Sheila Varian
Encyclopedia
Sheila Varian is a breeder of Arabian horse
s who lives and works at the Varian Arabians Ranch near Arroyo Grande, California
. She grew up with a strong interest in horses, and was mentored in horsemanship by Mary "Sid" Spencer, a local rancher and Morgan horse
breeder who also introduced Varian to the vaquero tradition of western riding
. She started her horse ranch
, Varian Arabians, in 1954 with the assistance of her parents. Raising and training horses has been her full-time occupation since 1963. She still uses vaquero-influenced methods of training horses, though she has adapted her technique over the years to fit the character of the Arabian horse, which she views as a breed
requiring a smart yet gentle approach.
Varian has produced
a number of influential Arabian horses, whose bloodlines are found in a significant number of winning Arabian show horses
in the United States. She began her breeding program with a small number of mares
whom she bred to her national champion stallion
, Bay Abi. She then acquired three mares from Arabian farms in Poland
at a time when that nation was still behind the Iron Curtain
, and importation of horses to the United States was very difficult. These mares and Bay Abi formed her foundation bloodstock
. She now stands horses at stud
who represent the fifth generation of her stallion
breeding line, and her foundation mare
lines have produced nine generations of offspring. For her accomplishments as a breeder Varian has received recognition from the United States Equestrian Federation
, as well as several awards from various organizations within the Arabian horse industry. For her contributions as breeder and as a horse trainer
in the vaquero tradition, she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
in 2003.
with a strong interest in horses and a fondness for horse books such as The Black Stallion
series written by Walter Farley
, and the works of Marguerite Henry
. She was given her first horse, a Morgan
-Percheron
crossbred, at the age of eight, and rode bareback
until she obtained her first saddle
at age 12. Although her parents, Eric and Wenonah Varian, did not have an equestrian background, they always supported her interest in horses.
Her first Arabian was the mare
Farlotta (Lotnik × Farza), obtained in 1952. Farlotta became a finished spade bit
horse who won both stock horse
(reining) and western pleasure
championships. Varian prefers the Arabian breed because "their instinctual interest in and appreciation for people runs deep in their genes. The Arabian's lightness and responsiveness are wonderful, as is their willingness to be your partner. And I love beautiful things, and they are beautiful. Arabian horses have never let me down."
Varian and her parents began using the farm name "Varian Arabians" in 1954. They worked as a team to build a horse business; Eric, an electrical contractor, built fences, Wenonah memorized pedigrees, and Sheila handled the horses. In time, their ranch expanded from 21 to 150 acres. As a young adult, Varian completed college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and taught high school physical education
for three years, until 1963, when running the Varian Arabian ranch became her full-time job. The ranch was self-supporting from 1963 on, with the short-term assistance of loans from Sheila's aunt, Dorothy Varian
, which were promptly repaid.
by Morgan horse
breeder and cattle ranch
er Mary "Sid" Spencer, who did all of her own ranch work including shoeing
, gelding
, horse training, baling hay
, and even truck repairs. The Spencer property, called Forsyth Ranch, was near Arroyo Grande on land that is now under Lopez Lake
. Spencer helped Varian learn the underlying principles of training and riding horses, how to work cattle in the mountains, and introduced her to vaquero training methods. Varian learned how to handle well-trained horses by riding one of the Spencer family's finished Morgans, a gelding named Little Horse. With Spencer's help, she also learned to recognize correct conformation
and balance in horses.
After learning traditional vaquero methods of training from Spencer and others, Varian modified her training methods in her twenties, after meeting Tom Dorrance. He introduced her to his “soft approach” of working with horses, and his methods were an additional influence on Varian's training philosophy. She believes today's well-bred horses need a gentler approach, and has stated, “All good horses, like smart children, need good instruction, but they don’t need harsh instruction."
Varian still utilizes vaquero-influenced methods in training her horses. She is one of a very few horse experts who makes public presentations on vaquero equipment, methods and history.Vaqueros were the horsemen and cattle herders of Spanish Mexico, who first came to California with the Jesuit priest Eusebio Kino
in 1687, with two expeditions in 1769, and the Juan de Anza
expedition in 1774. They were the first cowboy
s in the region.
Varian also has a strong interest in the history of the spade bit horse in California. The spade bit
is an elaborate, complex bit that can only be properly used on a highly trained horse handled by a skilled rider. In the vaquero tradition, its use represents the highest level of trust and communication between horse and rider. Varian compares the ride and handling of a horse trained in this manner to that of a Jaguar
. The process of training the spade bit horse takes five to seven years to complete. Its emphasis has always been on producing a finely tuned working horse and partner, emphasizing quality rather than on how quickly the goal is reached. The conformation
of the horse is also a factor; to become a spade bit horse, the animal must be bred to have a higher neck set and well-carried head.
