Eternal Sun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Eternal Sun

[[file:|frameless|alt=]] Eternal Sun with his owner, Harold Howard
Breed	Quarter Horse
Discipline	Racing Halter Cutting
Sire	Eternal War
Grandsire	Silver King
Dam	Sierra Glitter
Maternal grandsire	Diamond Villiant
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	1958
Country	United States
Color	Sorrel
Breeder	John L. Taylor
Owner	B.F. Phllips, Jr. Harold Howard
Honors
Racing record
12–2–1–1, AAA speed rating
Race earnings
$1,676.00
Major racing wins
Los Alamitos Championship (twice)
Other awards
AQHA Racing Register of Merit AQHA Champion
Honors
Michigan Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame
Last updated on: September 9, 2017.

Eternal Sun (1958–1985) was a famous American Quarter Horse stallion. He was born in 1958. He became a champion in both horse racing and AQHA horse shows. He competed in events like cutting (where horses work with cattle) and halter (where horses are judged on their looks).

Eternal Sun won many awards, including an AQHA Championship. He also became a very important father (sire) to 908 foals. Many of his children also won AQHA awards and became successful racehorses. In 1989, he was added to the Michigan Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame. His daughter, Eternal Linda, later joined him there. Eternal Sun passed away in 1985 at the age of 27 on Harold Howard's farm.

Life of Eternal Sun

Eternal Sun was a sorrel (reddish-brown) stallion (male horse) born in 1958. His father was named Eternal War, and his mother was Sierra Glitter. He was officially registered as an American Quarter Horse. He had a white star on his forehead and white "socks" on both of his back legs. John L. Taylor, from Chino, California, was the person who bred Eternal Sun.

Eternal Sun's father, Eternal War, was a bay (reddish-brown with black mane and tail) stallion born in 1944. He was a successful racehorse and fathered many Thoroughbred horses. Eternal War also had two Quarter Horse foals, but only Eternal Sun became famous.

Eternal Sun's mother, Sierra Glitter, was a sorrel mare (female horse) born in 1950. She was known for her good looks in halter shows. Her father, Silver King P-183, came from the famous King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas. This mix of different horse families made Eternal Sun very special.

John L. Taylor, Eternal Sun's breeder, had a big idea. He believed that fast racehorse fathers, when bred with strong, good-looking show horse mothers, could create amazing Quarter Horses. These horses would be great at both racing and showing. In 1957, he bred Sierra Glitter (a show horse) with Eternal War (a racehorse). The result was Eternal Sun.

Sadly, John L. Taylor died in 1959. His horses were sold in a big auction. Eternal Sun's mother, Sierra Glitter, sold for a record price of $14,200. A famous horse owner named B.F. Phillips, Jr., bought Eternal Sun for $2,100. Eternal Sun was just a yearling (one-year-old horse) at the time.

Eternal Sun's Career

Racing Career

B.F. Phillips, Jr., who bought Eternal Sun, was a well-known horse breeder. He decided to train Eternal Sun for Quarter Horse racing. Quarter Horse racing is different from Thoroughbred racing. Quarter Horses race over much shorter distances, like a sprint.

Eternal Sun raced for two years, in 1960 and 1961. He ran in 12 races. He won two races, came in second once, and third once. He earned $1,676 in prize money. Even though he didn't win a lot of races, his strong body showed he would be a great show horse and father.

Early Show Career and Breeding

Eternal Sun started his show career in 1962. At his very first show in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, he won "Grand Champion." This means he was judged the best male horse at the show. He won first place again at another show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

In 1962, B.F. Phillips, Jr., also started breeding Eternal Sun with some of his mares. Eternal Sun's first foals (baby horses) were born in 1963. Two of these first foals, Eternal Ben and Matt Sun, became AQHA Champions. This showed that Eternal Sun could pass on his winning qualities to his children.

In 1964, Eternal Sun was shown again. He was six years old. He won "Reserve Grand Champion" at a big show in Denver, Colorado. He also won "Grand Champion" at major shows in San Antonio and Houston, Texas. He continued to win many first-place and grand champion awards that year. He finished 1964 by winning "Grand Champion Stallion" at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas.

Sale to Harold Howard

In 1966, B.F. Phillips, Jr., decided to sell his horses. Harold Howard, who owned a strawberry farm in Remus, Michigan, saw an ad for Eternal Sun. Howard drove to Texas and bought Eternal Sun for $26,000. Eternal Sun was 8 years old when he moved to Michigan.

Harold Howard's daughter, Mari Kay, remembered Eternal Sun's special look. She said he had an "elegant head and neck and an irresistible charisma." She also said, "His foals always had his eyes."

The Howards and their six children bred Eternal Sun and showed his offspring. Demand for Eternal Sun's children was very high. Harold Howard's son, Dar, trained the young horses. One of Eternal Sun's sons, Eternal Pete, became an AQHA Champion. Eternal Sun became a top father (sire) in many AQHA categories. Harold Howard often said that Eternal Sun "built his barn and helped buy the farm."

Eternal Sun's Offspring

Eternal Sun fathered 908 Quarter Horse foals during his life. Many of his children became successful performers and racehorses. Out of his 908 foals:

• 343 became performers in shows or races.
• 34 of his children became AQHA Champions.
• 17 won Superior halter awards (for their looks).
• 20 won Superior performance awards (for their skills).
• His children earned over 9,210 points in different events.

His children earned thousands of points in halter and performance events. He also fathered over 100 "futurity" winners. A futurity is a race or show for young horses. Eternal Sun is still known as one of the best "broodmare sires." This means his daughters became excellent mothers to other champions.

Eternal Sun was also the fourth leading father of Halter Champions in 1968. His farm grew to over 200 horses because he was so popular as a sire. He passed on his best qualities to most of his colts (young male horses). Some of his successful children include Quiet Enjoyment, Eternal Fistfull, and A Star in Time.

Even famous breeders like Carol Harris, who owned the AQHA Hall of Fame horse Rugged Lark, were impressed by Eternal Sun. She bred her champion mare, Judy Dell, to Eternal Sun. The result was a colt named Eternal Dell, who helped her win many awards. She said, "His (Howard's) wonderful stallion was a very big part of my success."

Death and Legacy

Eternal Sun lived on the Howard farm for nearly 20 years. He passed away in 1985 at the age of 27. He was buried on the farm next to a statue built in his honor. His headstone, put up by Harold Howard, reads, "Here lies the horse that changed my life."

Eternal Sun was added to the Michigan Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame in 1989. Harold Howard, his owner, passed away in 2008. Eternal Sun's legacy lives on through his many successful children and grandchildren.

Pedigree