Amarillo’s American Quarter Horse Heritage Center & Museum Receives Spectacular Bronze

Amarillo, Texas, September 26, 2005 – The American Quarter Horse Heritage Center & Museum receives its newest bronze Wednesday, September 28, with the unveiling of “The Finalist,” a handmade, life-sized bronze depicting a cutting horse working a cow. Mrs. Anne Marion, president of Burnett Ranches Ltd., who donated this bronze, will unveil the sculpture at 4 p.m.

Marion’s Burnett Ranches includes the famed Four Sixes Ranch, which is the largest individually owned ranch property in Texas. An AQHA life member and Honorary Vice President, Marion has dedicated the majority of her life to the American Quarter Horse industry. In fact, some 65 years ago, a dinner that ultimately led to the formation of AQHA was at Marion’s mother’s house in Fort Worth, Texas.

Marion is president of the Burnett Foundation and the chair of the Burnett Oil Company. She was the driving force for the newly designed Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and is the founder and chair of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Jim Reno, who was State of Texas Artist of the Year in 1980-1981, sculpted the bronze. Reno’s formal education at John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana, under David Rubins, strengthened his appreciation of classical design and other values that are such an integral part of his sculpture. His many years of experience as a cutting horse trainer has enabled him to understand the anatomy and mind of his equine subjects.
Reno said the bronze was titled “The Finalist” because it is a lifelong dream of all competitors to become a finalist. He added that to have that title behind your name is a dream.
“Jim Reno is one of the great living sculptors of horses, and I thought this piece would be a nice addition to the American Quarter Horse Heritage Center and AQHA headquarters,” Marion said.

More than 30,000 people visit the Heritage Center & Museum each year to learn the origins of the American Quarter Horse and to enjoy the attractions it has to offer. This bronze joins several others donated by leaders in the industry.
“I am thrilled to welcome this magnificent piece of art to the Heritage Center,” said AQHA Executive Vice President Bill Brewer. “The donation of ‘The Finalist’ is very special to us and everyone who visits the Museum, and I give my sincere thanks to Mrs. Marion for allowing us to display the bronze.”

“The Finalist” is the second bronze donated to the Heritage Center by Mrs. Marion and sculpted by Reno. In 1995, a life-sized bronze of Dash For Cash, multiple World Champion Racing American Quarter Horse, was placed at the front entrance of the Heritage Center.
The Heritage Center & Museum is a 36,500-square-foot facility showcasing the history and modern activities of the American Quarter Horse. It was completed in 1991 and has welcomed and informed hundreds of thousands of visitors throughout the last 14 years. During the next several months, it will begin a multi-million dollar renovation to enhance exhibits such as the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and modernize the facility inside and out. More information will be available soon on the exciting redesign, including more artifacts, state-of-the-art technology and a new and improved American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.
The Heritage Center & Museum is a project of the American Quarter Horse Foundation, the charitable organization of AQHA. The Foundation accepts donations to fund equine research projects to benefit all horses; send AQHA and American Quarter Horse Youth Association members to college via various scholarships; preserve the breed’s history and educate people on the horse’s contributions; and fund therapeutic riding programs through the new America’s Horse Cares program.

For more information on the Foundation and the Heritage Center & Museum, visit www.aqha.com/foundation or call (806) 376-5181.