Varian starts young horses
under saddle
at the age of three. Traditionally, the vaquero method starts a young horse using a hackamore
, which is headgear with no bit
that uses a heavy rawhide noseband, called a bosal
, to control the horse. Then the horse moves to lighter bosals, and next into a combination of headgear that represents a transitional period in its training; a bridle
with a type of curb bit
called a "half breed" which is worn in conjunction with a light bosal. The rider carries two sets of reins, one set on the bosal and one on the curb, giving this gear its name, the "two-rein." After several years in a two-rein, the horse graduates into the spade bit.
Varian departs slightly from this tradition. She starts her personal riding horses in a bridle
with a snaffle bit because it sends clearer signals to a young horse, particularly one of sensitive disposition. She then introduces the hackamore, and, after a couple of months to transition between the hackamore and the snaffle, begins to introduce the concept of neck rein
ing, which allows a horse to be ridden one-handed. After a year or two, when the horse is light in the hackamore, she will introduce the young horse to the two-rein, using a light bosal with either a modified spade bit known as a "half-breed" or a low-port curb bit
. Once the horse understands the bit, the bosal comes off and the horse is ridden in just the bit for a while until ready to go into the full spade bit, at which point the horse goes back into the two-rein when the spade is first introduced. Horse are usually introduced to the spade bit at the age of seven or eight, provided that they have suitable conformation and temperament to carry it.
Once she has selected and fully trained a spade bit horse for her own personal use, that horse stays with her for life and is never sold. Varian strongly disagrees with those who consider Arabian horses to be too high-spirited to be pleasurable to ride on the trail. She emphasizes that she can rope
off of her Arabians and take them into the mountains. She views Arabians as sensitive horses requiring a smart and gentle approach. She advocates trainers who use the training methods of master horsemen such as Ray Hunt
and Tom Dorrance, with Dorrance's philosophy being especially suitable for Arabians. She considers Arabians to be inherently gentle, and points out that any horse can become "hot" if they are kept in a stall
24 hours a day, fed a lot of grain, and never ridden. Varian explains the nature of Arabian horses by analogy, comparing them to precocious children who show their ability with delight, but cannot be bullied or pushed around.
In 1959, when she was 19 years old, Varian and her mother Wenonah purchased a two-year-old bay stallion
named Bay Abi (Errabi × Angyl). Trained and shown by Varian, he was the judges' unanimous choice for U.S. National Champion Arabian Stallion in 1962, later won U.S. National Top Ten awards in both Arabian English pleasure
and Western pleasure
, and thereafter was awarded the Legion of Merit. Even though he was not bred to any mares until after he was trained, and thus his first foals did not appear in the show ring until he was 7, he sired 275 registered Arabians, including 65 champions and 24 national winners.
By 1961, Varian Arabians had a small number of mare
s. The most notable of her early champions was Ronteza, a daughter of the stallion Witez II
out of the mare Ronna. Ronteza was the second Arabian Varian purchased, and she trained the mare herself. The pair, undefeated in competition against other Arabian horses, went on to beat 50 horses of all breeds to win the 1961 Reined Cow Horse
championship at the Cow Palace
in San Francisco, California. Recognizing that both Farlotta and Ronteza were sired by stallions imported from Poland, Varian looked for Polish-bred Arabian mares to breed to Bay Abi. Poland was at that time an Iron Curtain
nation, and importing horses from there directly to America was quite complicated. Therefore, she sought the assistance of British horse breeder Patricia Lindsay, who traveled to Poland and purchased three mares on Varian's behalf. The mares arrived in California in December 1961. They were Bachantka (sired by Wielki Szlem out of Balalajka, who was by Amurath Sahib), purchased from the Albigowa
stud; Ostroga (Duch × Orda by Omar 11), from the Nowy Dwór
stud; and Naganka (Bad Afas × Najada by Fetysz), from the Michalow stud. Bachantka and Naganka had been trained and raced
in Poland. Bachantka had a record of 2/15 (0-1-3), and Naganka a record of 2/12 (3-4-1). After her arrival in the USA, Bachantka also had a brief but successful horse show
career.
Crossing Bay Abi on these imported Polish mares proved particularly successful for Varian, and there are now nine generations of horses at the Varian ranch descended from these foundation mares
, and five successive generations of ranch stallions descended from Bay Abi. The cross produced, among other champions, Varian's successor to Bay Abi, the 1969 colt Bay el Bey (Bay Abi × Naganka), who was U.S. Reserve National Champion stallion twice, 1977 Canadian National Champion stallion, and a regional champion in English pleasure
. At the time, the Arabian industry had little interest in western disciplines, so Varian competed with her horses in English riding
classes. Of Bay el Bey, she commented, "He could easily have been an open reining
horse, but I made him into an English pleasure horse because he could do it, he was so athletic." Her English champions also included Bay el Bey's full brother, Mikado, a gray stallion who was a champion park horse.
