Essence of Sheila

from Arabian Horse World’s

Va r i a n A r a b i a n Archives

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heila Varian is remembered for her personality traits, her total devotion to the Arabian horse, and her empathy for horses and people. Even those who had only a casual acquaintance with Sheila experienced her enthusiasm and dedication. Longtime friends and associates knew they could always be assured of Sheila’s approach to life with Arabian horses.

Sheila was a teacher. After college, she pursued a teaching career that she applied later to teaching strategies to her world of Arabian horses — to the young people who worked at Varian Arabians, to those who attended her annual seminars at the ranch, and to visitors who stopped by. They all learned from her.

Sheila also had a sense of humor that delighted all of us. She was the Carol Burnett of the Arabian horse community, always sharing comical moments with her horses, relating incidents that brought laughter and appreciation of her wit.

Through her stories, listeners felt they were better acquainted with Sheila and her Arabians.

An adventurous spirit took Sheila on many daring experiences. Perhaps most of all in 1961 when she and her mother joined other adventurers in importing Arabians — sight unseen — from Poland, a Poland “behind the iron curtain.” The three mares the Varians brought in served as top broodmares for the ranch, never disappointed in the foaling stall, and gave a healthy boost to American breeders’ interest in Polish Arabians.

Sheila may have been “the great communicator” of the breed. She related the story of singing nursery rhymes to Ronteza to calm her before they entered the arena to win the 1961 Reined Cow Horse Championship, this in a field of 50.

With that win, Sheila became the first woman to compete in the discipline, the first woman to win the championship, and Ronteza the first-ever Arabian to be judged the champion in that discipline (usually considered the territory of cowboys and Quarter Horses). Then, when she and Bay-Abi competed in the 1962 U.S. National Arabian Show, he benefited from her well-rehearsed command “Go to sleep, Bay.” At which time he took a nap (on his feet), a breather that kept him fresh and perky until the end of the nearly four-hour class. The judges noticed. Bay-Abi was named 1962 United States National Champion Stallion, a unanimous decision.

Sheila was confident of her assessments of Arabians. She had only to briefly inspect and talk to Bay-Abi to know he would be a large part of her future with Arabian horses. Then too, in 1969, she saw great promise in a two-year-old colt and leased him for a breeding season. He sired three daughters for Sheila, mares long respected as producers of champions. The colt’s name was Khemosabi.

We have much to remember of Sheila — just a few reasons are given — and we are the lucky recipients of her knowledge, her foresight, and her creativity.

Of course there is much more in Arabian Horse World’s archives, but for now we’ll share this gem from our April 1982 issue, “The Essence of Sheila.”