2018 Miniature Horse World Magazine FALL- Volume 34, Number 6 | Page 80

Skip A Star graced the covers of the Miniature
Horse World in 1985- as the National GRAND
Champion Stallion -and he was featured on
the cover of Miniature Horse Show Times
magazine in 1984.
Skipper after his win.
me, I am grand!” He had always had the
demeanor of a champion, and you could
see it in every move that he made. His coat
gleamed under the arena lights, his muscles
rippled. It was as if he was the only horse in
the ring. I took him through his paces, and
he performed flawlessly! As I led him to
the center of the ring for the lineup I could
see the judge watching him. I had him
standing perfectly at attention, and the long
wait began. The judge was looking each
horse over with a fine toothcomb to start
narrowing the field and Skipper stood like a
statue. God was answering my prayer!
We had a few minutes to relax as the judge
gave his top six picks to the ring steward.
The rest of the horses would be excused,
and the final judging would take place. My
heart was racing, and I held my breath as
the numbers were being called out. We’d
made it! We were instructed to line up
head to tail, and I quickly moved Skipper
forward. We were fourth in the line. I
didn’t know if we were lined up in order of
placement or randomly, but I wasn’t going
to stop showing until I was sure it was over.
Skipper again (just as I had prayed) stood
at complete attention and the judge started
making his final decisions. He went up
and down the line - back and forth and up
and down again. He thoroughly looked at
each horse, and every time he would finish,
I could see him look back at us. Then he
had the ring steward pull Skipper and one
other horse in a separate line. I remember
praying, “Lord, still my pounding heart- I
don’t know how much more pressure I
can bear!” The judge folded his arms and
stood there looking at his two picks for
what seemed like an eternity. He then took
his hand and pointed it straight at us! I
will never forget that moment. If the judge
said anything, I couldn’t hear him because
the roar of the crowd was thundering.
All I knew was that we had just won an
impossible victory, but with God, all things
are possible. Skipper and I both were
floating on air when we took our victory lap
around the arena. This little horse that had
been literally saved from the lion’s mouth
had just made Miniature horse history.
I am writing this story in 2018 and the
events that I described happened in 1985.
I can remember them as if they happened
yesterday. It was a life changer for Donnie