Bay el Bey was best known for his offspring, who earned him the nickname, "The Kingmaker." He sired 441 foals including three sons considered his finest: his own successor at Varian Arabians, Huckleberry Bey (whose dam was Taffona, a daughter of Raffon); U.S. Reserve National Champion Bey Shah (out of Star of Ofir, who was by Bask
); and Barbary (out of Balalinka (Bask x Bachantka)), who won a total of seven national titles in halter
and park horse competition. Barbary was purchased from Varian as a yearling
by film producer and Arabian owner Mike Nichols
. These three sons of Bay el Bey alone sired a combined total of 650 champions.
Subsequent generations of Varian stallions continued the pattern of winning in the show ring and then producing champion show horses across multiple disciplines. Huckleberry Bey was 1979 U.S. National Reserve Champion Futurity Stallion, 1981 U.S. National Top Ten Stallion, and 1984 U.S. National Reserve Champion English Pleasure. He then became the leading sire of US National Champions for five years, and in 1999 his likeness was reproduced as a Breyer horse
model. In turn, his son, Desperado V (× Daraska by Dar) became a leading sire of champions. In 2004 and 2005, Desperado V was ranked the leading Arabian sire by the United States Equestrian Federation
(USEF), and was second in 2008 and 2009. By 2009, Desperado V had sired 75 national winners. In addition, another Huckleberry Bey son, Bravado Bey V (× Bachista V) was USEF's 10th-ranked leading sire in 2008. In 2010, of the top 25 leading sires of winning Arabian dressage
horses since 1960, Desperado V was ranked number 2 (following Khemosabi
), Bey Shah was number 4, Huckleberry Bey was tied for fifth, and Barbary was also on the list, in addition to five other grandsons of Bay El Bey.
Over the years Varian also made use of outside bloodlines. She leased the young, then unproven stallion Khemosabi
for his first breeding season in 1969. She also made use of horses owned by other ranches, such as the Polish import Bask
, whom she linebred to his 3/4 sister, Varian's Polish import Bachantka, producing another significant foundation mare, Balalinka, dam of Barbary. In 2002, requiring an outcross stallion not closely related to her own horses, she purchased the Brazilian-foaled Jullyen El Jamaal, who has bloodlines not previously incorporated into the Varian program, as well as a line tracing back to Bay el Bey via Bey Shah. Varian also continues to seek performance ability in her mares; every mare is trained under saddle and must prove suitable as a riding animal.
Although Varian did not originally work her ranch name into the names of her horses, today Varian-bred horses have a registered name
suffixed with the capital letter "V". She also acknowledges the importance of her mares by using the first letter of each mare’s name to start the name of their foals. Varian-bred horses are now also freeze-branded
with the Varian "V" logo.
, which ranks breeders based on points earned by horses shown in licensed USEF competitions. The ranch was ranked first in calendar year 2008, third in 2010fourth in 2009, fifth in 2006, and seventh in 2007.
Sheila Varian also was honored by USEF with the 2001 Ellen Scripps Davis Memorial Breeders’ Cup, which recognizes an individual who consistently breeds outstanding show horses. Within the Arabian industry itself, Varian was honored in 2005 with the Arabian Breeders Association's lifetime achievement award, and was the Arabian Professional & Amateur Horseman's Association 2009 Breeder of the Year.
Varian was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2003. She was honored for both her contributions as a horse breeder and as a trainer, but the honor represented, in many ways, her roots in the vaquero tradition. Other inductees that year included western artist Glenna Goodacre
; musician, artist, cowboy poet and pickup rider
Ann Secrest Hanson; and classic cowgirl trick rider
and barrel racer
Velda Tindall Smith (1908–1990).
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
s who lives and works at the Varian Arabians Ranch near Arroyo Grande, California
Arroyo Grande, California
Arroyo Grande is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 17,252 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Arroyo Grande is a small coastal town with historic, suburban, and rural elements located at...
. She grew up with a strong interest in horses, and was mentored in horsemanship by Mary "Sid" Spencer, a local rancher and Morgan horse
Morgan horse
The Morgan is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the stallion Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, the breed excels in many disciplines, and is known for its versatility....
breeder who also introduced Varian to the vaquero tradition of western riding
Western riding
Western riding is a style of horseback riding which evolved from the ranching and warfare traditions brought to the Americas by the Spanish Conquistadors, and both equipment and riding style evolved to meet the working needs of the cowboy in the American West...
. She started her horse ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
, Varian Arabians, in 1954 with the assistance of her parents. Raising and training horses has been her full-time occupation since 1963. She still uses vaquero-influenced methods of training horses, though she has adapted her technique over the years to fit the character of the Arabian horse, which she views as a breed
Horse breed
Horse breed is a broad term with no clear consensus as to definition, but most commonly refers to selectively bred populations of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a very broad sense to define landrace animals, or...
requiring a smart yet gentle approach.
