THE FULL STORY: In the summer of ‘66, the late Dr. Fred Ragland and his wife Florence drove to a Lakeside, California ranch that had advertised three Arabian mares for sale. The three mares turned out to be a ten-year-old chestnut mare and her two daughters, a four-year-old chestnut and a grey yearling. Captivated by the yearling, the Raglands wrote the $2,500 check and left with a filly destined to make breed history: Susecion became the only Arabian Hall of Fame mare to produce two double National Champion Mares and a son who sired a National Champion Mare. Susecion (Corsair x Cancion de los Vientos by Douban) was the Raglands’ first Arabian and their first venture into “horse breeding.” They opted to use “Susie” as a broodmare, and after studying the advertised stallions, the Raglands decided on a stunning bay stallion, *Bask. In 1975, Susecion delivered her fifth foal by *Bask, a chestnut colt they named Le Fire. Like his mother, Le Fire’s get is a venerable ‘Who’s Who’ of Arabian Nationals’ and Canadian Nationals’ winners in diverse divisions such as halter, dressage, hunter pleasure, and reining. As a three-year-old, Le Fire successfully showed in halter and pleasure driving before an injury ended his career. Le Fire happily lived out his life with Sue Evans in California, and his best friend and stall-mate, Hillary, a pot-bellied pig.
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