Bob Richards now a Champion at Miniature Horses

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http://reporternews.com/news/2008/aug/2 ... re-horses/

From vaulting heights to miniature horses

Gordon gold medal winner thinks small these days

By Harvey Johnston (Contact)
Saturday, August 23, 2008


GORDON -- There is only one Olympic gold medalist at the Olympian Ranch in Gordon.

But there are several current and future champions at the miniature horse facility owned by Bob and Joan Richards -- a couple that could provide fodder for several Trivial Pursuit questions.

n Who is the only man to win two gold medals in the Olympic pole vault?

That would be Richards, in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, and again in 1956 at the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.

n Who played Kookie's girlfriend on the television series "77 Sunset Strip" from 1958 to 1964?

It was Joan Richards.

They met in Los Angeles when he was trying to raise money for a western movie. She was an actress who came to interview for a part in the film. The movie never happened. But one thing led to another, they wed and began looking for something "non-Hollywood" they could get involved in.

"We saw some miniature horses and fell in love with them," Joan said.

That was 37 years ago.

Today, they have the Olympian Ranch, a 4,000-acre facility on Interstate 20 at Exit 375, the Gordon turnoff. Bob Richards, 82, watches over his herd of quarter horses and delves into land development. The couple recently sold off more than 1,000 acres of their original holdings.

Olympian Ranch (www.olympianranch.com) has won seven world titles in shows sanctioned by the American Miniature Horse Association.

Among the titles claimed are Open World Grand Champion Senior Gelding, Amateur World Grand Champion Senior Gelding, World Grand Champion Senior Gelding Youth (two years in a row), World Champion Color, Reserve World Champion Yearling Mare 30-32 inches, and Reserve World Champion Yearling Stallion 28 inches and under

There are 40 miniature horses at the ranch. To be certified by the AMHA, a horse must not measure over 34 inches. The measurement is from the last hairs of the mane to the ground.

The major donor horse is 11-time world champion Sahara Bey. That horse's half sister Silver Senorita is the recipient and birth Dam.

The Richards have developed an Olympian Ranch Miniature Horse line that is the exclusive testing of Embryo Transplanting in miniature horses. The program is being done with the blessing of the AMHA.

Breeding champion miniature horses is just one of many impressive things Richards has done in his life.

Known as the Rev. Bob Richards or the "Vaulting Vicar" during his pole vaulting days -- he was an ordained Brethren minister -- the University of Illinois graduate was among the best in the world at his event for roughly a decade.

In addition to his gold medals in 1952 and 1956, he won a bronze medal in the pole vault in 1948. From 1948 to 1955, the Illinois native won 11 outdoor pole vault championships and 13 indoor titles. He was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1975.

Richards was able to use his athletic fame to develop a public speaking career. He has delivered more than 13,000 motivational speeches during a 30-year span, the last being at Abilene Christian University in 2007 at the school's annual track and field awards banquet.

"I was there (in Abilene) about 25 years ago on a program with Paul Harvey and comedian Jerry Clower," he recalled. He said he was at the Taylor County Expo Center as part of a joint effort by all three of Abilene's universities for their respective athletes.

Richards also was a longtime broadcaster and advertising pitchman for Wheaties for 14 years. He covered Olympics events for ABC, CBS and NBC from 1960 to 1976. He also recorded 100 five-minute radio segments on inspirational athletes for NBC and CBS.

Among the more interesting things he has done was that in 1970, during the 14 years he represented Wheaties, Richards rode a bicycle 3,000 from Los Angeles to New York. His interest in bicycles remains as he collects dozens of abandoned and confiscated bicycles from area police departments, repairs them and passes the bikes along to various youth groups.