Let me introduce you to an ASB some of you know of, and some do not know at all.

For those of you who don't know, Wing Tempo was an orphan. His lifetime owner, Shirley Sobol, of North Carolina, found him and took him home. He was not supposed to live. But, given the Saddlebred breeding (by Wing Rhythm out of Too Fresh), and Saddlebred heart, he not only lived, but he triumphed.

His story is truly remarkable. According to Shirley, on the night Wing Tempo was born, the barn burned on the farm where his dam was kept. His mother subsequently died from her burns, but he was bundled up by Shirley and her family and taken home in the back of their station wagon, an orphan, to live in the backyard of their home in North Carolina. He ventured in and out of their backdoor along with the family dog, eating dog food and tomatoes (as Shirley described his early years), not really knowing he was a horse.

Wing Tempo's life, in so many ways, duplicated the lives of the breed's earliest horses.....as a trusted family horse, owned by the same people for all of his years.

Wing Tempo became a competitive trail horse. In a world dominated by Arabians, Wing Tempo steadily built up the miles. He set the record of 20,710 miles ridden while in his early 20's. Wing Tempo displayed exceptional soundness and skill during his long, successful competitive trail career. He won 22 consecutive national championships. The North American Trail Ride Conference awarded him the President's Cup, their highest honor, seven times.

The record was finally broken by a horse who had to wait until he was 37 to compile the mileage.
 
Now that the ASHA has revised the CH rules for CP and has included the equitation horses as eligible for their championships as well, it's time to recognize the Jackie Robinson of the Saddlebred world, Wing Tempo., What better time would it be to honor this outstanding American Saddle than to have his name announced as the top competitive trail riding horse for all these years and award him his CH status at the international media party for WEG being hosted at the ASB Museum?

Wing Tempo represents a true "phoenix" for the American Saddlebred breed. It is now Wing Tempo's time.  Let's do this for him and his owner and for the American Saddlebred breed while the grand old horse is still alive at 34 years  of age. 

Won't you join me in signing your name below in petition to the ASHA to recognize this wonderful example of our breed, and a testament to the roots of our breed?
 
If you believe that Wing Tempo should be CH Wing Tempo, please just reply with your full name to

k-dunn@cox.net