PHAA Hall of Fame

page updated 10.08.2010


PHAA Hall of Fame Inductee #1 - inducted 2008

Peta-Anne Tenney Peta-Anne was born in Sydney and was the oldest child of three. Her mother helped found the Hornsby Pony Club and Peta-Anne inherited her love of horses and often rode around the surrounding suburbs on her horse. At an early age, Peta was given a camera as a gift and then Peta began to combine her two great loves of horses and photography.

Peta married Todd Tenney in 1971 and they have two boys. Along with her in-laws, Lyman and Alaire Tenney she founded the Paint Horse Association of Australia Ltd and was the secretary for the first three years and editor of the PHAA Journal. Peta-Anne lived and breathed the Paint Horse and along with her husband imported the stallion Le Van Dee Dee* 150.

Todd and Peta-Anne owned some of the top paint horse mares and were proud co-owners of the first two PHAA Champions Le Van Dee Dee and Joe Paint. It was Peta-Anne that compiled the first PHAA studbook and she and Todd published the Australia's Western Horseman and the Stallion Yearbooks. Peta always made sure that Paints were given good promotion and coverage in any of their own publications.

The Tenneys moved to Arizona USA in 1983 and while they no longer had horses, they still have Joe Paints awards in pride of place in their office. A few years ago, she returned the silver coffee service, a gift from the PHAA to Todd and Peta as co-founders of the PHAA, to the office. It was a lovely gesture and one that proves that even today as far away as she is from Australia, she still holds the PHAA close to her heart.

Peta Anne with Kath Peterson Peta Anne with Sue Carlson

Horse Hall of Fame Inductee #1 - inducted 2008
Joeleo a Bay Tobiano stallion foaled in 1973 is by "Le-Van Joe" an own son of "Levan" AQHA leading sire of ROM race qualifiers, and out of a black Quarter Horse mare "Donna Blaze Bar". Bred by Eugene Hickey, Chandler Arizona and imported by Lyman & Alaire Tenney.

Arriving shortly after C-Note's Playboy, Joeleo was barely 18 months old when he was placed second at his first showing - in a stallion class. This show was the only defeat Joeleo suffered in the show ring that year; he won all his classes for the rest of the year to win National High Point Halter Stallion 1974-75.
Joe Leo

In 1975 he moved to West Australia where his training progressed and he won National High Point Cutting Horses 1975-76 earning all of his points in Open and NCHA competition, a feat he repeated for 1976-77. In 1976 he became PHAA Champion #3. Prior to moving to WA Joeleo had the honour of winning the first Paint Horse Race in Australia - as a two year old.

Joeleo has ROM's in Halter, Trail, Western Pleasure, Cutting, Western Riding, Reining and Bridle Path Hack. In 1975-76 he was Reserve National High Point Horse in Trail, Western Riding and Sprint Racing. Then 1976-77 saw him emerge as National High Point Horse in Cutting and Reserve in Trail and Working Cowhorse.

In the 1977-78 season he won National High Point Reining and Western Riding and Equal High Point Bridle Pat Hack and Sprint Racing. As if to prove that things get better with age, he went out in 78-79 to be Honor Roll Cutting; Working Cowhorse and Sprint Racehorse and earned a PHAA Superior Cutting Horse Award.

Joeleo was put to sleep in December 2002 after his second heart attack. He would have been 30 years old the following February.

Horse Hall of Fame Inductee #2 - inducted 2008
With the PHAA barely one year old, Jack and Christine Ruckwood's imported stallion a sorrel overo foaled in 1968 stepped onto Australian soil in time to court a few mares at the end of the 1973-74 stud season.

National Champion Yearling at the 1969 National Show at Kansas City, Kansas, Playboy was bred by Junior Robertson and Jim Smoot and came from a long line of National Champions. His sire C-Note was a National Champion and APHA Champion. C-Note's Sire, Mr J Bar, holds five National Champion titles, two in Halter, one Roping, and two in
C Notes Playboy
Get of Sire. C-Note's dam, Pocohontas, won the National Produce of Dam in 1966. C-Note's Playboy's dam was Squaw Cat a daughter of Dinky Reed AQHA. And the cropout mare Cat.

C-Note's Playboy proved to be an outstanding Halter horse in his first Australian show season, winning many championships and attracting a lot of attention to the Paint Horse breed with his flashy overo coloring - previously unseen in Australia.

For the 1974, 75 and 76 seasons C-Note's Playboy stood at stud for his owners, breeding many mares including registered Paints and Thoroughbreds. In 1977 the Ruckwoods leased C-Note's Playboy to Phil and Betty Carman and Betty commenced training the stallion for performance events. Now a nine year old, the imported horse put his mind to the job and in a short time was winning consistently in Bridle Path Hack, Western Pleasure, and Western Riding - and at the same time continuing his Halter success.

Grand Champion at the 1978 SPHC Victorian State Championships and Senior Champion at SEQPHC Qld State Championships were highlights of his time with the Carman's. Over a period of two years the Carman's showed him to his ROM Western Pleasure, ROM Halter and to PHAA Champion No. 7. He was also National High Point Halter Stallion and National High Point Western Pleasure Horse.

C-Notes Playboy was put to sleep on the 27th August 1987 at the age of 19.

Horse Hall of Fame Inductee #3 - inducted 2009
Fire Trail was foaled in 1984, sired by AQHA Champion Vapour Trail and out of the first APHA imported mare Fireside Chat. Bred and owned all of his life by Kevin Mills, Fire Trail has two main homes, Crown Park Training Stables and Natan Paint Horse Stud.

