Page 121 - The Mini Horse Magazine 2023 No 1

Anyway, after a nice visit, Mr. Norman called the After the sale I asked Vern why he didn’t buy
man who worked for him and told him to take Rowdy. He replied that because of Rowdy’s size
me out to look at his ponies. He did not want and Vern’s age he felt he couldn’t use him. He
to sell any of the smallest, but he would sell wanted to breed them down and already had
me some of the "borderline" miniatures five Rowdy daughters and one son to start his
if I was interested. When I saw his breeding program.
weanlings, I knew that they were a
special lot. They were much more The rest, as they say is history.
refined than most of the miniatures that
I had seen. Looked much more like the
modern show horses but in miniature! That bay stallion sired some of the leading
My guide told me that they were all by winners in the AMHA history including, but
a bay stallion that Mr. Norman was using. not limited to:
The name of that stallion was Rowdy. I picked
out three yearlings that I thought were the best
along with six mares. When I went back to the • Lazy N Boogerman who sold at the
house to talk to Mr. Norman, he said that the NFC Dispersal sale in 1993 for an
three yearlings were not available because he unprecedented $110,000 and is the
was giving them to a friend. I later found out that winningest stallion in AMHA history being
that friend was Vern Brewer, and those three the 1992 National Grand Champion
started the Brewer Family Miniature adventure! • NFC Rowdy’s Can Do: 1986 National
By the way, one of those three turned out to Grand Champion Jr. Gelding
be the National Grand Champion, Rowdy’s • NFC Rowdy’s Supreme: 1987 National
Charm, some time later! It turned out that Mr. Grand Champion Jr. Mare
Norman had persuaded Vern to come out and • Rowdy’s Charm: 1987 National Grand
look at the horses. Always having an eye for a Champion Sr. Stallion
show horse, Vern had accepted the gift of the • Rowdys Surprise: 1988 National Grand
three miniatures and bought three more to go Champion Sr. Gelding
along with them. Vern had never liked the little
Shetlands in the early days because they were • Glenn’s Southern Legend: 1989 National
so coarse and heavy boned, but these were an Grand Champion Jr. Stallion
entirely different style. • NFC Rowdy’s Gem: 1990 National Grand
Champion Sr. Mare

Anyway, I made a deal with him and bought six • Little Man’s Blue Baby Rowdy: 1990
mares all bred to Rowdy. After getting home Reserve National Grand Champion Sr. Mare
I started doing some investigation and found • Runnin Bear’s Classy Comet: 1991
to my amazement that the sire of Rowdy was National Grand Champion Jr. Mare 1993
Kewpie’s Sun who was a son of the horse that National Grand Champion Sr. Mare
I had admired as a child: Kewpie Doll’s Oracle!! • NFC Rowdy’s Bold Tradition: 1990
I had wanted him as a child, but now I had Reserve National Grand Champion Jr.
some of his descendants. In 1984 because of Gelding 1992 Reserve National Grand
advanced age and failing health, Mr. Norman Champion Sr. Gelding
had a dispersal sale at which time Rowdy was
sold. Vern and Betty Brewer were putting on the
sale for their long-time friend and encouraged Quality will tell and goes on telling through
Bob and Sandy Erwin of NFC Farm to purchase generation after generation. Rowdy died in
the 34" stallion to add to their stallion roster. 1990 at the age of seventeen, but the show
They bought the 1973 stallion for $5,500 along records of his future generations are still
with two daughters. After the sale I asked Vern being written.
why he didn’t buy Rowdy.

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