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Press Release,  Hayward, California
Nachi Sunshine to Retire 
September, 2003

Warpaint, the wonder endurance Appaloosa, is retiring from endurance at
the end of the 2003 ride season.  This day had to come, it's just part
of life when we have friends and animals that grow older.  It is a good
time to stop- he'll be twenty years old soon, and has been ridden hard
ever since he was six years old.  But that's okay, that has always been
his life- going down the trail, hard and fast. 

Warpaint came into our lives in 1990, thanks to our dear friend Jean
Schreiber, who I still hold responsible for what has happened to my
life.  She helped me find a first horse for my wife Judy, and who would
have ever guessed we would have ended up with a horse like this?
Warpaint is one of those double whorled horses, and that is supposed to
make him "gifted, but difficult."  Yes, those three words are the best
explanation for this horse.  His life has always been about going fast.
He really believes that there is no reason in the world to do anything
other than going flat out, as often as he can, for as long as he can.
The perfect endurance horse!  

We almost lost him in 1994 when he developed enteroliths, those softball
size stones that develop in the horse's intestines.   He recovered from
the surgery to continue doing rides.  He had to, there was no other
option!  He has come back from several potentially career ending
injuries over the years, we often liked to joke that he always took the
summer off due to one injury or another.  But he would not stop coming
back.  He couldn't.  Not him.  

He's an Appy that did not realize it, he thinks he's a Thoroughbred, or
an Arab, or some combination of the two.  He truly believes that it's
just not right for there to be a horse in front of him, anywhere, for
any reason, ever, period.  A lot of horses like to catch the horse in
front of them, but then are not sure what to do.  Warpaint?  He knows.
His mission is to leave them ten miles back, and as quickly as possible.
The perfect endurance horse!

Thee are too many stories, too many incredible rides, too many amazing
things that this horse has done, for me to begin to list here.   Three
for five at Tevis, Race of Champions, many 100's and multidays, several
Appy association awards, the first horse and rider to reach 1000 miles
at the Death Valley ride.  He's never won a race, (third, though, and
many top tens), mostly because we never let him.  We've shown him for BC
a few times, but it's pretty comical to see the big nosed, spotted
wonder trying to out show the incredible Arabs.  He's still trying to
pass them while they are trotting out! 

I'll be taking him to the AERC Championship ride in October, then to the
Las Vegas three-day ride over the Thanksgiving weekend, which will be
his last ride.  We need two more completions to get him to 4000 miles,
which will be a nice place to stop.  (He'll make it to 4100, I'm sure)
If all goes as planned, I'll have a little retirement party for him in
Las Vegas; that's appropriate enough, seeing as how I grew up there, and
still get a real kick out of riding in the area.   Be sure to stop by
and say hi to him, he'll either be eating, or wishing the stupid ride
would start, already!

It has been so much fun to ride him, and to be able to share his
adventures with everyone.  It's so neat- everyone knows him: riders,
vets, and the best is when people I don't even know who come up and ask
if that's Warpaint, or better yet, they say "That MUST be Warpaint!"
Yes, that's Warpaint, the one and only wonder Appaloosa.  The trails of
the West just won't seem the same with him not out there. 

Nick Warhol
Hayward, Ca.


PS:   Not to worry, there will still be stories to come, but they won't
be the same without Nachi Sunshine.   Stay tuned, though, as I am going
to write a book about him, and will share it with the endurance and
Ridecamp community that has meant so much to Judy and I over the years.

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