Known as the quiet achiever Fire Trail commenced his show career at six months and consistently placed in the winners circle. Proven to be one of the most versatile Australian bred stallions, Fire Trail won the first versatility stakes at the 1989 NSW State Show.		 Fire Trail

Through his illustrious career 1988-1990 Fire Trail earned numerous and various State and National Championships. Highlights of his career are - PHAA Champion #77, Superior Award - Bridle Path Hack, ROMs in Halter, Western Pleasure, Bridle Path Hack, Hunter Hack.

After 5 years out of the show ring Fire Trail returned to the Nationals in 1995 and proved old boys can learn new tricks by receiving Reserve National Champion Working Cow Horse, National Champion Team Penning with Jim Hudson.

As well as being successful in the show ring, Fire Trail brought publicity to the PHAA by featuring on the first Paint Horse special on Burkes Backyard. Fire Trail was also used at the local TAFE for exhibitions/displays and also attended a parade at the Gosford thoroughbred race day in 1996 to promote the PHAA.

Fire Trail died on the 3rd November, 2007 at the age of 23.

Horse Hall of Fame Inductee #4 - inducted 2009
Packard Lodge Warpaint was the first registered Paint horse stallion in Tasmania and the first registered Paint Horse stallion to be registered stock horse. He was born in 1973 by an ASB Thoroughbred stallion 'Mac Blue' out of a Paint horse mare 'Brandy'.

Awarded PHAA Champion #50, he has Register of Merits in Halter, Hacking, Jumping, Eventing, Western Pleasure, Western Riding, Hunter Hack, Bridle Path Hack, Barrel Racing, Trail, Sporting, Working Stock Horse, Dressage		 Packard Lodge Warpaint
and more. He was awarded Champion Paint at every National/Royal Show that he attended from 1974 to 1982.

Packard Lodge Warpaint has been a Reserve High Point Performance Horse of Australia as well as High Point Performance Stallion for the Stock Horse Society - a testament to his versatility.

The first stallion allowed in open hack and riding classes at Tasmanian Agricultural shows he worked tirelessly to promote Paint Horses, Stock Horses and Stallions in general. He was used for advertising with the RACT and Bessie Cash Clothing Store, participated in street parades and was ridden by many celebrities.

His progeny have been successful in many fields but in particular a number have been exported overseas to compete in Eventing and Showjumping with a grandson reportedly to be the highest priced eventer to leave Australia.

Packard Lodge War paint died at the age of 23 in 1996.

Horse Hall of Fame Inductee #5 - inducted 2010
Karalinga K-Notes was a 16hh chestnut stallion by 'Eagle Feather' (by C-Notes Playboy*) out of a TB mare, 'Trumpet'. He died in 2002 at 22 years old, and had less than 6 years of showing in total, (about 3 years as a youngster then doing it all over again for 2 years as an 'old fogey' of 12 and 13). But in that short time he amassed an enormous number of awards and earned 317 points in a grand total of 13 different events.

'Karalinga K Notes' was PHAA Champion #62. He holds Superior Awards in Western Pleasure, Trail and Bridle-Path Hack and near Superiors in Hunter Hack and Western Riding (only a few points short). He held ten ROMs .. Halter, Western Pleasure, Trail, Western Riding, Reining, Working Cowhorse, Cutting, English Pleasure, Bridle-Path Hack and Hunter Hack.		 Karalinga K Notes

K Notes was High Point Junior Performance Horse of Australia, (twice) Runner -Up High point Open Performance Horse of Australia, High Point Open Performance Horse of NSW (twice). He won more than 30 State & National Champions & Reserves, 20 National Honour Rolls & State High Points & Reserves & 6 NSW Certificates of Merit, as well as dozens and dozens of local High Points in various categories.

All of his accomplishmenets were achieved without ever having a trainer on his back. K Notes only did about a dozen shows each year including the PHAA Nationals, NSW State Show and POR, and he was rarely out of a first or second place in any company! His progeny have excelled in many of the same events as he did and also have done their jobs extremely well in promoting Paints within the western industry as well as in non-western fields.

Horse Hall of Fame Inductee #6 - inducted 2010
Golden Coin Oakey (PHAA 170) was a Palomino Tobiano Stallion born in 1971. By Skipper from Kerrie, 'Oakey' was the first horse registered with the PHAA that was put through the classification process. He was passed by the well known Quarter Horse identity, Gene Hinze.

Bred by Mr R Thomas and first owned by Mr. Barry Smith, Oakey came into the hands of his lifetime owners Marilyn and Barry Shelton at the age of 5 year old. With PHAA only a very young association and looking for recognition in the western horse arena, Oakey's direction was into the world of the Western Pleasure and Bridle Path Hack horse.

He achieved sufficient halter points necessary for a PHAA Champion title although it took a long time on the old point system. Under saddle it was a different matter. Many times, taking on the best pleasure horses around at the time, never failing to place in large classes of mixed western breed classes.

Oakey was many times Honor Roll, State and High Point award winner in these classes as well as Competitive Speed and others. He was a very popular horse with the public because of his gentle nature and temperament. Oakey was called upon by the then Southern Paint Horse Club to represent the club in parades put on by the Royal Agricultural Show Society to advertise the coming show season and was always a flag bearer.

After being gelded, Oakey still competed for the Shelton family as a youth horse teaching all the girls to ride. He was also used by top AQHA youth Jade Thomas and was always in demand to those looking for a quiet well educated horse and schoolmaster for young children.

Oakey was laid to rest in his 30th year. At his death Oakey had achieved PHAA Champion and ROM's in Bridle Path Hack English Pleasure, Western Pleasure, Trail and Points in Reining, Competitive Speed, Rope Race, Ridden Stallion and General Performance.