There was a period of about 10 years during the sixties and seventies that I spent a month in California photographing great stallions. I started in southern California around Marietta when the horse's hair was slick early in April. I zig zagged up the west half of California to Redding. The horses were slicking off later up north and were looking great the last of May. Up around Lake county I worked with Tru Tru, Mr 49er, War Chant, and Mr Three Bars plus many others I don't recall. At the end of that run there were almost no famous stallions I had not photographed in California.
Jack Clifford of Kelseyville, CA had me scheduled to shoot War Chant. There were Three Bars sons in every county of California. War Chant was a little different as he was out of the famous mare Hula Girl P by Ed Echols who added some thickness. He took an astounding front and rear photo, but his thicker neck showed the old Quarter Horse look from the side.
Jack was a chubby horseman. Always funny. Sometimes I did not know when he was joking, lying or telling the truth. I like that kind of person. They make you think.
When I arrived he quickly told me not to leave anything shiny laying around. To roll up the windows in my car. He said he had a pet monkey that liked to collect shiny things. He said he once was moving some hay in the loft of his barn and right on top was the monkey's stash. There were little shiny pieces of glass, aluminum, plastic and a collection of Rolex watches. Sure enough here came a little monkey jumping around. Everywhere I went he watch for something to snatch. He was fast so you had to watch him before he started swinging through trees.
WAR CHANT was a bright chestnut, heavy muscled. He was born in 1952. War Chant made 23 starts and won 3 races. His biggest win was in the 1954 PCQHRA Futurity at Fairplex Park in Pomona, California. War Chant set the track record for 300 yards for two-year-old colts in 16 seconds flat. He sired 348 registered AQHA foals including Chantella and numerous high dollar progeny during that era.
We worked with him north of Jack's house. I remember he had very short canon bones. Afterward, Jack's wife fixed a great meal. Everyone knew the way to get the inside scoop about horses was to ask the vet, the farrier or the photographer. Jack asked about every horse around the state and the people who I had worked with. He was a student.
This was a time when Ronald Reagan was running for California governor. Jack was one of Reagan's most energetic fans. He talked on and on about the brilliance of Reagan, and it was true. Jack was in charge of campaigning for Reagan in his area and did a great job. In fact after Reagan was elected, for some interesting reason, Jack was appointed by the new governor as California Secretary of Racing.
Author: Darol Dickinson
