from “Legends” by Diane C. Simmons
Talk to anyone who knew Bert, and the subject will quickly reach two conclusions: 1/Anyone who swung a rope or wrestled steers in a rodeo arena wanted a Bert offspring; and 2/anyone who owned a Bert mare was automatically in the horse business.
Foaled in 1934, Bert was bred by Bert Benear of Tulsa. He was by Tommy Clegg and out of Lady Coolidge by Yellow Jacket – also referred to as Beetch’s Yellow Jacket. (And Beetch was sometimes spelled as Beech.)
Official AQHA records denote the following progression of ownership for Bert. He was sold by Benear to Bob Weimer of Okmulgee, Oklahoma in January 1947. Seven months later, he was sold to Winthrop Ingersoll. In May 1950, the brown stallion found a home with G.E. Nicholson of Tulsa. Three years later, in 1953, he found himself with Dell Bryson and, later in 1953, with Earl J. Mayes, who was his last recorded owner. There were also a few stopovers that don’t show in the records.
Bert has no AQHA performance record, but he sired four AQHA Champions: Bert’s Lady, Janie Bert Watts, Sutherland’s Dwight and Thomas Bert – who was also AQHA’s high-point halter gelding in 1962. Bert also sired Jeanne’s Patsy, 1955 AQHA high-point calf roping horse, and 11 horses who earned ROMs in racing.
One of those horsemen who remembers Bert is Nick McNair of Adair, Oklahoma. He says, “I knew Bob Weimer when he stood Bert at Wainwright, Oklahoma. Bert’s daughters became some of the most outstanding producers in the country. Just about every roper around wanted a Bert horse, and many of those horses wound up in the hands of some good cowboys. Before long, it was almost a must to cross Bert mares on Oklahoma Star Jr. Bob (Weimer) crossed them on that horse and Little Jodie, and both crosses worked. Bert himself was anything but breedy looking, but he sired some extremely pretty daughters. That was surprising to a lot of people since Bert was a coldblooded, rough-looking stallion.”
Many of the Bert/Little Jodie and Oklahoma Star Jr. crosses came about through Ralph Viersen, who owned Star Jr. and Little Jodie. He bought several Bert mares from Bob Weimer and began crossing them on those stallions.
There were several colorful personalities connected with Bert and his offspring. Consider, as one example, Floyd “Fifty Thousand” Watts. During WWII, he traversed Oklahoma selling war bonds with Bob Hope. He introduced Gene Autry at rodeos, and Harry S. Truman at speaking engagements. He’s been a rodeo announcer extraordinaire, and been married five times. He also owned Janie Bert Watts – an AQHA Champion daughter of Bert. He recalls that, “Bert had a bad head, no doubt about that. But put Star Jr. on one of his daughters and the foal turned out great. They all had great back ends, and lots of muscle. There was a tremendous demand for them, and every cowboy in the country wanted one. I can remember one time when I was showing Janie Bert Watts under Leonard Milligan. He walked to me and said, “Fifty Thousand, take her to the front (of the line). She has a head big enough for two, but a body like a woman.” I took her to the front. One year I borrowed $285 to pay my entry fee for a cutting at Fort Worth. I went into the arena on Janie and just dropped the reins on her. We cut a big Brahma who took out running. But that mare dipped her head and bird-dogged him, staying head-to-head with him. Bert himself looked about as good as an old plow horse, Watts continues. He had a deep shoulder and a long underbelly. When Dell Bryson owned him, we had actually bought him together, and sold him 6 months later. We made $1,000 on the deal. Today, $1,000 is about like a bed blanket in a snowstorm, but back then, it was a fortune.”
H.V. Roberts was another one connected with the Viersen ranch during the days of Bert and his daughters. “Bert definitely had a bad head, recalled Roberts. He was low in the back, but had good feet. He was never broke since he had a bad foot that was cut when he was young. To me, Bonnie Bert was one of the best Bert mares in the country. As a 2-year-old, she finished in a dead heat in the 1949 Oklahoma Futurity, in world record time for 2 year-olds at 200 yards. Viersen bought the horse who dead-heated with her – Grey Question. Merry Legs E was another wonderful Bert mare who crossed well on Hysition, a Thoroughbred owned by Viersen. We took her to the New Mexico State Fair in the fall of 1951. She ran AA time for us, and we’d just weaned her colt off her in June of that year. Some of Merry Legs E’s daughters went on to make great broodmares.” Roberts continues; “I think one of the greatest mares Bert ever sired was Beauty W, who was out of a mare by Oklahoma Star, who was referred to as the Bald Faced Mare. Bill and Jeannie Moore of Broken Arow, Oklahoma owned her. They bred Beauty W to Little Jodie and got Beauty Jo. Beauty Jo won so many show trophies that they filled one hug space in the Moore’s home. No one can doubt that Bert was a strong breeder. His daughters crossed well with just about anything, the the best were the Star Jr. and the Little Jodie crosses. I can tell you his offspring were in great demand. Cowboys knew they were ahorseback if they could get a Bert under them. Even today, you can see the Bert blood showing up four and five generations back in pedigrees. He was consistent as a breeder, and you could almost always recognize his daughters. He could have been one of the greatest Quarter Horse sires in the industry if he had just put a good head on his offspring. Even so, he was ahead of his time as a sire.”
In addition to Bert’s sons and daughters making names for themselves, there was a granddaughter who carved a large niche for herself in rodeo history. This was Baby Doll, registered as Baby Doll Combs. Foaled in 1947, she was by Oklahoma Star Jr. and out of a Bert daughter, Miss Boctick.
Baby Doll was owned by Willard Combs, one of the nation’s top steer wrestlers in the 1950s. He not only competed on Baby Doll, but also let other cowboys bulldog steers on this great mare (for a percentage of their winnings). Anyone who roder her was almost a sure bet to finish in the money. In 1955, for example, cowboys ‘dogging off Baby Doll won $56,000…and in 1957, $75,500. Also in ’57, Willard won the RCA World Championship in steer wrestling riding Baby Doll. When she died in 1960, her loss was felt throughout rodeo. Baby Doll was a testimonial for an old saying about Bert mares that was popular in the late 1930s and on through the ’50s; “If you had a Bert mare, you knew you were in the horse business.”
AQHA records show that Bert died in May 1956, at the age of 22.
Halter and Performance Record: none
Progeny Record:
AQHA Champions: 4
Foal Crops: 23
Foals Registered: 292
Halter Point Earners: 33
Halter Points Earned: 438
Performance Point Earners: 41
Performance Points Earned: 545.5
Leading Race Money Earner: V’s Bert ($2,779)
Performance Registers of Merit: 26
Race Money Earned: $9,749
Race Registers of Merit: 11
Race Starters: 17
Superior Halter Awards: 2
Superior Performance Awards: 3