At age 83, Suzanne Jones is the oldest exhibitor at the 2007 Bayer Select World Championship Show.
As a young horse enthusiast, Suzanne and her family traveled the world. Her father was a member of the U.S. Army Cavalry, and Suzanne claims her bassinet was blessed with a feel for horses. From riding in the Philippines to competing on equestrian teams, Suzanne created an equine legend for herself. She was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1999.
Still riding, Suzanne competed in western riding August 29 with Alil Bitof Freckles and will ride in hunt seat equitation with America On Line on September 1.
Suzanne’s success with horses in and out of the show ring can be read in her books. Several books were out for exhibitors as they passed through the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame during the “Walk Among the Legends” event August 29. Suzanne’s books are full of horse wisdom and true stories of her equestrian team days.
“If you’ll read a little bit, you’ll learn a lot,” Suzanne said to her visitors.
One of Suzanne’s book series focuses on a character named Charlie.
“Charlie is really a rancher and a horseman…he knows a lot,” she said. Suzanne described Charlie as being a combination of three or four people who give horses and riders simple fixes to common problems.
For example, Suzanne told Charlie’s tale of a horse that wouldn’t unload.
“They couldn’t get him out or chase him out. Charlie happened to come by. He stopped, and he looked at the horse and loosened his cinch. The horse backed out. It’s just little things that Charlie knew. And most people in the world don’t think about.
“Even now, I can read some of these stories, and they make me cry,” Suzanne said with shining eyes.
Most of Suzanne’s book covers feature her memorable horses.
“This was a Quarter Horse and he might have stood 15 hands -- and he reined also. Silver Peter, this horse was a champion cow horse,” she said pointing to one.
“Ideally, we’d raise the horses for the track. Those that couldn’t run or make that route, we tried to find a place in the show ring for them, or they came back to the ranch or both. We used all those.”
Suzanne and her husband, “Punch,” have lived on their 19,000-acre ranch in Tatum, New Mexico, for 55 years. They have been celebrating their marriage for 55 years as well.
Her legendary story continues growing along with her husband’s. Punch will be inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in March 2008.
To learn more about Suzanne Jones, read her biography on the Web at http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/resourcesmag/summer98/guest.html.
