A ch t with Don Bell. - Go Horse Show :: www.GoHorseShow.com

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Q u a R T e R c H a T
Don Bell
courtesy of don bell
A ch t with Don Bell.
By Honi Roberts
courtesy of don bell
Ddon bell isn’t one to let the grass grow under his feet.
honors at the All American Quarter Horse Congress,
At 34, Don is a newly minted AQHA steward and veteran
AQHA judge, having obtained his card nearly 10 years ago.
And three years ago, when he became an AQHA director
representing Texas, he was the youngest in state history.
Don grew up, appropriately, in the Volunteer State –
Tennessee – then headed to West Texas A&M University,
where he graduated with a degree in equine industry and
business. He has also conditioned halter horses, bringing
home seven AQHA world championships and earning
including conditioning and showing the 2005 grand
champion stallion.
There were no sleight-of-hand tricks or shortcuts to his
achievements; success came the old fashioned way – by working
for it.
“I really don’t think I’m naturally
talented at anything,” he says modestly.
“But I know how to work hard. It just
goes to prove that anybody can do anything,
if they don’t let their fears get the
best of them. Be persistent!”
Don is also known for his musical talents
and recorded a CD after writing
many of the songs. On the album credits,
Don wrote, “If we don’t sell enough
albums to split a ‘No. 3 combo’ at Dairy
Queen, know I’ve never had so much fun!”
He also more than dabbles in fine art, with his limitededition
graphite-pencil equine portraits drawing critical
praise. He has been the official artist for the AQHA World
Show and the National Reining Horse Association Futurity.
Don was also the headline artist for the America’s Horse in
Art show and sale in 2008 at the American Quarter Horse
Hall of Fame & Museum.
“Horses are at the center of my art work, and always will
be,” he says. Today, his inspiration comes from ranch life and
using horses.
k.c. montgomery
Don Bell and world champion yearling stallion Golden Gunslinger
Don and his wife, Joetta, an accomplished amateur exhibitor
herself, reside in Weatherford, Texas, where Don’s focus
today is on cutting horses. He has just returned home from
the NCHA Super Stakes, where he made the limited non-pro
finals with his Playgun son, Taser.
“I just wish I’d started cutting sooner,” says the amiable
horseman. Life is good for the couple, who will eagerly welcome
their first child this month.
“We love living in Weatherford,” Don adds. “We’re chasing
our dreams and feeling really blessed.”
Tell us about your introduction to Quarter Horses. I
grew up in Tennessee, and my father, Don, was a successful
professional (Tennessee) Walking Horse trainer. A guy who
worked for him had a Quarter Horse – a barrel horse – who
lived in our barn, and even though there
were always three or four ponies I could
ride, from an early age, I chose to ride
Quarter Horses.
Tell us about your first Quarter
Horse. When I was 13, my dad bought
a Quarter Horse for me at the West
Kentucky Horse Sale in Bowling Green.
He was 4 years old, and his name was
Joe Braxton. Growing up, I was lucky to
have access to a lot of open country for
riding, through both woods and valleys.
And a couple of friends and I were big on camping; whether
it was through creeks or over logs, Joe Braxton did it all.
What qualities do you most admire in a friend? A sense
of humor, honesty and loyalty.
How did you and Joetta meet? We met at the AQHA
World (Championship) Show in 2001. She doesn’t brag on
herself, but she’s wonderful with horses, and I’m proud that
she’s won 14 AQHA and AQHYA world championships. In
80 j uly 2010 the AmericAn QuArter horse JournAl

2001 when I met her, she’d just been taken out of competition
because her horse developed a quarter crack. There she
was, without anything to show or do. If that hadn’t happened,
I probably would never have met her, because at shows
she’s all business and usually doesn’t allow for any spare time
for socializing. I was just lucky!
How and where did you ask her to marry you? At
Christmas, I tied a ring in the tree. It disappeared into the
lights and decorations, and Joetta couldn’t find it! I just kept
thinking about the squirrel that jumps out of the tree in
“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” Eventually, I had
to help her find it.
What’s your favorite way to relax on a day off? I love
to spend time down at the Brazos River, near where we live.
A friend has a river house and boat about a half-mile away,
and we spend lots of time there.
If you could invite any three people – living or dead –
to join you for an evening of stories around a campfire,
who would you invite, and why? My grandfather,
George Bell, a livestock dealer and gun trader, who died
when I was a teenager; Matlock Rose, because though our
paths never crossed, I’d sure
like to listen to his stories;
and Teddy Roosevelt,
because we share a great
love for the outdoors, and
he did so much to establish
our national park system.
When did you first start
drawing, and what were
your first subjects? In
the third grade, I started
drawing horse heads and
military scenes. But it
wasn’t until I was in college
when I really got involved
with art, and in 1997 produced
a limited-edition
print, a headshot of a palomino
stallion. Another
piece, a graphite drawing titled, “A Little Bay Mare,” sold
out, and I still get requests for it today.
skippy miller
Why graphite pencil? I actually started with sculpture,
and would like to get back into it one day. But my flat work
has always been in pencil (I’ve also tried colored pencil and
watercolor with pencil). I enjoy working in pencil because
you can create endless variations of black and white; I like the
values of dark and light tones.
Talk about your involvement in music. Music is a way
for me to relax. It’s true, I write songs and did a CD in 2004,
but although I still play at some parties or around a campfire,
I’m not in a band. I’ve turned almost everything else into a
job, so I’d like to keep music just for fun.
What music would we find playing in your barn? I like
all kinds of music, from alternative rock by Nickelback to rap
by Jay-Z, but in my barn, you’d probably hear classic rock or
Texas country.
What are the three best books you’ve read lately?
“Lonesome Dove,” Larry McMurtry’s masterpiece; “Kiss the
Girls,” a fast-paced thriller by James Patterson; and “Chasing
Cool: Standing Out in Today’s Cluttered Marketplace” by
Kerner and Pressman, which was very honest and insightful.
What’s your most treasured possession? My wife,
although she’ll argue that she’s certainly not a possession!
What’s your greatest extravagance? All my hunting
supplies. I bow, bird and deer hunt, and probably have a lot
of stuff I don’t need but think I do.
What achievement are you most proud of? Three years
ago, when I was 31 years old, I was placed on AQHA’s Texas
board of directors; I’ve been told that I’m their youngest
director from the state in AQHA’s history. It was a great
honor.
Finish this sentence: People would be surprised to
know that I ... Won my first buckle for an all-around title
at an open rodeo in Abilene, Texas. I got a third in bull riding
and third in bareback riding.
It was the only time
I’ve entered roughstock
events.
What’s the best advice
anyone’s ever given
you? John Pipkin, my
adviser at West Texas A&M
University, taught me to be
persistent. It’s a vital part of
who I am today: someone
who sets goals and works
toward them.
My worst habit is: My
wife says not listening to
her.
The funniest horserelated
thing that’s ever happened to me: Ten years ago,
I wore a brand-new hat and a crisp white shirt to the Lone
Star Futurity. I was painting the hooves of a stallion, when he
tried to kick out, and the dauber – full of black paint – went
flying! It landed all over my new shirt, my hat, my face, and
it ruined my boots. Five minutes before my class, I was washing
my face with hoof polish remover! I went into the class
with a borrowed shirt and my hat still splattered with black
paint.
My favorite non-equine critter: Definitely my Blue Tick
Hound, "Pepper." She rides everywhere in my truck with me
and is always entertaining.
What’s your idea of perfect happiness? Right here,
right now.
Honi Roberts is a special contributor to The American Quarter
Horse Journal. To comment, write to aqhajrnl@aqha.org.
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