GoHorseShow.com tracked down some famous retired show horses to look back on their career and see how they are handling retirement; Forged Impression, Acadamosby Award, Light Cruiser, Chocolate Zipper, Skips Special Barb, Pick Me Please, Mr Magnolia Zip, and Zippo Ltd are some of the retired horses we have featured.
DONT SKIP MS HOTROD
Even in the short time frame of 15 months that youth exhibitor Caroline Gunn owned Dont Skip Ms Hotrod (Oprah), the majority of this beautiful black mare’s success can be attributed to the time they were a team.
Oprah, who is by Dont Skip Charlie out of Hotroddin In Black, amassed over 1400 AQHA points–1079 of the 1400 points with Gunn in youth events. The Oprah and Gunn team were also two-time Reserve Youth World Champions, a 2000 Congress winner in the 12-14 Equitation, and the 2001 winner of six high point titles including the Youth All-Around title. Oprah was inducted into the National Snaffle Bit Futurity Hall of Fame in 2006 and won nearly $37,000 in NSBA lifetime earnings.
At the 2000 Congress, Gunn was told by her mother Janet, that they were driving to Columbus early so they could find a good parking spot for their living quarters trailer. At the time, Gunn was riding with Dianne Eppers, who Oprah had been in training with since she was a two-year-old, and Caroline had always loved the mare. Eppers had already arrived to set up stalls, so Caroline and her mom walked into the barn to say hello before they “parked” the trailer.
Gunn says that she remembers that Oprah was in a stall, but she didn’t think too much about it until her mom told her to go check out Oprah’s “new'” blankets.
“I was kind of confused, then I realized that she was wearing my Gunn show blankets. I had no idea my parents had gotten her until that moment! Mom and I loaded her up, and headed to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania so I could show her once before the Congress–where we won almost every class,” Gunn remembers. “Then, I headed back to Columbus to show, and ended up top-10 in the Pleasure and Horsemanship and won the 12-14 Equitation on this amazing mare who had been doing Equitation and Horsemanship for about two weeks. I knew right then that the black mare and I were going to make history.”
The next year this duo did indeed make history. At the time, Gunn was 13 years old and Oprah was just six years old and had never done the all around–but that didn’t stop them. Janet took her daughter and Oprah down the road and they ended up winning six high point titles, including All Around Youth.
“Oprah was so funny,” Caroline recalls. “She was a superstar and knew when to perform, but she hated having her picture taken. I won a lot of prizes that year, and had a lot of pictures taken, and by that summer all the photographers were joking with me that they would rather just photoshop us into a new background because she was such a pill about the process!”
Gunn also recalls a funny incident that happened at the Texas Classic.
“We would leave things in her stall and I had accidentally left my phone hanging on the bridle rack overnight. The next morning, I went out to find my phone in pieces in her stall. She never bothered anything before, so I was really surprised she had done that,” she said. “When I got my new phone, I had a message from my brother from 10pm that night. All we could figure is that the phone kept beeping that I had a voicemail, and Oprah got mad and chomped it so it would quit.”
Another comical story that Gunn remembers involved a weekend show she attended that November. “They were giving pretty big gift certificates to Pard’s Western Store for the All-Around Open, Youth and Amateur. Mom thought I should try to win the Open and Youth All-Arounds, so the first day was single judged and poor Oprah went in every class we could enter her up in. The next day, the first class I went in was the Senior Pleasure, and after we reversed, I asked her to lope off and that mare squealed, bucked, and slung her head so that I had both reins on one side of her neck,” Caroline laughs and said. “I will never forget that I got called in the center by Debbie Kail, and was so mortified! Mom and I decided that Oprah had shown her opinion of going in that many classes, so we didn’t enter the open events the rest of the weekend.”
Caroline recalls the first time she thought that she could win the Youth All-Around Title was at the 2001 Gulf Coast Circuit. “I was still in 13 & Under, but at the Gulf Coast the youth events were 18 & under, so I was going up against the big dogs. I was pretty intimidated, and was not doing as well as I wanted. Eppers challenged me to win the Horsemanship under both judges–in a class of 50+ of the best of the best youth kids,” Gunn said. “I worked on that pattern all day, and since Oprah was still so green there was a lot to work on! But, I went out that night, and laid out a beautiful pattern, and ended up winning under both judges– beating all of my heroes and people I looked up to. I think that was the moment I knew I can do this.”
Gunn attributes much of her later success to what she learned in the short time she showed Oprah. “I wholeheartedly believe that she was the turning point in my career. She made me who I am today. She gave me that extra boost of confidence that I might not have gotten if I didn’t have a chance to own her,” she said. The main reason I can go show like I do is because of Oprah. Even all the way into my collegiate equestrian career, she impacted me, and helped me be successful in that arena. I couldn’t imagine what my life would have been like without owning her, even just for the short time that I did.”
