MD Barns Silver Spur Finalists Narrowed to Three

Amarillo, Texas, January 26, 2006 – The American Quarter Horse Association is pleased to announce the three finalists for the 2005 MD Barns Silver Spur Award. This year’s winner will be announced at the AQHA Convention held in Seattle on Sunday, March 5 during the evening’s Hall of Fame Induction banquet.

Five finalists were chosen from the large number of entries and were featured on AQHA’s Web site. AQHA members voted, narrowing the finalists to three. These top-three contenders are Miss Mardoc, Pearl Drops and Mr Skipper Sir, in no particular order.

Miss Mardoc
1983 buckskin mare owned by Cara Gene Harris of San Miguel, California
Cara Gene Harris’ best friend Amy Woodrum had planned to nominate “Emmy” for the Silver Spur Award, but tragically her time here was cut short. Amy, just 16 years old, had cystic fibrosis.

In 2003, during one of Amy’s hospital visits, the doctors made the decision to send her home for her last days. But Amy was a strong person, and riding Emmy kept her going. Amy could run barrels, poles or simply trail ride with Emmy. The mare would drop a shoulder, sit back or stop to keep Amy safe and balanced.

The following is an excerpt of what Amy wrote before her passing in July:
Emmy is great and never lets me fall. She will move in any direction to keep me on board. Emmy has more heart than any horse I’ve ever met. Thank you Emmy for always looking out for us and keeping us safe.
Emmy is 22 years young and is nominated in Amy’s memory.

Pearl Drops
1972 bay mare owned by Mary Hopkins and George Phillips
Even though Pearl Drops is 33 years old, the bay mare is still doing her jobs, and her jobs have been many.

At the age of 19, “Pearl” was introduced to service as a therapy horse at Equi-Able Inc., founded by Mary Hopkins in the fall of 1990. Pearl’s kind manners and disposition make for a wonderful lesson horse, therapy horse, trainer of volunteers and baby-sitter alike. Fifteen years later, she is still doing these jobs.

The rider that brings Pearl’s ability to mind the most is a 4-year-old autistic girl, Alley Sackett. Alley’s first day at the ranch started with her slipping her mother’s grip and running, screaming to a horse in the round pen. Fortunately, she couldn’t reach him.

She was not afraid, and she really wanted to ride but she couldn’t speak. Mary fitted the young girl with a helmet and mounted her on Pearl’s back, and at the end of the first ride, Alley’s mom literally had to drag her kicking and screaming to the car. Pearl took all of this in stride, and she stood in the mounting blocks enduring much noise while Mary and volunteers tried to get Alley to say “walk on.”

After about three months, one day Alley whispered, “walk on.” What a break through! Now, Alley speaks much more, goes to a special school and is doing much better with her life, all because of Pearl.

Mr Skipper Sir
1982 grullo gelding owned by Corey Grandstaff of Marengo, Ohio
Ava Gardner purchased Mr Skipper Sir from his breeder, Randy Lucas, because of his unique color and tractable nature, and she knew Skip was the horse you could always trust with a timid adult or child on trails.

In the 10 years Ava showed “Skip” in speed and color events, they earned ROMs and countless year-end awards. Then life changed for both Ava and Skip. Due to multiple sclerosis, Ava found that she could no longer ride, even with Skip taking good care of her.
Meanwhile, Ben and Tamie Grandstaff of Marengo, Ohio, were hunting for a horse for their youngest son, Corey, who was blind since birth. Ben and Tammie knew Skip’s reputation as a quiet yet competitive barrel racer, and when they heard that Skip was to be retired, they realized the dark cloud of their friend Ava’s illness had a silver lining: the perfect horse for Corey!

Corey, 9, and Skip, 17, spent their first season trotting around the barrels. Corey was extra-sensitive to the power under him and spent hours riding around the farm with his granddad, forging the bond of trust that has enabled him to compete all the way to Columbia, Missouri, and to achieve the goal Corey had set: a “personal best” time of 18.6 seconds – definitely not a lope! To date, they’ve competed in five International Buckskin Horse Association World Championship shows, always finishing in the top 10.

Their technique is simple but awe-inspiring to everyone who has seen it. Remote control beepers are set on the barrels, and Corey guides Skip through the cloverleaf by listening for each beeper in sequence. Spectators try to stay quiet until the last turn, but the cheering and the goose bumps erupt when Mr Skipper Sir stretches his neck toward the finish line!