It was a time when horses were pulled from the roping string and run down a track bordered by tumbleweeds. It was a time when a man could elbow another in the ribs and say, “My horse is better than yours,” and then lay some money on it.

It was the time of Clabber.

Although Clabber met with a relatively early demise at the age of 11 in 1947, the sorrel stallion’s name still springs to the lips of old-time-racing fans. He left behind a legacy of plain-headed, strong-bodied get that claimed the tracks for years after his death.

Like a lot of early Quarter Horse sires, Clabber’s lineage remains in dispute. His sire is listed as My Texas Dandy, who was by the Thoroughbred Porte Drapeau. That fact is not disputed; the confusion is in which mare actually gave birth to Clabber.

Clabber’s dam is recorded as Blondie S by Lone Star, but there was also some claim that he was out of Golden Girl by Uncle Jimmy Gray (TB). Former AQHA Executive Secretary Bob Denhardt said in a 1964 Quarter Horse Journal article, “In my notes while talking to Ab Nichols (who owned Clabber and was the first to run him) in 1940, I have Clabber’s dam listed as Golden Girl by Uncle Jimmy Gray (TB) and out of Emory Goldman. I checked in Vol. 1 of the AQHA stud book, and saw that I registered Clabber as being out of Golden Wheel. I think this was a typographical error, and someone read a poor writing of ‘Girl’ as ‘Wheel,’ and I did not catch the change when proofreading the original copy for Vol. 1, No. 1.”

At that time, most of the information on Quarter runners came from the American Quarter Racing Association, which was the forerunner to AQHA’s racing department. According to AQRA records, Golden Girl or Golden Wheel was changed to Blondie S. How Blondie S entered the picture is not clear, but the original registration application signed on May 5, 1941, by A.A. (Ab) Nichols of Gilbert, Arizona, has “Golden Wheel” crossed out in pencil, with “Blondie S” written in. In his book, “Foundation Dams of the American Quarter Horse Association,” Denhardt supports the theory that Golden Wheel, who was owned by Frank Smith of Big Foot, Texas, was the dam of Clabber, having been bred to My Texas Dandy in 1935. However, AQHA records still show Blondie S as his dam.

Clabber was purchased as a long yearling, nameless and unregistered, by Ab Nichols, who went on a horse-buying trip with his son Buck and a friend, Ross Brenson, to Seguin, Texas. Nichols received a great deal of good-natured ribbing because Clabber was all head and feet, with no body to speak of.

“He’ll grow into his feet, don’t worry about that!” Nichols shot back.

Clabber not only inherited the explosive power of the Quarter Horse, but also had the endurance of the Thoroughbred runner, enabling him to run a quarter mile with ease. His first test came against another Nichols horse named Lucky. Lucky was already being raced, so Nichols decided to breeze Clabber with him. Next to Lucky, Clabber looked like he was just playing, and Nichols figured he had himself a racehorse.

According to Nichols’ son Hugh in a 1980 Journal article, “When Dad first started to run the colt, he ran him under the name Clab Foot. And he won ever’ doggone race he put him in, and he didn’t have a mean hair on him, wasn’t no trouble, didn’t buck anybody off, or anything like that. So ever’body fell in love with the horse, and they started calling him a love name, a contraction of Clab Foot, ‘Clabber.’ So then Dad ran him by Clabber and registered him as a Quarter Horse under that name.”

Nichols registered Clabber with AQHA in 1941 when the sorrel stallion was 5. Until that time, Nichols had spent some time proving again and again that Clabber was probably the best Quarter racehorse in Arizona. But Nichols was from the old school – if a horse eats, he earns his keep. When it came time to work cattle on the ranch or let one of the kids ride, Clabber was in there for the choosing.

Jo Flieger of Winkelman, Arizona, who became a follower of Clabber after seeing him in a rodeo and came close to purchasing the great horse, wrote in a 1950 Journal article, “All the racehorse training he got was a walk, trot and gallop down the dirt road by Ab Nichols’ home in Gilbert.” And that is the way Nichols prepared Clabber for perhaps one of the most challenging races of his career.

Nichols hauled Clabber to Eagle Pass, Texas, to challenge the good Texas-bred Quarter runners that were getting most of the acclaim and recognition as top Quarter Horse racehorses. Most of Clabber’s Arizona fans thought Nichols was just a bit daft for wanting to go against the best Quarter Horses, jockeys and trainers in America, but Nichols knew what he was doing, because Clabber’s performances at Eagle Pass were what made the Quarter running world sit up and take notice.

In the first race in which Nichols entered Clabber, a quarter-mile for 3-year-olds, Speck Osteen guided the stallion to an easy victory in :23.6. Following the race, though, a challenge was put to Nichols by George Clegg, owner of Nobody’s Friend, who would be named the 1942 champion stallion. Clegg wanted to match Nobody’s Friend to Clabber for $500 a side to be run the following day. Flieger delivered the message to Nichols, and Nichols blinked, chewed his tobacco a few times, and then said, “Why sure, we’ll try him.” Clabber took Nobody’s Friend, running the race in :23 flat.

Two days later, October 24, 1941, was the big race, the Eagle Pass Derby, which would prove Clabber’s capabilities against Little Joe Jr, Little Patsy, Anniversary, Balmy L and Nobody’s Friend. However, it was determined that Clabber was not eligible for the race because he had not run his quarter fast enough two days before. The match race didn’t count. Nichols was furious and threatened to take Clabber back to Arizona, which didn’t faze the officials in the least. Finally, through some persuasion by Flieger, it was decided that if Clabber won the first race at 440 yards in :23 or better, then he could run in the third race, which was the derby.

Clabber did just what he was asked and took the first race in :23 flat and was raring to go for the third.

Osteen was again in the saddle for the derby, and when the call came for the race, all was quiet until the gates slammed open and Clabber left on top. Anniversary was close behind, but Balmy L passed her and made a move at Clabber. Osteen reached for his bat, tapped Clabber once, and they sailed under the wire in less than :23.

Later that year, Clabber became the first world champion Quarter running horse. The race that decided his championship was also a source of legendary tale. During the Quarter Horse championships in Tucson, the horses were to be run from open gates. Clabber had the outside post, but would not stand for the start, so the starter ran a rope through Clabber’s bit to hold him for the start. When the flag was dropped, Clabber plunged forward and fell to his knees, taking the men holding the rope with him. He finally pulled himself up, with his jockey clambering to regain his seat, and hurled himself after the field. He finally caught the field and led them to the finish in a time of :22.2.

It was for durable conformation and great heart that Clabber was anointed “The Iron Horse.” Although he was campaigned throughout 1944, Clabber was unable to reach that pinnacle of success again. But by 1943, his get were already making appearances on the tracks.

Clabber’s official AQHA record is somewhat lacking in its depiction of his ability on the short course, showing a speed rating of AA, with his fastest time for 440 yards being clocked at :22.8.

Clabber was sold to Frank Vessels Jr. in October 1944 for $5,000. Of a total of 116 get, Clabber sired 56 starters, 39 winners and three stakes winners, with one world champion, for total earnings of $46,097.

Clabber died in 1947 from a head injury. And when he did, the Quarter racing world lost one of the greats of its time, not only on the track, but also in the breeding shed. Clabber was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1997.