to fail because Doc Bar did not fit what the judge’s eye had been groomed to see.  The chestnut stood a scant 15 hands and did not have the punched-together look of his contemporaries.  The halter industry was ripe for change.  With Araujo at the lead and the stallion’s unique conformation, the guidelines for halter horse champions were altered almost overnight. Out of 15 shows, Doc Bar won nine grand champion titles and one reserve champion title.

Doc Bar attracted the attention of Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Jensen of Double J Ranch in Paicines, California. The couple had pieced together a broodmare band of Poco Tivio, Hollywood Gold, King and Leo mares, and was in the market for a stallion.  Doc Bar fit their needs and the couple bought him in 1963 for $30,000.  Over the following years, Doc Bar sired National Cutting Horse Association futurity winners, world champions and top-10 horses. A few progeny include Doc O’Lena, Doc’s Oak, Dry Doc, Doc’s Prescription, Doc’s Starlight, Fizzabar and Doc’s Kitty.  Grandget include Smart Little Lena, Lenas Peppy, Royal Mahogany, Tenino San, Docs Sangria and Doc N Willy. Not only did his sons and daughters find success in the cutting arena, but they also found success in other performance events including working cow horse, reining and western pleasure. According to AQHA records, Doc Bar sired 485 foals which earned over 7,000 halter and performance points and 27 AQHA Champions. Doc Bar is credited with bringing a totally different look to cutting horses and for putting the sweeping motion into the cutting horses of today.

Doc Bar’s legendary status lies in his ability to produce top cutting / performance horses. He is a leading sire of cutting winners over $9,102,255, and leading paternal grandsire of foals with earnings over $5,546,771. For almost 20 years Doc Bar’s get and grand-get would dominate the NCHA. Doc Bar’s ability to pass on his talent was apparent in the 1983 NCHA Futurity as 21 out of the 23 finalists all carried Doc Bar blood!

The key to Doc Bar’s success was summed up by Charlie Ward, manager of the Jensens’ ranch, “is that he’s so consistent in his type. His colts are all uniform and possess a lot of sense. They’re easy to train, they have a lot of natural ability – every one of them is cowy.”

Doc Bar died on July 20, 1992, at the age of 36, and was buried on the Jensen/Ward Doc Bar Ranch in Paicines, CA.  He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1993.  In 2007 Western Horseman magazine chose Doc as number two on their list of top ten ranch horse bloodlines.