Kristen Glover Galyean with Vital Signs Are Good.

Vital Signs Are Good, one of the most decorated horses in American Quarter Horse Association history, was humanely euthanized today due to complications surrounding a coffin joint infection.

The 2000 red roan mare by Zippos Mr Good Bar and out of Vitalism was a superstar from the start. She won the Open 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure Futurity at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress with Keith Whistle in the saddle and followed that up with an AQHA World Championship in 2-Year-Old Snaffle Bit Western Pleasure the next month.

It was at that World Show that Oklahoma’s Kristen Glover Galyean spotted her.

I can remember praying for a horse that would be a perfect fit for me,” Kristen said today. “I told God I didn’t know exactly what I needed but that I knew he did. And boy was I right.”

When Kristen first purchased the mare, her nickname had been “Princess” but she decided to change it to “Lucy” because she always loved the show, I Love Lucy, and because Lucy was a red head just like the red roan mare.

“Besides being a great mover, she had an awesome presence that drew me to her,” Kristen has said. “The first time I ever saw her, I was mesmerized by how happy she was. She always had her ears up, licking her lips.”

Their very first year together Kristen and Lucy won the Amateur Western Pleasure at the AQHA World Show. They went on to win nine AQHA World and 27 Congress Championships in both Amateur and Open Western Pleasure and Western Riding.

Kristen with Vital Signs Are Good and InVest In Vital Signs

Although the pair had so many special moments in their seven-year partnership and fulfilled Kristen’s lifelong dream of being the All-Around Amateur at the AQHA World Show in 2007, Kristen’s favorite moments with Lucy came at the 2005 AQHA World Show.

“We won the Amateur Western Pleasure on all five cards then went back and scored the highest Western Riding score at the time, a 237.5, when she was only a 5-year-old. I had to do a double take to make sure I was hearing the right score,” Kristen said.

Theresa Moran and Vital Signs Are Good

In 2009 Vital Signs Are Good was sold to the Moran Family of Laguna Hills, California. In 2011 Theresa Moran rode Lucy to a World Championship title in Western Riding at the AQHA Youth World Show.

“Sometimes in life we are lucky enough to come across something great: great moments, great people and great horses,” Theresa Moran wrote on her Facebook page today. “I was fortunate enough to own and show one of the greatest horses of all time. Here is to the horse that not only made my dreams a reality, but helped me to realize that there is no goal that is too high to attain. “

In all, Vital Signs Are Good won 12 AQHA World and seven AQHA Reserve World Championships in Open, Amateur, and Youth competition. She earned countless AQHA High Point titles, NSBA World titles and Congress Championships. She recorded over $154,000 in NSBA earnings, $92,000 in AQHA World Show earnings and more than $66,000 in AQHA Incentive Fund money with a grand total of 3,153 AQHA points in seven different events. She was named the NSBA Horse of the Year in 2007.

Vital Signs Are Good is the dam of 24 foals including:

• Invest N Vital Signs, by Vested Pine – 2007 Reserve World Champion in 2-Year-Old Snaffle Bit with over $137,000 in NSBA earnings;
• VS Code Blue, by RL Best Of Sudden – 2011 AQHA High Point Trail and Western Pleasure Stallion;
• VS Code Red, by Blazing Hot – a five-time Congress Champion and NSBA World Champion and the sire of a Congress Masters Western Pleasure Champion.
• My Vital Valentine, by Invitation Only – 2013 2014 AQHA Junior Western Riding High Point Champion and 2014 Junior and Green Trail High Point Champion; and 2014 Reserve World Champion in Junior Western Riding;
• VS Check My Pulse, by One Hot Krymsun – 2011 AQHA 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure World Champion.
• VS Flatline, by Lazy Loper – 2012 AQHA World Champion in 2-Year-Old Western Pleasure.

To date her foals have earned 2,961 AQHA open, amateur and youth points; two open AQHA World Championships; two Reserve World Championships and three High-Point wins.

A Message from Kristen Glover Galyean:

There is not a day that goes by that you don’t cross my mind. You taught me so much in our time together. You taught me that if I could dream it we could achieve it. I remember riding you made me feel like I could conquer the world, and when we lined up waiting for the results I miss you looking to me for your scratches. You wanted to know that you did a good job. You gave it your all every time, and I truly believe you loved showing as much as I did. I’ll always remember your beautiful expression, always licking your lips and your ears were always forward, you were so happy. The time I cherish the most aren’t the wins in the show pen, it’s the time we spent bareback in the pasture dreaming, the time I spent laying in your stall next to you wondering how I could be so blessed to call you mine, the time we spent playing in your pasture, like we were the only two in the world. You always knew when I was having a rough day and you would rest your chin on my shoulder and it would all go away. I miss bringing you stud muffin snacks at the Congress bc I knew they were your favorite. Most of all I just miss you. One day we will see each other again.

To the world you were a legend but to me you were my whole WORLD.

Rest In Peace my beautiful “Goose Goose.”