Bendi Charge’s excellent production record is no surprise, considering her Hall of Fame breeding. The mare’s sire, Rustler Charger, was the son of Hall of Fame stallion Rustler Bill. Her dam, Navajo’s Blonde Squaw, was by Hall of Fame stallion Navajo Britches.
Iris and Bill Snyder purchased Bendi Charge after owning and showing her 1976 filly, Sudden Death (by Hall of Fame stallion Absarokee Sunset). Iris says Bendi Charge worked for a living as a lesson horse and broodmare at the Snyders’ IB Stables in Noblesville, Indiana. The younger Snyder daughter, Audra, was born just a month after her parents bought Bendi Charge, and Audra grew up riding the mare.
“‘Bendi’ treated my daughter and the kids who took lessons on her like they were her babies,” Iris says. “You had to admire her motherly nature.”
Bendi Charge doesn’t have an official ApHC performance record of her own, but the mare produced 16 versatile Appaloosas with exceptional show records. In 2000 they helped their dam secure a bronze supreme production plaque and her own spot in the ApHC Hall of Fame. Over the years, six of her foals have collected 902.5 performance points and four have earned 51 halter points. They’ve also won 14 registers of merit, five performance superior event titles, a Club championship, a versatility championship, three superior achievement certificates and 13 bronze medallions. In addition to their show records, Bendi Charge’s foals have racked up riding hours in the saddle log program.
Bendi Charge produced her last foal, Check Or Charge, in 1995. She was euthanized due to old age the following year.
