MD Barns Silver Spur Finalists Narrowed to Three

Amarillo, Texas, January 30, 2007 – The American Quarter Horse Association is pleased to announce the three finalists for the 2006 MD Barns Silver Spur Award. This year’s winner will be announced at the AQHA Convention held in Houston on Sunday, March 4, 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 Panamas Sun, Smokin On A Star and Temecula Toy Boy, in no particular order.

Panamas Sun

Panamas Sun is truly an All American, serving with the United States Army’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Program at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.  This special horse serves in two official capacities:  training and recreation.  “Sun” directly impacts human welfare in providing training opportunities for our deploying soldiers and recreational opportunities for their families left behind.  His responsibilities far exceed that of any horse in this community and country.

A scarring injury in 1999 ended Sun’s show career and left him without a job until he was purchased for Fort Bragg. Sun, with his docile manner and positive work ethic, has proven himself to be a dedicated member of our Armed Forces community.

Sun provides a willing mount to train the elite United States Army Special Forces soldiers for equestrian missions in the Middle East during times of war.  Learning equestrian skills enhances their mobility, safety and survival.

Sun provides training opportunities for U.S. Army Special Forces Medics to learn livestock management skills such as immunizations, farrier science and infection control skills as they provide both economic and humanitarian support during their global pursuits.

When Sun is not providing official Department of Defense training, he is providing a morale and recreational mission for both the military and civilian communities.  Sun serves both the formal western and English riding academy programs. Sun grooms his students for their first horse competitions at Fort Bragg.

Smokin On A Star

Smokin On A Star, a.k.a. “Smoky,” came into the lives of the Frank Green family of Pavo, Georgia, when she was 18 months old.
From the beginning, Frank and Smoky developed a special bond that has only gotten stronger as the years have progressed.  Prior to her arrival, Frank proudly served the United States in the armed forces and the Vietnam War.  He came home to face some very serious health problems. Frank “blacks out” or has seizures on a regular basis. As Frank’s health problems progressed, he quickly turned to Smoky for companionship and friendship.
Smoky considers it her duty to protect Frank, and she takes her job very seriously.
Frank and Smoky love to go on trail rides.  He often invites friends to accompany him.  These friends will testify to the fact they have seen her wobble over the paths to keep him on her back when she feels him having a seizure.  When he collapses in the saddle, she stands still until he regains his consciousness and asks her to walk off.  When he does fall, she stands patiently at his side until he can remount to continue their ride.

As time passes, the bond between Smoky and Frank only becomes stronger.  One can sense and feel the love she has for him through the look in her eyes.  The love the owners have for her can be seen by the tears in their eyes.

Temecula Toy Boy

Temecula Toy Boy, foaled in 1995, was bred to be a reining horse.  Around the age of 2, Toy was involved in an accident, severely damaging his right eye.  Surgery was unable to save Toy’s eye, and it was removed.  A few years later, Toy had a bout with colic and endured another surgery to correct this latest life-threatening illness.
While Toy was recovering from having his eye removed, Tara Carlson of Temecula, California, was recovering from multiple surgeries to save her kidneys.  By the time Toy colicked, Tara was suffering from high blood pressure, kidney disease and scoliosis.  The scoliosis can not be corrected due to the kidney disease and the long surgery it would take would be too hard on her small body.

Toy and Tara were fixtures at the barn. When Toy left in early 2005 to be retired, everyone was sad.  In June 2005, Toy’s current owners were offered the opportunity to buy Toy.
In the year since Tara got Toy, both horse and child transformed.  The year prior to owning Toy, Tara had missed 30 days of school and was having frequent migraine headaches brought on by her hypertension.  She was on many medications and was headed toward kidney transplant.  Her scoliosis was at 33 percent.

Tara’s blood pressure has since stabilized requiring half the medication she normally took.  Her kidney failure stabilized at stage three, thus prolonging the time until transplant.  Her scoliosis, which had required bracing, stopped bothering her and she no longer wears the brace.
Toy has turned all his trust to Tara.  He spins toward his blind side without hesitation.  His stops are awe inspiring.  The horse and his young rider have won many championships, including the NRHA Western Affiliate Finals this past September.  This is a union of two “special beings” who have truly bonded as one.

For more information on the MD Barns Silver Spur Award, visit www.aqha.com  or call (806) 376-4811.