Jerry Kimmel 100th NRHA Hall of Fame Inductee
An extremely successful businessman who immersed himself into the horse world upon retirement, not even his vision could have predicted the impact he would have on the reining industry.
Jerry was born and raised in Marshall, Michigan, where he began a business called Kevco Inc. with his friend Bill Everett. Over three decades, the business expanded to become one of the country’s leading distributors of plumbing and building materials and its headquarters were moved to Fort Worth, Texas. It continued to grow and went public in the 90s. Jerry thrived in the corporate world
but after decades of hard work, retired and settled down with his wife, Carmen, on a 225-acre ranch in Granbury, Texas. Shortly after his retirement began, Jerry got involved in the world of western pleasure with trainer Cleve Wells. He may not have stayed with that discipline, but its moniker accurately defined exactly what he got from horses – sheer pleasure. He once stated, “I
Jerry Kimmel retired totally from business. For me, horses are just fun.” After making his mark in the western pleasure pen, Jerry began to pour his heart, soul, and wallet into the reining world. Along the way, his love for horses created a legacy of friendship and goodwill that has seldom been replicated. It all started with one reining horse, Indy Star Dun It, which Jerry showed in NRHA Non Pro competition, but it was soon apparent that one would never be enough. He loved showing as a Non Pro, and a finalist slot earned at an event like the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) would have him bubbling with excitement. Through Jerry’s ability to make friends and the success of his horses, Kimmel Reining Horses became well known to reiners worldwide. His longtime relationship with NRHA Three Million Dollar Rider Tim McQuay and McQuay Stables centered around showing and breeding great horses and ultimately focused on his two beloved stallions, Dun Gotta Gun and Mister Nicadual. His home base, J Bar C Ranch in Granbury, Texas, worked in tandem with McQuay Stables to produce top reining horses. Jerry and Carmen lived on the property and their granddaughter Lindsey Raymond subsequently oversaw much of the breeding and fitting operations. continued on page 72 70
SEPTEMBER 2020