After Gunn’s amazing year in 2001, Leanne Roberts, owner of Stone Canyon Ranch in California, bought Oprah to be part of her small breeding operation. Ruth Ellen helped put the deal together with Dianne Eppers. Oprah was briefly shown by Carol Metcalf before she was sent to California where she was trained and shown by Nan Kreeger.
Kreeger worked at Stone Canyon Ranch for her friend Leanne Roberts until Roberts, unfortunately passed away in 2003. Nan stayed at the ranch until 2008 when the family decided to close the showing and breeding operation.
“I then retired and Oprah was given to me by the Roberts family,” Nan said. “Oprah is a very special horse–from the first time I saw her at the World Show Two-Year-Old Class with Dianne Eppers. Never did I dream I would one day buy her for Leanne Roberts and Stone Canyon Ranch. She has produced several show winners and has a new two-year-old by Zippos Mr Goodbar coming up.”
Kreeger remembers the gorgeous black mare fondly. “Always beautiful, she became more so with age, ears always forward in the show pen or riding through the corn fields. She has impeccable manners and is sweet, smart and knowing. Never have I worked with, shown or been around such a wonderful horse. I sold her in December of 2010 to Jay McLennan, as I knew she would be loved and cared for in the ‘Queen-like’ manner she deserved.” (Pictured left-being shown by Matthew Carlson in the Walk Trot before retirement)
New owner, Jay McLennan, says that Oprah is enjoying her life on his ranch in Aubrey, Texas.
“She has her routine and knows exactly when it’s time to get turned out every morning–if it’s not raining or too cold. When we bring her back into the barn, all you have to do is take her halter off and she goes right to her stall. The plan for her is to pull embryos every year and to trail ride her around our ranch. We are breeding her to Lazy Loper this year,” McLennan said. “She is a diva for sure and I think she has been spoiled by all of her owners–and I have a strong feeling the tradition will continue at our ranch.”
SKIPS SPECIAL BARB
It’s funny how some horses can make even the toughest cowboy a little sentimental. For trainer Troy Compton, multiple AQHA World Champion Skips Special Barb will forever have a very special place in his heart. “His owner, Sara Linnes pays his bills, but she knows he’s my horse,” Troy said. “It is rare that a trainer keeps a horse, but I’ve had him since he was two and he is a very special horse to me. He still acts young and is a model of what a pleasure horse should be. He definitely has an ego and knows that he is better than the average horse. He’s had many different riders but he didn’t cheat or misbehave with any of them. He always gave 100 percent and tried his best.”
Even though Skip is retired, Compton says he still has a job. “We ride Skip and pony the young horses off him. He has also been used as the flag horse during the opening ceremonies at the Reichert Celebration where was ridden by Jeff Cochran’s daughter, Shelby. He loves and gets pumped up for that job.”
This 1994 sorrel gelding by Zips Chocolate Chip is a three-time World Champion and a two-time Reserve World Champion in the Western Pleasure. Compton says that even today he is good legged. “He has a big stall at the front of the barn, and he loves being the center of attention. We sometimes put some of the young horses next to him in the stall and he makes them mind.”
Top Amateur and Non-pro rider, Kenneth Banks raised Skip and won the Amateur Western Pleasure at the AQHA World Show in 1997. Compton was Banks’ trainer and also hauled youth exhibitor Elizabeth Hamilton, who at the time was showing WW Satin Dream. Elizabeth had always admired Skip.
According to Sara Linnes, her daughter Elizabeth thought Skip was the greatest western pleasure horse. She dreamed of someday having a horse like him, and then one day got the phone call that changed their lives forever.
“Troy was down at Ken’s ranch and called us to ask if Elizabeth would like to buy Skip. We did not hesitate. He has proved to be one of those once-in-a-lifetime horses,” Linnes said. Skip was immediately welcomed into their family. “Skip never really knew he was a horse. He likes to be where ever the people are and is a huge show-off and likes to be the center of attention.”
Linnes, who showed Skip to two top-5 placings in the Western Pleasure at the Select Amateur World Show, said that he loved showing. She fondly recalls memories of when she would warm him up. “He always thought it was his turn to go into the show pen. You really had to pay attention because if that gate opened he would want to jog on in. He loved jogging down the chute and would stand up and set his ears. It was the most amazing thing to feel,” she said. “He could be very boring in the warm up and make you work hard for everything you got, but when you started into the show pen, he just turned himself on.”
Linnes adds, “One of Elizabeth’s and my favorite memories was watching Troy win the Senior Western Pleasure at the World (2000). Skip just gave the best he could the whole way, it was very special to watch. Then the following year (2001), he did it again. Elizabeth also had back-to-back reserve world championships (2001-2002) on him too.”
As Skip got older, it was time for Elizabeth to hand over the reins to Mom. “I started showing Skip in the Select Western Pleasure and showed him at two select world shows and decided to retire him just before my third. I don’t know what exactly made me decide it was the right time, but I’ve never thought it wasn’t the right decision.”
