Appaloosa gelding, Pistol Step K, will make
his debut as a national Appaloosa “spokeshorse” in the “We’d
Love to Own” section of the April issue of Horse & Rider.
Pistol Step K, also known as “Joe”, will seen by approximately
180,000 readers, who’ll learn about his background and all
the traits that make him special. The featured photo, taken
by Jim Bortvedt, shows Joe ridden bareback by Sarah Hanna
of St. Helens, Ore.
The 1993 blanketed dun gelding, by Royal Pistol K and out
of Precious Lady D, by Pok-A-Dun, is also featured in the
Appaloosa Horse Club’s (ApHC’s) “Breed of Choice” advertisement
campaign.
Joe is owned by Tracy Rampone of McMinnville, Ore., and was
bred by Dr. Joseph Kirkland of Huntsville, Texas.
Joe earned his keep as a show horse by earning more than 400
ApHC points. At the 2007 World Championship Appaloosa Youth
Show, Jamie Hanna earned the reserve national title in novice
hunt equitation, 18 & under aboard Joe. The Georgia-bred
Appaloosa has also earned ROMs (Register of Merits) in senior
reining and senior western riding, as well as Youth ROMs in
hunter under saddle, trail and western riding.
Tim and Lori Larsen of St. Helens, Ore. are former owners
and current trainers of the stunning Appaloosa.
Lori describes Joe as “one of the coolest horses I’ve ever
had—one of the few who comes to play the game every day, without
fail.”
Joe has been a member of the Larsens’ Silver Oaks Farm barn
for a dozen years, ever since the couple saw him in an Appaloosa
reining futurity at the World Championship Appaloosa Show
and brought him home to become a youth mount.
The ApHC is pleased and proud to have Pistol Step K chosen
as one of only 12 horses a year to star in Horse & Rider’s
“We’d Love to Own” feature. Joe joins fellow Appaloosa, Fairly
Flashy, who was featured in the January 2008 issue.
For more information about Appaloosas, visit www.appaloosa.com
or call 208-882-5578.
The Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) was established in 1938, with
a mission of preserving, promoting and enhancing the Appaloosa
breed. The ApHC has since registered more than 670,000 Appaloosas,
which are known for their distinctive color, intelligence
and even temperament. True to their reputation as an extremely
versatile breed, Appaloosas can be found in nearly every discipline,
including racing, endurance riding or serving as reliable
family horses. The international breed registry is headquartered
in Moscow, Idaho; the heart of the Palouse region, the Appaloosa
breed’s namesake and point of origin.
