Sheila Varian, award-winning Arabian horse breeder, dies

Sheila Varian, award-winning Arabian horse breeder, died of cancer Sunday morning. She was 78.

Varian raised Arabian horses for 60 years and owned a 200-acre ranch in Corbett Canyon between San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande. At the time of her death, Varian was working with the Sacramento-based California Rangeland Trust to realize her dream of conserving the ranch.

The Trust is working to raise $2 million to $2.5 million to purchase a conservation easement over the ranch. The easement would have allowed Varian to retain ownership of the property, but would permanently prevent it from being subdivided for homes and vineyards.

“I could not bear the thought of if I was not capable, or I die immediately, this place would be broken up,” Varian told attendees of a jubilee held at the ranch in August 2015. “There would be houses all over it, and the animals would have no place to go.”

Arabians are an ancient breed of horse that originated in the Arabian Peninsula. They are a popular breed of riding horse and are known for their beauty.

Varian, a native of Santa Maria and a Cal Poly graduate, is world-renowned for her Arabians and was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 2003. The Varian Arabians website says that 70 percent of winning Arabian show horses today carry Varian blood. One of her most famous horses was Bay-El-Bey, a six-time U.S. national top-10 stallion.

So far, about $50,000 has been raised for the proposed Rangeland Trust easement, but major donors have been approached and a crowdfunding campaign is underway, according to Jessica Kong, communications director for Rangeland Trust. In the meantime, the ranch will operate as it has been — with Angela Alvarez, who is the ranch’s manager and was a friend of Varian, still managing it. She would continue to do so under the proposed Rangeland Trust easement.

Upon Alvarez’s retirement, the ranch would be donated to the Rangeland Trust as a planned gift. The trust would then sell the ranch to a conservation buyer, and the money raised in the sale will be used to buy more ranch easements and properties for conservation.

Plans are also underway to use the Varian ranch as an educational and historical event center for the Arabian horse.

Memorial donations may be made to the Protect Varian Arabians Ranch campaign by visiting www.rangelandtrust.org/varian.

This story was originally published March 9, 2016 at 7:15 PM with the headline "Sheila Varian, award-winning Arabian horse breeder, dies."