The One That Started it All


Sam I am...not the green eggs and ham!  Sam I Am is a horse, of course.  He was a small American Paint Horse.  They call his coloring Bay overo..  That is a bay horse with white spots!  He was very pretty and flashy. 

How did he get a name like Sam I Am?  Well, it all started when a family friend brought a small colt over to the Henderson Farm to sell.  He was little and gangly but very pretty.  Mrs. Henderson fell in love with him.  She had to have him.  The family friend's name was Sam!  

Sam was not an easy horse to break out.  At two years old he had many people buffaloed and scared of him.  He sure did  like to buck.  Because of this nature Beverly decided to geld the stud to make him easier to handle.  Just before the surgery, Sam got loose!  He found the broodmare pasture.  Opps. 

Sammy was much easier to ride and handle once he was gelded.  Sammy was then sent off to NRHA Professional, RIck Weaver.  Rick trained Sam to do the Reining competition.  What a fun event to learn.  Reining is a sport where horses perform a pattern of large fast circles, spins and sliding stops!   Sammy was sent to Joe DeVoss to show in the American Paint Horse Association shows for the reining competitions.  

Sam had a nice show career.  Once his career in the show pen started winding down Mrs Henderson had his daughter sent to Rick Weaver to learn the trade.  Wait?  Daughter?  Yes, remember when he got loose?   He found a girlfriend and she had a baby filly the next year.  

Sam had such a big personality.  Mrs. Henderson wanted to share this amazing horse with kids everywhere.  She contacted Peter Stone (the founder of Breyer horses) and they created a Breyer model of Sam!  

He was a very special little horse so Beverly wanted to do something a little more special.  She offered shares of Sam's ownership along with the model.  This way he could bring the joy to many children that he brought to the Henderson Family.  Sammy became famous.  He had kids come to visit him and he went to visit them.  He made special guest appearances across the country.  Even President Reagan owned a share of him!  

For Sam’s 20th Birthday he was a special guest at Breyerfest at the Kentucky Horse Park.  He loved all the people that came to meet him!  He was a total ham for photos and autographs.  For his demonstration I wanted to do a reining pattern on him.  Remember how he was an orny colt?  Well, he was still orny at 20!  He bucked the entire time.   

Sam loved retirement and left the Henderson Family with his grandkids. He was an amazing horse that touched the lives of many.  Here’s to you...Sam I Am!