’Twas Only Yesterday …
*Muscat
Michael Byat t
*Padron and Jerry
Sparagowski.
62 | AR ABIAN HORSE TIMES
had to do four or five different things, and my part was to be Gene LaCroix’s ‘attendant.’ I knew he had a good sense of humor and would go along with whatever I did, so I decorated a hula hoop with streamers, and would lower the hula hoop over his head while he changed clothes. When Gene would bend over, I would look off into space and ‘accidentally’ drop one side of the hoop, showing poor Gene’s bottom! The audience was laughing hysterically.” Today, you can see John Neyer at Arabians Ltd., in Waco, Tex., but in 1982 he took a job at Karho because he knew farm manager Rick Wylie from college. “He took me into the breeding barn, showed me the stallions, and told me to take *Nariadni and *Muscat out into the desert and ride them. Michael Byatt and I worked there at the same time, so we would each ride one. *Nariadni loved to chase coyotes. He loved the desert! He was a character, all the time.
“One of my most memorable experiences was photo sessions with Jerry Sparagowski at Karho. He got some gorgeous shots of the horses, like the ones of them reflected in the pool in front of the main barn. I helped manage the first Karho Auction in 1983. There is even a picture of me with *Nariadni in the catalog. The first lot was Amber Satin (1986 U.S. National Champion Mare). She was very protective of her foal, so we brought the baby up where she could see it. “I was at Karho when the whole Russian Arabian movement was getting started,” he adds. “Those were exciting times.” In 1984 Neyer went to Midwest with Sir Musk for George Albert, of Georgian Hill Arabians. “When he got out of the business, I just stayed at Midwest. I remember when Donnie Lefever, who was then at Midwest, won the $10,000 Egg and Spoon class at the first Star World Show. And I remember the Midwest stallions so well: David would ride *Padron, I would ride Sir Musk, and somebody else would ride Laddinns Fire. In those days we all believed that anything was possible.” Neyer also worked with 1984 Canadian National Reserve Champion Mare NH Love Potion and 1983 U.S. National Champion Mare Bask Calonett, and conditioned Nelcrest Champagn in 1984, the summer he was named Canadian National Reserve Champion Stallion. In the summer of 1970, Chris Culbreth’s father took him to the Sunday Arabian horse exhibition at the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center. “In those days, the Sunday shows featured students and instructors from the Kellogg Arabian Horse Center and the Kellogg horses. How I remember Tezadi, the trick horse! His would lie down, stand on a small podium, pull a blanket away from his