2026 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
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AQHA FEATURE: 2026 AQHA HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
2026 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
MATHEA USHER
( SANTA RIO QH STUD)
Mathea Usher and her late husband Brian entered the Australian Quarter Horse industry in 1975, establishing Santa Rio Quarter Horse Stud on their 700-acre property at Tullamore, NSW. Having previously bred Arabian horses and Welsh Mountain ponies, they quickly developed a passion for the Quarter Horse and began building what would become one of Australia’ s most influential performance-horse breeding programs.
The defining moment came with the purchase of a weanling colt named Morn Deck. Bred by Robert and Sue Baldwin of Euroka QH Stud, Morn Deck was by Lion Deck out of the legendary Doc’ s Misty Morn. Although only a young, leggy colt when Mathea first saw him, she recognised something special. The $ 15,000 purchase proved to be one of the most significant investments in Australian Quarter Horse history.
Morn Deck went on to become a two-time Supreme Halter Champion at the AQHA Nationals and an AQHA Champion and Superior Performance Horse. His ridden career was cut short by injury at just four years of age, but his extraordinary legacy was still to come. As a sire, he produced 362 registered foals, including numerous National, State, Futurity and Royal Show Champions across halter, cutting, campdrafting, cow horse, rodeo, barrel racing and western performance. Morn Deck became one of Australia’ s greatest performance sires and was inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame in 1999. His influence on barrel racing was particularly profound, with outstanding progeny including Clover Rambo Morn, Double Barrel Deck, Morns Ruben James, Guns of Morn, Whispering Morn, Impressive Morn and many others.
Mathea’ s vision continued with another outstanding sire, Traditional Roc, a son of Roc O’ Lena out of Doc’ s Misty Morn and maternal brother to Morn Deck. A
AUSTRALIAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION- www. aqha. com. au