Lightning Bar - Death and Legacy

Death and Legacy

Lightning Bar died in June 1960 from colitis-X, a disease of unknown origin that can kill rapidly and without warning. It infected many of Pollard's horses; of those affected only three survived. Heartbroken, Pollard sold his remaining stock and did not return to the Quarter Horse business for 15 years. He said later that "it was a nightmare when they were wiped out. Even now, we can still feel the sadness of losing those horses." Another time, Pollard remarked that "Someone once said that a man deserves one good woman and one good dog in his lifetime. To that quip I would add one good horse. I certainly had one in Lightning Bar."

Lightning Bar was inducted into the AQHA's American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2008. His most famous son was Doc Bar, who was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. Lightning Bar's daughter Glamour Bars was the dam of Impressive, who became well known as one of the leading sires of halter horses. Two stakes races were run in Lightning Bar's memory, the first at Los Alamitos Race track in California for one year in 1961. The second ran from 1962 to 1966 at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico.