Page 54 - July 2022

ON THE SIDE
The Browns also have dabbled in Gypsy Vanner Horses, and their 13-year-old granddaughter is now involved in Arabian and Half-Arabian competition. “We went down to the Arab show in Scottsdale about six years ago, and kind of like what happened with the racehorses. We came back with an Arab,” Bob says.
“At that time, I was still showing western pleasure Quarter Horses and when I first got on that Arab, I thought, Wow! This is like going from a Silverado to a Ferrari!” he adds. “It kind of rekindled the interest in showing horses for me, so I did that for a few years but retired from the show ring three years ago and handed them all over to my 13-year-old
“They run a top-notch operation at home. Everything is really clean,
neat and organized, and their horses are well kept and look great.”
– Clint Crawford
THEIR KEYS TO SUCCESS
Bob attributes his success to perseverance and to breeding to the best stallions available. “Quarter Horses are all AI [artificial insemination], so there’s no excuse but your pocketbook for not going to the best stallions,” he says. “I’ve found that if we go to the top
10 stallions, we have a marketable baby, and
if we want to keep a few, which we do every year, we’ve got a really competitive horse that, if they’re good, we can run here at Prairie Meadows, and if they’re really good, we can take to Ruidoso.”
“We’ve also picked some really good trainers,” adds Sandy. Clinton Crawford, who trains their horses headed for Ruidoso, says
granddaughter. She looks a lot prettier up there than I ever did!”
In addition to the horses, Bob and Sandy have also attended Skip Barber Race School, and have raced Formula Fords and Porsche sports cars. In college, Bob was a drummer for a rock band, and he’s also run in marathons and triathlons. “I’ve got the knees to prove it now!” he jokes.
Nowadays, family time is their favorite pastime. “That’s when we have the most fun,” Sandy says. “They all live around the Des Moines area, and we celebrate all our holidays together. I’ve had a really happy marriage, three wonderful children and seven grandchildren.”
52 SPEEDHORSE July 2022
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Courtesy SummerHill Farms
Courtesy SummerHill Farms
Courtesy SummerHill Farms