Shadow Oaks
Top Banana
by Sami Scheuring
This is a story about a legend and a friend. This
is a story about a small but mighty Miniature
horse stallion that was loved, admired and
deemed by the AMHA a World Champion way
before his time.
Statistics:
Sire of 118 Foals
29.5 inches
1984 World Grand Champion Senior Stallion
Foaled: March 1, 1981
Breeder: Dixie Blasingame
Sold to Dr. Ron or Sami Scheuring 5/20/1982
Sired by: Shadow Oaks Paul Bunyon
Dam: Shadow Oaks Tiny Miss
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This legend began
in 1981 when the
World Reserve Grand
Champion Stallion
SHADOW
OAKS
PAUL
BUNYON
sired an outstanding
and brilliant copper
buckskin colt. Paul
Bunyon was owned
and
passionately
loved by Mrs. Dixie
Blassingame of Vista,
California. “Dixie”
was one of the pioneers involved in the
foundation of the
Miniature
horse
breed and the owner of Shadow Oaks and Hidden
Meadows Miniature Horse Farms.
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Miniature Horse World 81
Our family had become close friends
with Miss Dixie and enjoyed going to
Shadow Oaks in Vista, California if
only to see the incredible horses and
listen to her tell us the history of the
small equines and how they came to
be. One spring I was with Dixie when
a wonderful little copper buckskin
colt displayed his ever so obvious
presence and poked his head out
from behind his mother. That was
the beginning of a lifestyle, the
beginning of a legendary bloodline.
On that Spring day, the yet to be
named little colt seemed to be the
only horse at the farm. Although
there must have been twenty foals, I
only saw one. The plan had not
been to buy a little colt. In fact, the
plan had been to buy the best
Miniature mares available and breed
to the best stallions in the Miniature
horse industry. A good plan, but I
felt a little like a psychic that day and
just knew that the best horse in the
industry had just found me!
Dixie had this little colt entered in a
show in a few weeks and I knew what
that would mean. The Miniature
industry at that time was like a treasure hunting expedition. When you
found quality and greatness you better grab it or you would loose it.
Breeders traveled coast to coast to
find the best Miniature horses available. It was a small group of dedicated people who understood the
importance of working together and
creating something so special. How
could I get Dixie to part with this
beautiful colt, and how would I get
my husband Ron to understand this
NEW plan?
Amazingly, my worries were
unfounded. When arriving home I
82 Miniature Horse World
October/November 2010
tried to explain that the future of
Samis Lil Horse Ranch was only
three months old and living with our
This was the beginning of a bloodline of horses that built a family.
Banana set a high bar of achievement in and out of the show arena
and proved to the equine community that the Miniature horse was
more than a pretty face. This was a
bloodline that could stand up in
halter and become the achieving,
willing and competitive performance horse as well.
good friend Dixie. Patience not
being one of my virtues, I was relentless in the discussion of why this little
colt should become part of the family. Little did I know that both Dixie
and Ron had understood the greatness of this little colt. Although Ron
had not yet seen him, he respected
Dixie’s knowledge and my vision.
A trip was planned to travel the
eight hour drive to Vista to pick up
the mares that had been purchased
on that spring day. I was little disappointed that neither Ron nor
Dixie would enter into any discussion about the colt or even let me
gloat about how great he would be,
no matter who owned him. With
the mares loaded, we climbed into
the cab of the truck for the ride
home. Waving goodbye to Miss
Dixie I was trying to hide the tears
of disappointment, having to leave
my treasure behind. Suddenly Ron
stopped the truck and trailer and
asked me to check inside the trailer,
as he felt that one of the mares
might have a problem. I jumped
out of the truck, hopped on the tire
well and looked into the trailer.
Looking up at me was everything I
had ever wanted! He was coming
into the Scheuring family and he
would forever change our lives and
mold our future. Dixie told me I
could name this little stallion whatever I wanted as long as he carried
the Shadow Oaks prefix. He was
named after a special Quarter
Horse from my past big horse days.
In the summer of 1984 the little
buckskin colt had grown into a
very handsome, golden 29.5 inch
stallion. The whole Scheuring family was actively showing and helping develop this new industry.
