Page 84 - November 2017

“I have made some great friends that I probably wouldn’t have known if not for Quarter Horse racing.”
PHILLIP STEWART
by John Moorehouse
Phillip Stewart had lived and worked his entire life in Colorado up until one day in 1982 when he got a phone call from his brother-in- law. There was a job opening in Oklahoma that was Stewart’s for the taking if he wanted it. Stewart did. And so, he packed up his belongings and family and moved to the Sooner State to go to work for Bob Moore Farms. There, Stewart worked his way up the ladder from the polo club, to helping with the breed- ing operation, to become the farm manager.
Stewart, who now holds the title of director of equine operations for Bob Moore Farms, has become a mainstay of the Quarter Horse scene in one of the hotbeds of the industry. He is a former Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association President and also serves on the board of directors for the Heritage Place Sale Company.
Managing a major operation like Bob Moore Farms is quite the job, but Stewart found time for our “Lighter Side” feature series.
Q : Where were you born?
A: I was born in Castle Rock, Colorado, where I lived until 1971. We moved a short distance to the ranch my mother grew up on when my grandmother passed away and left the house to mom and dad.
Q: What hobbies do you have outside of the horse business?
A: Hunting and fishing have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I learned to play golf after I moved to Oklahoma and still enjoy those activities.
Q: What is your favorite movie and why?
A: “Paint Your Wagon” with Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood. I lost track of how many times I have seen it, but it has to be close to 50. It is just a great fun movie that my friends and I got attached to, and we would have watch parties whenever it was on TV. We probably saw it 15 times in theaters.
Q: Any interesting facts about your family (parents, grandparents, siblings, etc.)?
A: Not to take anything away from my dad or sis- ters, but my mom is a truly amazing lady. She owned and taught pre-school for 28 years, she taught 4H for over 50 years, and she started several different clubs during that time. She “retired” when she was
about 75. She then volunteered to drive the senior shuttle three days a week and cleaned the church on the other two days. She will be 93 in December and although she has slowed down some, she still cares for my younger sister and cleans the church two or three days a week.
Q: Do you have a nickname and, if so, what is it and how did it come about?
A: Growing up I was always Stew, which is pretty self explanatory, and I still am to my friends back home. To my close friends here in Oklahoma, I am Phil-Bob. That came about in a conversation with Dr. Jim Bailey some 30 years ago. He became Jim- Bob and I became Phil-Bob. I think I am the only one to call him Jim-Bob today, but for some reason I became Phil-Bob to many friends in the industry.
Q: What is the strangest personality quirk you have seen in a horse?
A: There was a mare here at one point that always had her tongue stuck out the side of her mouth. She would use it when she ate or drank just fine, but
if she was just standing, it would stick out and get sunburnt and nasty. We had a stud one time that was claustrophobic and would tear the doors off his stall and pasture. That was weird.
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SPEEDHORSE, November 2017
John Moorehouse
THE LIGHTER SIDE