Barbara Kettlewell Celebration of Life

 Barbara Kettlewell, known for her smile and her passion for Quarter Horses, passed away peacefully at home on her ranch March 7, 2024. She had recently celebrated her 99th birthday. We will have a Celebration of Life on Saturday, May 18, 1 PM at the ranch. All are welcome to celebrate and remember her, tell a story about her or just come to listen to stories and recollections.

From the first horse she acquired by selling her ping-pong table and bicycle for $35, to being the founder of Minnesota’s oldest and largest Quarter Horse ranch, Barbara Kettlewell’s life revolved around that passion for horses.

Born in Minneapolis February 19, 1925, Barbara was a city girl, but dreamed of horses all the time, even describing how she galloped to school rather than walk. A horse for $35! Barbara thought, “Boy, I can afford that.” Barbara’s plan was to keep the horse staked in a vacant lot next to her grandmother’s house on Aldrich Ave. in Minneapolis. When it came to delivery day, the man who delivered the horse, Denny Moore, said, “I don’t think this will work.”  So, Barbara found a place owned by Matt Hansen called Oak Lane, where she could board for $15 plus doing her own grooming. Barbara said that was her “foot in the door.”  And it was the place she would later meet her future husband, Reed.

Following graduation from Washburn High School, Barbara, was smitten with the idea of going to Los Angeles. Equipped with a certificate in airline communication, she landed a job in Beverly Hills at Douglas Aircraft. She found a nearby ranch, owned by folks who were involved in the movie industry. They invited her to come ride at any time.  She became acquainted with their son-in-law, cowboy actor Andy Devine. She returned to Minnesota less than a year later.

In 1945, Barbara was intrigued by the Quarter Horse and the emerging registry for that breed. She was a student of the bloodlines of early Quarter Horses. She purchased her first Quarter Horse, Pal Amigo Don. A year later, Barbara bought her beloved WR’s Golden Tiney, a daughter of Question Mark’s Sonny. A number of her mares bought in the 40s were registered in National Quarter Horse Association, pre-cursor to AQHA.

Reed and Barbara married in 1950, and Barbara recalled that “Reed wanted to be a cowboy, and I wanted to be the horse breeder.” They accomplished both with their move out of the city to Champlin, Minn. Barbara was the one who convinced Reed that Quarter Horses were truly the direction they should go with their horse interests.  Both were city kids who just loved horses. Their parents never quite understood that passion. But that passion and a dream were all they started with when they moved to the country to start a ranch.

Soon they began acquiring daughters of Oklahoma Star, Bert, Star Deck, Stormy Day Moore, Monsieur Joe, Wimpy II, San Siemon, Epatant and Tom Benear.

Barbara was also the person who researched and bought the ranch’s founding sire, George Paul, a son of Bert. She had contacted several breeders and decided she liked dealing with Paul and George Nicholson of the Nicholson Ranch in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They picked a colt out of the mare NR Jacci and by the sire Bert, AQHA number 227. Barbara bought him, sight unseen. He was the best purchase she ever made. “He put us on the map,” Barbara said. He was delivered to the ranch in November of 1952. Wally Enger hauled the colt for Barbara and Reed.

Of course, the big joke always told around the table was “who was Barbara more excited about, George’s arrival to the ranch, or the birth of her first daughter, Vickie?” The two events happened virtually within the same week.

To this day, George Paul is present in almost all the bottom sides of Sunup Ranch mares. George sired two AQHA Champions, two APHA Champions, four ROMs, NCHA money-earners, and NSBA money-earners. The magic cross of George Paul and EZ Dawson produced multiple futurity winners year after year, as well as Dawson Beauty, the dam of National Champion Beau Bonanza.

In the 50s, 60s and 70s there was always a lot of activity at the ranch as customers who became close friends would bring their horses to the ranch to ride, maybe prep together for shows, or share hauling to the State Fair. At her first State Fair show in 1951, Barbara won the western pleasure class on WR’s Golden Tiney. Sunup Ranch and Barbara showed horses for 52 consecutive years at the State Fair. Sunup Ranch was a horse-barn fixture, bringing 7-10 head each year. The fair was a yearly family tradition, everyone put great effort into the Sunup display and prepping the horses. A lot of purple and blue awards came home from the fair.

Barbara was among the founding group of what was first called the Upper Midwest Quarter Horse Association, which became the Minnesota Quarter Horse Association. She served on many committees, including the committee for the State Show in the early 1960s. 

In the late 50s and early 60s Barbara showed a daughter of George Paul named Sweet Georgia (out of Downbeat, by Question Mark’s Sonny). This mare was truly her pride and joy and she won quite a few pleasure classes on her, earning her Register of Merit. Barbara tells the story of how sometimes a judge in those days would have the rider dismount and the judge would ride the horse. Lawrence DeHaan did that once to her, and Barbara didn’t know what to expect. Well, she won the class. Georgia would be the last horse she showed extensively. The other duties of the ranch, including all the registrations, the books, the chores, correspondence with customers (no email then), preparing ads, preparing horses for sale or show, became her priority. She had two daughters by then – Jennie was born in 1957. In the 60s and 70s she saw to her daughters’ interests in the horses and in showing.

