hollywood-dun-it
Hollywood Dun It wowed audiences in the show pen, and then went on to become one of the greatest sires in the history of reining. • QHN File Photo

From The Archives: Hollywood Dun It

Hollywood Dun It was a wave-maker in the reining industry. The shapely buckskin stallion found success in competition before leaving his mark as a sire. 

Bred by Gwen Steif of Kildeer, Illinois, Hollywood Dun It was born in 1983.  He was out of a Blossom Berry mare named Dun Berry, and his sire was reining revolutionary Hollywood Jac 86, who was the first stallion to produce $1 million in reining progeny. 

Trained by Equi-Stat Elite $3 Million Rider Tim McQuay, “Dun It” proved a capable competitor. In his futurity year, Dun It was the Open Reserve Champion at the 1986 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity, and later was the Open Champion in the NRHA Derby.  

Fatherly Duties

Entering the breeding barn at 5 years old, Dun It began siring carbon copies. He stamped his progeny with color and multitudes of mane and tail. The trainability he passed onto his foals meant that both non-pros and open rider alike could ride them and win. 

According to Equi-Stat, Dun It has 741 money-earning progeny who cumulatively broke earnings records in the NRHA. According to the NRHA, Dun It was the first horse to become an NRHA Two Million Sire, and he continued that pattern until he reached $6 million in NRHA progeny earnings. In Equi-Stat, Dun It is an Equi-Stat Elite $7 Million Sire. 

Leading progeny for Dun It include:

  • NRHA Derby Level 4 Open Reserve Champion and Equi-Stat Elite $3 Million Sire Hollywoodtinseltown ($178,156, out of Miss Tinseltown x Great Red Pine) 
  • National Reining Breeders Classic Open Champion Reminic N Dunit ($169,663, out of Reminic Chex Bar x Reminic) 
  • American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Senior Working Cow Horse World Champion Matt Dillon Dun It ($169,216, out of Rosalie Dillon x Kemas Bar Chex) 
  • NRHA Futurity Open Champion Hollywood Vintage ($155,842, out of Taris Little Vintage x Peppy San Badger) 

Even though Dun It sired some outstanding sons, over the years it seems his daughters of Dun It have contributed even more to the performance horse industry. So far, daughters of the great stallion have foaled 1,586 money-earning performers who have banked more than $18 million.

The richest reiner who lists Hollywood Dun It as his maternal grandsire is Custom Made Gun, a son of Colonels Smoking Gun [Gunner] who earned $419,985 and was a co-champion in the Million Dollar Invitational at The Run For A Million. Next is another offspring of Gunner, NRHA Futurity Level 4 Open Champion and now successful broodmare Americasnextgunmodel ($305,779). 

In 2019, daughter Dun It For Chex became a one of the first mares to earn the distinction of being an NRHA One Million Dollar Dam. She did it with such top-tier competitors such as Dun It For Whizkey (by Topsail Whiz); Starbucks Sidekick (by Smart Starbuck) and Masked Gun (by Colonels Smoking Gun).

Memorable Man

Dun It’s playful demeanor earned him fans across the globe and made him a true ambassador for the sport of reining. According to his 2005 Quarter Horse News obituary, tour busses would stop at the McQuay ranch, and patrons would take photo after photo with the stallion, who always pricked his ears for the cameras. His popularity saw him immortalized as a Breyer horse in 1998 and was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2012. 

He was euthanized due to declining health in March of 2005 at the age of 22. The impact he left on longtime owners Tim and Colleen McQuay and the groundbreaking progress he made in the reining industry will not be forgotten.