Troy also fondly remembers the last time Skip was shown. “It was at the Reichert Celebration; he did well but he was at a point in his career where he could be beat by the younger horses. “I didn’t want to inject his hocks and try to keep him going. He had done enough. When Sara showed him in the pleasure, she placed 8th or 9th on him, and he was really good during the class. When they were announcing the placings, he kept getting upset and wanted to go up to the front of the line because that is what he was used to. He was really mad and shaking his head,” Troy said. “It broke my heart that he was upset, so that day, we decided to retire him and not show him anymore.”
Compton remembers a few funny things Skip has done since his retirement. “When we would turn him out in the arena, sometimes when he didn’t think I was looking–he would get on the rail and tuck his head and get in the western pleasure headset and lope down the rail like he was showing with a bridle on. It was like he thought he had been called back up to the majors.”
Compton adds, “He will always have a home with me, and he will be buried on our farm when he passes away.”
ZIPPO LTD
1987 bay gelding Zippo Ltd (LT) seemed to have a penchant for pretty blondes. Andrea Farley, Julia Dawn Taylor and trainer Vicky Holt showed this talented gelding to the majority of his wins. “He had the funniest personality. He was very spoiled and acted more like a dog than a horse,” Andrea Farley told GoHorseShow.com. “He could be pretty quirky about the silliest things–he hated being alone, and would completely freak out.”
LT, who was by Zippo Pine Bar out of Ima Blister Bug, accumulated an astounding 5,779.5 points during his show career. This talented gelding is also a multiple Congress winner and a three-time AQHA World and eight-time Reserve World Champion.
Farley says it is an amusing story of how they found LT. “We were at the Congress in 1992, and we were out on the track waiting for a trainer to bring the horse we were looking at out. We saw LT, ‘Zippy’– that’s what they called him, lunging around,” Andrea said. “The trainer that had the horse we were supposed to be looking at, saw us watching LT, and said, ‘I’m not even going to take the blankets off of mine now that you’ve seen that one.'”
Farley remembers that they knew absolutely nothing about him, not even his name. “When we asked Casey Hinton about him, he said there was another buyer in the picture, but they were having a family meeting about it that night. We wrote them a check about an hour after we first laid eyes on him,” she said. “Talk about lucky, it was pure fate that brought him into my life. We didn’t even know his name until a month after we bought him, much less that his sire and dam (Zippo Pine Bar and Ima Blister Bug ) were two of the most legendary horses in AQHA history.”
This duo started their show career when they received third in the Small Fry at the Congress. “He had the biggest heart and just wanted to be great. We grew together and learned so much from each other.”
Farley said their LT’s biggest accomplishment together was in 1998 when they won every class they showed in at the Congress, five classes and two All-Arounds. “It was amazing. Making it even more special was the fact that we missed the ’97 Congress because LT hyper-extended his hock at the Youth World in ’97 within an hour after he got there,” Farley remembers. “He was one of the first horses in the Kentucky barn. He had a fit about being there alone, and he got his back leg stuck in the bars of the stall. It took over two hours to get him out.”
Farley’s other favorite memory was in 1999 when they won both the prelims and finals unanimously at the Youth World in the Trail, “That was an amazing feeling.”
Vicky Holt, who helped both Farley and Taylor, remembers LT’s first World Championship with Farley in the Youth Trail in ’99. “She had such a breathtaking run that year. They didn’t touch a pole, and he had so much guide. I remember Wayne (her former husband) holding on to me when she was doing her pattern. He kept asking me how she was doing and holding on to me all nervous and excited. We were so thrilled when she won.”
Vicky Holt says that LT was one of the greatest horses. “He was able to do all the events and had a great personality–very sensitive at times, definitely not a dead head,” Holt remembers. “He always tried but you had to keep up his confidence. He had some funny quirks. I remember him spooking at a new bench that I had just put next to my arena, and him spooking at the Dixie Nationals when a dog ran into the arena during his Western Riding pattern.”
Vicky Holt adds, “He also didn’t care to be by himself. We always had to have a horse next to him and he couldn’t go first or last in the horse trailer.”
After seven successful years together, Farley sold him to Julia Dawn Taylor.
Holt says that Taylor started off as a novice with her before she bought LT from Andrea. “Julia also had great success with LT. He taught her all the events, and she learned how to really ride from him. When she made a mistake, he would tell on her, so, he definitely taught her how to ride. I also remember that when he retired, he was still the all-time winningest horse in the Western Riding.”
GoHorseShow.com caught up with Taylor for a quick minute while she was on her way to Hong Kong. She is currently attending Harvard Business School and plans to graduate this year. “LT is a once-in-a-lifetime horse, and I still feel blessed every day that I was one of the lucky people that got to show him. He has a permanent home with our family because he gave me 100% in the show pen for six years.”
Taylor recalls fondly that, “LT’s retirement was really special for me. It was unbelievable to go back through his career which spanned 20 years and to learn about all the people who knew him, had trained him, or had a story about him. He is just a horse that everyone loved.”
