Walking To New Heights With MG Above The Rest

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By Sarah Gee
© Voice, November 2005

MG Above The Rest’s story is one of success through patience and caring. Bred and raised by Mr. and Mrs. Benny Beard of Double B Farms in Troy, Alabama, MG Above The Rest or MG, as he is commonly called, is by the ever-popular Gen.’s Major General and out of Elusive Favorite, the dam of Generators Showboat. MG’s ancestors include such greats as Pride Of Midnight H.F., Sun’s Delight D., Merry Go Boy, and, of course, Midnight Sun. He is a beautiful 16.2 hand sorrel stallion with a flaxen mane and tail.

Jimmy Martin of Cornersville, Tennessee started MG under saddle. A video made by another of Jimmy’s customers brought the big stallion, then three years old, to the attention of Tom and Sissy Weese. Sissy recalls, “Steve and Lisa Howard had a horse in training at Jimmy’s and on a visit they saw MG work. They knew I was looking for a big sorrel stallion with a light mane and tail so they taped him. After viewing the video, I showed it to Allen Abee to get his reaction. Allen felt it would be worth it to go check the horse out in person so he and Tom Shipman went to Jimmy’s. They really liked what they saw and brought him home. Allen was a bit worried that I would be turned off by the horse’s big head but I never noticed. For me it was love at first sight.”

Following his move to Abee Stables, MG was shown sparingly as a three and four-year-old. Because of his size and his great potential, the decision was made to bring him along slowly. In his earliest show ring appearances, he tended to loose focus and it took some time for him to develop. But, once he did there was no stopping him.

MG began his career as a stake horse as a five-year-old in 2002. He captured blues that year at the North Carolina Foothills Jubilee and the Lenoir Optimist Club horse show.

He continued to mature over the next winter and fully came into his own during the 2003 show season. His 2003 wins included the South Carolina Ladies Auxiliary Show, Walking For The Children in Dallas, North Carolina, Land O Sky, North Carolina Championships, and the East Tennessee Fall Classic. He also walked away with an impressive second place tie at Belfast and a fifth place ribbon from the Celebration.

Truly on his way as a stake horse, by the end of the 2003 season he had amassed a strong national fan base ranging from folks in the stands to professional trainers. MG’s success continued in 2004 as he stacked up blues from the South Carolina Ladies Auxiliary Show, Walking For The Children in Dallas, North Carolina, Land O Sky, Belfast, and the East Tennessee Fall Classic.

MG’s most recent season, 2005, saw him take victory passes at Walking For The Children in Dallas, North Carolina, the East Tennessee Classic, and the South Carolina Championships and the North Carolina Championships.

Add to that a strong second at the South Carolina Ladies Auxiliary Horse Show and a sixth place tie at the Celebration and you have yet another strong season for MG.

Because of his superior lineage, disposition, and ability, there has been tremendous interest regarding MG’s breeding career. After quite a bit of thought, the Weeses have decided that, since he is such a popular show ring contender, his residence in the breeding shed will be delayed for now. Plans call for him to be shown sparingly in order for his show career to be extended. Hopefully, MG will be a show ring presence for some time to come.

MG Above The Rest’s entire stake career has been spent under the direction of Rick and Allen Abee at Rick Abee Stables. Of the Abee Stables team or the “A Team,” Sissy states, “I can’t say enough good things about Rick and Allen Abee. They are honest and hardworking. Above all, they are very talented horsemen that truly love MG. Their and my first priority has always been to give MG the best care. I never worry about him because the Abees treat him like one of their own. They’ve always been in agreement that any decisions should be based on what was best for the horse, not just what would get us to the winner’s circle the fastest.”

MG is truly blessed to have such a caring and devoted team behind him. Of course, the team is equally blessed to have such a talented and beautiful horse. Sissy declares, “I feel so blessed that God has given me this wonderful horse. God has had his hand on this from the beginning and I so thank him, MG is our walking miracle. He has gone above and beyond everything we ever dreamed, and only God can produce that kind of miracle.”