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TTHHEE IINNVVEESSTTEERR16

Lou, was bred by Eldon England,Oklahoma City, Okla.

Zippo Pat Bars, a 1965 chestnut stallionby Three Bars (TB) and out of Leo Pat byLeo, had been purchased by Paul Curtnerof Jacksboro, Tex., to cross on his PocoPine mares.

The AAA-rated racehorse’s first foal crophit the ground in 1969. Among its 12 mem-bers were The Invester and Zippo Pine Bar.Both colts would go on to achieve legendary

The Invester – one of thepleasure industry’s first

great sires – is enshrinedin both the AQHA andNSBA Halls of Fame.

PPOOIINNTTEEDD FFIIRRSSTT TTOOWWAARRDD AA CCAARREEEERRas a halter horse, The Invester seemed des-tined to remain within that realm. And,while he and his offspring did well in thatevent, it soon became apparent that the stal-lion’s true calling would be as a rail horse.

Endowed with overall balance, a power-ful stifle, well-rounded croup and stronghocks, he was built to move.

The Invester, a 1969 sorrel stallion byZippo Pat Bars and out of Hank’s Peppy

Heidi Nyland

Endowed with overall balance and powerful hindquarters,

he was built to move.

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sire status and, in effect, serve as each oth-ers’ most formidable breeding pen rivals.

A Well Thought-Out Plan

The Invester first entered the show ringas a halter prospect named Hank Lou Bars.An up-and-coming young showman namedJerry Wells watched from the stands as thethen-70-something England showed the sor-rel weanling colt at the 1969 OklahomaState Fair.

While the youngster did not place wellin the class, Wells knew he had to havehim. He followed England out of the showpen and asked him if he would sell theyoung horse.

“I thought he was the hand-made, pret-tiest colt out there,” Wells recalled. “Hehad a very pretty head, a pretty neck, andabout as pretty a hip and croup as youcould put on one. And he had a nice stifle.He didn’t carry a humongous gaskin orhind leg, but it fit him. He had correctfeet and legs and he was made with over-all balance.

“I asked England what he’d want forhim,” he continued, “and he quoted me aprice. The biggest old tears came out of hiseyes when I said I’d take him.

“I asked if he was sure he wanted tosell him. He said he didn’t want to, butthought he should. The colt was going tobe a yearling soon, and England didn’tthink he’d be able to handle him.”

Buying the young stud for a modest$3,500 was an investment that would

The Invester1969 - 2002

Zippo Pat Bars

Hank’s Peppy Lou

Three Bars (TB)PercentageMyrtle Dee

Leo

Dunny Girl

Reed McCue

Dinky Rainbow

Last Hank

Logan’s Betty

Leo Pat

Dinky Reed

Logan’s Miss Lue

Halter and Performance Record: Open Performance Register of Merit; AQHA Champion;Superior Halter; AQHA Hall of Fame Horse.

Progeny Record:Foal Crops: 29 Performance Point-Earners: 687 Foals Registered: 1,163 Performance Points Earned: 21,029AQHA Champions: 11 Performance Registers of Merit: 341Amateur Champions: 1 Superior Performance Awards: 143Youth Champions: 4 World Champions: 4Halter Point-Earners: 158 High-Point Winners: 3Halter Points Earned: 1,476 NSBA Earnings: $313,220Superior Halter Awards: 4

jump-start Wells’ horse-handling career.The native Oklahoman would go on tosecure a firm reputation as a horsemancapable of finding the proverbial “dia-monds in the rough.” Among the other leg-ends he is credited with discovering and/orowning are Sonny Dee Bar, Te N’ Te,Impressive and Conclusive (see chapter 18).

But Wells didn’t keep the England-bred colt long enough to show him. Justtwo months after taking the youngsterhome to his new property and half-fin-ished barn, Wells found a buyer for him.

“I knew I probably wouldn’t have himthat long because he was sure stud materi-al,” he said. “Plus, I was going into busi-ness for myself then. My barn was justabout finished. I had room for a few hors-es in it, but I had to sell the new ones. Ididn’t have any place to keep him.”