LT was also the first horse Vicky’s daughter, Haylee Holt, showed in the Walk Trot. One story that Jan Johnson, Katy Jo Pickard’s mother, brought to our attention regarding LT was when her daughter borrowed him from East Coast trainer Lynn Pelton, to show at the Quarterama in the Walk Trot.
Johnson remembers going to the ’91 Quarterama with her customer’s horses and taking all of Katy’s show clothes in hopes of finding her a horse to show in the walk trot. It was a cut-throat business finding the best jogger for your child or your customer’s child.
” I spotted Zippo Ltd the first few days of the show and said ‘there’s the best little horse on the fairgrounds.’ So, I struck up a conversation with Lynn who said Katy could show him as long as she could get along with him,” Jan recalls.” Katy spent about ten minutes jogging him around. They were quite a pair and Lynn was only too pleased to have Katy show him.”
According to Jan, her daughter was seven year’s old and LT was three at the time. This proud mom remembers it being a very large class, and of course, Katy Jo won!
“Katy got attached to him very quickly as he was such a kind boy….not just on his back, but on the ground and just in general,” Jan said. “She cried when she found out he was for sale and I couldn’t afford to buy him. From that day on, Katy has followed his success and to this day, is proud to say she won with him all those years ago.”
After a successful show career, LT was retired at Pete Kyle’s until Kristin Pokluda, who was Vicky Holt’s assistant, built her own place and LT went to live at her farm. “He’s there now and Kristin takes care of him, and rides him a few times a week so he doesn’t get bored. He is a pretty opinionated horse, and he requires daily medicine for Cushing’s Disease,” Taylor said.
“He has a stall and he roams around the property as he wants. He is still very, very spoiled. His adjustment to retirement didn’t take as long as we thought. It’s been four years now, and he loves all the attention and relaxation.”
MR MAGNOLIA ZIP
1992 bay gelding, Mr Magnolia Zip also known as “Gangsta Rick”, “Tricky Ricky”, “Ricki”, or “Rick” when he behaved was beloved by many owners and exhibitors over the years. Rick accumulated over 1100 points–mainly in the Western Pleasure events. This gorgeous striking gelding was by Zippo Pine Bar out of Miss Magnolia Bee. Even in his retirement, Ricki is treated like a rock star and probably has the best job of any of the retired horses we have featured so far.
This World and Congress Champion in the Western Pleasure is now a therapeutic riding horse at Victory Junction Camp which was founded to help chronically ill children. This camp, located in Randleman, North Carolina, was created to honor one of Ricky’s owners, Montgomery Lee Petty’s brother, Adam, who died in May 2000 during practice for a NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Loudon, New Hampshire.
“Those kids love him. To say they rode a world champion is something a lot of kids in their situation never get to say,” Montgomery Lee Petty proudly says when talking about Ricki being a therapeutic riding horse. “He loves kids, and he is like an old wise man. He knows to be calm, to be safe, and to be loving.”
Many people in the horse industry may not remember that Mr. Magnolia Zip was the 1997 Youth Reserve World Champion with Allee Thompson of Hillsboro, Ohio, and she was the first youth exhibitor to really put him on the map.
“My most vivid memory was riding ‘Rick’ at the youth world shows,” Allee remembers. “He loved that pen. I think because the rail was very high, and we always had our best rides in that pen. It was a surreal feeling to be riding around in the finals and truly know we were having a good ride, and it allowed me to fully enjoy the experience. Rick also has a very smooth gait, which spoiled me. I had difficulty feeling comfortable with some of the horses because I was used to slow and smooth strides. When my parents sold Rick, I lost my interest in showing horses because it wasn’t the same after he was gone.”
Allee’s younger sister, Andrea Thompson, also remembers the first year her older sister showed him. “The first year she showed she was reserve at the Youth World in 97′. That was probably the most surreal experience for our family because we had no idea what it meant at the time, and it was completely unexpected. We were just thrilled for her to make the finals, so for her to get reserve was just utterly unexpected,” Andrea recalls. “Our nickname for him was “tricky” Ricky because he was always trying something or another. I remember being in Delaware, Ohio at a show, and he knocked down an entire fence line because he was scared of a measly garbage bin. However, he always knew when a major show was coming up because he would put on the proverbial game face and really perform above and beyond what we could ever expect. He was and still is just a really, really cool horse.”
“He was a tremendous horse,” Allee and Andrea’s mother, Susan Thompson, said of Mr Magnolia Zip, who also showed him to a 3rd place one year in the Amateur Western Pleasure at the World Show. “Very delicate looking for a gelding–more like a mare, and you could pick him out in a crowd, and he was a very slow jogger.”
