Sheila Varian

Sheila Varian was an American breeder of Arabian horses who lived and worked at the Varian Arabians Ranch near Arroyo Grande, California. She grew up with a strong interest in horses, and was mentored in horsemanship by Mary "Sid" Spencer, a local rancher and Morgan horse breeder who also introduced Varian to the vaquero or "Californio" tradition of western riding. She started her horse ranch, Varian Arabians, in 1954 with the assistance of her parents. Raising and training horses was her full-time occupation beginning in 1963. She used vaquero-influenced methods of training horses, although she adapted her technique over the years to fit the character of the Arabian horse, which she viewed as a horse breed requiring a smart yet gentle approach.

8 August 1937

Born on the same birth date (8 August 1937): Cornelis Vreeswijk • Dustin Hoffman

Born on the same birth day (8 August): Chris Foreman • Diego Markwell • Dustin Hoffman • Earle Page • Emiliano Zapata • John Gustafson (musician) • John Holmes (actor) • John Renbourn • Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings • Scott Stapp

Born in the same month (August 1937): Alice Coltrane • Andrei Konchalovsky • Boris Rõtov • Brian G. Marsden • Charlie Haden • Cornelis Vreeswijk • David Bedford • Dustin Hoffman • Sky Saxon • Tommy Sands • William Motzing