American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame member Carol Harris, 98, died Aug. 7, in Florida.

Noted for her legendary American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame stallion Rugged Lark, Harris grew up in West Orange, New Jersey.  Her first horse was a Standardbred – a pacer that she turned into a trotter.  She exhibited Hackney ponies, Arabians, Saddlebreds and Tennessee Walkers before she started showing Quarter Horses in the 1950s.

Eventually, Harris moved her horse operation to Bo-Bett Farm in Florida, turning the previous Thoroughbred training and breeding facility into what some have called a “Quarter Horse Camelot.”

Harris bred the earners of more than 11,500 points and 11 world champions and 16 reserve world champions. She also bred racing American Quarter Horses, including two stakes-placed. She was one of the first women to be named an AQHA judge and judged for 25 years.  In 1981, Harris was the first woman to judge at the AQHA World Championship Show.  Her strong convictions are what have earned her the respect of the industry.

Harris was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1997.