David Mackie's love for Appaloosa racehorses began on the California Fair Circuit with Amigos' Bull-Lee. The stallion introduced David to the world of Appaloosa racing in 1968, and David, now of Houston, Texas, went on to spend the better part of the next three decades promoting and improving Appaloosa racing.

Drawn to the breed's distinguishing color patterns and rich history, David also believes in the wisdom of outcrossing to refine and improve the Appaloosa racehorse's performance ability. Over the years, David has bred and raised track all-stars such as A Mean Individual and Mackie's Moon, both by Moon Lark (AQHA), and Houston Jet, by Easy Jet (AQHA).

"A Mean Individual was small but he didn't know it," David says of the gelding. "He was very fast and won several stakes races for us including the World Wide in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1990.

"That year we won all five of the futurities," David continues. "But on that particular September day, A Mean Individual won the World Wide and then we went over and listened in the racing office and 20 minutes later in Oklahoma, Houston Jet won the Supreme Futurity at Blue Ribbon Downs. It was a very memorable, thrilling day."
Houston Jet went on to be named the 1990 2-year-old sprint colt and though he only ran for one year, earned more than $45,000 on the track. A Mean Individual won three of Appaloosa racing's most prestigious races during his career: the Cricket Bars, Texas Futurity and World Wide, racking up 11 wins in 19 starts. In total, the gelding earned more than $69,000 on the track.

"Mackie's Moon was special because he was so versatile and ran in so many different places and did well," David says. The talented gelding earned nearly $100,000 on the track before retiring.

David's contributions to the world of racing reached beyond the track as well. After moving from California to Texas for career reasons, the former senior executive for two different natural gas pipeline companies found himself near Sunland Park Racetrack in El Paso, Texas.

"Carl Miles and Bob Haley were long-time sponsors for the Texas Appaloosa Horse Club and they contacted me and asked me to try to start the Texas Appaloosa Racing Association," David says.
Under David's leadership, the Texas Appaloosa Racing Association flourished and eventually teamed up with the Kansas and New Mexico Appaloosa racing associations to create the Appaloosa Triple Crown series.

David also served from 1979 to 1983 on the Appaloosa Horse Club's Executive Race Committee. During his tenure, the ERC encouraged the ApHC to recognize, for performance and record-keeping purposes, all Appaloosa races run under official conditions. The ERC also succeeded in gaining recognition for all official Appaloosa races and their publication in the Daily Racing Form, information crucial to the wagering public and the continued success of Appaloosa racing.

Throughout it all, David's wife Susan has been an active partner in his racing endeavors. "The very first race she ever saw was with me watching one of the horses I bred run in Oklahoma," David says. "She loves racing."

And though David and Susan's children, David, Sarah and Emily (now adults), haven't followed in their father's footsteps, David says they've all enjoyed the horses and the racing.

"Racing has been the central source of enjoyment and satisfaction in our lives," David says. "We love the animal and the excitement and the challenge of it. It's all been very special."

David says he hopes to be remembered as someone who enhanced the quality of the breed and the performance of the Appaloosa racehorse, and as someone who made a significant contribution to the growth and acceptance of Appaloosa racing nationally.
As for being inducted into the Appaloosa Racing Hall of Fame, David says, "It's very satisfying. There are a lot of very fine people in the Hall of Fame who have done a lot for the breed and it's an honor to be inducted with them."