Painted Performance Horses - Sonny Dee Bar

Sonny Dee Bar - The Immortal AQHA Legend

Painted Performance Horses

Western Pleasure Horse

Sonny Dee Bar - The Immortal AQHA Legend

Code of the Road has the immortal legend ~Sonny Dee Bar~ in his lineage!

~As quoted from past owners & handlers of the Immortal AQHA Legend 'Sonny Dee Bar'~

~Sonny Dee Bar~
Stallion Show Record
Superior Halter, 1971
ROM Halter
ROM Performance, 1970
Performance Point Earner
Halter Point Earner
AQHA Hall of Fame 2003 Inductee

In the 80s you weren't mounted at a show unless you had a Sonny Dee Bar horse. That is what you needed to win. Many of today’s show and arena horses trace to SDB. Red Sonny Dee was probably SDB's best known son. He threw a lot of cropouts which of course ended up in the paints.

The Sonny Dee Bar horses are smart; if you treat them right they will dig down and willingly give you that extra 10% when the going gets tough.

Sonny Dee Bar horses were known as all-around horses because they can both halter & ride…. Body, athletic ability & brains. They are not known as big horses, SDB himself was only 14.3. Wonderful length & slope to hip that is still hard to find in other bloodlines.

The Sonny Dee Bar lines can be a little bit hard headed but, if you can get their trust, they'll do about anything for you. Great mind and really willing when it comes to learning new things.

"Sunny Dee Bar" - SDB's Paint Son who made such an impact in the APHA world.

Sonny Dee Bar was the absolute most well mannered, docile stallion to be around. Structurally quite sound as well, even in his later years. I can think of many times the kids sat on him bareback while I roached that old boy’s mane and clipped those white socks. I realize that in his early life with Dean Landers he had serious training, but even when left to be just a horse he was as kind and level headed as could be. You wouldn't believe the people who would come to the barn expecting a monster based on rumors of his personality and leave with their mouths hanging open at how docile he truly was. He was definitely one of the great ones and presented a "look of eagles" until the end.

"He was an outstanding individual as a show horse. But the main thing about him was that he sired horses that rode well and looked good too. That's a hard combination to make work. Sonny was a good-looking horse, but he still sired horse that could ride, as well as halter. There are very few of those horses around."- Jerry Wells, all-time leading trainer of Quarter Horse halter and performance champions.

Sonny Dee Bar & Red Sonny Socks. Both have good tie in on their necks and neck length balances their back length. Sonny Dee Bar being shorter backed than Red Sonny Dee.

The older, foundation type lines like Coys Bonanza, Ole Man, Peponita, Hancock, Blue Valentine and Sonny Dee Bar to name a couple …… 90% of the time - the conformation of these bloodline result in a 15hh or less, 1300# bulldog type that can put a "whoa" on a moving steam locomotive.

Now, I do think horses have personalities, so I'll tell you what I think the three types are, and you can tell me what you think of MY analysis. And no, I don't think it has anything to do with energy level - I think energy level has more to do with specific bloodlines. I met an APHA stallion today, a real sweetheart, and the owner told me he didn't do a darn thing when she first sat on him. I asked his breeding and it was Sonny Dee Bar. Not surprising. Those Sonny Dee Bar horses wouldn't blow up if a bomb exploded at the next-door neighbor's. Good luck getting them to ever gallop…..

Sonny Dee Bar is a Superior Halter Quarter Horse, has his ROM in Halter, ROM in Performance and is in the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame; AQHA CHAMPION H-62/P-10 SUPERIOR HALTER/ ROM Arena
AQHA Leading Sire. Sonny Dee Bar is the Sire of: 22 AQHA Chs, 159 AQHA ROM/35 APHA Chs/90 APHA ROM, 36 Superiors, 15 World & National Champions, 6,082 Hlt.pts., 18,024 Perf.Pts. Sonny Dee Bar died in 2003