Spouse(s) Max G. Michaelis Jr. Children Max G. Michaelis III | Name Helen Michaelis | |
Born 7 February 1905 ( 1905-02-07 ) Junction, Texas, USA Occupation Rancher, Horse Breeder and Trainer Known for Secretary-treasurer of the American Quarter Horse Association, pioneering female horse breeder and trainer, American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame inductee Parent(s) Frederic Savignac Hall (1864–1946) and Florence Black (1879–?) Died July 26, 1965, Kyle, Texas, United States Education University of Texas at Austin | ||
Helen Michaelis (February 7, 1905, Junction, Texas USA – July 26, 1965, Kyle, Texas USA) was a key figure in the organization and development of the modern Quarter Horse. She was the secretary-treasurer of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) from March 1942 to August 1946, and was the first woman inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.
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Life and family
Helen Mary Hall, daughter of Fred S. Hall (1864–1946) and Florence Black (b1879), was born on a ranch in Kimble County, Texas. Her father, Fred S. Hall, had come to Texas from England to raise horses. Besides Helen, her parents had three boys, all younger than she. In 1917, the family moved to a better ranch in Concho County, Texas, near Eden.
Helen attended college at the University of Texas, and spent the summer of 1928 teaching riding at Camp Ekalela near Estes Park in Colorado. When she returned to Texas, she rounded up a string of horses she had raised and trained on the family ranch, and drove them from Eden to Austin. She first rented at the Western Field Riding Club, and later bought her own riding academy. In 1932, she married Max G Michaelis, Jr., sold her stables and most of her horses, and moved to Mexico with him. Helen stayed active in the livestock business after marrying Michaelis, and continued to raise and train horses in Mexico. They later moved back to the Michaelis Ranch in Kyle, Texas. Helen died July 26, 1965 at St. David's Hospital, Austin, TX, and is buried at Kyle Cemetery, Kyle, TX.
American Quarter Horse Association
As an expert on Texas horses, Helen was one of the founders of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) in the mid 1930s. She met some initial resistance and prejudice as a woman in the livestock industry, but ultimately gained the respect of her peers. She was elected as a director of the AQHA in 1940, and held the position of secretary-treasurer from March 1942 to August 1946. Helen Michaelis was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 1985.