Susan adds, “Cleve Wells kept Rick after we bought him to finish out the year. He was not going to show him at Congress that year, and we were leaving the grounds when someone asked us why we weren’t going to stick around and watch our horse. We had no idea that he was going to show after all, and we sat in the stands and watched Rick win Junior that year. It was our first Congress win. Our daughter, Allee, has never forgotten him and loved him. She still has not forgiven us for selling him in fact. He was certainly not an easy ride but a great one.”
Montgomery Lee Petty’s parents purchased, Mr. Magnolia Zip, when Montgomery Lee was 13-Years-Old at the Congress. “My parents and I wanted a horse that would teach me to be a better rider, and a better competitor. Basically, a horse that would make me a world champion. Mitch Leckey who has and always will be my trainer came to us and said, ‘I have dreams about this horse.’ So I rode him, and that was it. ‘Daddy, I want this one!’”
Ricki has more personality than the average person, Montgomery explains. “He isn’t a horse you have to get physically tired, you have to get him mentally tired. He thinks he knows everything and is always willing to tell you what he thinks about a situation,” Petty fondly recalls. “He tends to see things before you do, will make decisions for you (good or bad). He is like an old, wise man.”
There are too many funny memories to count with Ricki. The one that Petty remembers is at a show in Georgia. “It was within the first year of having him, so, I was still learning him, and as we started our second lap around the arena, Ricki just decided he didn’t want to show that day. He turned, bucked and trotted to the middle of the pen. That was him though–when he was done, he was done.”
Of course, Petty’s favorite win would be in 2001 when she won the Western Pleasure at the Youth World in Fort Worth. “But, I think was I am most proud of is we were top five at the world show for five years in a row,” she said. “A horse that is that consistent, that talented, and that great doesn’t come around too often. I feel so blessed that I was the one that rode him for those achievements.”
When Petty went away to college, she wasn’t showing as much as before, and her family decided it was time to sell Ricki. “Everyone made fun of me because they said I ‘interviewed’ people about buying him. I wouldn’t let just anyone have him. After meeting the Pathroff family and their son Dennis, it was a perfect fit. They loved him. Not just the fact they could win on him, they loved him as an animal, as pet, and as a part of their family,” Petty told GoHorseShow.com. “After Dennis showed for a few years, they decided Ricki was ready for retirement. The day they called and offered to donate him to the camp was the happiest day. Technically, I wasn’t getting him back, but in a way I was. I will forever be grateful for their donation of him to Victory Junction Camp.”
Petty concludes her thoughts by saying, “I just think Ricki is one of those horses that comes along once in a lifetime. He is one of those horses you have dreams about at night. I know he isn’t the most famous horse or the best horse, and he hasn’t won the most awards, but thank goodness he hasn’t. His ego is already big enough. I will forever be thankful that he and I were a team at one point in our life. I will forever be grateful that he gave me a world championship. He is one of the best horses to ever walk this earth.”
PICK ME PLEASE
“She’s the best halter mare of all time,” says former halter trainer Charlie Dobbs, when asked what he thought about the 1989 sorrel mare, Pick Me Please (“Pick”). “No one could beat her. She’s a six-time World Champion and stood Open Grand Champion Mare at the Congress five times in a row.”
Halter trainer Todd Grant, who worked for Dobbs for three years, agrees that Pick Me Please, who was by Mr Conclusion and out of Sissydator, was one of the best ever. Grant also remembers Pick being a prima donna. “She loved certain people, but then she could be a nightmare in her stall with people she didn’t like,” Grant remembers. “Pick was a saint with me, but she liked to torment Charlie. The mare also didn’t care for the vet or farrier or anybody bothering her. She would run a lot of people out of her stall. I remember at one show the judge grabbed her tail to move it out of the way, and Charlie warned them to not do it, but they didn’t listen and she hauled off and kicked him in the leg.”
Grant said she was like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde and her moods could change in an instant. “But, that was only in her stall and handling her. In the show ring, she always showed well. When she hit the gates, she was all business. Everybody that showed her got a trophy. Charlie made her famous, but she was so dominate that I believe anyone could have won with her.”
According to Grant, one person that Pick loved was former owner Steve Landers. “He was so goofy and wild that he would do things around the mare that no one else did, and she seemed to get a kick out of it. He would hang out with her in his backyard by the pool and ride her around like a trail horse. He seemed to have a special connection with her.”
Trainer and AQHA judge Russ Smith of Whitesboro, Texas remembers helping Landers at the Congress one year. “Stevie was quite a character. He was always paranoid about someone hurting his mare. He wouldn’t let anyone else help him but me at the show, and he would tie horse hair around her stall door to make sure no one went in when he wasn’t there,” Smith remembers. “At this point, most people didn’t want to help him, but I did it for the mare. I had great respect for her, and I wanted to make sure she looked good when she went in the pen.”
Smith describes what was so special about her, “She had the muscle of a stallion or gelding but she still maintained her femininity at the same time and was also very structurally correct. That is what set her apart from the rest. She had the whole package.”