In December of 1969, George Pardi ofFredericksburg, Texas, was in the marketfor a new horse. He asked Jack Benson to

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find a perfect riding horse for him; anolder horse ready to work under saddle.Two years earlier, Benson had boughtThree Storms from Wells on Pardi’sbehalf. The horse had been a racehorseand Pardi successfully showed him to hisAQHA Championship.

Unfortunately, Three Storms died soonafter Pardi purchased him. Benson andPardi were happy with Wells’ horse selec-

tion and went back to him for a replace-ment horse.

“Jack called looking for another horse forPardi,” Wells said. “He wanted an olderhorse he could get going under saddle. I hadThe Invester. I told him all about him. Hesaid he wanted an older horse, but he’d lookat him. I told him, if you look at him, you’llbuy him. I priced him at $15,000. That’swhat Pardi gave.”

While owned by George Pardi,

Fredricksburg, Tex., The Invester was shown by trainer

George Benson to anAQHA Championship

and Superior halter award.

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THE INVESTER

Here’s a nice circa late1970s shot of three menwho were instrumental in The Invester’s development as a topperformance sire. From the left, JerryStanford and Brad McCamy aremounted on a pair ofyoung Investers and JackBenson is astride of "the old man."

Vestida Moneca, a1973 sorrel mare byThe Invester and outof Muneca Mia,earned a Superior inwestern Pleasure.

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all. He was such a pretty son of a gun tohave a name like that. I don’t rememberhow we came up with The Invester, but Iknew his name had to be changed.”

With his new name and owner, TheInvester headed to Texas.

Texas UnlimitedAt the Pardi ranch, trainer Benson

quickly bonded with the horse he nick-named “Baldy.” Under his care and condi-tioning, The Invester earned Superior hal-ter horse status and was on his way tobecoming an AQHA Champion.

Benson knew he had to keep hisprized horse when Pardi dispersed hisstock in 1973. Owner and trainer workedout a plan. Benson would buy TheInvester for $25,000, paying $5,000 downand the remainder over time. Bensonmoved his training operation and hisnewly purchased horse to Irvin

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Wells added that The Invester went to theright place in a deal that was good for every-one involved.

“That little rascal went a long waytoward getting my barn finished,” he said.“That was a lot of money at the time. And,he found his niche. I might not have doneall that with him. I would have focused onshowing halter. It worked out well foreverybody.”

In the short time between theOklahoma State Fair and December 12,when Pardi signed for The Invester, Wellstook time for one more thing. He changedthe young stallion’s name.

At the time, Wells considered the horsea solid and well-planned investment.Little did he know that when he changedthe 8-month-old’s name, he established atheme that would identify Invester-bredhorses for years.

“Hank Lou Bars just didn’t fit him,”Wells recalled. “I didn’t like that name at

Vester Vision, a 1975sorrel stallion by The

Invester and out of MissPocket Money, was anAQHA Champion and

earned a Superior inwestern pleasure.

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THE INVESTER

Catchman’s ranch in Bellville, Texas.There, Benson stood The Invester andshared the profits with his landlord.

The move introduced Benson tonew friends who would be instru-mental in The Invester’s future.Future co-owner Brad McCamy firstsaw The Invester while working atCatchman’s. “He was running out inthe pen,” McCamy remembered.“Even if you didn’t know much abouthorses, you’d know there was some-thing special about him. He just hadthat presence.”

McCamy began working for Bensona year later. He watched Benson’s spe-cial bond with the stallion he workedwith daily, the stallion McCamycalled “Big Daddy.”

“I never saw anybody else ridehim,” McCamy said. “Then Jack wentaway and asked me to ride him so hewouldn’t be so fresh when he got

home. He was big and strong, but hecould stop and spin and work a cow. ForJack to let me ride that horse, that wassomething. He was special to Jack. Hetruly loved that horse. He promoted himand he knew what he had.”

The Makings of a Sire

Two years later, in 1977, the Benson-McCamy pair founded Stallions Unlimitedand co-owned The Invester. There, the sorrelstallion stood next to several of the day’s topstallions, including Hobby Horse and RedDee Hobby. The Invester quickly provedhimself as a promising young sire.

