mike jennings is a veteran horse auctioneer who has also been showing and judging horse competitions for more than 30 years. and even he is impressed as he watches crundwell turn a one-horse stable into an american quarter horse dynasty. >> over the last i'd say 10 -- 10 to 12 years, she had elevated herself to be in the very top echelon of breeders and exhibitors. if she is not the leading owner of or breeder of world champions, she would be very close. >> narrator: crundwell comes to own more than 400 horses, with more than 50 of them becoming world champions in their class. and she isn't shy about flaunting her success in front of other horse exhibitors. >> when she would show up, it was this entourage of tractors and trailers -- you know, 18-wheeler-type rigs. rita crundwell, in her mind, became a brand, and it was that brand that was built over time that was feeding her ego. and the only way it was being fed in this case was by siphoning money off from the city of dixon. >> narrator: because with prize money typically coming in at $5,000 to $10,000, winning doesn't equal riches.