Smith remembers getting her banded at the Congress and ready to show but Landers was late and didn’t show up until they were making last call for his class. “He showed up at the last second with no tie on and jumped on his bicycle with the mare trotting beside him through the Gilligan Barn to the Coliseum to show. He barely made his class, but he ended up standing Grand Champion Mare and after he won, he rode his bicycle around the arena with his mare trotting right beside him.”
Unfortunately, Landers had personal and financial issues resulting in him selling the mare at the 2007 AQHA World Show Sale to Rita Crundwell for $21,000. Todd Grant recalls bidding on her, but he said he couldn’t compete with top breeder Crundwell. “It was sad how she looked at the sale. The last time I had seen her was when she won Grand Champion Mare at the Congress and when I saw her at the sale, she didn’t look like the same horse. I wanted to buy her just because I had so much respect for her and was sorry to see her in such a state.”
Jim McKillips told GoHorseShow.com that he and Rita bought Pick Me Please because they were huge fans of the mare. McKillips said he was aware of her legacy and thought she would be a tremendous asset to their breeding program. “She needed some TLC when we bought her because Steve had trouble taking care of her, but we thought she was a great mare that we could breed some of our nice N/N and N/H studs and produce some champions.”
Pick is already on her way to proving herself as a dam. Crundwell showed one of Pick’s sons, Acoolest Pick, at the 2010 AQHA Amateur World Show to a Reserve World Champion in Yearling Stallions, and he also placed third in the Yearling Stallions at the Open World Show. She is also the dam of another Reserve World Champion and her offspring have produced over 250 points in halter events.
Grant mentioned that he recently saw Pick up in the barn at Crundwell’s not too long ago and that she had gained weight. “She seemed a lot happier and had her looks and spark back. She was truly one of those special horses that you only come across once in a lifetime.”
LIGHT CRUISER
Okay, I know I am biased to include Light Cruiser to the group since he is retired in my pasture, but I doubt many will argue that he was one of the greatest western pleasure horses of all time. Also, since “Cruiser” is about to turn 28 Years-Old, he is the second oldest of the group profiled and definitely deserves to be honored.
During his prime, Cruiser was one of the best lopers around. Arguably, to this day, he could still beat the best of the best. He won the World and Congress in the Western Pleasure multiple times. In 1993, Shane Dowdy showed Light Cruiser to a World and Congress Championship in the Senior Western Pleasure where he was first under all five judges at both shows. Prior owner, May Walton, was also the Congress winner in the Amateur Western Pleasure the same year.
Dowdy won his first World Championship with Light Cruiser and still says he is the best horse he has ever shown. “He is still my favorite. He was a damn good loper and he would get better when you asked him. Some horses have limits and you can only push them so far, but with Cruiser, he just got better.”
This 1983 grey gelding by Ima Cruiser out of Debby Lynn Cole received over 900 points in the Western Pleasure, and youth exhibitor Candace Rego (pictured left with Cruiser) won both the Congress and the Youth World on him in the Western Pleasure. In 2005, Cruiser was also inducted into the NSBA Hall of Fame.
Rego, who calls him “Pepe” instead of Cruiser because of his love of peppermints, discusses what she loved so much about her equine partner.
“He had such an incredible personality. He was fun to show when he behaved, but he could be a total brat. He had an attitude and he could embarrass you in a heart beat,” Candace remembers. “The year that I won the Youth World in the Western Pleasure (1992)–I remember him being so good in the finals and we rode around bridleless in our victory lap. Well, a couple months after that– I went to the Detroit All Breed Show. My trainers wanted me to show in the Equitation to go for the All Around. Well, I got there late and didn’t have time to lunge him. He was the type of horse you had to lunge for at least two hours before you showed. I decided to go in the class anyways and he went in and bucked me off. I remember stomping out of the arena really mad. But that was the way he was–you either won or he could make you look like a fool. The year before I won the World, he ran off in the finals, and when he took off, there was no stopping him.”
Candace also remembers the times she tried to take him trail riding and to the beach. “He just spooked at everything and he wouldn’t get even close to the water. He was such a priss and definitely not an outdoorsman.”
Cruiser’s dislike of the outdoors appears to have changed the moment he was retired to my father’s farm in Franklin, Tennessee. He took to the pasture and loved to be out with the broodmares. The one time I did try to ride him after his retirement–he laid down with the saddle on. We called the vet thinking he was having a heart attack or something, but the vet laughed and said that he was probably just telling us he didn’t want to ever be ridden again.
Since then, he has been hanging out with the babies and the broodmares. Cruiser still gets peppermints, fed three times a day, and wears his waterproof outdoor blanket so he can stay outside–but I do have the feeling he may not make it another year. Cruiser suffers from severe ringbone and arthritis and it is starting to get very difficult for him to get around. Also, the inability to keep weight on him has also been a recent issue–but, he is hanging in there!
Despite, the sadness of knowing he probably won’t be around much longer, it was an honor to have ridden and been involved with a horse that will be forever known as one of the best western pleasure horses of all time.