“For his first four or five foal crops, TheInvester was one of the leading sires of hal-ter class winners every year,” McCamy said.“Then, when those foals were old enough toride, we found out it wasn’t a fluke that a

Miss Balance Plus, a1979 palomino mareby The Invester andout of Miss Gay Gold,was typey enough towin halter futuritiesas a weanling, andbalanced enough toearn a Superior inwestern pleasure as a mature horse.

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few of them were good movers. We changedwhat we were doing and focused on breed-ing pleasure horses. They were what plea-sure horses should be.”

McCamy immediately recalls names ofThe Invester’s early and successful sons anddaughters. El Cicatriz, a 1973 bay geldingout of Bar Moon Miss, was the 1974AJQHA World Champion Yearling Gelding.The Pardi-bred gelding also earnedSuperior halter awards in both the openand youth division.

Later in life, El Cicatriz proved him-self an excellent mover. With ownerJocelyn Wejroch-Williams in the saddle,the aged gelding won numerous dressagecompetitions.

Of The Invester’s first successful get, a1973 mare named Vestida Moneca toppedMcCamy’s list. Nancy Cahill rode themare to her AQHA Register of Merit inperformance. Then the duo went on tobecome highly-successful in open westernpleasure competition.

In 1980, The Invester served notice thathe was a sire to be reckoned with when, atthe 1980 All-American Quarter HorseCongress, six of his get placed in the2-year-old snaffle bit futurity finals.

Trainer Marty Johnson successfullytrained three of the finalists with help fromher then-husband, Jerry Stanford: SureInvestment (first place), The Collateral (sec-ond), and The Matinee (sixth).

“Jack Benson made arrangements for usto ride and train three Investers while wewere employed at Misty Acres in Lufkin,Texas,” Johnson said. “The 1978 foals werebroke in 1979 and shown as early as July1980. They finished their 2-year-old careersat the 1980 Congress.”

The Investers won $55,390, or 58 percentof the total class purse. Tommy Manionand Sure Investment placed first. Stanfordrode The Collateral to a second-place fin-ish. Keith Whistle and Double Vestedclaimed the third spot, and Barney Hindson Miss Cash Ticket slipped into fourthplace. Investers Reward and The Matineestood by their family members in thefinals lineup.

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Invest In Ears, a 1979 bay gelding by The Invester and out of Miss CozyChick, was another great two-way performer. As a yearling (top), he won the1980 TQHA yearling gelding halter futurity and placed in the Top 10 at theWorld Show. As a mature horse, he earned Superiors in Open and Amateurwestern pleasure.

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THE INVESTER

Sure Investment, a1978 brown mare byThe Invester and outof Sure Edith, was ridden by TommyManion to win theprestigious 1980 AllAmerican QuarterHorse Congress 2-year-Old Futurity.

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Jerry and MartyStanford of Lufkin,Texas, trained several ofThe Invester’s earliestpleasure champions. Inaddition, the couplealso mentored anup-and-coming youngpleasure trainer namedCleve Wells in art ofmaking a winning railhorse. Here the trio isat an early 1980s TexasClassic horse show.

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Johnson remembers watching the futu-rity class with Benson.

“It was a real proud moment,” sherecalled. “When Jack realized the first sixwere Investers he started down the stairs,from where we were sitting to where Ihad moved to congratulate the winners,and said ‘We did it Red!’ That was a nick-name he had given me.

“It was a special moment and somethingthat hasn’t been duplicated. It was thebeginning of history. Soon after, if peopledidn’t have an Invester, they wanted one.”

In the next years, Johnson’s patient train-ing methods helped solidify The Invester’sget as successful competitors. Johnson andStanford worked with young Cleve Wells inHempstead, Texas. Wells, an experiencedcalf roper, was anxious to learn Johnson’straining methods and worked with themfor nearly six years. Johnson’s programconsisted of training the disciplines of dres-sage in western form.

