Page 46 - August 2022

THEIR SAVING GRACE
Donna attributes their success to the really
good people in the industry who have helped them throughout the years, and to Jim’s perseverance and dedication. “He’s been at this for 60 years, and I heard someone say this
and it’s true: There have been times when we shouldn’t have owned horses. There are times when that’s been hard to do, but we did, and they’ve always come first. He’s always just persevered through all that.
“We bought Savin Grace’s mother [Miss Streakin Dash] from friends of ours, Harold
and Louise Bray,” Donna says. “They were
in the horse business for years and years and were successful. Miss Streakin Dash was a good racehorse and showed a lot of promise but had an injury and Harold came to see Jim. Jim said, ‘You know I can’t afford that mare,’ but they made that possible for us and from her we got Savin Grace. When Jim first saw her, he said, ‘Man, she’s going to be our saving grace,’ and she has.” And that saving grace is the stuff that Quarter Horse dreams are made of.
Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse
““There have been times when we shouldn’t have owned horses. There are times when that’s been hard to do, but we did, and they’ve always come fifirst. He’s (Jim) always just persevered through all that.” – Donna O’Neal
44 SPEEDHORSE August 2022
Courtesy Donna O’Neal
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