I remember the first time I saw Sulphur's Chance in the flesh. Words cannot describe it. He really touched my heart, with his presence, spirit, and power that he is Sulphur's Chance! Photos did not do him justice at all! It was during the year of 1998 when Dave and I went to Utah to get Sulphur's Tia and Sulphur's Quest to bring them to Oregon after purchasing them. We had told Ron Roubidoux that we really liked Chance and would do anything to help Ron promote his stallion. It was later a few months that Ron bought Chance to Oregon to start his show career. Did Chance rock the horse industry where ever we took him to, open schooling shows, major horseshow's and BLM wild horse program at adoptions.
Since Oregon is known for its Kiger mustangs, sometimes Chance was thought to be a Kiger, when people 'aaaahhhh' over his wild dun markings and say they never seen a Kiger with such markings, which we will explain that Chance is not a Kiger, but a Spanish Sulphur stallion from Utah's Sulphur HMA, and that he is registered with the Spanish Mustang Registry, American Buckskin Registry Association and American Indian Horse Registry, Inc, during that time we leased, trained and showed Chance, mostly he was well promoted as a Spanish Sulphur stallion registered with the Spanish Mustang Registry and American Buckskin Registry Association. He started his first major shows at the PWHC, KigerFest! and the ABRA. At the ABRA show, he was prejudiced because he was a Spanish 'Mustang", although most of the ABRA member's believed he should have placed well in the dun factor class. He was presented at the Canby wild horse and burro adoption, where he was aired on TV. Not only that, Chance is also well presented in books, magazines and artists also used Chance as a model horse for their artworks. During the time he was in Oregon, he bred to outside mares for the first time, mostly to Kiger mares, who owners wish to bred for more dun factor and Spanish type.
One year later, we were offer the first choice to purchase Sulphur's Chance, which we did! During that time we owned Chance, he was shown at Kiger Fest 2000, winning High Point Dun Factor stallion and High Point Mustang stallion and also he was presented at the 2000 Del Mar, CA's Equine West along with Cammie Seferoich's two Sulphur colts, one was Chance's first grandson; Sulphur's Anhur Maximus. At Equine West, the Sulphur's were getting a lot of attention that people kept coming back to see and hear about Utah's famous 'zebra Sulphur's'. On the way back to Oregon, we stopped by to visit Robert Smith, a wonderful man in his 90's who made a record history of the highest bidding of a BLM Kiger Mustang filly for the sum of $19,000. Mr. Robert Smith fell in love with Chance when he laid eyes on him. It was a few weeks later after several emails back and forth from his caretaker and long time friend Coni Florey that Chance helped me make the decision to sell to Mr.Robert Smith, helping a wonderful gentleman's dream come true to own a true Spanish stallion, and he had done his research on the Spanish Sulphur's!
It was hard letting Chance go and the same time I knew it was best for him, because he helped promote the Spanish Sulphur breed to where it is now. Chance deserved to retire from showing. He had his own little herd of two Kiger mares, with the honor of being the first stallion to bred the high bidding Kiger filly which resulted a pale red claybank filly foaled in 2003 and his last foal to this day. Chance was found one day, having passed away without pain, without a struggle and a setting that any horse would be happy in. He will be missed by many who had known him. He will always live on in our hearts, dreams and his progeny. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Chance, how happy he is now in the heavens, and Mr. Robert Smith riding Chance in the clouds. The best memory of Chance, was riding him on the beach at Cannon Beach, Oregon, and having our photo taken with Haystack as the background. With heartfelt THANK YOU to Sulphur's Chance, without him the Spanish Sulphur breed would not have made its mark today in the horse industry. by Erin Gray
