Carol Rose grew up in the Santa Clara Valley of California with a passion for riding she inherited from her mother and grandfather. Carol began competing at age 6.
Carol enjoyed all the western events but stock horse (working cow horse) was her passion. By her midteens she was competing and doing more than her share of winning in California Reined Cow Horse (now NRCHA) classes. She attended California Polytechnic State University to study animal science and ag business. Halfway through, she began to ride and compete on cutting horses, where she competed in open classes.
Carol married American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member Matlock Rose in October 1968, and the two showed cutting horses across the country. In 1975, they had the chance to stand American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member Peppy San on their Gainesville, Texas, ranch. That same year, Carol’s mother, Elizabeth, gave her a stallion named Peponita. By the time American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member Zan Parr Bar arrived in Gainesville, the Roses were deep in the breeding business.
When Matlock and Carol divorced in June 1984, Carol kept Zan Parr Bar and Genuine Doc, while Matlock took Peppy San and Peponita.
Horses Carol has bred have earned numerous world championships and reserve world championships. She has bred many year-end high-point and all-around winners.
She has judges’ cards with the National Cutting Horse, the National Reining Horse and American Horse Show associations. She was an AQHA judge for 14 years. Carol was AQHA Professional Horsewoman of the year in 1998. She has been an AQHA director, and is in the National Cowgirl, the Texas Cowboy and the NRCHA halls of fame.
She has $124,003 in NCHA rider earnings, $587,511 in NRHA earnings as an owner and $76,900 as a rider, and she bred 2008 NRHA Open Futurity champions Shining N Sassy.
Carol Rose was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2010.
Biography updated as of March 2010.