High Thunderbird, A Rangerbred Legend!

High Thunderbird, or 'Thunder' as he has been called by his various owners and admirers was foaled on April 15, 1955 on the Texas ranch of Mr. & Mrs. J.D. High. There There was much excitement about his outstanding conformation and his brilliantly marked red and black leopard coat pattern. It is said that this horse was way ahead of his time. At that time they owned his sire, Apple (ApHC & CRHA reg.), who was a famous halter and performance champion in Texas. It is Apple's dam, 'Dixie' (CRHA 231-R) who can be traced back to Leopard on both sides of her pedigree. She was owned by Mike Ruby of Colorado and leased to the Highs.

Thunder's dam, Wiggin's Boots (ApHC F-1820), was sired by Ghafil (AHC 2028), an outstanding Arabian stallion that traced back to the racing Arabians of the Egyptian desert.

When Thunder was only five months old, not yet weaned from his mother, the Highs took his dam and him to the Appaloosa National Show. To the Highs surprise and delight, he won his class.

The Highs continued to show Thunder in halter and consistantly placed in the top 5 in such shows as the San Antonio Fat Stock Show, at Waco and stood Reserve Champion Stallion (as a yearling) in New Orleans.

The High's view of Thunder's personality was one of a different nature than some people identify with a stud. He was very alert and loved to be around people. Thunder knew he was handsome and charming and was quite the show-off.

When Thunder was close to 2 years old, Creswell Farms of Forest, VA was looking for a good breeding and show stallion. Joe Schwerin sent his trainer, Max Tappero, to the National Show and Sale at Hutchinson, KS to find a prospect. Tappero purchased High Thunderbird from J.D. High and brought him home to Creswell Farms.

After selling half interest in Thunder to Joe Schwerin, Max organized a successful breeding and showing operation centered around Thunder and Creswell Farms quickly became the foremost breeder on the East Coast.

According to everyone involved in Thunder's life, Max Tappero made this horse. In a short time he had Thunder performing like an old pro. Tappero took Thunder back to Virginia to show and work him on the farm. Thunder was a prime example of a truly versatile horse. He was the Virginia State Pleasure Champion and Reining horse as a 3 yr. old. He also hauled him to the 1966 ApHC Nationals where, after only 2 weeks of training, Thunder placed second in the calf roping, ridden by Dave Lawrence. He was Grand Champion Halter Stallion at the New York State Fair, Indiana State Fair, Ohio State Fair and the New York Breeders Show to name a few more of his winnings. He also took Thunder on.....and completed (placing 5th in the heavy weight division) the Hot Springs 100 Mile Endurance Ride as a three year old! According to Tappero, this "was unheard of" (the 100 mile ride entailed a 3 day ride of 40 miles the first day, 40 miles the second day, and 20 miles the third day). This event was won a few years later by a son of Thunder named Dominion Eclipse. Thunder also was CRHA National Champion in Get of Sire and earned a G.E.A.R. Premier Sire Certificate.

Not only did Tappero breed the farm's own mares to Thunder, outside mares were also bred. Keeping in mind that this was a very long time ago, the first year that Thunder bred outside mares, the fee was $50 and 9 outside mares were bred. The second year his fee was upped to $300 and 25 outside mares were bred. Thinking back on how inflation has affected everything, $300 then is like $1,000 now.

High Thunderbird's first foal crop brought impressive figures for that time. Thunder's first foal crop averaged $900 each (1958), his second foal crop averaged $1750, and his third foal crop averaged $2700.

Unlike some stallions, where the mare's genes have a great deal to do with the offspring, Tappero believed that Thunder's genes were predominate. "Every one of his foals is better than it's mother" said Tappero. Thunder was bred to many poor quality mares and always sired foals that were beautiful and of high quality.

Rodney Ligon, a lifelong admirer of High Thunderbird, concurred with Tappero's opinion. An example of this was a mare called Blue Smoke B, who according to Ligon, "was the ugliest horse you ever seen in your life", but she produced (crossing with Thunder) such horses as Dominion Lacey Web, Dominion Cob Web and Dominion Spider Web. The latter of these was Virginia State Halter and Pleasure Champion and also placed several times in Halter at the ApHC Nationals. Some judges said she was the best mare in the nation.

High Thunderbird sired many champions in his early years. One of the most famous was Dominion Codex. Codex was the 1966 ApHC National Champion Yearling Stallion and held Certificates of Achievement in Trail and English Pleasure. Codex proved to be a top halter, performance and breeding stallion, siring, among others, the well known CRHA halter and performance champion, Welcome Sting. A full brother to Codex, Dominion Cody, left a legacy in the Carolinas that will not soon be equaled. Other greats sired by High Thunderbird were: Dominion Witch Doctor, Javelin, Fairystone, The Unknown, and T-Jewels Red Bird. These horses excelled in halter, performance, endurance and jumping.

Because of health reasons and on the advice of his doctors, Joe Schwerin of Cresswell Farms had to disperse his horse operation. Thunder was then purchased by Mount Line Stables of Virginia owned and operated by the Cowart brothers, Jesse (Sr), Lenard, Louis, Earl, Larry, and Roger. "Schwerin had had the dispersal sale and would not sell High Thunderbird" according to Jesse Cowart, "because he couldn't get enough offered for him. We ended up buying High Thunderbird and 20 mares that were left in one lump sum. We paid a helluva good price for him." Cowart expounded that although he and his partners knew they had gotten a good deal, they just didn't promote him after they took him. "All we did was own horses, that's all we did. We lost a ton!" So unfortunately from 1967 to 1976, High Thunderbird was not given the promotion he deserved.

In the fall of 1975, Mount Line Stables dispersed the majority of their horses. Jesse ran a small 'for sale or lease' ad on Thunderbird and received so many responses from all over the nation from people who knew Thunderbird and his siring abilities that he decided he better think this one over. At this point Mr. Cowart along with his wife and son, Jesse, Jr. made arrangements to purchase Thunder from Mount Line Stables and take him over solely. A new chapter unfolded in the life of High Thunderbird in 1976 when the Cowarts became dedicated to giving the once great show horse and sire an opportunity to once again be one of the top sires in the Appaloosa and CRHA breeds.High Thunderbird was then moved to the Cowart farm in Reidsville, North Carolina.

The Cowart's dedication to the promotion of High Thunderbird included an exhibition trip to the CRHA Nationals in Burbank, Ohio in 1978. Thunder received one his greatest at the show, when the twenty-three year old stallion was paraded in grand fashion in front of a large crowd of exhibitors and spectators, as John Morris, then President of CRHA, spoke of the many achievements attained by this outstanding Premier Stallion of CRHA and Foundation Sire of the ApHC. People welcomed the opportunity to view the famous stallion that had done so much for CRHA. Joining Thunderbird at the CRHA Nationals were four of his sons. The get of Hight Thunderbird certainly created a tremendous impact at the show when they took several first places, three second places, and three third places in the halter and performance classes.

In 1977 Thunder was bred to 13 mares and the 1978 foal crop yielded quite a few colorful foals with halter conformation. In 1978 he stood to a book of 15 mares and the 1979 crop was one of his best. At 26 years of age, he bred 15 outside mares with an 80% conception rate. Thunder continued to breed mares up until his death in 1986 at the age of 32 years, shortly before his last foal was born.

High Thunderbird was once a brilliant sire and versatile show horse. It is to be remembered that he achieved success without the high priced mares and million dollar publicity that most of our current stallions have. Some ten years after selling Thunder, Joe Schwerin said, "I have seen most of the highly touted studs in the country, including Joker B, and I sincerely believe Thunderbird is the best Appaloosa sire of all - the real test being the quality of his foals and their reproductive ability."

Decendants of High Thunderbird can be found along the East Coast and across the United States as well as Germany and Switzerland. From the annals of 19th century history to present day Rangerbred and Appaloosa breeding, High Thunderbird has played his part in the makings of CRHA and ApHC history that will be talked about for years to come!