One of the great war horses, Seven S Majestic (Juice), passed away earlier this week at the age of 24. He was spending his retirement days at the Ross Family Farm located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Courtney, Emily, Will, and Alex Ross have amazing memories of this beautiful black gelding, and the family will be forever linked through their love of this incredible animal. Will and Courtney Ross were his main caretakers during the last years of his life, and he was fittingly buried on the family farm.
The 1986 black gelding who was by Pines Bar Zippo and out of Seven S Maggie, was a multiple Congress Champion and also a Youth World Champion in the Showmanship with Emily Ross in 2001. This equine champion amassed nearly 2000 points in various events with several different owners including Millie Dickerson, the Rich family, Casey Caldwell and Dawn Lemasters.
“He was a huge part of our family,” says Emily Ross, who won the Congress and a World Champion with him. “He brought our family together. He touched our lives and a lot of people before me.”
Not too long after Emily and Juice became a team, the duo won the Youth World and the Congress. They appeared to have an immediate connection that carried over into the show pen. “I spent three years with him everyday. He taught me many life lessons–probably even more than my human mentors. He taught me that if I worked hard that I would get rewarded in the end.”
His last owner, Dana Kennedy (pictured below), put exactly 500 points on Juice. On Tuesday she said fondly of her equine partner,”Today I lost my best friend Juice. Words cannot explain how much that horse meant to me, and how much he changed my life. I will cherish every single memory I have with him. The Kennedy and Ross families were so blessed to have been touched by such an incredible horse and we’ll miss him so much. He was one of a kind and an amazing horse. I know he will be missed by many.”
Kennedy adds, “What I loved most about Juice were the two sides of him. There was the business side and the playful side. He knew when it was time to get serious and show, but he also loved it when we would play tag the first day of horse shows or have races around the arena or just gallop through the fields,” she said. “In our last year together, I brought him to school with me in Georgia where we would we would go on trail rides and have bridleless races back to the barn (horrible I know for a show horse!), but it didn’t matter anyway because he would slam on brakes five strides in to eat grass and throw me up onto his neck. This would happen all the way back to the barn. Needless to say, we never won.”
“Seven S Majestic, or ‘Juice’ as most people called him, assisted in giving me my most special horse show memory,” says Alex Ross who is now the AQHA Director of Judges.”Although Emily’s win in Showmanship at Halter at the 2001 AQHYA World Championship Show was very special, to me, her repeat performance to win the Western Horsemanship at the Quarter Horse Congress in 2001 was number one. The previous year, Emily won the Showmanship and Horsemanship with Juice. As we know, repeat championships are hard to accomplish, but Emily wanted to finish her last ride in youth with another win. Her practice sessions were solid, and Juice came through in the finals of the class that day. What a birthday present for her 50 year-old father!”
Alex Ross remembers fondly, “When we purchased Juice, we were told he had a skin allergy that had to be managed, especially in the summer months. Emily always kept Juice in top shape and there is no doubt he assisted Emily with what would become life learning experiences. They were perfect for each other. And without him, I doubt this father would have been able to spend many Friday and Saturday nights with his teenage daughter. He was a champion.”
