Registration:  ApHC #410109
Foaled:  1984
Died:  July 11, 2001
Color: Dark bay or brown

On July 11, 2001, Bill Laurie of Crown Center Farms in Columbia, Missouri, made one of the toughest calls of his life. He picked up the phone, dialed his vet, and made the request to have his indomitable halter stallion and great sire, Impressive Andrew, put to rest.

"Andrew" had been suffering from a prolonged infection in one hoof that'd led to laminitis in the opposing hoof. Already he'd spent 10 days at the University of Missouri Equine Center, but he wasn't getting any better. Finally, Bill faced a harsh reality. So he made that final call and Andrew was humanely euthanized at the age of 17.

In eulogy, Bill says simply, "There'll never be another Andrew." And the stallion's loyal followers agree. Jim Wild of Sarcoxie, Missouri, who bred as many as 12 mares a year to Andrew, says, "It's a loss. He was a great horse, and the breed is going to miss him."

Still, while Andrew himself is gone, his legacy lives on. Not only his get, but also his grandget and great-grandget are making a stir in the show world, racking up championship after championship. Today we pay tribute to this impressive Appaloosa stallion by sharing his history -- and his future.

Blue-blooded baby

Such a deep, dark brown that most people consider him black, Impressive Andrew was an eye-catching colt even at the age of 2 when Bill first laid eyes on him.

"But that was only half the equation," recalls the horseman, explaining the stallion's appeal. "The other half was his bloodlines."

Through his sire, American Quarter Horse Association World Champion Impressive, Andrew traced three times to the great AQHA Hall of Fame stallion Three Bars. He counted two more AQHA Hall of Fame studs -- Sugar Bars and Leo -- among his sireline ancestors and six generations back, linked to the legendary Man O'War. Andrew's bottom side was just as strong -- and heavily Appaloosa. His dam was the bronze-medallion-winning Roman Annie.

"If someone listed the top five mares of all time in this breed, I'd assume that she'd be in the top three on most people's lists," Bill says. "She allowed Andrew to have some established, traditional bloodlines, and that really made him special."

"Annie" was an own daughter of ApHC Hall of Fame stallion Hayes' Roman Cloud and through her dam was a granddaughter of ApHC Hall of Famer Bright Eyes Brother, who traced to King Plaudit (JC) and AQHA Hall of Fame stallion Billy Clegg.

In February of 1986, Bill joined in partnership with K/C Appaloosa Farms in Virginia to purchase Andrew, and the stallion came to his fourth and final home, Crown Center Farms. Six years later, Bill bought out his partners and took full ownership in the horse.

Unbeatable

By the time Bill brought 2-year-old Andrew home, the colt was already a show-ring veteran. As a yearling, he'd scorched the competition at Appaloosa shows in Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Always in the top two of his halter classes, he earned 17 firsts, four seconds, five grand championships, and four reserves in 1985.

The winning streak continued under Bill, who led the horse to National and World championship titles in 1986. As a 3-year-old, Andrew repeated the feat and racked up another long string of wins. In 1988 he added another national championship to his resume and, in 1989, another World championship. From 1986 through 1989, Andrew was never beaten on the line. In fact, in his entire five-year show career, he placed second only three times -- and was never lower. He retired from competition with 33 grand championships and five reserves, 116 halter points, one register of merit and a superior in halter.

While some people give credit to Bill for making Andrew such an outstanding halter horse, Bill insists the horse was a snap to fit and condition.

"He had a lot of natural muscle definition -- we didn't have to work hard to put that on him," he says. "He had a pretty head and his neck was never a problem, even as an older horse. And, in the show ring, he had an elegance and a prettiness that I don't think has been equaled."

The horse was just as impressive away from the limelight, says Bill. "If you could've seen him running loose in the pasture -- it's something you just can't put into words," he recalls.

The second generation

Andrew's show record could hardly have been better. But, says Bill, the stallion's true strength surfaced at stud.

"He had a great, great ability as a breeding horse," Bill says. That ability became evident as early as 1988, when a group of Andrew's first foals placed second in get of sire at the World Show. From 1990 through 1998, Andrew offspring dominated that class, claiming seven grand and two reserve World championships, plus four grand and one reserve National championship.

Jim was one of the stallion's early fans, drawn in by Andrew's conformation and disposition. "At that time I didn't own a stud, and I bred everything I had to Andrew," he recalls. "One year, I had 12 Andrew babies." Today, his broodmare herd is largely comprised of Andrew daughters.

