Clarence Scharbauer, Jr.’s roots are threaded deeply in the Texas soil. His family has ranched in Texas since the late 1880’s.
With his sons, Scharbauer owned and ran the Scharbauer Cattle Co., which encompasses nine ranches in Texas and New Mexico. Scharbauer raises Quarter Horses for ranch work and racing. His involvement with AQHA extended beyond his ranches.
Scharbauer was elected as an AQHA Director in 1957, and then elected as the Association’s 25th president in 1975. At that time, Scharbauer and the executive committee began to consider revising the existing rules for the racing Register of Merit. The revisions took effect on January 1, 1976. Also, it was decided to move the AQHA World Championship Show from Louisville, Kentucky, to Oklahoma City.
Scharbauer’s first registered horses were stallions he bought from the King Ranch: Royal Peppy by Peppy and Silver Wimpy by Wimpy P-1. In 1948, AQHA inspector Loyd Jinkens went to Midland, and he and Scharbauer went through the broodmare band and registered 100 of the best mares.
In the mid-1950s, Scharbauer became interested in racehorses and purchased Double Bid. He campaigned the stallion to a racing champion title two years later.
Scharbauer raised several top running horses including Double Queen, Vim And Vigor, Double Rose and Duplicate Bid. Scharbauer was also involved in Thoroughbred racing. He and his wife raced Kentucky Derby winner and horse of the year Alysheba.
He had also bred Marion’s Girl, by Silver Wimpy, an AQHA champion and a two-time National Cutting Horse Association world champion.
Scharbauer was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1992. He died February 21, 2014.
Biography updated as of December 2014.