Shadow Oaks Top Banana had traveled from Washington State to San
Diego. He had won many Grand
Championships of which we were
extremely proud of but even more
important, he was starring in several equine events where he was the
poster boy for the Miniature horse.
He appeared several times at the
Grand National Horse Show in San
Francisco, he walked the Rose
Parade in Pasadena and he served
with comedy star Flip Wilson in
pediatric cancer research events.
He also appeared in several
Cavelcade of the Horse events
where
he
represented
the
American Miniature Horse.
My husband Ron, who is a veterinarian and our two children John and
Tui, traveled from coast to coast making new friends within the Miniature
horse community. Most were breed-
the open halter classes at the
National Show but could compete in
other classes. AMHA also used to
offer classes called Model Stock and
Model Refined. I was so nervous as
the tension and excitement was
building for the Grand Classes,
(which were always held at the finale
of the show) that I decided to enter
Top Banana into the Model Refined
Class just to calm my nerves.
h Shadow Oa
Comedian Flip Wilson wit
der his left arm.
ks Top Banana tucked un
ers and many became lifelong
friends. The 1984 AMHA National
Show was in Oklahoma City that year
and several of our friends had been
trying to convince us that Top
Banana should go and compete.
This would be no easy fete for us as
we had two school age children and
a veterinary practice to run.
The decision was finally made and
with the help of our dear friends
David and Peggy Lindstrom and
Barbara and Lee Martin, Top
Banana was booked on a flight.
Once at the airport, we learned that
the flight we had booked was cancelled! Things were not so easy in
those days and not many people
used air travel for their little horses.
Peggy and Sami took another plane
and made it to Oklahoma but Ron,
David and Top Banana had to spend
the night at the airport.
What a trooper that little stallion
was! The following evening he
arrived and his reputation had preceded him. When he pranced out of
the crate you would have thought he
had just come out of a show barn.
His tail flagged, his trot was huge
and he puffed his presence to the
very crowded rail of curious onlookers. Beauty in body and in movement. The performance horse had
made an entrance.
He won that class. My nerves and
butterflies were even worse after
that! This would be the time to thank
Max Lawson and Belinda Bagby who
were so helpful the day of the
National Class. Since the weather
had turned cool, Top Banana had
begun to blow coat and his sleek,
fine coat was disappearing. Belinda
spent hours of her time helping me
with the grooming before the class
and became a part of our team. For
that she will always be a special
friend to his memory.
This oil paintin
g of Sami, Ban
Ron waiting fo
ana and
r their class, was
painted by
an unknown ar
tist in the Califo
rnia area.
In 1984 the AMHA National Show
offered five Grand Champions and
five Reserve Grand Champion
Horses. These horses qualified during the year for the privilege of
showing
in
their
respective
Championship class. Horses qualified by winning Grand and Reserve
Championships at local AMHA
approved shows. There were no
points. Horses that qualified for
these classes could not compete in
Top Banana entered the class that
evening as a wonderful classy stallion
from the West and left the arena the
1984 AMHA Grand Champion
Senior Stallion. He knew of his greatness, as did the judges, his many
admirers and friends. The next day
we took that beautiful silver trophy
cup, his Champion halter and his
ribbons and boarded a plane for San
Francisco. He arrived at his home at
Sami’s Lil Horse Ranch in Petaluma,
California where he would build a
legacy of halter and performance
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Miniature Horse World 83
horses that would soon be known as
the modern Miniature horse.
Top Banana lived his life with our
family that loved him. He was not
shown again but given some of the
best mares that we could find.His
bloodlines were shown lovingly by
John and Tui Scheuring as youth
exhibitors to several unanimous
AMHA World Championships. Samis
Lil Horse Ranch was proud to stand
Top Banana to only the best mares.
That proved to be the key to his reputation as one of the most athletic
horses for performance; yet correct
and awesome for halter. His fame
was his alone in the production of
his sons, daughters and grand get.
Shadow Oaks Top Banana’s prodigy
have spanned the globe and are a
legacy internationally. In New
Zealand Sami’s Figure de Banana,
was one of the first stallions imported by Ms. Judy Henderson. Also in
New Zealand, Samis Ya Betta Believe
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October/November 2010
It is claiming success for Betty
McKnight. Mr. Cedric Dubroecq
made contact with Ron and I when
he made the decision to import the
Shadow Oaks Top Banana Bloodline
to France. A wonderful union was
formed with him. Cedric with his wisdom, hard work and vision, showed
his stallion, Sami’s VIP Mr. John and
Samis Whose Your Daddy to ultimate
heights in Europe. This bloodline
has attained immeasurable acclaim
and value in all of Europe.
