Oklahoma City, OK-January 30, 2016-The Oklahoma Quarter Horse Association held their annual hall of fame ceremony in Oklahoma City Friday night. The well attended reception and dinner, led by Masters of Ceremony Frank Merrill and F.E. “Butch” Wise, inducted eight Quarter Horse legends into the prestigious hall of fame including Heritage Place Sales Co., and World Champion jockey, G.R. Carter.
The 2016 Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame inductees:
Heritage Place
A major impact player in the sport of horse racing since its beginning in 1978, the Heritage Place Sales Co. of Oklahoma City was founded by 11 prominent horsemen who saw an opportunity for a horse sales venue, centrally located in the United States. The Heritage Place is currently owned by the Robert W. Moore Family of Oklahoma City; the Bruce Gentry Family of Lubbock, Texas; Estate of Robert Gentry of Lubbock, Texas; and Dr. Charles Graham, Elgin, Texas.
Heritage Place’s 40 acres boasts a unique sale facility unmatched in the country, consisting of four and one half acres under one roof, which includes a 1,000 seat air conditioned auditorium, club and restaurant, 640 stalls, and arena.
G.R. Carter Jr.
G.R. Carter Jr., known throughout the racing world for his “back-flip” dismounts, was named the AQHA world champion jockey 10 times in his career.
Carter has won the All-American Futurity twice.
In 2008, Carter set a new AQHA single-season earnings record by reaching the $5,027,173 mark in mount earnings and broke his own single-meet record for wins at Remington Park in Oklahoma City with a total of 98.
Alice Holmes
A city girl who grew up riding hunters and chasing the hounds, Alice Holmes is a former owner of Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame inductee CC Surprise.
An avid volunteer, Alice has been the OQHA Mother of the Year, OQHA youth adviser, and member of the OQHA Youth Advisory Committee. Holmes is an OQHA past president and member of the AQHA Region 8 Steering Committee, as well as a Q-Contact for AQHA. Alice served for three years on the AQHA Research Committee, nine years on the AQHA Amateur Committee and is presently on the AQHA Show and Contest English committee.
Jackie Krshka
Sweet And Innocent, a palomino mare ridden and owned by Jackie Krshka, was the first Oklahoma horse to garner the prestigious AQHA Superhorse honors in 1982.
Jackie earned her AQHA judges card in 1991 and was named the 2000 AQHA Horsewoman of The Year. She has served as volunteer on numerous AQHA and OQHA committees such as the AQHA Judges Committee.
Krshka has successfully coached exhibitors and trained some of the most prized horses in the country, and she is the show coordinator of one of the largest quarter horse shows in the country.
Big Step
In 1962, Don Wilcox of Tulsa, Oklahoma, became the catalyst for a remarkable line of performance and conformation offspring when he acquired the 6-year-old stallion Big Step. Big Step sired 570 foals of which 208 had show records. His name is found on the AQHA list of all-time leading sires of AQHA Champions, AQHA world and reserve world champion offspring, AQHA Supreme Champion offspring, AQHA Superior halter offspring, AQHA Superior Performance offspring, AQHA Champion offspring and National Reining Horse Association money-earners. He was equally successful as a youth show performance sire. His get earned AQHA Youth Supreme champions, performance champions, world and reserve world champions.
Otoe
In 1961, a yearling named Otoe sold for a shocking $20,000. The colt was bred and owned by AQHA Past President Bud Warren of Perry, Oklahoma. The only other person that ever owned the stallion was Dr Jack Donald of Sulphur, Oklahoma. Under the guidance of Jerry Wells, Otoe (AAA) won numerous stock shows and retired to become a stellar sire of show and performance horses.
Zan Parr Jack
Zan Parr Jack was the 1983 world champion junior working cow horse and early in 1984, Ed Gaylord purchased the stallion and brought him home to the Lazy E Ranch. Under J. D. Yates, he won the world champion senior heeling horse title in 1984 and repeated in 1985. In 1987, owner Gaylord rode Zan Parr Jack to the AQHA amateur heeling world championship.
Zan Parr Jack’s influence continues on through generations of top Quarter Horses the world over. He sired performers that have earned 19,577 points, 22 AQHA Champions, 31 world championship titles and AQHA high-point open horse Bar J Jackie.
When Ed Gaylord sold the Lazy E Ranch, Zan Parr Jack stayed and was an avid ambassador to all who visited the horse that could perform. His last owner, Reliance Ranches (principals Gary, Micah and Leslie McKinney), saw that their longtime resident was buried on the ranch after he passed away in 2014.
Lavonna”Shorty”Koger, Bud Breeding Oklahoma Spirit Award Shorty’s Caboy Hattery has become the standard for cowboys and cowgirls in every major breed and performance association in the world. Shorty Koger has created an institution out of beaver fur and an extra-human heart. Today, her company, is still located in historic Stockyards City of Oklahoma City, but in a newly remodeled building. Shorty is a cancer survivor who along with two friends poured their efforts into the Shirley Bowman Nutritional Clinic for Cancer Patients and the Rein In Cancer Program to support the horse industry.