Hawaii Horse Expo 2016 gets underway Saturday and Sunday at Pukalani Stables in Waimea with a celebration of “Horsemanship with Aloha,” including the presentation of the prestigious Mana Award sponsored by Veterinary Associates.
Hawaii Horse Expo 2016 gets underway Saturday and Sunday at Pukalani Stables in Waimea with a celebration of “Horsemanship with Aloha,” including the presentation of the prestigious Mana Award sponsored by Veterinary Associates.
The Mana Award, honoring those who inspire and educate, will be presented to Arthur Morgan Brown III by Dr. Billy Bergin at 12:30 p.m. Sunday via Skype. The award is named after an abandoned mare named Mana who spent the final months of her life in the care of the Hawaii Island Humane Society Waimea Shelter.
“Morgan,” as he is known to all, was a prominent Waimea horseman who was instrumental in formalizing the Hawaii Quarter Horse Association and establishing the youth chapter in Hawaii.
Born in Hilo and raised on Keauhou Ranch in Volcano, Brown moved with his family to Waimea in 1937. His father established A Lazy B Ranch and Brown took the reins shortly after his father died. Buster Brown, the large puu behind Waimea, was named for Morgan Brown’s father.
Morgan Brown had a passion for horses — rope horses, cow horses and race horses. He sponsored several relay teams at Panaewa and Paniolo Park. Brown was a charter member of the Hawaii Quarter Horse Association and served as president, board member and adviser for many years. One of his greatest contributions was instructing and encouraging youth classes in the association. In later years, A Lazy B Ranch was the site of University of Hawaii at Hilo animal science courses where Brown provided workshops in horsemanship and ranch management.
In addition to being an excellent horseman, Brown also was a first-rate cattleman. In the 1950s, he and Anna Perry Fiske were among the first to import Charolais cattle to the state.
Brown has since retired to California, along with his wife, Carol, and the rest of their family, where he continues to raise quality quarter horses and a commercial cattle herd.
Past Mana Award recipients are Laura Rose (2010), Pudding Lassiter (2011), Franz Dick Solmssen (2012), Edwin Nobriga and Wallie Kimura-Nobriga (2013) and Fern White (2014).
Hawaii Horse Expo 2016 events include clinics and hands-on workshops, demonstrations, a silent auction, ono kau kau, mobile animal adoptions and a special paniolo blessing by the Puu Moi Riders.
Proceeds from Hawaii Horse Expo benefit the Hawaii Island Humane Society’s Horse Rescue Fund, which helps abused and abandoned horses on the island.
Hawaii Horse Expo weekend and single-day passes are on sale at Hawaii Island Humane Society Waimea, Keaau and Kona shelters, Parker Ranch Store in Waimea and Alfalfa Hay and Cubes in Paauilo.
For more information and ongoing program updates, visit HawaiiHorseExpo.com.