The Horse Barn at the University of California, Davis, has a new resident: Al By Myself, also known as Celine, a world-show-caliber American quarter horse, donated by Bonnie Sheren with coordination from Highpoint Performance Horses.
“When it comes to quarter horses, we’ve had Cadillacs before, but not a Maserati” like Al By Myself, said Amy McLean, a lecturer and former Horse Barn manager in the Department of Animal Science. She said the 5-year-old mare’s genetics and prestige will bring a lot of notoriety to ٺƵ.
The Department of Animal Science and the School of Veterinary Medicine will use Al By Myself to teach students about equine behavior and reproductive technologies.
Al By Myself was a division winner (hunter under saddle) as a 2-year-old in the 2015 All-American Quarter Horse Congress, the world’s largest single-breed horse show, and earned a top-three finish in a working hunter division in the AQHA World Championships in 2017.
James Murray, professor and chair of the Department of Animal Science, said the university rarely receives a horse with such exceptional breeding: sired by Allocate Your Assets, bred to an outstanding producer of world champions and “Super Horses,” or quarter horses that accumulate the most points in several events at the AQHA World Show.
“I’m ecstatic and a bit nervous,” said Kelli Davis, Horse Barn manager. “I want to keep her bubble-wrapped.” She said horses with bloodlines, awards and conformation like Al By Myself’s don’t come around very often.