Karen Grimm of Black Horse Ranch in Minden, Nevada, caught sight of the horse while visiting some of her Dreamfinder foals at Crown Center. "I was pretty smitten," she admits. In 1991 she bought her first Andrew baby -- Color Me Andrew. "He ended up winning everything -- three silvers, two bronzes. He was a great hunt seat horse, and we had a lot of fun with him."

In 1992 she took some of her Dreamfinder daughters to Andrew's court. It was the start of something big.

Karen's golden cross

Karen combined Dreamfinder's prettiness and "try" with Andrew's ability to pass on color, size, nice necks and natural athletic ability. The results were remarkable, and perhaps most noticable in the match of Andrew with the World champion Dreamfinder mare Night Vision. "She's never beed bred to anyone but Andrew, and her babies have won lots of medallions for me," says Karen.

In fact, Night Vision's offspring are practically an Appaloosa Who's Who in their own right. Night With Andrew (a mare) and The Visionary (a stallion) are both five-time ApHC World and National champions. Black As Night is a four-time ApHC World and National champion mare. Another Night Vision son, The Quest, was the 2001 ApHC National Champion 2-year-old stallion and National grand champion stallion; he's currently leading the nation in 2-year-old stallions. Night Vision also has a 2001 Andrew filly. Named just days after her daddy died, she's called Tribute To Andrew. And, as we went to press, Night Vision was expecting her final Andrew baby at the end of January.

Not all of Karen's successful Andrew get came from Night Vision. Others include the gold medallion winner Classic Black, out of a Sonny Dee Bar mare; ApHC versatility champion Color Me Andrew from Skip The Color; the Night Deck son Knight Of Nights, who's currently leading the nation in hunter-in-hand stallions; and the silver-medallion mare Andigo, whose dam is a Goer daughter.

Wild Success

While Karen chose mares with contemporary bloodlines, Jim found that foundation stock worked just as well. He crossed Andrew on heavily muscled, Quarter-type Appaloosa mares like the Wapiti daughter Melody Of Love.

Andrew, he says, provided conformation, color and disposition, and passed along his pencil neck and his muscling. Jim points out the multi-time World and National champion mare Andrews Centerfold, winner of six bronze medallions.

"She's about three axe-handles broad through her chest and rear," he explains. "She's a massive mare. And, like her sire, she was always an easy horse to fit for the ring."

More that that, says Bill, "In my opinion, she's the greatest mare ever. Her record speaks for itself."

While Karen has kept primarily stallions by Andrew, Jim has saved mainly mares. Most are National or World champions -- or both. Besides Andrews Centerfold, his herd now includes two-time National Champion Andrew's Love, ApHC year-end high-point mares Andrew's Playgirl and Andrew's Promise, the bronze medallion winner Lasting Tribute, and Andrew's Love Affair, who was never shown as an individual but paired with her full sister Andrew's Love to win the produce of dam National championship for Melody Of Love.

Jim also stands Andrew's Wapiti, another successful example of the Andrew-to-Melody Of Love cross. The stallion's lengthy list of halter and most-colorful wins includes a World Championship, two reserve World championships, two National championships and a National grand champion stallion title.

Bill's take

While numerous bloodlines worked well with Andrew, Bill says there were three crosses that were automatic. These were Night Vision, Sizzlin Straw -- a daughter of Straw Man who was lost at a young age -- and Skip The Color. This last mare, by Skip A Star and out of Bright Starlette, and in the ApHC Hall of Fame, produced four World and National champions by Andrew, including Andrew's No Color, a superior event winner in halter and performance.

Andrews Finest, says Bill, was probably the stallion's greatest achiever as a gelding. "He basically had the same show record as his daddy -- he was never beaten," Bill says. Along with earning his superior in halter, Andrews Finest accumulated a whopping 11 bronze medallions.

The future

All in all, Andrew babies have earned 87 National Show championships and 87 World Show championships. They've scored medallions by the dozen -- 136, to be precise. His get have racked up 6,427.5 points in halter, and thousands more in performance, non-pro and youth. They lay claim to 166 ROMs, 28 superior event awards, a bronze superior achievement certificate, and numerous Club and versatility championships.

