An exceptional combination of trainability and movement as well as a horse with an extra special personality has made Ashleys Bo Doc, (Oscar) a once-in-a-lifetime horse for many of his owners and trainers throughout his illustrious show career. Even now at 20, he is still making dreams come true for Amateur competitor Allye Deskins of Columbus, Ohio.

Yet, his road to super stardom started quite differently than most horses campaigned at an early age as futurity horses. In fact, it wasn’t until July of his 3-year-old year when Tennessee trainer, Lisa Brown would stumble upon “the greatest horse she ever sat on” totally unexpectedly.

“I was working for Benny Sergeant in Kentucky at the time where Oscar’s sire, TNT Bo Dolls Bro was standing,” she explains. “One day I am in the barn doing chores and in walks this old cowboy, Ron Shourt who asks if he can see our stallion out. I remember saying to him, ‘Why? Breeding season is over.’ He said, ‘ Well, I have this colt by this stallion at home. I have been roping off of him and he’s just gotten too big to be using. He’s got to be 17.2 hands.'”

Brown was curious. She had shown TNT Bo Dolls Bro extensively and knew he was not a very big horse. So she asked Shourt to bring his colt over for her to see.

“He came pulling up in one of those old stock trailers with the canopy on top and jumped this big colt with a long mane and a short tail off the trailer,” she recalls. I really thought he was kind of common looking but I said alright well let’s get him in the round pen and see what he moves like.”

Right away, Brown knew Oscar was an amazing mover and that he was also really good minded as Shourt demonstrated throwing a rope off of him.

Hopeful of the leggy prospect, Brown convinced Shourt to leave him for her to ride.

“I just fell in love more and more every day I rode him,” she says. “I remember when my friend Tammy Lickliter first saw him shortly after that and said to me, ‘ Now that’s a horse that will make you want to get out of bed in the morning.'”

Amateur competitor, Stacey Stinson, then purchased Oscar showed him extensively as a 4, 5 and 6-year-old. Both Lisa and Stacey won numerous top AQHA Honor Roll and World Show honors in a variety of events from Hunter Under Saddle to Hunter Hack, Working Hunter and Pleasure Driving. And it was at this time that Oscar caught the eye of trainer, Chris Thompson who had been in search of a horse for Peter Cofrancesco. of Sparta, New Jersey, to show in Pleasure Driving classes.

“I had tried to buy him for three years and they kept saying no! ” says Thompson. “At the time, Peter wanted a driving horse and I wanted to do the Hunter Under Saddle so he was perfect. I kept asking and asking Lisa and I remember we were in line for pictures at the World Show in 2001 when I asked again and Lisa started crying and said, ‘Yes, we just talked about selling him.'”

The Cofrancesco family purchased Oscar a short time later and he continued on his highly successful path.

“I hadn’t done a lot with the driving before but he was so wonderful in the cart. He was very patient with us,” says Thompson. “He was a blast to show. We did so many different events with him but I think that’s really what has kept him so good for so long.”

While Thompson has many, many fond memories of Oscar, she will never forget her ride in Senior Hunter Under Saddle at the 2002 AQHA World Show when she and Oscar were crowned World Champions.

“I remember thinking in the lineup that it didn’t really matter where I placed at that point because I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime ride,” she recalls. “I knew I could never repeat that ride. It’s something that I will never forget.”

That year, Oscar was also crowned the World Champion in Senior Hunter Hack with Linda Crothers in the irons. In addition, he placed third in Senior Pleasure Driving with Thompson and fourth in Senior Working Hunter with Crothers to win the Reserve Champion Superhorse title.

Oscar continued to earn many more top High Point and World Show awards and became an AQHA Champion and AQHA Performance Champion. In 2003, he and Thompson were crowned the Reserve World Champions in Senior Hunter Under Saddle.

When he wasn’t showing, Oscar spent many days out in the Cofrancesco family’s field with his pony buddy, Bugzy. Even though he was small enough to walk right under his belly, Bugzy kept Oscar great company.

“He was a very lovable horse and loved to eat,” Thompson says. “One funny thing he would always do is in the lineup when you would be waiting for results while all the other horses are half sleeping, he would be busy. He liked to itch his knee or he liked to lift up his lips and smile at the other horses.”

Now over 10 years later, his current owner Allye Deskins says he is still showing off his smile in the show arena.

“His signature move is smiling. He loves to smile a lot,” Deskins laughs. “Even at the end of the class, he will smile and say hello to everyone. He just cracks me up!”

From 2005 to 2012, Oscar had many more success stories for owners like Dr Joni Hegel when he finished the 2006 AQHA Amateur and Open High Point Champion in Pleasure Driving and for Youth exhibitor, Connor Griggs and Select Amateur competitor, Allison Ham who won several more top honors with him at the AQHA World Shows.

“Brian and Darla Lee found Oscar for me in 2012,” Deskins explains. “I needed a horse to teach me the ropes and he has just been the perfect horse for me. He’s really automatic and knows his job. He’s my best friend.”

Taking Deskins through Novice Youth and Youth competition to now successfully competing in Amateur Hunter Under Saddle, Oscar gave Deskins “her best ride” at the Quarter Horse Congress this past year where the pair finished fifth.

“He loves to show and absolutely loves his job so it’s made it a really hard decision about when and if to retire him,” she says.

For now, Deskins plans to continue showing Oscar for at least another year under the guidance of Piper Performance Horses in Ohio. She credits them for all of their success this past year.

“We joke that’s he’s like Chairman of the Board because he’s just a total celebrity,” she says. “I have really enjoyed chatting with some of his previous owners and trainers who have all helped make him into such a great horse.”

In all, Oscar has earned over 1,225 points in Open, Amateur, Youth and Novice competition as well as over $30,589 in AQHA Incentive Fund earnings, $17,454 in AQHA World Show earnings and $9,624 in NSBA earnings.

“He’s just such a good boy,” she says. “I know it’s just going to be impossible to find another one like him because he’s just irreplaceable.”