Martha Oliver Sayles

Martha Oliver Sayles

September 12, 1934 to August 14, 2026

Martha Oliver Sayles was born Martha Louise Oliver to GB and Audra Oliver of Alamogordo, NM, on September 12, 1934. The youngest of four children, Martha grew up working in the family grocery store from a young age. She later participated in all kinds of ranching activities once the family purchased and moved to the White Sands Ranch in the early 40s.

Martha grew up helping her father with his horse and cattle breeding operations on the ranch, as well as working in the butcher shop and learning how to cook and sew from her mother. She attended Girls State and graduated high school in 1953. She attended New Mexico A&M (now New Mexico State University) where she was the only woman studying Animal Husbandry. She loved to tell stories of how she had to sneak her jeans out under her skirt in order to comply with the different dress codes on campus. She graduated with honors in Animal Husbandry in 1957 and returned to the ranch where she worked for her father for many years. In 1960, she married Danly Sayles in a ceremony at the ranch. The couple adopted two daughters—Sarah in 1969 and Rebekah in 1970.

The family moved to Mesquite, NM, in 1972 where Martha began Sayles Quarter Horses, and she and Danly began applying for judges cards in multiple breed associations. When Danly had a stroke in 1974, he was in the process of achieving an American Quarter Horse Association card. Martha encouraged him to continue to work toward it and joined him in the pursuit, becoming one of the first six women to be an approved AQHA judge. Martha was an approved judge for seven breeds: the American Quarter Horse Association, American Paint Horse Association, Palomino Horse Breeders Association, Appaloosa Horse Club, International Buckskin Horse Association, American Buckskin Registry Association, and Pony of the Americas Club. The couple’s wide ranging judging experience gave them opportunities to judge horse shows in many countries, including Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and England.

Martha dedicated much of her life to the equine industry, serving 25 years on the board of the New Mexico Quarter Horse Association (NMQHA)—most of that time as executive secretary—and four terms as President of the Southwest Quarter Horse Association (SWQHA). Martha was the first woman named Man of the Year by the NMQHA and by the SWQHA before the name was changed to Member of the Year. In the 1970s, Martha was recognized as a horse color genetics authority and invited to write and present at an international symposium on horse genetics. One of her great achievements was the AQHA 50-year Legacy Breeder award for which she and Danly were honored together, having bred many AQHA champions and all-around show horses over five decades. But she was and continued until her death to be most proud of her students and all the people she helped with horses and showing throughout her life.

Martha was a dedicated volunteer, having worked with 4-H programs in Otero and Dona Ana counties. When the girls were old enough to join 4-H, she started Town and Country 4-H Club and served as a volunteer leader. She was instrumental in putting on one of the first ever regional extension forums in New Mexico and represented Dona Ana County for 30 years on the NM Extension and Research Support Council and helped form the Dona Ana County Parent Leader Organization. Along with dear friends Dr. Joe Armstrong and Mrs. Suzanne Jones, Martha was instrumental in starting and supporting the NM 4-H Horse School in the early 1980s. She was inducted into the NM 4-H Hall of Fame in 2013.

When the girls were in high school, Martha made the decision to homeschool. She did all of the planning, research, and curriculum decision-making to allow them to travel with their horses during those years. She was always proud that both girls earned academic scholarships to NMSU, and both achieved post graduate degrees.

Danly and Martha were active members of University Church of Christ in Las Cruces until 2008, when they joined a group of other like-minded believers to plant a new church, the Las Cruces Church of Christ. Martha organized the Sunday morning greeters for many years, even after she was no longer able to attend services in-person, and also served as a 5th Sunday coordinator for much of that time.

Martha is survived by her daughters Dr. Sarah Sayles of Safford, AZ, and Rebekah (Steve) Bachman of Amarillo, TX; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the girls ask that you consider a donation in memory of Martha to the outreaches of the Las Cruces Church of Christ, or to the Danly C. and Martha O. Sayles Endowed Scholarship at New Mexico State University. Gifts can be made to the NMSU Foundation, PO Box 3590, Las Cruces, NM 88003-3590 or call 575-646-1613 for assistance.

A memorial service will be held October 2 at 2 pm at the Las Cruces Church of Christ in Las Cruces, NM. A private interment will be held for the family in Alamogordo, NM, at a later date.

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