According to ASHA show records, his first big show was in 1986 at the Midwest Charity in 5 gaited 3 year old with Ron Hulse in the irons for Kenneth Wheelen; he placed 2nd out of 8. The Hulse-Wheelen team continued until 1987 winning 2 shows and $255.00 from 8 reported shows. From late 1987 till 1990 he was shown by owner/rider Elizabeth "Libby" Mathers. He was in 12 reported shows winning $ 213.00. 1991 reports 1 show with Ron Hulse in the irons for Elizabeth Mathers. From 1992 till 1993 he made 3 shows with Gwen Harper owner/rider and 1 show with Mary Miles up for Harper, winning $125.00. From 1994 till 1999 he was ridden by Jaime Cantrell of Cantrell Stables appearing in 23 shows, placing 3rd or above in 16, winning $1000.00 and 7 ASHA champion points. While under Jaime�s ownership Vin flourished as a show horse and friend. In 1995 he was 2nd in the nation in the amateur 5 gaited division, their stellar career includes wins at Pro-Am Benefit Classic, Southeastern Charity, Lexington Junior League, J.D. Massey Classic, and Asheville Lion Club Charity. His last reported show with ASHA was Blowing Rock Charity in August 1999 bringing his reported career to 48 shows were he placed 3rd or above in 29, $1593.00 and 7 ASHA champion points. **Please note he was shown in numerous unrecognized shows in addition to the above**
Now his story gets sad. In 1999 Jaime retired him from showing and sold him under the impression he was going to be a little girl�s lesson horse and friend, teaching her about 5 gaited, just as he had done for Jaime. The agent that arranged the sell had lied and Vin heads to another owner (there never was a little girl). In May 2000, he appears at the Kentucky Spring Premier in the 5 gaited pleasure championship were he places 3rd with Nicole Lyninger for Showtime Saddlebreds (show record from Saddle Horse Report Online). He isn�t heard from again until July/August 2001 when he is unloaded from a trailer at Morehead State University Farm (MSU). His donator unknown (I haven�t inquired yet) and ASHA papers not with him. On August 15, 2001 I arrive at MSU as a freshman from West Virginia, missing my saddlebred mare (So Magnifique �Maggie�) back home. I take an intermediate saddleseat riding class and meet Fruit Loop (Vin). A pedigree nut, I get the ASHA registered names for all the saddlebreds and look them up. No one at the farm is sure of Fruity's �real� name. The horse barn manger and a few students tell that he arrived that summer� �was skinny and beat up from being turned out with broodmares�. I ask why he�s called Fruit Loop and a student, also a work study at the farm, shows me her hand which has teeth impressions! She tells me how �crazy� he was when he first arrived- jumped over a stall door, bit her when she was bringing him in from a paddock, ect. She goes on to say to that she called him �nuttier than a fruit loop� one day and it stuck. Vin is now �Fruit Loop� and past unknown. Curious about this unknown gelding that knows he�s special, I go to the head of the Equine Department and inquire about him. She tells me he was a former gaited show horse from Georgia named Choice Vintage. I have a name! I look him up at ASHA�s website and see his owner of record is Bobby Cantrell (Jaime�s father) of Cantrell Stables in Dalton, GA. I toy with the idea of calling the Cantrells and seeing if Fruit Loop is really Choice Vintage (markings match, but it could still be 2 different horses). The idea becomes dormant as 2002 and my work study began. My mare arrives and I�m able to spend my days around my 2 favorite saddlebreds- Maggie and Fruity. The spring 2002 semester I take advanced saddleseat riding and get to ride (usually Fruity) 2-3 a week. The class final is showing that the 2002 Kentucky Spring Premier (what better way to test our skills?) and I�ll be riding Fruity in 3 gaited country pleasure (he just doesn't have the hocks for 5 gaited anymore). We make a good show at the premier and I join MSU�s summer show team. Fruity is my mount for the whole summer (What's higher than cloud 9?). I ride him 2 times a week, jog 3 times a week, show (or jog) on Saturdays, and rest on Sundays. We make around 8 appearances that summer under his real name. Each day I fall farther in love with him, despite his quirks, and make a promise to him that if the university ever offers him for bid that I will do my best to get him. My work study ends in August 2002, yet I visit him often (my mare lives at the farm). I marry in June 2003 and in July 2003 I move Maggie and another horse off the university�s farm, yet when ever there�s a show or I have class at the farm I go and visit him. We open our barn in January 2004 and I always keep an open stall, incase Fruity comes up for bid. In April 2004 I start a topic about him at saddlebrdtalk.com and told �He has a big heart and could rack a hole in the ground�. Through that same discussion I learn of Saddle Horse Report�s online show results. While reading the local paper in late August 2005 I see a classified from MSU announcing they will be offering some horses for bid. Could Fruity be up for bid? On the day the bids open, I go to the head of the equine department. Fruity isn�t up for bid, but the paper work is filled out and he will be heading to auction in the next few weeks; he�s bitten 5 people since his arrival and now a liability. Excited about the idea of buying him I tell my buddies at saddlebredtalk.com and reopen Fruity�s topic. October 15, 2005 we hitch to our trailer and head to the stockyard 30 miles away. We quickly find him; he�s lose in the pin and cribbing away (plus I could spot that back a mile away!). He�s in the first row of pins and will be one of the first horses to go through, so we take a seat. The tack auction seems to take forever, but it eventually ends. The first horse, a palomino TWH, is lead through and before they can open the bid, Fruity trots in, but is shoed back in the waiting pin. The TWH sells, the other horse from MSU (Bailey) goes though and, finally it�s Fruity�s turn. The announcer calls him a 16 yr old (coggins is incorrect on his age, he�s 22 years) saddle horse (coggins says Saddlebred though). The bid opens at $400. The room is still. The announcer then offers $50, we bid. Another man bids, we bid again, the man bids again, as do we. It goes back and forth several times then stops at $170- He�s ours! As my husband shows the announcer our bid number, the man that bid against us (and bought the other horse from MSU) offers to buy him, but is refused. After paying, I hurry down to the pin he�s in. His head is hanging at his knees-he�s been outcast and knows it. He sees me as I open the gate and slowly raises his head. I ask him if he wants to go home and he starts to prance. He rams his head in the halter and nuzzles me (Maybe he�s thanking us? Maybe he knew what his fait could have been?). We walk to the trailer and the minute the back door opens, he drags me in the trailer and gives me a �Take me home, get me out of here� look. Less than an hour later Fruity backs out of the trailer at our barn- just 4 miles past the MSU farm. We get him settled in and go home. I get online and tell my buddies at saddlebredtalk.com (I was so excited). A few days later I logon to saddlebredtalk.com to find a topic started by Jaime Cantrell about Fruity! I email her and in less than a couple of hours, she calls me. We exchange stories- laughs and tears. Now keep in mind that since she sold him, she was unaware of his location and figured he was dead (What would you think if you hadn�t heard anything for 6 years?). We exchanged photos and Fruity was in fact Vin. His history is �returned� to him. With his papers missing it a safe bet that they are some were between when Jaime sold him and before his arrival at MSU. I have talked with the ASHA and we�ll be doing a back transfer and looking for his papers. Jaime has been a very valuable resource and though her we found out he was even owned by William Woods University before she owned him. Jaime and I keep in contact and she will be visiting soon (I�ll post reunion photos). I�ve ridden him once since his arrival, but he is now officially on retirement and pasture buddy to our ASHA stallion Kelsey and RHBEA gelding Red. He will remain with us for the rest of his days.
