Nampa, ID (October 19, 2016) — With her gleaming coat, impressive stamina, and good-natured disposition, Danna Johnston’s five-year-old Purebred Arabian mare Shy Solitaire+ (by Shy Gayfeen ++++// out of Pure Polish) turned heads at the 2016 Sport Horse National Arabian & Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show held in Nampa, Idaho. The mare’s hallmark traits of outstanding internal health stood out to the judges, who selected Shy Solitaire+ to win the Omega Alpha Healthy Horse Award. This award is presented by Omega Alpha Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to horses that demonstrate Omega Alpha’s core values of maintaining good health through proper nutrition and care.
Of particular note to the Sport Horse National Arabian & Half-Arabian Championship judges was the fact that Shy Solitaire+ maintained a cheerful attitude and performed with vigor throughout the competition, while showing in six classes with three different riders. Shy Solitaire+ competed under both Johnston and Rachel Heinz-Davis in the Sport Horse in Hand, ATH, Dressage Type and Sport Horse in Hand, and Hunter Type and placed in the top ten under Joyce Thomas in the Arabian & Half-Arabian/Anglo-Arabian ABS $15,000 Young Horse Dressage Championship and the Arabian Sport Horse Under Saddle, Jr. Horse Championship.
Shy Solitaire+’s exceptional health and winning looks are a product of both nature and nurture, according to her owner Danna Johnston. The mare’s sire, Shy Gayfeen ++++//, is one of only three living Arabian stallions to receive the Legion of Excellence and Legion of Masters awards. He is also the first-ever Straight Egyptian to win this award, making him the most winning Straight Egyptian horse in the history of the AHA. While Shy Solitaire+ has certainly inherited excellent genes, her outstanding health is the result of the kind of top-notch horse care and nutrition that Omega Alpha hopes to promote through its Healthy Horse Award. Johnston boards Shy Solitaire+ at N’Joy Arabians in Olympia, Washington, and works with her Monday through Friday to make sure she receives consistent grooming, constant attention, a nutritious diet, and ample outdoor time — all of which are key to keeping any horse in peak condition.
“I felt truly honored when I found out that Shy Solitaire+ won the Omega Alpha Healthy Horse Award,” said Johnston, who has owned the mare for approximately a year. “It is great to have this mare recognized for the care she receives from her barn, as well as the time spent conditioning her coat.” As part of her prize, Johnston received an Omega Alpha Healthy Horse Award neck ribbon for Shy Solitaire+, an embroidered fly scrim, a baseball cap, and a bag full of Omega Alpha supplements.
Omega Alpha is proud to recognize hard-working equestrians like Johnston, and hopes that she will find the products in her prize bag helpful in maintaining Shy Solitaire+’s excellent health throughout the show season and beyond. A leader in developing natural equine products through research-based science for 22 years, Omega Alpha offers a wide selection of award-winning natural equine products, including supplements specifically designed for high-performance horses like Shy Solitaire+. The company’s products include innovative supplements for joint health, calming, respiratory health, hoof care, hormonal health, energy, and performance, as well as products for muscle rehabilitation and detoxification. To learn more about how Omega Alpha’s equine products can help horses achieve a condition worthy of the Healthy Horse Award, visit www.omegaalpha.ca or call (800) 651-3172.
Lead Photograph: Shy Solitaire+, pictured with owner Danna Johnston (left) and breeder Cori Wilson (right), won the Omega Alpha Healthy Horse Award at the 2016 Sport Horse National Arabian & Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (Photo courtesy of Cori Wilson)
