Horse Legacy Spotlight: From the lights of big arenas to the soft glow of hearts needing healing.

Not just a horse, This is Oscar's story

Written by Debbie Conway

It was early 2017 when Gary and Oscar (5 years old) really found each other. We met Oscar from our barn where we leased stalls in Magnolia, Texas as he was one of the horses of the gentlemen, Don, who owned the facilities.

In late November 2016 in Boerne, Texas at the Rose Palace is where we first really saw that the scars Oscar had on the outside were also on the inside. You see, Oscar had physical talent; he was out of the multimillion dollar sire Gunnatrashya. As a three year old it appeared he may have been pushed hard to prepare for his Futurity season and it showed.

While Oscar is compact in stature for what a typical reining horse may be, he is very strong and athletic. He was a huge stopper-the signature sliding stop maneuver of a reining horse.  At this show in San Antonio, a trainer was showing him (who happened to be about 6’5) and we watched as he tried to get Oscar through a pattern and Oscar tried to buck him straight out of the saddle! The rest of the show went about like that for Oscar. But there was something that drew Gary to Oscar besides being so cute. He had a kindness in his eyes. Gary asked Don at the end gate to sell him and Don said “I wouldn’t do that to a friend!”.

A few months go by and things didn’t really change for Don and Oscar and by the next show Don was ready to move on and Gary wrote a check right there for what would be considered a “steal” in the horse market for a reiner of his breeding and age.  Don took the check and turned over the registration papers for Lenas Tommygun aka Oscar with a hesitant “good luck”. This would be Gary’s first reining horse as he had always competed in Reined Cowhorse before so it was a gamble but there was something that Oscar needed – patience, understanding and true friendship.

Over the next year, Gary would saddle Oscar and putter around giving him reassuring pats. After several months, Oscar quietly stepped up to reining maneuvers. He needed the pressure taken away until he could gain confidence in himself again. You could see Oscar began to trust as they slowly became a team. The first shows were a struggle and little by little Oscar’s clown of a personality began to show as he seemed to find joy and confidence in his job again.

His playful, affectionate side became his new normal. He was soon a barn favorite of everyone and a horse that anyone could ride. Gary and Oscar went on to win many buckles and Oscar’s dedicated time in the show pen earned his retirement at age 12!

While Oscar was in retirement, our then neighbors were the founders of Equihope, Brandon Clinton and Kent Billiter came over for a barn visit. They saw Oscar and talked about the need for western style horses in their therapy programs. They put a few riders on him and Oscar just took care of them. We could see that Oscar still had something to give and loved the attention.

We leased Oscar to Equihope for their therapeutic riding program. Riders facing disabilities, PTSD, anxiety, grief, or other challenges are paired with horses that offer physical rehabilitation, comfort, connection and healing.

Oscar has gone on to flourish in this program. Besides the sessions with his riders at home, he found success in his first therapy show at the Chisholm Challenge earlier this year where he and his 10 year old rider finished first in the trail and earned High Point Buckle. Oscar has found his new role.  He, being no stranger to past scars, seems to just relate to riders whose challenges come in many different forms but this time he gets to do the healing.

Gary and Debbie Conway have been in the horse industry for over 16  years with the last 10 years focused on Reining.  They are active in the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) and Texas Reining Horse Association (TRHA) where Debbie acts as President and holds board positions with the Reining Horse Foundation and NRHA Youth Association.  Gary and Debbie call Pilot Point home.