The horses inducted into the Hall of Fame are the stallions Otoe, Runaway Winner, The Ole Man and Smart Chic Olena; and the mare Maroon (TB). The horsemen are AQHA Past President Gene Graves of Grand Island, Nebraska; Dr. Tom Lenz of Louisburg, Kansas; Robert Sutherland of Overland Park, Kansas; Georga Sutton and her late husband, Raymond Sutton, of Gettysburg, South Dakota; and Hawaiian Princess, breeder and horsewoman Abigail Kawananakoa of Honolulu.

Dan Trein
The 2017 Don Burt Professional Horseman of the Year is Dan Trein of Seville, Ohio. Trein has served AQHA for more than 60 years in a number of capacities including coach, judge and volunteer. He has dedicated his time to bettering the breed and the members of the Association. During Trein’s time as a judge, he has judged the Lucas Oil World four times; the AQHA Select World Championship Show, presented by Adequan® (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan); and the National Snaffle Bit Association World Show.

The Fantasia—sponsored by Absorbine®– will take place at 7:30pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (April 12-14) in the Ohio Expo Center coliseum in Columbus and is best described as a “musical celebration of the horse” featuring many of the nation’s foremost equine and equestrian performers choreographed to a wide range of musical styles.

“In the eyes of a horse crazy little girl, all horses are beautiful; but, after seeing a picture of an Appaloosa, I wanted one. Time passed, I grew up, got married to a submarine sailor, and had two children. When he got out of the Navy in 1967, we came back to Arlington. Within a couple of months, I bought a sorrel mare. I bred her to an Appaloosa in 1968 and had the Appaloosa foal I always wanted, Potacha Foxy Spots. Foxy wasn’t just my horse, he was my buddy.”