Varian has produced
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
a number of influential Arabian horses, whose bloodlines are found in a significant number of winning Arabian show horses
Horse show
A Horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer for major, all-breed events or national and...
in the United States. She began her breeding program with a small number of mares
Mareš
Mareš is a Czech surname and may refer to:* František Mareš, Czechoslovak professor of physiology and philosophy, and nationalist politician* Jakub Mareš, Czech football player* Jaroslav Mareš, Czech biologist, traveller and writer....
whom she bred to her national champion stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
, Bay Abi. She then acquired three mares from Arabian farms in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
at a time when that nation was still behind the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
, and importation of horses to the United States was very difficult. These mares and Bay Abi formed her foundation bloodstock
Foundation bloodstock
Foundation bloodstock or foundation stock are horses that are the progenitor, or foundation, of a new horse breed or a given bloodline within a breed. The term is also used in a similar manner when discussing purebred dogs...
. She now stands horses at stud
Stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry, is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English stod meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding" Historically, documentation of the breedings that occur on a stud farm leads to the...
who represent the fifth generation of her stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
breeding line, and her foundation mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
lines have produced nine generations of offspring. For her accomplishments as a breeder Varian has received recognition from the United States Equestrian Federation
United States Equestrian Federation
The United States Equestrian Federation is the national governing body for most equestrian sports in the United States. It began on January 20, 1917 as the Association of American Horse Shows, later changed in 1933 to the American Horse Shows Association...
, as well as several awards from various organizations within the Arabian horse industry. For her contributions as breeder and as a horse trainer
Horse training
Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when asked to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrian activities from horse racing to therapeutic horseback riding for people with...
in the vaquero tradition, she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is a museum and association which honors women of the American West who have displayed courage or spirit and who have distinguished themselves while exemplifying the pioneer spirit...
in 2003.
Early years
Varian grew up in the community of HalcyonHalcyon, California
Halcyon, California is an unincorporated community of approximately 125 acres in San Luis Obispo County, California, located just beyond the southern border of the city of Arroyo Grande...
with a strong interest in horses and a fondness for horse books such as The Black Stallion
The Black Stallion
The Black Stallion, known as "the Black" or "Shêtân", is the title character from author Walter Farley's bestselling series about the stallion and his young owner, Alec Ramsay...
series written by Walter Farley
Walter Farley
Walter Farley was an American author, primarily of horse stories for children. Educated at Columbia, where he received a B.A. in 1941, his first and most famous work was The Black Stallion...
, and the works of Marguerite Henry
Marguerite Henry
Marguerite Henry was an American writer. Henry inspired children all over the world with her love of animals, especially horses. The author of fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals, her work has captivated entire generations of children and young adults and won...
. She was given her first horse, a Morgan
Morgan horse
The Morgan is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the stallion Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, the breed excels in many disciplines, and is known for its versatility....
-Percheron
Percheron
The Percheron is a breed of draft horse that originated in the Perche valley in northern France. Percherons are usually gray or black in color. They are well-muscled, and known for their intelligence and willingness to work. Although their exact origins are unknown, the ancestors of the breed were...
crossbred, at the age of eight, and rode bareback
Bareback riding
Bareback riding is a form of horseback riding without a saddle. It requires skill, balance, and coordination, as the rider does not have any equipment to compensate for errors of balance or skill....
until she obtained her first saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
at age 12. Although her parents, Eric and Wenonah Varian, did not have an equestrian background, they always supported her interest in horses.
Her first Arabian was the mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
Farlotta (Lotnik × Farza), obtained in 1952. Farlotta became a finished spade bit
Curb bit
A curb bit is a type of bit used for riding horses that uses lever action. It includes the pelham bit and the Weymouth curb along with the traditional "curb bit" used mainly by Western riders....
horse who won both stock horse
Reining
Reining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. All work is done at the lope and gallop; the fastest of the horse gaits...
(reining) and western pleasure
Western Pleasure
Western Pleasure is a western style competition at horse shows that evaluates horses on manners and suitability of the horse for a relaxed but collected gait cadence and relatively slow speed of gait, along with calm and responsive disposition. The horse is to appear to be a "pleasure" to ride and...
championships. Varian prefers the Arabian breed because "their instinctual interest in and appreciation for people runs deep in their genes. The Arabian's lightness and responsiveness are wonderful, as is their willingness to be your partner. And I love beautiful things, and they are beautiful. Arabian horses have never let me down."
Varian and her parents began using the farm name "Varian Arabians" in 1954. They worked as a team to build a horse business; Eric, an electrical contractor, built fences, Wenonah memorized pedigrees, and Sheila handled the horses. In time, their ranch expanded from 21 to 150 acres. As a young adult, Varian completed college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and taught high school physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
for three years, until 1963, when running the Varian Arabian ranch became her full-time job. The ranch was self-supporting from 1963 on, with the short-term assistance of loans from Sheila's aunt, Dorothy Varian
Varian Associates
Varian Associates was one of the first high-tech companies in Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1948 by Russell H. and Sigurd F. Varian, William Webster Hansen, and Edward Ginzton to sell the klystron, the first tube which could generate electromagnetic waves at microwave frequencies, and other...
, which were promptly repaid.
Training philosophy and vaquero tradition
In her teens, Varian was mentored in horsemanshipEquestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
by Morgan horse
Morgan horse
The Morgan is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the stallion Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, the breed excels in many disciplines, and is known for its versatility....
breeder and cattle ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
er Mary "Sid" Spencer, who did all of her own ranch work including shoeing
Farrier
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves...
, gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
, horse training, baling hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
, and even truck repairs. The Spencer property, called Forsyth Ranch, was near Arroyo Grande on land that is now under Lopez Lake
Lopez Lake
Lopez Lake is a reservoir near the city of Arroyo Grande in San Luis Obispo County, California. The lake is formed by Lopez Dam on Arroyo Grande Creek, upstream from the Pacific Ocean. The creek drains about above the dam and below. The dam was built in 1969 and is operated by the San Luis...
. Spencer helped Varian learn the underlying principles of training and riding horses, how to work cattle in the mountains, and introduced her to vaquero training methods. Varian learned how to handle well-trained horses by riding one of the Spencer family's finished Morgans, a gelding named Little Horse. With Spencer's help, she also learned to recognize correct conformation
Equine conformation
Equine conformation evaluates the degree of correctness of a horse's bone structure, musculature, and its body proportions in relation to each other. Undesirable conformation can limit the ability to perform a specific task. Although there are several universal "faults," a horse's conformation is...
and balance in horses.
After learning traditional vaquero methods of training from Spencer and others, Varian modified her training methods in her twenties, after meeting Tom Dorrance. He introduced her to his “soft approach” of working with horses, and his methods were an additional influence on Varian's training philosophy. She believes today's well-bred horses need a gentler approach, and has stated, “All good horses, like smart children, need good instruction, but they don’t need harsh instruction."
Varian still utilizes vaquero-influenced methods in training her horses. She is one of a very few horse experts who makes public presentations on vaquero equipment, methods and history.Vaqueros were the horsemen and cattle herders of Spanish Mexico, who first came to California with the Jesuit priest Eusebio Kino
Eusebio Kino
Eusebio Francisco Kino S.J. was an Italian Roman Catholic priest who became famous in what is now northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States in the region then known as the Pimaria Alta...
in 1687, with two expeditions in 1769, and the Juan de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza
Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was a Novo-Spanish explorer and Governor of New Mexico for the Spanish Empire.-Early life:...
expedition in 1774. They were the first cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s in the region.
Varian also has a strong interest in the history of the spade bit horse in California. The spade bit
Bit (horse)
A bit is a type of horse tack used in equestrian activities, usually made of metal or a synthetic material, and is placed in the mouth of a horse or other equid and assists a rider in communicating with the animal. It rests on the bars of the mouth in an interdental region where there are no teeth...
is an elaborate, complex bit that can only be properly used on a highly trained horse handled by a skilled rider. In the vaquero tradition, its use represents the highest level of trust and communication between horse and rider. Varian compares the ride and handling of a horse trained in this manner to that of a Jaguar
Jaguar (car)
Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
. The process of training the spade bit horse takes five to seven years to complete. Its emphasis has always been on producing a finely tuned working horse and partner, emphasizing quality rather than on how quickly the goal is reached. The conformation
Equine conformation
Equine conformation evaluates the degree of correctness of a horse's bone structure, musculature, and its body proportions in relation to each other. Undesirable conformation can limit the ability to perform a specific task. Although there are several universal "faults," a horse's conformation is...
of the horse is also a factor; to become a spade bit horse, the animal must be bred to have a higher neck set and well-carried head.
Varian starts young horses
Horse training
Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when asked to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrian activities from horse racing to therapeutic horseback riding for people with...
under saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
at the age of three. Traditionally, the vaquero method starts a young horse using a hackamore
Hackamore
A hackamore is a type of animal headgear which does not have a bit. Instead, it has a special type of noseband that works on pressure points on the face, nose, and chin...
, which is headgear with no bit
Bit (horse)
A bit is a type of horse tack used in equestrian activities, usually made of metal or a synthetic material, and is placed in the mouth of a horse or other equid and assists a rider in communicating with the animal. It rests on the bars of the mouth in an interdental region where there are no teeth...
that uses a heavy rawhide noseband, called a bosal
Bosal
A bosal is a type of noseband used on the classic hackamore of the vaquero tradition. It is usually made of braided rawhide and is fitted to the horse in a manner that allows it to rest quietly until the rider uses the reins to give a signal. It acts upon the horse's nose and jaw...
, to control the horse. Then the horse moves to lighter bosals, and next into a combination of headgear that represents a transitional period in its training; a bridle
Bridle
A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, the "bridle" includes both the headstall that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit....
with a type of curb bit
Curb bit
A curb bit is a type of bit used for riding horses that uses lever action. It includes the pelham bit and the Weymouth curb along with the traditional "curb bit" used mainly by Western riders....
called a "half breed" which is worn in conjunction with a light bosal. The rider carries two sets of reins, one set on the bosal and one on the curb, giving this gear its name, the "two-rein." After several years in a two-rein, the horse graduates into the spade bit.
