SHUTUP AND DANCE
“Shutup and Dance, Rob, Eddie, Dance Man. Whatever his collective names were to so many people, they all personified one thing: friend. He was a horse that was owned by no one. He, however, owned many. Hearts, that is. Wherever he traveled, Shutup and Dance had a following of people who loved him, believed in him and cheered him on. He was a show horse deluxe. Being a Half-Arabian gelding, the only legacy he could leave behind was a show record, and his is second to none. But moreover, he left behind a lifetime of beautiful memories for those who were blessed enough to be on the end of the lead, as he proudly trotted to the winner’s circle, taking them along for the ride. We all used to joke that Dance could go in without a handler and still win the class. I believe we can all learn something from every horse that leaves hoof prints in our lives. He taught me to wear your game face, even when you don’t feel like it.
Arabian Horse Association DataSource™ encompasses five pages and includes an incredible 19 national championship titles (U.S., Canadian and Youth), five national reserve champion titles and four top ten awards. He has also visited the winner’s circle at the Scottsdale Show, most recently in 2010 when he and handler Terry Anne Boggs were named champion in the amateur class, and he and Emma Boggs were champion in the junior-to-handle class. Besides holding dozens of titles in the Arabian horse industry, Shutup and Dance also won numerous National Show Horse Registry championship titles. But as any horse lover knows, the measure of a horse can’t
“See you at the end of the race, buddy, we’re still going on that trail ride you promised me.”—Terry Anne Boggs
be adequately determined by inanimate objects such as those awarded for fleeting performances in show rings. No, a horse lover knows that the measure of a horse has far more to do with heart—both that of the horse and that of his keepers. In the case of Shutup and Dance, it seems he was truly the king of both. He lorded over the show ring from the time he set foot in it as a yearling until just a month before his passing due to complications from colic. And, more importantly, he reigned over the hearts of everyone with whom he came into contact. If the measure of a horse can be calculated by numbers of trophies, rose garlands, tri-colored ribbons and champion jackets, Shutup and Dance (NDL Flashdance x Callaway’s Lyric) has every other Half-Arabian halter gelding in the industry beat. His show record on the
Breeder Kari Lundin was hoping for a performance horse when she bred her Barbary son NDL Flashdance to Callaway’s Lyric. Born under Laura Cronk’s care in the same barn where Khemosabi then resided, Shutup and Dance first caught the attention of Cronk, who relayed
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