Page 136 - Speedhorse February 2020

OKLAHOMA QUARTER HORSE
HALL OF FAME
Induction Ceremony • January 24, 2020 • Oklahoma City, OK
Story Courtesy Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association,
Photos courtesy Heather Ridgway & Emily Blankenship, Speedhorse
The Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame was created in 2005 to recognize outstanding individuals, horses, ranches or businesses, whose contributions involving the American Quarter Horse significantly impacted the great state of Oklahoma’s equine industry. The 16th Annual Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame Induc- tion Ceremony was held at Embassy Suites Oklahoma City Downtown Medical Center.
The 2020 Inductees were:
Melvin & Jackie Bollenbach
Mel Bollenbach grew up on a farm 12 miles east of Kingfisher, Oklahoma, where his Dad bought his brother and him a Shetland pony named Sugar. As he got older, one of their mares had a half Thoroughbred foal and his Dad gave her to Mel. He named her Pee Wee. He broke other horses to ride for some of the neighbors and his family, but Pee Wee was his heart and soul. While attending college, Mel’s Dad asked him to sell Pee Wee for tuition money, and he never quite forgave him.
Jackie Bollenbach is from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and was raised in Boston. She and Mel met while he was stationed as a Naval pilot at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. The night Jackie met Mel, learning he was from out west, she asked him if he had a horse. That, to her, was more interesting than his being a pilot.
She has her BA degree in Accounting from Central State University.
In 1969, Mel left the Navy and went into the brokerage business with Harris Upham. In 1976 he purchased two pieces of land. Naturally, he needed a horse, so he asked a client and friend if he knew of any available horses. He said Nolan Pevehouse was having a partial liquidation sale and that he would go horse hunting. The next day he called, and he bought Mel two horses. One he thought was a racehorse, Fast Misty. That was the Bollenbach’s entry into racehorses.
The Bollenbach’s first racing success started with a mare named A Special Smith, who
was the dam of Bully Bonds, A Special Bully, Barneys Special, Wallstreet Darlin, Miss Stocks N Bonds and Sassy Smith. They bought a syndicate interest in Corona Cartel, Valiant Hero, Azoom, Mr Jess Perry, Wave Carver and Teller Cartel through a partnership as a two year old.
Mel states, “We have had many highs and lows with our race horses, but winning a race keeps you going through the bad times. If
you do not have a lottery ticket, you have no chance of winning. I hope I have yet to see my biggest accomplishment. However, producing Valiant Rogue out of Azoom Babe, who is out of Miss Stocks N Bonds, our home grown stock, was pretty good.” Azoom Babe also produced Corona Ranger, which makes her a millionaire
producer. They also produced Krash Cartel
out of Race Valentine, a Strawfly Special mare. The Bollenbachs had a cutting horse trained by Matlock Rose, “but, we both have sort of been put to pasture!”
Mel has served as a director for the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association, and as a commissioner for the board of the Oklahoma Racing Commission. While a commissioner for the Oklahoma Racing Commission, Mel and Jackie forfeited thousands of dollars in Oklahoma Bred Incentive money, since sitting on the commission excluded them from the program’s awards. He gave the money up due to his commitment to improving the racehorse industry.
“Since I sort of have a vertical operation in racehorse stock, I think the greatest satisfaction is producing a racehorse that can compete
with the best, and this is the objective. Nothing to do with racing, but from personal development, my experience as a naval pilot and landing on a pitching deck at night and other aspects involved with flying gave me the confidence to do whatever I wanted to do and that taught me that my frame of mind was my only limitation.”
The Bollenbach’s have two children, Wayne and Kim. Their son Wayne and his wife Rebecca have twins, a boy and a girl, and their daughter Kim and her husband Lance have two boys and a girl.
134 SPEEDHORSE, February 2020