Varian departs slightly from this tradition. She starts her personal riding horses in a bridle
Bridle
A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, the "bridle" includes both the headstall that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit....
with a snaffle bit because it sends clearer signals to a young horse, particularly one of sensitive disposition. She then introduces the hackamore, and, after a couple of months to transition between the hackamore and the snaffle, begins to introduce the concept of neck rein
Neck rein
A neck rein is a type of indirect rein aid. The horse responds to a neck rein when it has learned that a light pressure of the right rein against its neck on that side means for the horse to turn left, and vice versa....
ing, which allows a horse to be ridden one-handed. After a year or two, when the horse is light in the hackamore, she will introduce the young horse to the two-rein, using a light bosal with either a modified spade bit known as a "half-breed" or a low-port curb bit
Curb bit
A curb bit is a type of bit used for riding horses that uses lever action. It includes the pelham bit and the Weymouth curb along with the traditional "curb bit" used mainly by Western riders....
. Once the horse understands the bit, the bosal comes off and the horse is ridden in just the bit for a while until ready to go into the full spade bit, at which point the horse goes back into the two-rein when the spade is first introduced. Horse are usually introduced to the spade bit at the age of seven or eight, provided that they have suitable conformation and temperament to carry it.
Once she has selected and fully trained a spade bit horse for her own personal use, that horse stays with her for life and is never sold. Varian strongly disagrees with those who consider Arabian horses to be too high-spirited to be pleasurable to ride on the trail. She emphasizes that she can rope
Calf roping
Calf roping, also known as tie-down roping, is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount from the horse, run to the calf, and restrain it by...
off of her Arabians and take them into the mountains. She views Arabians as sensitive horses requiring a smart and gentle approach. She advocates trainers who use the training methods of master horsemen such as Ray Hunt
Ray Hunt
Ray Hunt was an American horse trainer and clinician of significant influence in the natural horsemanship field. He had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.-Natural horsemanship:...
and Tom Dorrance, with Dorrance's philosophy being especially suitable for Arabians. She considers Arabians to be inherently gentle, and points out that any horse can become "hot" if they are kept in a stall
Stall (enclosure)
A stall is a small enclosure of some kind, usually less enclosed than a room.-Market stall:A market stall is usually an immobile temporary structure erected by merchants to display and shelter their merchandise...
24 hours a day, fed a lot of grain, and never ridden. Varian explains the nature of Arabian horses by analogy, comparing them to precocious children who show their ability with delight, but cannot be bullied or pushed around.
The Varian horses
Varian values horses with good dispositions and athletic ability as well as attractive appearance. She does not breed Arabians for a specific discipline, instead she sums up her breeding philosophy as “consistently continuing to breed for more quality and never losing disposition or athletic ability.” Following these principles, Varian has produced some of the most influential Arabian stallions in the breed.In 1959, when she was 19 years old, Varian and her mother Wenonah purchased a two-year-old bay stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
named Bay Abi (Errabi × Angyl). Trained and shown by Varian, he was the judges' unanimous choice for U.S. National Champion Arabian Stallion in 1962, later won U.S. National Top Ten awards in both Arabian English pleasure
English Pleasure
English pleasure is generic term for a number of different English riding classes seen at horse shows in the United States, where the horse is ridden in either hunt seat or saddle seat tack....
and Western pleasure
Western Pleasure
Western Pleasure is a western style competition at horse shows that evaluates horses on manners and suitability of the horse for a relaxed but collected gait cadence and relatively slow speed of gait, along with calm and responsive disposition. The horse is to appear to be a "pleasure" to ride and...
, and thereafter was awarded the Legion of Merit. Even though he was not bred to any mares until after he was trained, and thus his first foals did not appear in the show ring until he was 7, he sired 275 registered Arabians, including 65 champions and 24 national winners.
By 1961, Varian Arabians had a small number of mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
s. The most notable of her early champions was Ronteza, a daughter of the stallion Witez II
Witez II
Witez II was a bay Arabian stallion foaled at the Janów Podlaski stud in Poland. Foaled April 1, 1938, he spent his early years at Janów at a time when Poland was under occupation by Nazi Germany before ultimately arriving in the United States in 1945, where he lived for the remainder of his life...
out of the mare Ronna. Ronteza was the second Arabian Varian purchased, and she trained the mare herself. The pair, undefeated in competition against other Arabian horses, went on to beat 50 horses of all breeds to win the 1961 Reined Cow Horse
Working cow horse
Working cow horse is a type of competition, known also as reined cow horse, where horses are asked to work a single live cow in an arena, performing specific maneuvers that include circling the cow, turning it in a specified manner, and performing a reining pattern...
championship at the Cow Palace
Cow Palace
Cow Palace is an indoor arena, in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco, notable as a sporting arena.-History:...