“The Investers were beautiful and prettymovers,” Johnson recalled. “They present-ed an elegance in the arena. From the firstone that I rode, I knew they were train-able horses, but not by the ordinary way. Idid walking and stretching exercises along

with a modified dressage program. Theyhad to learn my program at the walk toapply it at the trot and then advance to thelope. Every day you’d regress back tothe walk, progress to the trot, then thelope and try to add something new tokeep their active minds from being bored.A lot of people were interested in theprogram.

“If people wanted to be successful onan Invester, they had to figure out howto be patient. These horses would tryyou, but with patience, they wouldalways reward you.”

Johnson remembers a special Investerson, Coys Investment, a 1979 gelding byThe Invester and out of Bonanza’s BayLady. Babs Bashore worked with Johnsonand took on the colt as her special project.She showed him to win an Open TexasClassic Futurity Reserve Championship.Jerry Wells then bought the young horsefor his daughter Nancy to show at the 1982Congress. The horse went on to earn openand amateur ROMs.

“Nancy stepped on him for the firsttime at the Congress, practiced for twodays, went in, and won the 13-and-underpleasure class,” Johnson said. “He packedher around and was extremely broke. Thecrowd just loved him. To my knowledge,Coy was the only 2-year-old to win a YouthWestern Pleasure class at Congress.”

Johnson remembers her favoriteInvester son from the 1980s. Invest InEars was out of Miss Cozy Chick. The1979 gelding known as “Ears” made hisdebut at the 1982 Silver Dollar Circuitin Las Vegas, Nev. He was circuit cham-pion, winning all five days withStanford in the saddle. Johnson alsoshowed him in hunter under saddleclasses at the 1982 Congress. “Ears” wonNSBA money and earned a Superior inamateur and open western pleasure. Healso earned his performance ROM as a3-year-old.

While The Invester’s first-generationget secured his reputation as a top sire,future generations assured that his legacywould live on.

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Impulsions, a 1987 chestnut stallion by The Invester and out of RandadosRosa, was ridded by Kelli McCamy to win 1989 AQHA World Champion 2-Year-Old Snaffle Bit Futurity.

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Ten years after his first pro genyclaimed Congress titles, a new generationof Investers entered the 1990 Congress3-year-old derby. Impulsions, a 1987 chest-nut stallion by The Invester and out ofRandados Rosa, won the prestigious eventwith Kelly McCamy in the saddle. Fivemore “Invester” get or grand-get placed inthe top 10.

Syndication and Change

In 1979, the McCamy-Benson duo wasencouraged to syndicate ownership of TheInvester. Only the Quarter Horse DocO’Lena (Legends 4) had been syndicated pre-viously. Spreading ownership would up thestallion’s advertising budget and limit thenumber of mares he bred. Benson andMcCamy held onto 20 shares and sold therest to breeders across the country.

“Each share guaranteed you could breeda mare a year for the life of the horse,”McCamy recalled. “We limited the bookand increased the quality of mares thatbred to him.”

The duo’s plan proved sound. The Investertopped the AQHA’s leading performancesire list and sired numerous AQHA high-point horses.

Then, a tragedy occurred in January, 1989,that cast the 20-year-old stallion’s futureinto uncertainty.

Benson was killed on his way to a Texashorse show. He stepped down from histruck and was hit by a passing semi. Thetragedy left the horse without the ownerwho cared for him and loved him. Aftermonths of mourning, Benson’s family agreedto sell the prized stallion.

Home for GoodIn the late 1980s, Dan and Carol McWhirter

of Doniphan, Nebr., were searching for abreeding stallion The couple knew allabout the aging sire because they had stoodhis son, The Big Investment, until hisuntimely death at age 6 in 1986.

THE INVESTER

Assets, a 1991 bay mare by The Invester and out of Miss Rebel Rita, wonthe 1994 NSBA 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Derby with Mary Carole Heckaman inthe saddle.

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Vested Pine, a 1991 sorrel stallion by The Invester and out of Zippos BayLady, won the 1996 All American Congress Western Pleasure MaturityLimited Open with Alex Ross aboard.