It's an awe-inspiring record. What's even more impressive, though, is to see how Andrew's genes -- and winning ways -- continue to flow through the third generation. For instance, notes Karen, six 3-year-olds from Classic Black's test crop will compete at the World Show this year. One, Instant Classic, already took the Canadian Nationals by storm, winning five championships -- in calf roping, breakaway roping, heading and heeling, keyhole and rope race. Another, Black As Ebony, was champion yearling colt at the National Show. The Andrew's Wapiti daughter Carmen's Love, owned by Ruby's Ranch in Holden, Missouri, has notched up several National ton 10s in halter, as has another of the farm's mares, A Diamond Dream, who's out of the Andrew mare Sizzlin Andrew (whose dam is Sizzlin Straw).

At the 2001 National Show, the grandbabies bagged their fair share of blues. Andrews Approval captured the non-pro 3-year-old stallions championship and was reserve in the open. (He's currently leading the nation in that category.) I'm So Fancy snagged the broodmare title, and Bartender's Two Step took home the aged geldings crown. In addition, The Visionary had two top babies at the show: Laser Vision, who claimed the weanling colt title in both the open and non-pro divisions, and right behind him, Cool Casanova, who won the reserve championship in the non-pro class.

At last year's World Show, Andrew grandget added yet more championships. The Classic Black son Thats Classified won yearling geldings, and Andrews Bartender babies captured three more wins: Captivating in weanling colts; I'm So Fancy in broodmares; and Bartender's Two Step in 3-year-old geldings. Andrews Approval, who stands at Ruby's Ranch and is a son of Andrew's Wapiti, was reserve World champion in the open and non-pro 2-year-old stallion classes.

But the story doesn't end there. Already, Andrew has great-grandbabies winning in the show ring. Among these are Jazzs Lover Girl, by Andy's Lover Boy, who's by the Impressive Andrew son Impress By Andrew. Owned by Ruby's Ranch, she's a multiple futurity winner at halter and on the lunge line, and has already earned an ROM.

Here to stay

It's easy to get caught up in the whirl of halter championships and forget that Andrew passed along more than just good looks. For one thing, says Bill, "If you watched any Andrew offspring show, you'd see that they have a lot of presence." But for Bill, the horse's impact keeps coming back, not to the show ring, but to the breeding barn.

"I think his biggest influence on the breed will be the stallions he left," Karen adds.

Bill, on the other hand, thinks the mare side may be the most powerful.

"He has enough great mares out there that his name will be attached to the Appaloosa breed for a long, long time," Bill adds.

Looking at the stallion's descendants, male and female, it's evident that Impressive Andrew is in the breed to stay.

A look at the legacy

As of September 5, 2001, the ApHC had registered 348 Impressive Andrew foals. Here we've summed up the statistics and highlighted some of Andrew's winningest get.

Impressive Andrew offspring have earned:

• 87 National Show championships
  
• 87 World Show championships
• 166 registers of merit
• 23 halter superior events
• 5 performance superior events
• 13,708.8 points, accumulated in halter, performance, open, non-pro, and youth classes
• 136 medallions (119 bronze, 16 silver and one gold)

Each of the following Andrew foals have earned at least 100 points in at least two categories, at least one ROM; at least two medallions; and at least one superior event award (as of September 5, 2001):

• Andrew's No Color. Point: 152 performance, 153 halter, 150.5 non-pro, 511.15 youth. Four ROMs. Superiors in halter and performance. Club champion. Five bronze and three silver medallions.
  
• Awesome Andrew. Points: 269 performance, 177.5 halter, 33 non-pro, 430 youth. Three ROMs. Superiors in halter and performance. Three bronze and two silver medallions.
  
• Andrew's Top Hat. Points: 202.5 performance, 67.5 halter, 292.5 non-pro, 38 youth. Five ROMs. Superior in performance. Club champion. One bronze and two silver silver medallions.
  
• Starza's Andrew. Points: 191.5 performance, 306 halter, 25 non-pro, 168 youth. Six ROMs. Two superiors in halter, superior in performance. Club champion, versatility champion. Two bronze medallions.
  
• Unanimousdecision. Points: 306 halter, 108 non-pro and 82.5 youth. One ROM. Superior in halter. Six bronze medallions.

{This article, by Sushil Delai Wenholz, was originally published in the Appaloosa Journal, December 2001, Vol 55, No. 12, as "Impressive Andrew His Legacy Lives On," and is used here by permission.}

Copyright © 2001 Appaloosa Horse Club. All rights reserved.