•College
graduate from
Cal Poly San
Luis Obispo & Physical
Education
teacher at
Arroyo Grande
High School
for 3 years.
•October
1961 - Sheila
and her Arabian
mare Ronteza
won the Open
Reined Cow
Horse Championship
at the Cow
Palace in
San Francisco,
California. She
was the first
amateur, the
first woman
and had the
first Arabian
to take that
title.
•1962
- Sheila showed
the Varian
Arabians foundation
sire Bay-Abi++
to win the
Championships
United States
National Champion
Stallion competition.
•1969
- Sheila
trained and
showed Bay
Event (Bay-Abi++
x Ronteza)
to open Reined
Cow Horse
Championships
throughout
California.
1971 & 1976 – Bay
Event was
twice US National
Champion Arabian
Stock horse,
unanimous
both times.
•Sheila
has trained
and ridden
horses to
National Championships
in Halter,
English Pleasure,
Park & Stock
Horse.
•Starting
with the first
three Polish
Arabian mares
she purchased
in 1961, *Naganka,
*Bachantka & *Ostroga,
Sheila has
now brought
the Varian
Arabian mare
line into
its ninth
generation.
•Varian
Arabians is
currently
standing the
fifth generation
of their breeding
stallion line
which started
with Bay Abi++,
whom Sheila
got as a 2
year old in
1959. She
continued
this line
through Bay
El Bey++,
known as the “Kingmaker,” then
on to Huckleberry
Bey++, and
currently
through Desperado
V and Maclintock
V.
•Sheila
was invited
to go to Poland
in 1981 to
judge the
Polish National
Championship.
•1983
- Sheila and
Don Severa
syndicate
Huckleberry
Bey++ for
3 million
dollars
•In
1988, Sheila
took 3 Huckleberry
Bey++ offspring
to Canada,
where all
three were
National Champions.
•In
1998, Sheila
was awarded
the Arabian
Horse Trust
Breeder of
the year,
as voted by
the Arabian
community. This
is the fourth
time the Breeder
of the Year
honor has
been given
to Ms. Varian
in the last
nine years. The
others were
1991, 1992
and 1994.
•Co-founder
and Director
of the Arabian
Breeders Association,
started in
1997.
•Original
Director of
the Arabian
Professional
Horseman Association.
•At
the 1998 U.S.
National Championships,
the Bay-Abi
sire line
scored at
the top of
the yearly
charts with
points accumulated
from winning
offspring
and grandget. Five
of the leading
Top Ten purebred
halter sires
and six of
the purebred
performance
sires were
bred by Varian
Arabians or
were of the
Varian line
•Based
on Bay El
Bey++’s
original 1st
generation
get of 441,
it is estimated
that his 8th
generation
great grand-get
totals approximately
189,000 horses.
•Huckleberry
Bey++ was
the leading
sire at the
large Scottsdale
All Arabian
show and the
U.S. National
Championship
for many years.
•Desperado
V, by Huckleberry
Bey++, was
the leading
sire in at
least 5 Arabian
stud books.
•Since
starting Varian
Arabians in
1952, Sheila
has bred close
to 900 horses,
including
many National
Champions. Her
breeding program
is nationally
and internationally
known for
its quality
of horse.
•Sheila
presents an
annual Spring
Fling in April
and a Summer
Jubilee Weekend
at Varian
Arabians,
held in August. The
2006 Spring
Fling will
be April 22nd
and 23rd and
the Summer
Jubilee will
be held August
11th,12th, &13th. These
events will
offer educational
and training
seminars and
the Varian
Arabian Collection
sale horses,
along with
food, fun
and a festive
atmosphere
•2003
Sheila was
inducted into
the Cowgirl
Hall of Fame,
in Ft. Worth,
Texas.
•2004 – Sheila
and Varian
Arabians celebrated
50 years of
breeding Arabian
horses at
its Golden
Jubilee celebration
held at Varian
Arabians.
•2005 – Sheila
was honored
to receive
the Arabian
Breeders Association
Lifetime Breeders
Award. Sheila
was also the
ride clinician
for the Arabian
Horse Association’s
1st Annual
Fort Robinson
Trail Ride
at Historic
Fort Robinson
State Park,
Nebraska.
•At
present, three
Varian bred
horses named
Lightly Bey
V, Murietta
V & Jubilation
that she has
trained in
Hackamore
to the Spade
bit, Sheila
does demonstrations
about the
old California
Vaquero method
of training
horses, which
take the horse
from the Hackamore
through the
Two Rein and
finally into
the Spade
Bit. These
seminars have
been held
in the Court
Yard of the
Santa Inez
Historical
Society, at
the San Julian
Rancho outside
of Lompoc
California
, the Will
James Historical
Society Convention
held in Santa
Barbara, California
in 2002, in
the Court
yard of the
Historical
Adobe in Santa
Barbara, and
many other
venues around
California.
•2006 – At
the 2006 Scottsdale
Arabian Horse
Show, Varian
Arabians had
54 Championships
and Reserves
earned by
offspring
of Varian
bred horses,
64 placings
or Top Ten’s
earned by
horses carrying
the Varian “V” following
their names,
264 placings
or Top Ten’s
earned by
offspring
sired by Stallions
bred by Varian
Arabians,
and 68 placings
or Top Ten’s
earned by
offspring
out of Mares
bred by Varian
Arabians. Sheila
will also
be a clinician
at the Cowgirl
Museum and
Hall of Fame’s
Cowgirl University – Kindle
the Cowgirl
Spirit.
Mentors: Sid
(Mary) Spencer: Owner
of a ranch
in Lopez Canyon,
California,
where Sheila,
in her teens,
learned from
Sid about
training hackamore
horses and
spade bit
horses and
how to work
cattle in
the mountains.
Tom Dorrance: In
the mid 1960’s,
Tom spent
time guiding
Sheila into
his now universal “soft
approach,” which
has had the
most influence
on her and
the way she
has trained
and interacted
with her horses.
Family: Mother,
Wenonah Varian,
father Eric
Varian, and
sister Joan
Varian, all
deceased.
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