05/13/2026
As the story goes, Two Eyed Jack was born while his breeder was enmeshed in a poker game. After going to check his mare and finding the new foal, horseman Herman Mass returned to the poker table to find a two-eyed jack in his hand. ๐ค
Although Herman gave the stallion his memorable name, it was Nebraska horseman Howard Pitzer who gave him his legacy. Howard purchased him โ in pieces, he says, because the horse cost so much โ and knew he had a winner. โJackโ earned his open AQHA Champion title in 1964. Aside from his own success in the show pen, the stallion earned even more respect in the breeding barn. He sired the first AQHA Superhorse, Vickie Lee Pine, in 1978, and he has sired 119 open AQHA Champions, making him by far the leading sire in that category still today.
Both Howard and his famous stallion were inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1996. Read more about them in the March-April issue of ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ. Read the free version here ๐ด https://brnw.ch/21x2sZH
Tickets are now available โ with an early-bird discount โ for the 2026 American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame Induction & Reunion Celebration, September 11-12 in Amarillo. Purchase tickets before July 1, and youโll be entered for a chance to win a two-night stay at the Embassy Suites during the Celebration weekend. View the details in the comments! โฌ๏ธ
