AQHA Announces Equine Public Service Award Winner-- El Ninos Poco Will Be Honored at Great Midwest International Horse Show

Amarillo, Texas - October 18, 2002 - El Ninos Poco, a 1998 bay gelding, will be honored on Friday, October 18 at the Great Midwest International Quarter Horse Show in Valley City, North Dakota. AQHA Director Dorvan Solberg of Ray, North Dakota will present the award to El Ninos Poco and his owner Terry Nowacki of Argyle, Minnesota. Presentation of the award will be at 2 p.m.

Announced in 2001, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Equine Public Service Award recognizes an outstanding American Quarter Horse that works in the public service sector (i.e. police horse, parks mounted rangers, beach patrol, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, border patrol, sheriff's posse, etc).

"This award was created based on the special role American Quarter Horses fill for the public's safety," said Bill Brewer, AQHA Executive Vice President. "We have seen the importance that horses play during times of celebration and tragedy. We wanted to recognize the often unsung heroes of many public service organizations."

El Ninos Poco, a member of the Marshall Couny Minnesota Sheriff's Posse has been specially trained in search and rescue operations and is the first horse to be certified in Air Scenting in the United States. Air Scenting is a search tool used to find missing people-animals can be trained to follow an airborne human scent to its source. El Ninos Poco has achieved this level of training with the help of his owner.

El Ninos Poco has been featured in several newspaper, radio and television articles because of his special abilities. He also was featured at the NASAR National Convention in 2001 and 2002.

For the AQHA Equine Public Service Award, the horse must be a living, registered American Quarter Horse and must meet the following qualifications:

El Ninos Poco will receive a specially designed engraved halter and presented a certificate. An additional certificate of achievement will be presented to the Marshall County Minnesota Sheriff's Posse. El Ninos Poco also will receive coverage in AQHA's member magazine America's Horse, and on its weekly television program "America's Horse" on the Outdoor Life Network.