Oklahoma City, OK – The Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame was created in 2005 to recognize outstanding individuals, horses, ranches or businesses, whose contributions involving the American Quarter Horse significantly impacted the great state of Oklahoma’s equine industry.
The 19th Annual prestigious Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will held Saturday January 27, 2024 at The Skirvin Hilton Oklahoma City, One Park Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73102.
The ceremony and dinner is a ticketed event and is open to the public. Tickets are available for $50 and may be purchased from the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association. Dependent on the generosity of donors, anyone interested in sponsoring an inductee or their award will find information on the OQHA website.
The 2023 Inductees are:
Jody W Galyean, Marietta OK
Jody Galyean was born October 16 1954 in Bentonville Arkansas to 2014 National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) Hall of Fame inductee Kenneth and the late Bertena (Hendrickson) Galyean.
Galyean moved to Oklahoma in the early 80”s. He has spent his entire career as a trainer and breeder of American Quarter horses. He has attended Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association horse shows since he was a small child. He competed in the AQHA Youth World Championship Horse Show as a child. Jody has trained and shown multiple world and Congress champions in multiple disciplines. Some of his most prestigious titles include multiple All American Quarter Horse Congress western pleasure titles. He earned numerous National Cutting Horse Association titles including the winning the 1986 NCHA Futurity Championship. Jody was inducted into the NCHA Hall of Fame in 1990.
Jody’s is very proud of his children Beau, Wesley and Christina. Beau and Wesley were also inducted into the NCHA Hall of Fame.
Carolyn Stewart, Ramona, OK
Carolyn was born January 3, 1950 in Tulsa to James and Mildred Colpitt. She attended Oklahoma State University. She and her husband, Charles manage Rocking M Ranch.
She served as OQHA director for many years. She volunteered as OJQHA Youth Advisor and was named OJQHA Mom of the year. She was elected as the first woman to be President of Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association in 1991. She was an AQHA National Director for 12 years serving 6 years on International Committee. Stewart will be honored at 2024 AQHA Convention in March at Las Vegas, NV the AQHA Legacy award for being a 50 year consecutive breeder.
Stewart stood Skip Light Lee and which expanded into standing multiple World and Reserve World Champions Zans Last Light, Adonnis, Perpetuality and OSU Pistol Pete.
She currently own three World Champion Stallions Execute: (AQHA/APHA) World Champion, Multiple World Champion Sire, 2022 AQHA Leading Sire of Money Earning Halter Horses, Leading sire of APHA Platinum and Gold futurities multiple times, 2022 WCHA Leading Sire. The Final Verse: (APHA) BHF Grand Champion Stallion, World Champion, World Champion Sire and Locked NN Loaded: (AQHA) 2 time AQHA World Champion. All standing at Kull Ranch, Pilot Point, TX.
Stewart bred, raised and exhibited multiple AQHA World and Reserve World Champions Zans Last Light, Rockin Da Nite Array, Lotsa Bling Bling, Strait Sierra, Canya Keepa Secret, Candys Mirror Image.
Still breeding halter horses but now her son in law & Daughter, Trevor and Cara Gibson, granddaughter, McKenna Gibson are showing her horses under the guidance of Anna Horn.
Hot N Blazing
1997 Brown Stallion by Blazing Hot by Hotrodders Jet Set) out of Zippos Baby Jane by Zippo Pine Three
During the course of his lifetime, he sired 107 Congress and Reserve Congress Champions, 54 AQHA World and Reserve World Champions, and accumulated total offspring earnings of $1,209, 244. In addition, he was a NSBA Leading Sire. He is the sire of winners such as Like A Boss, Look N Hott, Cowboys R Hot, The Heat Seeker, Spurz N Diamonds and Jessee James. Hot N Blazing is currently the Equi-Stat Leading Sire for Hunter Under Saddle money earners.
But before Blaze began his career as a breeding sire, he won numerous titles in his own right. He was an AQHA World Champion in Junior Hunter Under Saddle, an AQHA Reserve World Champion in Junior Western Riding, a three-time Congress Champion, and a two-time Reserve Congress Champion. He won Hunter Under Saddle and Western Riding at the Congress, on the same day, in 2001.
Courtney Battison and Blaze were a team for 18 years. When Courtney was ready to start looking for a new amateur show horse, she and Patty Campbell stumbled across the very special stallion. He was a once-in-a-lifetime horse.
Blaze’s had a star-studded team of trainers during his career Patty and Butch Campbell, Rusty Green, Gil Galyean, Tanya Green and Nancy Sue Ryan.
After he won his Hunter Under Saddle and Western Riding classes at the Congress and the World Show, we decided to retire him from showing and start breeding.
Blaze’s breeding program was managed by Joe and Suzy Jeane, Mike Hay and Milt Alderman over a period of time, until Courtney began managing him herself.
Blaze was 22 when he passed in 2019 and was been buried on the Battison Ranch in Purcell OK.
Bud Breeding Oklahoma Spirit Award
David W Freeman, PhD Stillwater, OK
David W Freeman, PhD wore a lot of hats as the Oklahoma State Extension Horse Specialist over a span of 30 plus years. Some were used to seeing him as a professor at Oklahoma State University, some as a source of answers for their ‘feed’n, lead’n or breed’n’ questions as horse owners, and others as a source of information on the Oklahoma horse industry. All that aside, many saw him only as the leader of the State 4-H Horse program, directing and assisting the efforts of the many volunteers to offer 4-H horse shows, 4-H, FFA and breed association judging contests, youth communication contests and other youth development activities.
Freeman came to Oklahoma in the mid-1980’s after completing a PhD at Texas A&M University in Equine Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. Dave credits his accomplishments due to working with some great students, great leaders in the industry, and great horse owners. In the arena of being an Animal Scientist in academia he was the leading or contributing author on 98 peer reviewed research journal articles and research proceedings. He served on 25 graduate student committees, was on the review board of several Animal Science and Veterinary Journals, and served on the board of directors and as chairperson for numerous committees for the Equine Science Society, American Society of Animal Science, and American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists.
Freeman’s work as a professional Animal Scientist has been recognized by several awards. The list includes the Distinguished Service Award for Equine Science Society, Outstanding Educator Award for the Equine Nutrition and Physiology Society, and Outstanding Extension Specialist of American Society of Animal Science. He’s received an American Quarter Horse Association Recognition of Service Award, Outstanding Service Award for the Color Horse Breed Council, Professional Service Award for National Judging Team Coaches Association, Service Award for Special Olympics Oklahoma, and an Honorary State Farmer Degree from Oklahoma FFA.
Switching hats to his more direct involvement with the horse industry, Dave worked with many different organizations on a state and national level. His support of AQHA included several years of co-coordinating the AQHA Judge’s Certification School and directing the AQHA Intercollegiate Horse Judging Contests. His membership with OQHA included assisting with various shows throughout the years and organizing several of the OQHA hosted International Farm tours held in conjunction with past AQHA World Shows. Adding to his support of horse industry organizations, he helped develop and coordinated the NRHA Intercollegiate Horse Judging Contest and several years of educational seminars held in conjunction with the NRHA futurity. Dave also served the Color Breed Council’s International Equine Judge’s Seminar by coordinating and developing the annual testing materials used for judge’s certification.