in San Francisco, California. Recognizing that both Farlotta and Ronteza were sired by stallions imported from Poland, Varian looked for Polish-bred Arabian mares to breed to Bay Abi. Poland was at that time an Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
nation, and importing horses from there directly to America was quite complicated. Therefore, she sought the assistance of British horse breeder Patricia Lindsay, who traveled to Poland and purchased three mares on Varian's behalf. The mares arrived in California in December 1961. They were Bachantka (sired by Wielki Szlem out of Balalajka, who was by Amurath Sahib), purchased from the Albigowa
Albigowa
Albigowa is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Łańcut, within Łańcut County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It lies on the Sawa river, approximately south of Łańcut and east of the regional capital Rzeszów....
stud; Ostroga (Duch × Orda by Omar 11), from the Nowy Dwór
Gmina Radziechowy-Wieprz
Gmina Radziechowy-Wieprz is a rural gmina in Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the village of Wieprz, which lies approximately south of Żywiec and south of the regional capital Katowice....
stud; and Naganka (Bad Afas × Najada by Fetysz), from the Michalow stud. Bachantka and Naganka had been trained and raced
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
in Poland. Bachantka had a record of 2/15 (0-1-3), and Naganka a record of 2/12 (3-4-1). After her arrival in the USA, Bachantka also had a brief but successful horse show
Horse show
A Horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer for major, all-breed events or national and...
career.
Crossing Bay Abi on these imported Polish mares proved particularly successful for Varian, and there are now nine generations of horses at the Varian ranch descended from these foundation mares
Foundation bloodstock
Foundation bloodstock or foundation stock are horses that are the progenitor, or foundation, of a new horse breed or a given bloodline within a breed. The term is also used in a similar manner when discussing purebred dogs...
, and five successive generations of ranch stallions descended from Bay Abi. The cross produced, among other champions, Varian's successor to Bay Abi, the 1969 colt Bay el Bey (Bay Abi × Naganka), who was U.S. Reserve National Champion stallion twice, 1977 Canadian National Champion stallion, and a regional champion in English pleasure
English Pleasure
English pleasure is generic term for a number of different English riding classes seen at horse shows in the United States, where the horse is ridden in either hunt seat or saddle seat tack....
. At the time, the Arabian industry had little interest in western disciplines, so Varian competed with her horses in English riding
English riding
English riding is a term used to describe a form of horse riding that is seen throughout the world. There are many variations in English riding, but all feature a flat English saddle without the deep seat, high cantle or saddle horn seen on a Western saddle nor the knee pads seen on an Australian...
classes. Of Bay el Bey, she commented, "He could easily have been an open reining
Reining
Reining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. All work is done at the lope and gallop; the fastest of the horse gaits...
horse, but I made him into an English pleasure horse because he could do it, he was so athletic." Her English champions also included Bay el Bey's full brother, Mikado, a gray stallion who was a champion park horse.
Bay el Bey was best known for his offspring, who earned him the nickname, "The Kingmaker." He sired 441 foals including three sons considered his finest: his own successor at Varian Arabians, Huckleberry Bey (whose dam was Taffona, a daughter of Raffon); U.S. Reserve National Champion Bey Shah (out of Star of Ofir, who was by Bask
Bask
Bask, bred at the Albigowa State Stud in Poland and foaled in 1956, was a bay Arabian stallion who was imported into the United States in 1963 by Dr. Eugene LaCroix of Lasma Arabians and became a major sire of significance in the Arabian breed....
); and Barbary (out of Balalinka (Bask x Bachantka)), who won a total of seven national titles in halter
Halter (horse show)
"Halter" is a term used to describe a type of horse show class where horses are shown "in hand," meaning that they are led, not ridden, and are judged on their conformation and suitability as breeding stock...
and park horse competition. Barbary was purchased from Varian as a yearling
Yearling (horse)
A yearling is a young horse of either sex that is between one and two years old. Yearlings are comparable in development to a very early adolescent, they are not fully mature physically, and while they may be in the earliest stages of sexual maturity, they are considered too young to be breeding...
by film producer and Arabian owner Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
. These three sons of Bay el Bey alone sired a combined total of 650 champions.
Subsequent generations of Varian stallions continued the pattern of winning in the show ring and then producing champion show horses across multiple disciplines. Huckleberry Bey was 1979 U.S. National Reserve Champion Futurity Stallion, 1981 U.S. National Top Ten Stallion, and 1984 U.S. National Reserve Champion English Pleasure. He then became the leading sire of US National Champions for five years, and in 1999 his likeness was reproduced as a Breyer horse
Breyer Horse
Breyer Animal Creations , is a division of Reeves International, Inc. The first Breyer horse was created in 1950 and is commonly known as the Western Horse. This horse was created as an adornment for a clock created by the Mastercrafters company. The horse was approximately 1:9 scale and the model...
model. In turn, his son, Desperado V (× Daraska by Dar) became a leading sire of champions. In 2004 and 2005, Desperado V was ranked the leading Arabian sire by the United States Equestrian Federation
United States Equestrian Federation
The United States Equestrian Federation is the national governing body for most equestrian sports in the United States. It began on January 20, 1917 as the Association of American Horse Shows, later changed in 1933 to the American Horse Shows Association...
