Many do not know what her name means, but they know Quo Vadis was a superior broodmare.
Named after an epic movie from 1952, Quo Vadis, which means “whither thou goest,” was foaled in 1952 and was bred by Ross Roberts of San Jon, New Mexico. She was by Little Lloyd and out of Miss Circle H III by Brown Caesar. Jimmie Randals of Tucumcari, New Mexico, bought the mare for $500 and a breeding to Poco Dell.
“Quo Vadis was one of those horses before her time,” Randals said. “She was all by herself in conformation. She was a nice, big mare. She would have stood 15, maybe 15.1 hands. She was a nice mare, and anytime you stopped her, she would be correct. You didn’t have to back her. You just stopped her, and there she was – straight as a string and no problem to show.”
Randals showed Quo Vadis to her AQHA Champion title in 1956, earning 40 halter points and 29 performance points in cutting, working cow horse, reining and western riding.
Quo Vadis produced four AQHA Champions by four different stallions, proving the potency of her maternal genetics. These offspring were Poco Becky by Poco Dell, Kaliman by Dell Milagro, Bonita Dondi by Poco Dondi and Mr Perfection by Three Chicks. Seven of her 12 registered offspring earned Registers of Merit. Eleven of Quo Vadis’ offspring accumulated more than 630 points at AQHA shows, earning money in the National Reining Horse and the National Cutting Horse associations.
The black mare died enroute to Kansas to be bred one last time. She is buried behind Jimmie Randals’ house beside Poco Dell.
Quo Vadis was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2002.
Biography updated as of March 2002.