In the early 70s they relocated their ranch to the Brainerd area, where it continues operations today.

The 60s and 70s brought in a new era of stallions to the ranch from Tee Bar Hitone, a King Ranch-branded son of Rey Del Rancho and ROM working cow horse, to the first of four sons of Two Eyed Jack purchased to cross with the George Paul mares. The purchase of those first stallions was the start of a long relationship with the Pitzer Ranch. Reed and Barbara made many trips to Ericson, Nebraska as they continued to select stallion prospects to cross on Sunup mares.

By the early 80s they again sought the bloodlines of an out-cross stallion, landing on Zan Parr Bar, and bought two of his sons. They also bought a son of Watch Joe Jack and a son of Peponita. In 1999, Barbara found an NCHA money-earning son of Gay Bar King. She knew what a potent maternal sire Gay Bar King was, and she bought this horse in order to keep daughters for the Sunup herd.

Barbara and Reed were really a team when it came to running the business. Reed always claimed Barbara was the best salesman, “she could really sell horses,” he would say. She had the ability to offer a genuine smile, backed up by her deep knowledge of bloodlines and an appreciation for the qualities of a Quarter Horse. Barbara was always interested in the other person’s story, and wanted to know about their horses and experiences. Both Reed and Barbara introduced many people to their first Quarter Horse. In turn, those folks became Quarter Horse enthusiasts and buyers.  Many, many people turned to Barbara for her knowledge of bloodlines. She really knew the AQHA Stud Books and the horses.  She brought many people into the Quarter Horse fold. And, she was a very good judge of conformation. There is a Sunup-bred horse in all but two states, they’re even in Hawaii and Alaska. Sunup-bred horses, sold off the ranch, have passports to Canada, Mexico, Panama, England, Germany, Denmark, France, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland. Most of these horses were bought sight unseen.

From 1987 to 2009, Barbara indulged her passion for the stage and dance by participating in the Geritol Frolics, a senior variety show, performing as a tap dancer.  The Frolics put on a new stage production for the public each year, and the troupe even traveled to other parts of the country to perform. Barbara was a tap dancer, and being a part of the Frolics kept her young.

One of the proudest moments for Barbara was to be honored with the American Quarter Horse Association’s Legacy Breeder award in 2005 for 50 years of consecutively raising and registering foals. Barbara accepted the award at a ceremony in Amarillo, accompanied by daughters Vickie and Jennie Kettlewell, and son-in-law, Greg Booth.

In 2009, Barbara accompanied Sunups Misty Star, a mare she had bred and was owned by the ranch, to the AQHA World Show after the mare had qualified to compete in Open Dally Team Roping – Heading.

In 2010, MQHA recognized Barbara’s lifetime achievements by inducting her into its Hall of Fame. MQHA cited Barbara’s years of influence in promoting the Quarter Horse.

Barbara was thrilled and honored to be interviewed by Larry Thornton, author of a number of books on Quarter Horse bloodlines, for his ongoing series of articles entitled “The Working Lines,” wrote a two-part story on Sunup’s bloodlines and crosses from its foundation to today. The articles appeared in The Working Horse magazine in 2015.   

 In the early 90s Barbara had the opportunity to travel and to live in Texas for a month to escape the Minnesota winter. Ranch operations continued with her son-in-law, Greg Booth, taking on more of the day-to-day management of the ranch and breeding operations. However, Barbara remained active on the ranch, doing chores and doing the feeding chores in “her barn” well into her early 90s. She never lost her keen interest in the breeding operation and eagerly awaited each year’s foal crop. She was always ready with a suggestion on good mare/stallion crosses, or “keepers” for the herd. She had an eye for colts to be considered stallion prospects. She even created a handbook on how to sell a horse. From the very beginning, in her selection of George Paul, Barbara set up the backbone of the ranch’s breeding program. Testament of that is that almost every mare in today’s herd traces to George Paul.

Over her 60 years of building repeat customers, she built a wide network of friendships. She had horse friends from coast to coast. Sunup Ranch began to host international guests who had an interest in Quarter Horses and ranching. Those guests became part of the ranch family. Barbara was always keen to spend time with them, and share her knowledge, and to learn about them.

Not only did Barbara raise Quarter Horses, for years she raised Collies, and later Australian Shepherds.

Turning 90 didn’t slow things down too much for her. She kept lovely flower beds around the ranch, she continued doing some chore work, and in the winter she would be first out with the shovel to clear a path down to the barn. She never lost her eye for a “good horse” always keen to identify the best colts in each year’s crop.  

Barbara was always ready with a quick smile, a friendly manner and an interest in your story. She held tight to optimism. She had a way of always finding the light.

Barbara is preceded in death by her parents, husband Reed, and sister Gloria A. Johnson. She is survived by her two daughters Victoria Kettlewell (Greg Booth) of Brainerd, and Jennifer Kettlewell of Minneapolis.

 A footnote to this story: On March 7, one of Barbara’s favorite horses, one she picked out when he was foaled on the ranch, died. Jack Parr Sun was the last foal from Georgia Jack, a mare Reed and Barbara showed extensively, and was sired by their stallion Zan Parr Sun. Jack had the prime stall in the stallion barn and was the first one Barbara would feed in the morning.