CHOCOLATE ZIPPER
“The only thing bigger than her heart was her engine,” said Debbi Trubee who showed Chocolate Zipper (Chloe) in the all the major futurities for owner Pam Ritzenthaler–Foster.
When Trubee trained her during her late two year-old and three year old year, she always rode her in the pasture, and Debbi said it was always a good day if she didn’t try to buck her off. “She was tough, no doubt, but, I think what makes those truly great ones special is their grit…and Chloe had grit,” she said. “Chloe taught me how to prepare one for a major event and know the difference between thinking I was ready to show to being really ready to show.”
Clarice Cooper, who is Chocolate Zipper’s current owner, retired her to be a broodmare after a successful show career. Charlene Carter, who was Cooper’s trainer along with her husband Mike Carter, remembers several memorable moments about this talented mare. Clarice and Chloe was Reserve one year at the Youth World Show and then the next year she came back and won it. “She was so beautiful. When we got her, she had never been shown in a bridle. The day Clarice bought her, Mike was trying to get her started in the bridle. Her head was in the rafters, but we all knew that once he got her, she would be one of the very best.”
Chocolate Zipper was very sensitive, Charlene recalls. “I remember one time at the Whistle Stop, I tried to pay Bruce Vickery’s little boy one dollar, if he would stop riding his bike up and down in front of the show arena. He didn’t want to take the dollar, so I kept holding his bike. He told me that he was gonna tell his Dad. I told him that that was okay, after the class I would tell him myself. And I made sure that I did!”
[NPI
Float=”left”]/Media/4/jpg/2010/12/29d7b81f-9a90-53e1-c213e983fb51d3df.jpg[/NPI]Cooper
adds, ” I remember the first time I saw her. She was the prettiest
horse I had ever seen. I told my mom that if she was ever for sale that
was the horse I wanted. Not too long after I first saw her, Chloe’s
owner was going through a divorce and needed to sell her. It was the
best $30,000 I ever spent. It changed my life. I didn’t realize it then
because I was a real quiet kid, but I realize now how lucky I was to be
able to have a horse like her.”
There is no doubt that Chloe made Clarice work for everything when it came to showing her. “She was a little spitfire,” Cooper said. “It was never easy with her. I remember one time in Georgia when she just lost it and my belt buckle got hung on the saddle horn and all the buttons on my vest popped off. I had about the same number of good and bad rides, and I learned a lot of lessons from her–a lot of wins and many heartaches. But, I wouldn’t have wanted it any different. Who wants their rides to be the same every time? I’m glad she was challenging and mixed it up. “
The 1989 brown mare by Zips Chocolate Chip was recently inducted into the NSBA Hall of Fame. She is a multiple Congress Winner and World and two time Reserve World Champion in the Western Pleasure. Chloe is also the dam of Show Diva who is a two time Reserve World Champion and has accumulated over 2000 points. This mare is currently owned and shown by Theresa Moran under the guidance of High Point Performance Horses.
Even in her retirement, Chloe likes to challenge and frustrate Clarice. “She hates to be palpated and she never lets me catch her in the pasture because she thinks that is what is going to happen. My husband Ryan gets a big kick out of it. She also challenges me breeding wise. It has been really difficult getting her in foal, but we are going to try again this year.”
When Chloe was first retired, she had no idea how to be a horse. “She would stand in the shed for days and not move. I had to put an old broodmare in there with her to show her how she was supposed to act. She still looks great after all these years, and now she loves being out in the pasture. She will be treated like a princess until the day she dies.” (pictured top left– Chloe still has her gorgeous looks even in retirement)
Cooper says that Chloe is the reason she remained involved with the horses. “She gave me the taste of greatness. She gave me the opportunity to experience the joy of winning. I will never forget that feeling. It’s what keeps up going. I would love for my husband or my sister-in-law to experience that feeling, and Chloe was responsible in helping me achieve those goals.”
ACADAMOSBY AWARD
Better known as Oscar, Acadamosby Award, needs no
introduction to most in the horse industry. Jason Martin and Charlie Cole reveal that Oscar is the horse that put them on the map. With over 20 World Championships, multiple Congress wins and a 3-time Superhorse winner, this bay 1990 appendix gelding certainly earned his keep for the rest of his life. Currently, the 20 Year-Old is retired at High Point Performance Horses in Pilot Point, Texas where he is turned out in the front pasture and loves to be out with the weanlings. When he was retired in 2004, Oscar went out on top in his last class at the World Show when he received a World Championship in the Senior Hunter Hack.
“It is rare for a horse to go out on top, but Oscar was able to do that,” Jason Martin mentioned. “He won his first World Championship in the Junior Hunt Seat and his last in the Senior Hunter Hack. He never said, ‘No’, and he just loved to show. He had an amazing presence, charisma
and eye appeal in the show ring.”
Both Cole and Martin remember some funny stories about Oscar when he was on the road going to the shows.
