Happy Father’s Day To My Dad, Rugged Lark
My dad, Rugged Lark, was known as America’s Super Horse. His are big horseshoes to fill, but I am trying every day to honor his name.
Rugged Lark was born on May 1, 1981. I am his last direct son. He was a two-time American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Show Superhorse as well as a three-time AQHA World Champion. He won the Silver Spur Award, and was so popular that his likeness was made into a Breyer model horse and a bronze statue.
He competed in reining, dressage, driving, hunter, Western pleasure and barrel racing.
During his show career, “Lark” won the 3-year-old Hunter Under Saddle title at the 1984 All American Quarter Horse Congress, two Sooner trailer Superhorse titles at the AQHA World Championship Show (one in 1985 and the second in 1987), the World Championships in Pleasure Driving as well as in Senior Hunter Under Saddle, and the Reserve World Championships in both Pleasure Driving and Senior Western riding.
Dad was sired by the Thoroughbred Really Rugged out of Alisa Lark. Carol Harris of Bo-Bett Farms bought him as a yearling. He was born, bred and trained at Bo-Bett Farms, located near Ocala, Florida and Bo-Bett is also my birthplace. Dad lived there for almost 24 years.
The entrance to Bo-Bett Farm where Dad and I were both born.
“Even though he's been gone for some time, people seem to remember him because there's really never been another one like him,” Ms. Carol said of my father. Now 97 years old, Ms. Carol is still a fireball.
Ms. Carol Harris
She was one of the first women to be named an AQHA judge and judged for 25 years. She was also an approved judge for the National Reining Horse, National Cutting Horse and American Horse Shows associations. In 1981, she was the first woman to judge at the AQHA World Championship Show. She was the first president of the New Jersey Quarter Horse Association and helped establish the East Coast Cutting Horse Association, and she also served as past president of the Florida Quarter Horse Association. She was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1997.
Rugged Lark
Ms. Carol knew that my dad was a superstar, and in 1989, he also became a supermodel. Not only was he a popular Breyer horse, he was the model for an AQHA/USET poster. He was a beloved exhibition horse as well as a goodwill ambassador. Ridden bridleless in the 1987 Superhorse awards ceremony, he received a standing ovation. He performed at countless other bridleless exhibitions around the country at events, including the American Quarter Horse Congress, the National Horse Show, the Washington International Horse Show, the United States Equestrian Team Festival of Champions, the Annual Shrine Rodeo, the Annual Florida Agricultural Festival, the United States Dressage Federation and the AQHA World Show.
In 1995, he was named Quarter Horse Ambassador for the United States Equestrian Team. In 1996, he was presented the Silver Spur Award by the AQHA in recognition of his efforts as an ambassador and entertainer. He was invited to perform at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. In 1997, he set out on his farewell tour, performing at the Devon Horse Show, Equitana USA, The Hampton Classic, the Quarter Horse Congress and the AQHA World Show. Rugged Lark’s last performance was at the 1997 Florida Reining Horse Classic.
My dad always thanked his audience. He taught me a lot about good manners.
He spent the last part of his life entertaining and making friends with thousands of visitors to Bo-Bett. Good manners were important to my dad and he always politely bowed to his fans.
Not only was he amazing as a competitor and performer, my dad sired some pretty impressive horses including my siblings The Lark Ascending (the 1999 AQHA World Show Superhorse), Rugged Painted Lark, Look Whos Larkin (the 1999 AQHA World Show Superhorse), Jolena Lark, Regal Lark (the 1993 AQHA World Show Reserve Superhorse), Rugged Lark II and Forever a Lark. He is one of only two stallions to sire offspring that won Superhorse titles.
Sadly, he colicked and was euthanized on Oct. 26, 2004.
Ms. Carol has sold part of Bo-Bett Farm and Dad’s bronze statue and lots of memorabilia will be displayed at the new Hilton hotel in the heart of Ocala. “I think it'll be exciting for the public because it has a lot to do with the history and the development of this whole area,” she said. “He's done so much to make Ocala aware of the horse industry, along with the race horses and the show horses and the people who have promoted all kinds of equitation.”
She said that she hopes to soon hold a sale of more Rugged Lark memorabilia at Bo-Bett. “When this virus thing gets totally over, we'll be able to have a sale right here with a lot of his memorabilia which will be eligible for the public to have,” she said.
Ms. Carol is one-of-a-kind and so was my dad. I’m a lucky horse to have had such an impressive father and role model. Good manners were important to my dad and I try to follow in his hoofprints. Thanks for everything, Dad, and Happy Father’s Day!
Dad
This is me. I think we look a lot alike. I'm proud to be a “chip off the old block.”