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In his short life, The Big Investment sired129 foals, which had earned 29 Superiors, 64ROMs, a collective 4,554 AQHA points. TheMcWhirters knew winning was a familytradition.

“We were looking for a new horse for ourbreeding program,” Carol said. “I had reallywanted The Invester earlier, but in this busi-ness the good horses don’t come up for salevery often. When Jack passed away, we wait-ed a polite amount of time. Then I called upJack’s wife and told her I was interested inbuying The Invester. She said the family justhadn’t decided what to do. She’d put me onthe waiting list and call when they wereready to sell.”

The following September at Nebraska’sPitzer Ranch Sale, Carol heard that TheInvester was up for sale. She was so excitedshe couldn’t sleep. She called to ask for a

price early the next morning. Acting as anagent for the family, noted horseman DaleLivingston priced the stallion. Carol calledup her longtime customer and world cham-pionship halter showman Wayne Atchley, ofElkhorn, Neb., to ask if he’d partner withthem to purchase the stallion. With a solid“yes,” the McWhirters and Atchley formedThe Invester Syndicate. All the pieces werefitting together to move the stallion north.

Then time stood still. Still rattled by theirfamily’s loss, the Bensons kept The Investeron their property for nearly three months.After legal setbacks surrounding the sale, theMcWhirters finally moved the stallion to hisnew home on January 3, 1990. When hestepped off the trailer, the McWhirters weresurprised to find a thin and neglected stallion.

“We were on a rescue mission,” Carolrecalled. “I truly believe that in another

The Big Investment, a 1980 sorrel stallion by The Invester and out of The Country Girl, sired 129 foals before his untimely deathat the age of six. His get went on to earn 29 Superior awards, 64 performance ROMs and 4,554 points. In 1998, The BigInvestment joined his sire in the NSBA Hall of Fame.

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THE INVESTER

month, he would have been dead. Wewouldn’t let Wayne see him for twomonths – and he owned him with us. TheInvester had big sores in his mouth. Ittook six to eight months to get to thepoint we didn’t have to apologize for hisappearance.”

“We had spent a lot of money on a skinnyhorse,” Dan seconded.

The McWhirters focused on getting TheInvester back to top form. They had anequine dentist evaluate and form his teethso he could better chew and process nutri-ents. Dan began feeding him a late-nightsnack of steamed rolled oats — a treat thatwas soon expected as part of TheInvester’s daily routine. Every night afterthe 10 o’clock news, Dan put on his coatand made a final trip to the barn. “He wasalways waiting for me,” Dan says.

Analysis and Research

As The Invester fattened up, theMcWhirters researched his siring trends andset up a plan to choose mares he wouldbreed. Carol spent countless hours on thephone with McCamy, discussing his exten-sive experience standing the stallion.Pedigree analyst Larry Thornton workedwith the McWhirters to review their newstallion’s progeny records and study whichbloodlines best crossed with The Invester.

Thornton found that mares with ThreeBars breeding that also carry Leo, Joe Reed,Chicaro Bill, and Joe Moore blood crossedespecially well with The Invester.

The Invester’s Bonafide, Collectors Prize,El Cicatriz, Good Invester, Impulsions, MissBalance Plus, Miss Cash Ticket, Mr Invester,

Principle Investment, a 1987 bay stallion by The Big Investment and out of Tiger Serena, was an AQHA Superior westernpleasure performer and the NSBA earner of $35,566.

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Ms Big Spender, Ms Safety Deposit, PardinMe, SR Market Invester, and Vester Visionare just a few Superior horses with thisbreeding scheme.

Carol says the syndicate establishedcareful breeding criteria. If a cus-tomer’s horse didn’t fit the criteria,she’d simply tell them about the researchthey had done. With education, theMcWhirters were able to help TheInvester pass on top traits to mares andstallions.

“The Invester is a true curiositybecause not only is he the sire of siringsons, he’s the sire of producing daugh-ters,” Carols said. “We don’t understandwhy. It’s unusual. So many horses in thebusiness are sire-line horses or mater-nal-line horses. He was equal.”

The Invester passed on traits that wereeasy to see in his offspring. Most notice-

ably, he passed on strong, low-set hocks,and a low tail set.