“We had a horse communicator, Kirsten Farris, talk to Oscar and see how he was feeling and what he thought about showing,” Cole said. “Kirsten said that Oscar loved to show but that he didn’t understand why he couldn’t be turned out in the pasture like the other horses. Oscar had bad feet and he would rip his shoes off so he wasn’t allowed to be turned out. We told Kirsten to tell Oscar that if he didn’t pull his shoes off that we would start turning him out. So, that’s what we did and from then on, he never pulled off any of his shoes and we turned him out all the time.”
Cole mentioned another time when they broke down in Arizona and had to leave the horses in a rundown backyard facility. “The stalls were like half the normal size and they were made of chained link fences. When we came back the next day, Oscar’s door was wide open and he was missing. The whole place was flooded with water. Immediately, we freaked out but, luckily, we saw him coming around the corner. He had gotten out andturned the faucet on and flooded the whole place.”
Oscar has a goofy personality and is a character, Martin says. “He loves to pick things up in his mouth and twirl them around and around. He never pins his ears. He is the kindest sweetest horse that truly loved to show.”
FORGED IMPRESSION
With over 660 points in the Showmanship, it is safe to say that retired chestnut gelding, Forged Impression, was the king of this class in the show pen. Better known as Scooter, he was a multiple Congress and two-time World Champion in this event over the course of his show career with several different owners. Since Scooter just turned 29 Years-Old, he is the oldest horse to be profiled in our retired famous show horse series, and he will have the privilege to be discussed first since he has seniority.
GoHorseShow.com was able to track down three of Scooter’s past owners and had them reflect on their show careers. Kristy King who won the 1988 High Point Youth in the nation and a Reserve World Champion in the Youth Showmanship; Brock Clark who won both the Youth World and Congress in the Showmanship, and Jenny Jordan who won the Amateur World and Congress in the Showmanship with him before his retirement.
Kristy King Scribner purchased Scooter when he was three years old. “We never purchased him to win at the big shows, but he was always willing to do anything. From the start he chewed on everything-especially my Showmanship gloves,” she said. “I would let him do it because it was better than me. We learned together but he taught me more than I realized at 18. He would get into the trailer weekend after weekend and do his job well.”
Kristy also recalls that, “When it was time for me to go to college, I had an agreement with my father that he would have to go. It was one of the hardest things I had to do in my life. I sold a mare that I was showing at that time too but Scooter was different. He has a personality that was forgiving and made you work for your wins. He had a few owners since I sold him, but I was happy to find Jenny Jordan gave him a permanent retirement home. When our show season was over he was more tired than I but he went on to win a few more titles-in pure Scooter style! Horses like Scooter come along once in a lifetime and I’m thankful to be a part of his life.”
Michigan native Brock Clark didn’t have much monetary backing when he was showing, but he made up for that with talent and determination. Clark purchased Forged Impression who he called, “Tommy” from Kristy King, and Brock remembers being intimidated by owning such a well known horse, but that quickly changed when Clark started winning and making a name for himself.
“It was my first year at the World Show, and I found out later that I had won under all five judges in the Showmanship. It was such an amazing experience and not at all expected. Erin Brown was second and our back numbers were so close. I remember losing it and jumping up and down and doing a back flip to celebrate. I also did a back flip at the Congress when I won there too. What was crazy is that Tommy just stood there on all fours and never moved. He was an amazing horse, and I couldn’t believe I had the chance to own him.”
Forged Impression finally found a home for life when Jenny Jordan Frid purchased him in the mid 90’s. Frid won the Amateur Showmanship at the Congress and the World Show with Scooter.
“I was able to accomplish my dreams with him,” Jenny told GoHorseShow.com. “Without him, I may have never won the Congress and the World Show. He was a special horse that loved to show and shined in the spotlight.”
Scooter has transitioned into his retirement quite easily. Though, Jenny is not sure how much longer he will be around due to the heat in the summer being harder and harder on him every year.
Jenny says these days Scooter is a “yard ornament” and loves the good life. “He is mischievous and then he also acts like a prince. He is like a pampered teenager. When he doesn’t get what he wants he gets upset and he pouts,” she said. “You have to pamper him so he will behave. That, of course is how he is now…He likes the finer things in life like the Big stall, the horse trailer to himself, the treats and the pasture to himself with ‘his’ yearlings in it. He doesn’t like when we turn another horse out in ‘his’ yearling pasture. He is the mother hen and likes to be in charge.”
Frid adds, “Since my parent were trainers, they always told me to never get attached to the horses because they were always for sale—but I did get attached to him and I decided to keep him until the day he died. He was a fabulous show horse and he always showed up when it counted. He was like a reliable best friend but a little odd,” Jenny says and laughs. “He had this attitude that he didn’t care what other people thought about him. Even with his funny quirks, he is the best horse I’ve ever owned. I was honored to have had the opportunity to show him and he taught me many lessons throughout the years.”
