NRCHA Foundation Stories from the Shedrow

FROM THE

Through stories from the shedrow, the NRCHA Foundation continues to preserve the heritage and traditions of reined cow horses.

Presented by Kalpowar Quarter Horses

Doc N Missy took Bobby Ingersoll to the 1978 Snaffle Bit Futurity® Champion title.

In 1978, the first Doc Bar-sired horse won the National Reined Cow Horse Association Snaffle Bit Futurity®. In fact, Doc N Missy was the only horse sired by Doc Bar to earn that distinction. Bobby Ingersoll piloted the mare, owned by Oxbow Ranch, to that title. It may seem like a small piece of the pie containing all of Doc Bar’s contributions to the reined cow horse industry, but it is an important piece.

Ingersoll, who lives in Reno, Nevada, accepted the Hall of Fame inductee presentation on behalf of Doc Bar’s connections at the Teton Ridge Stallion Stakes in March. It is fitting, as Ingersoll can point to multiple career highlights that were directly due to the sire.

The first National Cutting Horse Association Futurity Doc Bar-sired horse was ridden by Ingersoll, Knotty Bar (out of Mansita by Jimmy Reed). Then, there were multiple other reined cow horses he piloted to titles before earning the Snaffle Bit crown.

“I showed Rub A Dub Doc to win the first all-around Championship at the Cal Expo in the middle 70s, and I won the Bridle Sweepstakes at the Snaffle Bit Futurity and a number of Open Bridle Horse championships and Non Pro championships,” Ingersoll recalled. “Then there was Docs Abe, who was fourth in the 1971 Snaffle Bit Futurity and won the Hackamore Maturity on him in 1972 in Santa Rosa then became a bridle horse Sweepstakes champion at the Cow Palace, and there may have been a few more.”

Ingersoll out in the time on Doc Bar bred horses. But for him, Doc N Missy (out of Missy Hankie x Tonto Bars Hank) topped them all.

“She was definitely an athlete, good minded, quick footed and accepted training in three different disciplines,” he said. “It’s hard enough to train one in one discipline, but she did them all. She was great down the fence and I marked 78s and 79s down the fence. She was a great all-around cow horse. She went on to [show] in the NCHA and became the NCHA World Champion Mare in 1981 with Bobby Nelson after I had her.”

For Ingersoll, the mare had the mind that all trainers in reined cow horse wanted to find. Plus, she had the talent that matched her grit in the cow pen.

“She was one of the greatest individuals I ever trained. I showed in the Snaffle Bit Futurity 43 years, I showed 103 3-year-olds and only 16 finished out of the money,” said Ingersoll.

High praise for the NRCHA Hall of Fame horseman and NRCHA judge. While Doc N Missy was the only mare that Doc Bar sired to win the Snaffle Bit Futurity, his influence was proved out in the two Dry Doc (Doc Bar x Poco Lena x Poco Bueno) winners—Plumb Dry and Miss Rey Dry—and the other Doc Bar-sired stallions that had offspring in the winners spot.

“She was definitely a great one. To win the Snaffle Bit Futurity and then go to the NCHA and be a world champion, not too many horses have done that,” he said. “They were great horses.”