KR Anniegityergun, a mare who played a pivotal role in the legendary story of the life of Colonels Smoking Gun (Gunner) with Tim and Colleen McQuay, passed away Nov. 25 at the age of 26. She was owned by Forzani Performance Horses of Gainesville, Texas, at the time of her death.
A 1993 mare bred by Linda Pape in Ohio, KR Anniegityergun was a decent performer in the reining pen, earning $12,488 from 1996 to 1999, according to Equi-Stat. Among her biggest accomplishments was taking the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Novice Open Reserve World Championship.
Her real success, though, came as a broodmare and has resulted in produce earnings of $269,834 to date, according to Equi-Stat. And it all started with her first foal, Sorcerers Apprentice.
Born in 2001 and sired by Gunner, Sorcerers Apprentice first turned heads at the NRHA Futurity, where he tied for sixth in the Open and was the Futurity Prime Time Open Champion under Tim McQuay. The gelding went on to tie for seventh in the NRHA Derby Open and was a finalist in the National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) Derby Open before being named the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Senior Reining World Champion. His Equi-Stat record stands at $93,420.
“Anniegityergun is the mother of Sorcerers Apprentice, and I rode Sorcerers Apprentice before we even got the package of the Gunner deal,” McQuay said. Sorcerers Apprentice “helped me make up my mind whether to buy Gunner or not. It was a big deal for us.”
When the McQuays bought Gunner in 2005, KR Anniegityergun was part of the package. KR Anniegityergun went on to produce several more top performers by Gunner, including Double Loaded Gun, Smoking Sundown, Annies Custom Pistol and Gunner Slide. When bred to Gunners Special Nite, she produced Special Nite Time.
Double Loaded Gun, who currently stands at Forzani Performance Horses, is KR Anniegityergun’s second-highest money-earner with $78,220 on his Equi-Stat record. The 2010 stallion was a finalist in the NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open and Derby Level 4 Open, and won the Columbine Classic Derby Open.
Smoking Sundown made $41,484 and tied for third in the NRHA Futurity Intermediate Open. Last year, he was honored as the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) Open Ranch Pleasure World Champion. Annies Custom Pistol earned $22,604 and won the SWRHA Fall Futurity Open, and Gunner Slide was the APHA World 3-Year-Old Open Reining Challenge Reserve Champion. Special Nite Time finished third in the NRHA Futurity Limited Non-Pro and banked a total of $18,003 in his career.
Doug and Debbie Forzani of Forzani Performance Horses bought KR Anniegityergun in 2015.
“We are so thankful to have two of her great sons in our barn,” Debbie Forzani said. “We are hopeful Double Loaded Gun will continue her legacy as a sire, and we have big plans for her weanling by Dun It In Platinum.
“This mare had many great accomplishments as a show horse and a leading dam, but for our family, we will most miss her sweet face greeting us as we entered the barn,” Forzani continued. “This kind mare taught our daughter how to halter and lead her to the turn out, and then bring her in every night. For that I will be forever grateful!”
KR Anniegityergun was sired by Gun Start and out of Im Not Tash (by Be Aech Enterprise). The mare is a full sister to NRHA Limited Non-Pro World Champion A New Rolls Royce ($40,974), Liberty Reining Derby Co-Champion GS Red Corvette ($22,467) and NRHA Futurity Open finalist Pearlly Handles ($19,554), and a half-sister to Im Sugar Not Trash, an earner of $41,838 and the NRHA Novice Horse Non-Pro Level 2 World Champion.
