Zan Parr Bar
Zan Parr Bar was an American Quarter Horse stallion who excelled at halter and at calf roping, as well as being a sire of show horses. A grandson of Three Bars, he was shown in halter as well as under saddle, or while ridden, in both regular riding classes and in roping events. He retired from showing in 1980 to become a breeding stallion, where he sired over 600 foals, with many show winners. He died in 1987 and was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Association's Hall of Fame in 2010.
Early life
Zan Parr Bar was a chestnut stallion sired by Par Three, a son of AQHA Hall of Fame member Three Bars, a Thoroughbred stallion. His dam, or mother, was Terry's Pal, a daughter of Poco Astro. He was bred by Bobbie Silva of Tulare, California, and was foaled on April 30, 1974. At four months old he was bought by Bill Gibford, a professor at California Polytechnic State University, who named him Zan Parr Bar, with the Zan part of the name referring to the horse's distant ancestor Zantanon, and the Parr and Bar referring to Par Three and Three Bars. At maturity, he stood high and weighed.Beginning show career
Gibford showed Zan Parr Bar as a two-year-old in halter, earning some Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Championships. While at a show in California, Texas breeder Carol Rose saw Zan Parr Bar, and tried to purchase him from Gibford, who had been her advisor at California Polytechnic State University, but Gibford would not sell, only compromising at allowing Rose the right of first refusal if he ever did sell the horse. A month later, Gibford called Rose, and informed her that he was in fact entertaining offers for the stallion, and she immediately flew to California and finalized the deal for the horse. As Rose put it, "I was on a plane at eight the next morning, there by three, and by 5:30, the deal was done. At six, someone else who'd made an offer showed up."Show career
Rose moved the stallion to Texas, and her then-husband Matlock Rose continued the horse's halter career. At the same time, Zan Parr Bar began showing western pleasure, earning 19 points in the discipline with the AQHA by the end of 1977, enough for a Performance Register of Merit. In 1978, the stallion began showing in steer roping, training with Billy Allen and earning a Superior Steer Roping horse title as well as an AQHA Champion title by the end of 1978.During Zan Parr Bar's show career he earned an AQHA Champion, Performance Register of Merit, Superior Halter Horse and Superior Steer Roping Horse. He was the 1977 High Point Halter Stallion and World Champion Three-Year-Old Stallion. In 1979 he was the World Champion Aged Stallion in Halter as well as the High Point Steer Roping Horse. In 1980 he repeated as World Champion Aged Halter stallion. By the end of his showing career, in AQHA shows he had earned 245 points in halter, 278 points in steer roping, 38 points in western pleasure, 20 points in calf roping, and 13 points in reining.