*  Ranked as 4th leading 2009 Barrel Sire by money     earned *  Ranked 17th leading All-Time Barrel Sire by money     earned *  Arena ROM and Superior ROM Producer *  Winner of $50,000 plus barrel racing *  Out of $40,000 plus barrel winning granddaughter     of World Champion Running Horse MR BAR NONE,     SI 100 *  By MAGNOLIA BAR, SI 100, AQHA Champion and     leading sire of AQHA point earners.   PEDIGREE

RUNNERELSE  -  The story behind the name 

 

     Our family was not rich with money, but, were rich in many other ways.  My love of horses and barrel racing seemed to keep us busy with such things from the time I got my first pony, when I was only three years old.  A local gas station gave out tickets for a "free" pony with gas purchases there.  Several friends of our family pooled their tickets and I ultimately had my first very own horse.  He was one spoiled, mean, little Shetland - probably why he was given away in the first place!  But, I loved that ornery little horse and he taught me many things about survival and only fueled my desire to live my life in the company of horses.

     I went through several more horses on my way to becoming an adult, each one teaching me more and more and instilling in me a deep love for the industry.

     My parents, Vern & Patricia Gorgen, took out a second mortgage on their house in the late 1970's and purchased a phenomenal little mare from June Holeman named Buck's St Pat.  June had broken many records with this mare and had won both local amateur associations in our area by a wide margin.  Many people aren't aware that June is a good poet and wrote a poem about Bucks St Pat that can be seen on Buck's St Pat's web page.  

     In 1977, Lynn McKenzie and her her three-year-old Magnolia Bar gelding, Magnolia Missile, won all goes and the average at the lucrative TBRA Futurity. The next year, as a four-year-old, Missile was crowned the WPRA World Champion barrel horse.  This duo continued to win many championships in their career. 

     Upon researching Lynn and her great mount - I became determined to have a Magnolia Bar horse of my own.  In 1980, in a dream to cross Buck's St Pat with Magnolia Bar, my mother and I set out on the long journey from O'Neill, NE to Red Gate at Maynardville, TN.  It was 1,100 miles one way in an old worn out pickup that would barely run and usually required jump starting if you shut it off.  Yes, we were the ones at the gas stations that left our truck running.....

     Without the required funds to finance such an endeavor as this - I had sold off several things in order to come up with enough money to pay the stallion fees, and make the trip.  Mom and I took most of our food with us and traveled light.  We left the two horse trailer at Red Gate, along with Buck's St Pat, and made our way back to NE.

     I was naive and anxious to get the mare home and legged up again so we could get back into competition.  When it was time to go and get her, the stallion manager told us that he felt that she had failed to conceive and suggested that they could give her a shot to bring her back in and breed her one more time before we came to get her.  Unknown to any of us at the time, RUNNERELSE was already in the making.  Simply by the Hand of God, we declined.  Had we agreed to try again, the pregnancy would have likely been terminated.

     Upon making the long return trip to TN, it became apparent that we might not be able to try and rebreed the mare the following year.  Upon arriving at Red Gate, the manager allowed us the opportunity to buy a Magnolia Bar gelding from him, minus our stallion fee.  I saw that as my only option to regain our investment, so upon looking at the gelding, I agreed.  The big trouble now was that I needed more money to complete that purchase.  I called back home and did some shuffling around, borrowed some money and headed home with the gelding and an open Buck's St Pat.  Or so we thought......

     Each time we would unload the horses to let them have a break from the trip, the mare would balk when we went to load her again, then she would urinate, then kindly get back in the trailer.  After a few sessions of this, my mom told me that she had a suspicion that the mare truly was bred as she had never acted in this manor before.

     After some time passed, we did a blood test on Buck's St Pat - and Praise God - she was pregnant!!  We were all ecstatic!!  I think I was the happiest girl on earth!

     Along with this enormous blessing came the need to send Red Gate another stallion breeding fee to put the mare on the stallion breeding report.  I had little left to sell, some trophy saddles and such but was I ever glad to do what it took to pay that bill!!

     In retrospect, I would have done many things differently in my life and I must tell you what kind of a heart Buck's St Pat possessed.......I competed on her through several pregnancies and also while she had the foals on her side.  We would lock the baby in the trailer and that awesome mare would go make her run and then hurry back to the trailer to check on her baby.  She would exit the arena and begin nickering softly all the way back to wherever we had parked.  We logged many miles and many wins this way.  I will always have the utmost admiration for that mare.

     This is a shortened version, but, the testimony behind this stallion is great, and in 1981, simply by the Grace of God, a 15 hand powerhouse was born.  Many horses, but RUNNERELSE in particular, set the course for my life  and it has been a great ride.

     Considering the events and circumstances that led up to his birth, it was said that this little chestnut horse would have to " run or else " - and he did.

     Through the Magnolia Bar horses and our passion for them, a great friendship between George and Joyce (Loomis) Kernek and our family developed.  I can clearly look back upon my life, and see that God was ever present and continually guiding me down this wonderful path that he had planned for me - long before I was even born.

     All of the praise and glory go to Jesus Christ for the privilege of having shared over half my life with such a sweet and talented individual as RUNNERELSE.  As for the interest in him today, I can take no credit for it.  It has happened in spite of all that I have done - not because of it.  The biggest blessing of all, with these horses, are the friends that God has allowed us along the way.