In Loving Memory of Jet Set Sheik (1999-2016)

By: Brittany Bevis

From time to time, The Equine Chronicle is asked to assist with the creation of a memorial to honor a beloved horse that’s passed. Recently, we received a touching request from Ashley Winn, a friend of a friend whose longtime show horse was put down earlier this month due to advanced navicular issues.

“I know The Equine Chronicle sometimes writes stories about the horses that touch our lives… This one sure did. I only had the pleasure of knowing the horse for the past five years, as a friend of the owner. He was one of the best, kindest horses I’ve ever known.” – Ashley Winn

Jet Set Sheik was the 17-year-old American Quarter Horse by Zippos Sheik and out of Dolly Hotrodder, a daughter of Hotrodders Jet Set. At the time of his passing, Jet was owned by Lisa Chestnutt and had been trained for 14 years by Shelly Beam. In addition to earning 315 points during his extensive career, Jet also qualified for the AQHA Select World Show and Open World Show, received Amateur and Open Registers of Merit, a Superior in Open Western Pleasure, and placed 15th in 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure at the AQHA World Show in 2001.

Jet’s longtime horse trainer, Shelly Beam, gave the following statement about the horse who had become a part of her family.

“It was one of the saddest days of my life when I had to take Jet Set Sheik to Rood & Riddle [Equine Hospital] to be laid to rest. They were so good about letting me stay with him for a while to say my goodbyes to the ‘little man.’ I have so many wonderful memories with this guy; he wasn’t just a horse to me, he was my friend and family. He always gave me all he had in the show pen and took care of his owner Lisa Chesnutt.”

“He loved his job and loved going to the shows. He had many followers over the years; a lot of people would still ask, ‘where is Jet?’, even though he hadn’t been to any shows in a while.”

“Jet was a horse with a lot of courage and confidence, and obviously he had a high tolerance for pain. We hadn’t had any front feet issues until early last year, and everything we tried to do to help him only worked for a very short time. It finally came down to an MRI to see if we could do a neurectomy, but bad news followed. His navicular was so bad that he wasn’t a candidate for surgery. The vet at Rood & Riddle couldn’t understand how he could walk around as sound as he did. I knew. He had high pain tolerance and a will to keep on doing his job. Also, Jet had a lot of heart that allowed him to keep on trying to do his job!”

“They predicted he would get rapidly worse over the next few months, and he did. A difficult decision had to be made; none of us wanted him to reach the point of excruciating pain. Jet has made a great show horse over the years, and he always gave his all. Rest in peace little man!”

Jet Set Sheik- 1999-2016 

You will never be forgotten.