The young mare's reputation as a great cow horse grew quickly, and very early on in her show career, she became known as the horse to beat. By the '80's, not only was she making her mark on the Cal-Western circuit, she was also building a fan base among the open, all breed show trainers, owners and spectators throughout California. While the mare earned many state championships over the years, she also built a far-reaching reputation for truly great athleticism and cow savvy unmatched by few in her day.

Trained and exhibited her entire show career by the acclaimed cow horse reinsman, Dan Lopez, of Tehachapi, CA, the pair became traveling ambassadors for the breed. This dynamic pairing garnered many top awards on the open cow horse circuit against some of the top Quarter Horses and exhibitors of their day.

As some of the old timers will tell you, scoring high marks among the Quarter Horse judges in a cow horse venue was notoriously difficult, but TV, was always sure to attract and win the attention of the crowd, which was a great judge motivator. As her reputation grew among the Quarter horse owners, many were overheard at shows to admonish their trainers, "Don't let that little App beat you today"!

Another anecdotal story that owner Paul likes to relate was the time Lopez and TV were entered at another top open show in Ventura County, California. Lopez' daughter had arrived a little too late to have seen her dad's go on TV and asked another trainer how he had made out in his class. "He won it," said the Quarter Horse trainer, "but they gave him third."

TV Writer's first national Appaloosa show was in 1980 at Albuquerque, New Mexico. She had won the first Hackamore/Snaffle Bit go-round and was having an excellent run in her second work when she hit a wet spot in the pen and fell. Though she lost this class, she had won the hearts of a great many people that day that continued to follow her career and spoke glowingly of her spirit and determination. According to owner Paul, "If everybody who claimed to have seen that disastrous fall had actually been there, it would have overflowed the Rose Bowl stadium." Many of TV's fans continued to follow her career until she retired many years later.

After years of being shown and exhibited exclusively by Dan Lopez, TV began packing her non pro owners in Western Riding, Western Equitation, Western Pleasure, Showmanship, Reining and as a turn back horse in cutting. Appaloosas have always had a reputation for being super versatile, and TV proved the point in spades. It was not uncommon at a few of TV's, World Championship shows, to see the mare competing in Heading and Heeling and then a day or two later see her in perfect showmanship form for a class with either Paul or Betty exhibiting.

At a Cal-Western circuit show in Turlock, California there was a grand prize for All Around Horse that was being offered. After being shown in Cutting, Heading and Heeling, and Reining, TV, for the first time in her life entered the pen and was shown under English Pleasure AND Saddle Seat Tack. With an excellent youth rider aboard, the mare did well enough to win that grand prize. According to Paul, "The ApHC CEO, Roger Klamfoth, who was judging that day, saw TV Writer, a horse he knew so well as the quintessential cow horse - now decked out for English Pleasure and Saddle Seat classes he just couldn't stop chuckling."

The mare's fame as a cow horse became so great that her owners received numerous offers of free stallion services to the top stallions of the day. This was an honor the mare received right up until the time of her passing at the age of 22, in 1998.

TV Writer's
Champion Progeny

1986 mare, Cherry's Leader
1990 World Champion, Junior Cutting
1989 National Point System Champion, Junior Cutting
1990 National Point System Reserve Champion, Junior Cutting

1998 Gelding, TVQ
1991 World Champion Hackamore/Snaffle Bit Reining
1992 World Champion, Junior Reining
1994 World Champion Working Cow Horse
1995 World Champion Working Cow Horse
1994 Champion National Point System, Working Cow Horse
1991 Reserve National Champion Hackamore/Snaffle Bit Reining
1992 Reserve National Champion Junior Reining
1993 Reserve National Champion Working Cow Horse
1995 Reserve National Point System, Working Cow Horse

TV Writer's
C-WA Championship Awards

1980 State Champion, Reining
1983 State Champion, Heading and Heeling
1983 Reserve State Champion, Working Cow Horse
1983 State Champion, Overall Cow Horse
1984 State Champion, Western Riding
1984 State Champion, Working Cow Horse
1984 Reserve State Champion, Heading and Heeling
1984 Reserve State Champion, Overall Cow Horse
1984 Reserve State Champion, Non Pro Showmanship
1984 Reserve State Champion, Non Pro Reining
1985 Reserve State Champion, Overall Cow Horse
1989 Reserve State Champion, Non Pro Reining
1990 State Champion, Working Cow Horse

Other California Appaloosa accolades

TV Writer was her regional club champion 14 times among six open and two non-pro events.

TV Writer was High Scoring Appaloosa at the 1979 California Reined Cow Horse Assn., Snaffle Bit Futurity, (now known as the National Reined Cow Horse Assn.), and earned that same title the same year at the Arizona Reined Cow Horse Assn., Snaffle Bit Futurity.

She was the 1980 Champion Hackamore Stock Horse of the Southern California Working Cow Horse Assn.

ApHC World Show Awards

1980 World Champion Snaffle Bit Working Cow Horse. TV Writer won this event with the highest score ever recorded in this event at an ApHC World Show to this date.

In 1981, 1984 & 1990, she was top 5 in Working Cow Horse. In 1980, she was top 5 in Hackamore Reining and in 1984, Top 10 in Non Pro Western Riding.

A Versatility Champion, TV has won Bronze Medallions or Register of Merit in the following categories. Cutting, Heading & Heeling, Reining, Western Riding and Working Cow Horse.

ApHC National Show Awards

1980 National Champion, Snaffle Bit Working Cow Horse
Reserve Champion, Working Cow Horse in 1981. Top 5 in 1985 and top 10 in 1983.
Cutting: Top 5 in 1983 and Top 10 in 1981
Non Pro Reining: Top 5 in 1989

ApHC National Point System

1980 Champion Hackamore Reining
1980 Reserve Champion, Snaffle Bit Working Cow Horse
1980 Reserve Champion, Working Cow Horse
Cutting: Top 10 in 1981
Non Pro Reining: Top 5 in 1989

During TV Writer's career, she was featured in stories that appeared both nationally and statewide.

In July of 1997, the Appaloosa Journal ran a feature on Miss Appaloosa America, Miss Lisa Lang. TV was featured prominently in the article and pictured with Lisa as they represented the Appaloosa breed to the world in the Rose Parade that year.

In the December 2000 issue of the Appaloosa Journal, TV was identified as 'The great, Legendary Lopez-trained Appaloosa Cow Horse mare'. She has also received feature coverage or been prominently displayed in the California Horse Trader, California Horse Review and the Ventura County Star Press during the years beginning in 1980 and up through her obituary write-up in 1998.

TV Writer was a great Appaloosa mare who was and will always be remembered by many admirers as a truly versatile Appaloosa champion. A champion producer of champions. And especially, TV Writer will always be remembered as one of California's greatest Appaloosa ambassadors.

Story by: Patti Ansuini