“There was no better hocked horsearound,” Dan said. “He could fix a mare’s jog.He was the epitome of what a Quarter Horseshould be.”

McCamy focuses on The Invester’s distin-guishable legs.

“His biggest attributes were his hocks,” hesaid. “He kept his foot on the ground whenhe loped and was just really powerful. That’sa trait that hasn’t diluted out.”

The BossLife was good for The Invester in

Doniphan. The McWhirters never sad-dled him and never put a chain over hisnose. Stabled in the first stall, he stoodnext to his buddy, Good Asset, by ZipposMr Good Bar.

“If Good Asset was outside too long, hewas looking for him,” Dan recalled. “Theminute you’d bring him in, they’d touchnoses through the bars. One day, Good Assetbit his nose. The Invester was mad for aweek. He stood on the other side of his stalland didn’t have anything to do with him.”

The Invester showed off his managementcharacteristics in other ways, too. WhenBrad McCamy visited the McWhirters shop-ping for broodmares, he went into TheInvester’s stall to see if he’d remember him.

After more than 10 years away from hisone-time co-owner and manager, TheInvester quickly recognized him.

“The Invester started dancing in hisstall,” Dan said. “When Brad led him out,he reached over and grabbed his sleeve. Iapologized and told Brad he’d never donethat before.”

“He wasn’t trying to hurt me,’ McCamysaid. “He just liked to do that. It was some-thing he and I had always done. He wasjust different from any other horse I’dbeen around.”

But while The Invester let you know hewas the boss, he was never mean or pushy.

“Anyone could lead him,” Dan contin-ued. “He’d stand just like a halter horse.You could drop the lead rope, walk off,

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The Collateral, a 1980 gray gelding by The Invester and out of Sage Siemon,ranks as one of his sire’s most durable offspring. In all, the versatile performerwas ridden by 16 open, amateur and youth competitors to earn 962 points.The 26-year-old trooper is show here in March, 2004, with his latest partner –Shanaine Huck of Vincent, Ohio. That’s trainer Don Jox with the good-looking pair.

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come back and he’d be standing rightwhere you left him.”

Some have said The Invester’s get can bedifficult to work with. Those close to thehorses say they are smart and incapable ofbeing intimidated. McCamy suspects thatThe Invester and his progeny helped rede-fine training, requiring trainers and riders toask before demanding.

“It wasn’t that the horses were tough,”McCamy explained, “If you had an Invester,you had high expectations. Some peoplefought with them and tried to change themby pulling their faces. They just weren’tgoing to take it. If you pulled and poked, theywould fight. The Invester was like that, too.You could correct him, then you had to leavehim alone. If you jerked him when he didn’tdo anything wrong, he’d paw your hat off.The Investers would not be intimidated. Youhad to train them by thinking, not by intimi-dating them. They taught us all how to bebetter horse trainers.”

It’s The Invester’s personality and pres-ence The McWhirters miss most. He easilybonded with those who worked with him.

One day in early 2002, when TheInvester struggled to get up, theMcWhirters knew it was time to saygoodbye. He had lost weight and his eyesappeared tired. Wanting to keep him com-fortable and healthy as long as possible,the McWhirters monitored his organs’function for more than a year.

On Feb. 28, 2002, The Invester waseuthanized.

“The morning that we made arrange-ments to put The Invester down, out of theclear blue sky Jerry Stanford called,” Carolsaid. “We hadn’t talked to him in sixmonths. He didn’t have an agenda, he justknew he had to call. Something was wrong.I was crying. I’ll never be convinced it wasjust coincidence.”

It was no coincidence. The Invester madehis presence known in and out of the showpen. His good looks, smart demeanor, andstrong, flowing movement secured his placein Quarter Horse history as a top QuarterHorse performer who was able to consis-tently pass on his strong characteristics tofuture generations.

THE INVESTER

Here’s a circa 2000shot of The Invester at his final home inDoniphan, Neb. Shown with the31-year-old legendare (from left) Carol, Daniel andDan McWhirter.Also pictured is"Roy" the Corgi.

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