For those of you interested,
here's a shortened version of "The Life and Times of A Predator":

A Predator, lovingly known by everyone all over this great nation as "Samson", has eaned 10,135 PHBA points.  In his long and illustrious PHBA show career, A Predator has earned 7,803 halter points, 316 color, 2,016 performance points with 475 Grands and 424 Reserves.  His performance points range from Western Riding, Pleasure, Western Parade, Barrels, Showmanship, Road Hack, Horsemanship, and Hunter Under Saddle.  He has earned PHBA Open ROMs in Halter, Color, Parade, with Superiors in Halter and Parade.  In Amateur he earned ROMs in Halter, Horsemamnship, Showmanship, Select Showmanship, Parade, and Color with Superiors in Halter, Showmanship, Parade and Color. In the Youth division, he earned ROMs in Halter (16 times), Color, and Showmanship with Superiors in Halter (6 times).  He also earned his Amateur Championship, Halter/Color Championship, and a Supreme Champion.  He is also the Number Seven All-Time Leading Open Horse with 3308 points, the Number Four All-Time Leading Amateur with 3,802 points, and the ALL-Time Leading Select Amateur with 3,188 points.

Along the way, he also earned 11 PHBA National Honor Rolls, 14 Reserve Honor Rolls, 50 Top Five and 51 Top Ten Honor Roll Awards.  He has also earned 4 World Champions, 11 Reserve Worlds, 33 Top Five, and 43 Top Ten World Show Placings.

In AQHA, Sammy was shown VERY little, but earned 14 Open Halter and an ROM with 3 Grands and 2 Reserves and in the Amateur we earned 19 Halter and an ROM with 4 Grands, 2 Reserves, and 2.5 Showmanship points.  He was the Grand Champion Gelding at the prestigious Oklahoma State Fair.

A Predator dominated the halter show pen in the 1990's and early/mid 2000's, winning Grand Champion Gelding at the Heart of Texas Fair, Oklahoma State Fair, Tulsa State Fair, Kansas State Fair, Arkansas State Fair, Forth Worth and Houston Stock SHows.  He is the unofficial PHBA ALL-TIME Halter point earning individual and he won 97% of all Western Parade Classes entered.

He has been honored by the Kansas State Fair, by requesting he lead their parade for several years dressed in his Parade Horse finery and has outstandingly representd the Palomino breed in several other parades, such as the American Indian Exposition Parade.  His beautiful golden color, pure white mane and tail and four white legs, he was the epitome of the palomino breed. 

A Predator was shown (and LOVED) by many children who are members of PHBA - they all thought he was such a clown and so easy to handle.  He was always on his best behavior with the chilren.  He was a behemoth of an animal, but was always loving and gentle to all those around him - especially children and handicapped people.  My father was handicapped, eventually confined in a wheelchair, but A Predator would allow him to hold him in the alleyways, the pen or at the wash rack.  He and my father would always turn heads and get a smile when they would see him being lead from a motorized wheelchair.  He loved the show pen and put on his "show face' for the crowd and the judges.  He loved to show his exceptional and unique personality to anyone who would look!  He would stretch his neck out, open his eyes wide and oft-times stick out his tongue to get attention (mine and the judges!).  The very first PHBA World Show, he stood like a statue, held his ears up the whole time, but he got bored at the last, for when the judge's cards were turned in and we were waiting for the composite, he quickly reached for my belt buckle, undid it, and whipped my belt from the loops and proceeded to flip it up and down.  The more the crowd clapped and laughed, the more he got into twirling it and you could see the joy on his face as he realized the crowd was doing that for HIM!  He had charisma, charm, and class.

He has also had his likeness done in several art forms - charcoal, pencil, watercolor, clay and even a sculpture - some on display in our local museum and others for sale.  He has been featured on the front cover of the premium books for several state fairs and stock shows.  A Predator represented PHBA at the Color Breed Council for several years in halter, color, and showmanship.  He was the archetype and personification of the perfect palomino.

Well, there you have it............no one will ever know the love we had for each other.  He was rather an incorrigible individual - I had to learn to ASK, not TELL.  Throughout our years together, we learned each other's thoughts and likes and dislikes.  He was truly a one-of-a-kind individual and I was definately blessed by God for His all-knowing powers that put us together.  When Samson so 'accidentally' came into my life that day at the AQHA World Show Sale - with the ice and snow blowing so hard, we could barely see to get him home, my life was changed for the better.  And for that....I'm truly grateful.