by Vicky McCrumb Morgan
In my opinion some of the best love stories always seem to involve owning a horse. The most amazing love story I know is the one that involves my parents, George and Sandy McCrumb. They will be celebrating their 50 wedding anniversary this August and coincidently my father will be showing at the Select World for the first time with his aged mare, Mazerratti Hottie. Their story together has always involved horses.
My mother was a horse girl from way back. She was a great barrel racer and traveled the rodeo circuit with her beautiful black mare, Echo Dee. When she met my Dad, he had never owned a horse before, but that was sure to change. They were married August 24, 1963, early in their marriage they traveled the country looking for the perfect horses becoming members of AQHA in 1965 and buying a few mares.
My parents decided to make a major purchase and bought Spur Direct, an AQHA bay stallion in December 1975. He was a race horse and so began our new life standing a stud and racing horses. We raised many babies on the farm and started getting into AQHA showing. My family began showing horses for the public and there were always horse people around the farm and I still believe today that they are some of the best people I have known.
We grew as a family, and have had a very successful show career with many wonderful horses. We have raised tons of foals and successfully shown at AQHA shows, AQHA Youth World, Congress, Futurities and AQHA World Show. My father has worked as a 4-H judge, Michigan Quarter Horse Association Director and my mother has given lessons to countless young people over the past 50 years. They have helped shape many young horsemen including my sister, Tracey Helton, my nephew, Daniel Dominguez, and myself.
This past year my parents have faced several medical challenges–my mother is a diabetic and my father has had double carpel tunnel surgery, a knee replacement and eye surgery all in the past year.
My father acquired his amateur card and at the family’s urging, started showing his aged mare, Mazeratti Hottie. He qualified her for the 2013 Select World Show in just one weekend this past fall. We plan to make the trip out to Amarillo in August, celebrate a wonderful show and more importantly celebrate a wonderful love story. I can’t really say a horse brought them together, but I am sure love of horses had something to do with keeping them together.
They are parents of Tracey Helton {Joel }, Vicky Morgan {Bill} and Troy McCrumb {Keali }; grandparents to Daniel, Travis {Danielle}, Ricardo, Elizabeth, Bradley, Owen and Reese and great-grandparents to Collin and newest addition, Kole. We would like to wish them a wonderful 50 wedding anniversary and thank them for all they have done and continue to do for this whole family. Good Luck in Amarillo Dad!
