Dr. Alan Raun CASTLEMAN AWARD
Thursday, March 7, 2002
Posted March 7, 2002 Editor's Note: The following speech was read by John Owens at the ASHA Annual Convention Awards Banquet held on Saturday, February 23, 2002. This year’s recipient is perhaps the most complete professional horseman in America. Veterinarian, trainer of Hackneys and Saddlebreds, breeder, mentor to young horsemen and women, businessman and above all, family man. He has achieved a level of excellence in all these areas that most of us would be proud of achieving in just one.
Our recipient began his journey on an Iowa farm where his parents imbued him with a sense of family, a respect for the business of agriculture, and a love of animals that was both practical and spiritual. In high school, he worked with American Saddlebred horses during summer vacations. In college he began breeding Hackneys. In vet school at Iowa State, he met a young home economics student named Dotty who would become his partner and companion in all facets of his life. And as a young veterinarian he bred a Saddlebred/Hackney cross whose name would resonate down through the decades as the model for all future ponies under saddle. That pony’s name was Jimmy Joe, and his ideal combination of two great breeds, Saddlebred and Hackney, symbolized early in the career of our recipient the path upon which he would embark for the next 50 years of his life.
He has succeeded brilliantly in all areas of professional horsemanship, and today he is going stronger than ever. At the center of his life is his family, his four daughters participate actively and enthusiastically in the horse and pony business and his two sons are completely supportive. Today his grandchildren are beginning to appear in the show rings of the Midwest. He and his wife Dotty continue to be as active and hospitable as ever, bringing their own brand of down-to-earth Iowa friendliness and good humor to shows around the country. For our recipient, it’s all tied together by a quiet but deep faith in God that gives it all meaning.
We honor Dr. Alan R. Raun for his lifetime of dedication to the American Saddlebred horse and present him with the Castleman Award for 2001.
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