Congratulations for the vision for
Elevage de la Buise and Cedric.
Samis Just Bananas Prema
donna
and Bill McKew
A wonderful little buckskin filly was
born by Top Banana in 1991. She
seemed to be too good to be true.
Samis Just Bananas Premadonna was
one of those foals that you’d dream
about. She was born showing; always
upright and always a little prissy. Tui
and I both successfully showed her
until our dear friends Lee and Bill
McKew took us to dinner one
evening. They had become attached
to the prissy little filly and wanted to
purchase her. It was Lee who had
christened her with that barn name
and it had stuck. Prissy and Bill had
something special between them,
they really were a team. Bill took her
to an AMHA Reserve Grand World
Champion Senior Mare win that year
as well as allowing Tui Scheuring to
show her to a unanimous World
Champion Youth Mare, two years
running. Thank you Bill and Lee in
your belief in this bloodline. Prissy
has gone on to produce several
champion horses to honor her sire.
We would like to mention
some of the wonderful and
talented horses, blessed
with the Shadow Oaks Top
Banana bloodline, that
have graced the World
Show arena. As he looks
down from his celestial
pasture he would like to
offer his tribute…
Samis Indiana de Banana
Sami’s Mr Banana Chip
Sami’s Lil Moon Man
Sami’s Nit Wit Banana bit
Sami’s Sids Savoy
Sami’s Tripoli
Sami’s No Slack
Banana Jack
Sami’s Vegas Nights
Sami’s Simone
Sami’s Just Banana’s
Premadonna
Sami’s Sax 5th Ave
Sami’s Kid Banana
Sami’s Two Timer Regalaire
Sami’s Rocket Squirrel
Sami’s Quo Vadis
Sami’s Lil Bananas Lassie
Samis Zkinny Dipper
Sami’s Ya Betta Believe It
Samis Avatar
Sami’s Zatsa A Doozie
Sami’s Joe Cool
Sami’s Plaid Pants
Sami’s Xcept Me Aziam
Wild Spirits Wind Runner
Sami’s VIP Mr. John
Sami’s Quiz Kid
Sami’s Whoose
Your Daddy
Sami’s Too Quick To Pick
Sami’s Heckler
Sami’s Heza Banana Lad
And to all the Banana horses
that are loved by their people not mentioned here,
they are appreciated no less
and continue to be part of
this legend!
As a performance legacy, Top Banana
is just that. He produces athletic natural moving horses. These horses get
better with age as they have been
placed where they get the maximum
of training and care. They possess a
willingness to please and have a sense
of understanding so needed in the
tasks they are asked to perform.
Michelle and Monty Meacham purchased Samis Mr Banana Chip and
loved and showed him to over twenty
AMHA World Grand and Reserve and
Honor Roll Titles including Reserve
World Champion Halter Stallion. He
made his daddy so proud! Monty and
Michelle also owned and showed
Samis Nit Wit Banana Bit to several
Roadster, Liberty and Honor Roll
Championships.
Our hearts were heavy in November
2006 when we lost our dear friend
Shadow Oaks Top Banana. With his
passing he took a little of us with him
but what he left us was an amazing
legacy. He left us a strong prolific
bloodline where breeders of vision
continue to request his presence in
their own.
Through this bloodline we have
made some lifelong relationships.
We have extended our family with
those who believed in Top Banana.
In the show arena today the Blanton
family enjoy the Top Banana legacy
and as Youth and Amateurs have won
several World Championships and
Open World Championships with
Samis Tripoli, Samis Sids Savoy and
Samis Quizkid. Their belief and dedication to the Top Banana bloodline
has taken them to the joys only a few
will ever know.
Samis Nit Wit Banana Bit
and Sami
Samis Vegas Knight, Samis Sid Savoy, and Samis Tripoli. Grand and Reserve Champions
in Single, Classic and Roadster driving at the 2010 Western Championship Show.
Full Brothers-Grandsons of Shadow Oaks Top Banana.
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