(USEF), and was second in 2008 and 2009. By 2009, Desperado V had sired 75 national winners. In addition, another Huckleberry Bey son, Bravado Bey V (× Bachista V) was USEF's 10th-ranked leading sire in 2008. In 2010, of the top 25 leading sires of winning Arabian dressage
Dressage
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
horses since 1960, Desperado V was ranked number 2 (following Khemosabi
Khemosabi
Khemosabi was a bay Arabian stallion with four stockings and a blaze, who had significant accomplishments in the horse show ring, winning multiple National Championships in both halter and western pleasure performance competition. These wins earned him the highest level achievement award offered...
), Bey Shah was number 4, Huckleberry Bey was tied for fifth, and Barbary was also on the list, in addition to five other grandsons of Bay El Bey.
Over the years Varian also made use of outside bloodlines. She leased the young, then unproven stallion Khemosabi
Khemosabi
Khemosabi was a bay Arabian stallion with four stockings and a blaze, who had significant accomplishments in the horse show ring, winning multiple National Championships in both halter and western pleasure performance competition. These wins earned him the highest level achievement award offered...
for his first breeding season in 1969. She also made use of horses owned by other ranches, such as the Polish import Bask
Bask
Bask, bred at the Albigowa State Stud in Poland and foaled in 1956, was a bay Arabian stallion who was imported into the United States in 1963 by Dr. Eugene LaCroix of Lasma Arabians and became a major sire of significance in the Arabian breed....
, whom she linebred to his 3/4 sister, Varian's Polish import Bachantka, producing another significant foundation mare, Balalinka, dam of Barbary. In 2002, requiring an outcross stallion not closely related to her own horses, she purchased the Brazilian-foaled Jullyen El Jamaal, who has bloodlines not previously incorporated into the Varian program, as well as a line tracing back to Bay el Bey via Bey Shah. Varian also continues to seek performance ability in her mares; every mare is trained under saddle and must prove suitable as a riding animal.
Although Varian did not originally work her ranch name into the names of her horses, today Varian-bred horses have a registered name
Breed registry
A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young...
suffixed with the capital letter "V". She also acknowledges the importance of her mares by using the first letter of each mare’s name to start the name of their foals. Varian-bred horses are now also freeze-branded
Livestock branding
Livestock branding is a technique for marking livestock so as to identify the owner. Originally, livestock branding only referred to a hot brand for large stock, though the term is now also used to refer to other alternative techniques such as freeze branding...
with the Varian "V" logo.
Legacy and awards
Varian Arabians has been ranked multiple times as one of the top 10 Leading Arabian Breeders of winning horses by the USEFUnited States Equestrian Federation
The United States Equestrian Federation is the national governing body for most equestrian sports in the United States. It began on January 20, 1917 as the Association of American Horse Shows, later changed in 1933 to the American Horse Shows Association...
, which ranks breeders based on points earned by horses shown in licensed USEF competitions. The ranch was ranked first in calendar year 2008, third in 2010fourth in 2009, fifth in 2006, and seventh in 2007.
Sheila Varian also was honored by USEF with the 2001 Ellen Scripps Davis Memorial Breeders’ Cup, which recognizes an individual who consistently breeds outstanding show horses. Within the Arabian industry itself, Varian was honored in 2005 with the Arabian Breeders Association's lifetime achievement award, and was the Arabian Professional & Amateur Horseman's Association 2009 Breeder of the Year.
Varian was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2003. She was honored for both her contributions as a horse breeder and as a trainer, but the honor represented, in many ways, her roots in the vaquero tradition. Other inductees that year included western artist Glenna Goodacre
Glenna Goodacre
Glenna Maxey Goodacre is a sculptor well known for having designed the obverse of the Sacagawea dollar that entered circulation in the United States in 2000...
; musician, artist, cowboy poet and pickup rider
Pickup rider
A pickup rider is a person on horseback who works at a rodeo in the rough stock competitions of bull riding, Saddle bronc and bareback riding. Pickup riders play an important role in assisting rodeo riders and increasing the safety of competitors....
Ann Secrest Hanson; and classic cowgirl trick rider
Horse riding stunts
Trick riding is a form of horse riding stunts, such as the rider standing upright on a galloping horse. Other stunts might include hanging upside down off of the side of the horse while attached to a strap or jumping on and off a galloping horse....
and barrel racer
Barrel racing
Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to complete a clover-leaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Though both boys and girls compete at the youth level and men compete in some amateur venues, in collegiate and professional ranks, it is primarily a rodeo...
Velda Tindall Smith (1908–1990).
See also
- Russell and Sigurd VarianRussell and Sigurd VarianRussell Harrison Varian and Sigurd Fergus Varian were brothers who founded one of the earliest high-tech companies in Silicon Valley...
, uncles of Sheila Varian - John Osborne VarianJohn Osborne VarianJohn Osborne Varian was an Irish-American poet and amateur musician who was one of the early members of the Temple of the People and a leader within the theosophist utopian community of Halcyon, California. Two of his sons, Russell and Sigurd Varian, became notable inventors and went on to found...
, her grandfather