The horse best known as ‘Gunner’ changed the face of reining, quite literally, and earned legions of fans for his talent, personality and distinctive looks.

Gunner
Gunner’s looks and physical talent made him popular and successful.

Only a select few horses are known around the world by their barn names. “Gunner” was one. The beloved 1993 stallion, with his bonnet face and floppy ears, lost his battle with laminitis in July. In his 20 years of life, he made an undeniable impact on the reining horse industry and two breed associations—and on just about anyone who saw him or his sons and daughters.

Gunner’s death on July 8, 2013, resulted in an outpouring of sympathy for Tim and Colleen McQuay, who had owned the stallion since 2005. Thousands of Facebook fans expressed their condolences, while phone calls and emails poured in at McQuay Stables in Tioga, Texas.

“We heard from people all over the world,” says Colleen. “It’s pretty moving, and it makes it a little harder, because you know that there’s a void all over, beyond your own family.”

Gunner was sired by Colonelfourfreckle and out of Katie Gun, both Quarter Horses. The colt’s excessive white markings initially prevented breeder Eric Storey of Henagar, Alabama, from registering him with the American Quarter Horse Association, but the American Paint Horse Association registered him as Colonels Smokingun. When AQHA revised its registration rules, Gunner earned his AQHA papers as Colonels Smoking Gun. He went on to sire world champions and countless point earners in both associations.

As a 2-year-old, Gunner was purchased by Paul and Pam Rohus of Royse City, Texas. They took the colt to trainer Clint Haverty in Krum, Texas, and the two hit it off immediately.

“It’s unbelievable how much try he had, and how intelligent he was,” Haverty recalls.

As a 3-year-old, Gunner won the APHA reining futurity and was reserve champion at the National Reining Horse Association Futurity with Haverty. The colt was sold to Kim and Debra Sloan of Newfoundland, New Jersey, and continued a successful show career with Haverty, Kim Sloan in the non-pro division, and later Bryant Pace, who showed him to win the 2001 United States Equestrian Federation reining championship.

Gunner earned $177,386 during his career, but his move from show horse to breeding stallion has made an indelible mark on the reining industry through his get. Many have inherited his loud white markings, down to the bonnet face and streak up the hind leg. A number are also deaf, like their sire, but as with Gunner, the deafness did not inhibit their talent or training.

Leading reining trainer Andrea Fappani of Scottsdale, Arizona, says Gunner’s influence on the industry has been remarkable.

“His impact has been huge, especially in the last few years,” says Fappani, who has shown Gunner’s top money-earning son, Tinker With Guns. “I think the modern reining horse has been affected a lot by Gunner. [His offspring] have a certain style to them. Their best attributes are that they have great minds together with a great stop. It doesn’t take more than 30 days [of training], and you put shoes on them and they slide. They make you feel like a good horse trainer. They’re just nice horses.”

Colleen says she and Tim followed Gunner’s career and even hoped to buy him as a 3-year-old.

McQuay Gunner
Tim McQuay and his wife, Colleen, bought Gunner in 2005 and stood him at their McQuay Stables in Tioga, Texas.

“I watched his career from a bit of a distance, and anytime I see horses win for different riders—especially riders that may have a different touch or a different program—you have to have a lot of respect for that horse,” she says. “It was apparent from Day One how willing Gunner was. He had a big heart and tried to please all the time. If a horse does not have a big heart and a good mind, those are two ingredients that cannot be made up by talent alone. There was no guessing for us when we bought him. There were some colts on the ground already, so we knew the opportunity was there.”

In fact, Tim had ridden several colts by Gunner, which cemented his decision to buy the horse.

“I loved him when he was showing, and he was a crowd favorite,” Tim says. “But what got me going was that we had some colts of his to ride, and I liked his colts. They wanted to stop, and could stop. It was just so easy for them. And they stopped with style. If they didn’t turn around really good, they’d let you train them, and that was the other thing that was nice about them. They always let you train them, and then they got better and better and better.”

In May, Gunner reached $5 million status as a sire of NRHA performers. The accomplishment came just six years after his get reached $1 million in earnings, and less than a year after they hit the $4 million mark.

“What Gunner has done and will continue to do for the industry for many years to come is immeasurable,” Haverty says.

The McQuays also owned the late Hollywood Dun It, an NRHA $6 million sire, and now are seeing the success of having crossed his daughters on Gunner. Two of Gunner’s top five money-earners—2012 NRHA Futurity open champion Americasnextgunmodel, shown by Casey Deary, and 2012 National Reining Breeders Classic non-pro winner Always Gotyer Gunsup, shown by the McQuays’ daughter, Mandy McCutcheon—are out of Hollywood Dun It mares.

“ ‘Dun It’ was in our family for 20 years,” Colleen says. “To see his daughters and granddaughters still having such an impact in the industry is very rewarding. It makes us realize over and over how lucky we were to have him. Now we’ve got generations of Gunners, and we’re really lucky to have them.

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