gen·er·ous

/ˈjen(ə)rəs/ - adjective
(of a person) showing a readiness to give more of something, as money or time, than is strictly necessary or expected.

We cannot put into words how thankful Operation Unicorn is for the overwhelming support from the Barrel Racing Industry.  YOU helped raise over $275,000 to be donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation in just 2 events!

THAT IS AMAZING!!!!

The kindness and generosity from those that donated and gave to help Operation Unicorn is truly remarkable. Our mission is to assist the Special Operations Warrior Foundation in meeting their effort to provide full financial assistance for the education of the children of fallen Special Operators and Medal of Honor recipients.

The 2021 Pink Buckle Sale was our inaugural event and we raised almost $150,000!!  After overwhelming support from the industry and a very successful event, we approached Crystal Nichols about donating an embryo from the great NB LADYBIRD.  Without hesitation, she said “ABSOULTELY”! We then began seeking council about the best stallion to cross her with for next the Unicorn.  Tres Seis was an easy choice!  Crystal reached out to Chelly & Mario Zerlotti, Guy Peixoto Jr. and Blessed River Ranch and they were all very happy to donate the Tres Seis breeding to Operation Unicorn. We contacted ViaGen Equine, and they also were eager to provide the ICSI services at no charge. For the second year, Royal Vista Southwest donated the Embryo Transfer services 

Andreini and Company/Lance Robinson once again secured an insurance policy on the embryo until the fall of the hammer at the 2022 Pink Buckle Sale. Many of you are aware that mares don’t always stay in foal, especially the great ones (…or so it seems). This insurance has become so important to our mission because it means that if the recipient mare failed to maintain the pregnancy until the sale, resulting in no embryo to auction off, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation would still get $100,000!!!! How amazing is that?!?!?

Thankfully, we were able to bring a recipient to the 2022 Pink Buckle Sale carrying the Tres Seis x NB Ladybird embryo and it sold for a whopping $66,000 to Canadian River Quarter Horses. The Pink Buckle allows us to auction the Unicorn with NO consignment fee, NO commission, NO advertising fees… nothing… NO FEES!!!!  That allows us to be able to donate 100% of the sale directly to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation!! We could not do this without their support!  Thank you to EVERYONE at Pink Buckle!!!

Just the sale of that embryo would have made a great donation to the Special Operation Warrior Foundation!  However, numerous stallion owners/agents agreed to donate breedings to a silent auction that was held in conjunction to the Pink Buckle Sale.  The silent auction was again hosted by Dave and Gail Mattern of Barrel Horse World. This year we were able to raise and additional $60,800!!!!

Many people stopped by our booth to buy raffle tickets to win a prize pack including a YETI Cooler, Classic boots and brushes, Hay Chix hay nets, a few Operation Unicorn YETI tumblers and caps and an entire pallet of Beet Pulp provided by Midwest Agri.  The lucky winner of the prize pack was 5-year-old, Race Torgerson, from Richfield, Utah. Race and his family were thrilled at all the goodies they won!

There were 5 methods we used to drive donations to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

- Sale of the Tres Seis x MB Ladybird Unicorn (Lot #55)
- Stallion Silent Auction breedings
- Sale of Operation Unicorn YETI Tumblers and Caps
- Sale of Raffle Tickets
- And QR Codes for donations directly to SOWF

 These efforts have allowed us to donate almost $130,000 during the 2022 Pink Buckle!

During the last few months, Crystal Nichols has laid her heart out and supported all that we are about.  We would like to announce that she is now a PERMANENT member of Operation Unicorn.  She has shown such dedication to our cause.  John, Becky and Allison are all so excited that she is going to be an integral part of helping Operation Unicorn do all we can to further our mission and bring as much awareness of what Special Operations Warrior Foundation is all about.

Our goal is to continue the effort at the 2023 Pink Buckle Event.  We are already on the hunt for our next Unicorn to be offered.  We will be reaching out next year to more stallion owners/agents allowing them to opportunity to support Operation Unicorn through the Silent Stallion Auction and we would like to invite you to consider supporting our endeavors again next year.

The effort and sacrifice of the men and women who faithfully and selflessly serve our great country are the ONLY REASON that we can do things like enjoy horse events with our friends and family.  We have been so humbled by the numbers of people that shared their personal stories of how the military and special operators have affected their lives. There were stories about family members currently serving, friends and family that have been lost serving, and veterans sharing extremely moving experiences they faced. So many stories were shared with us that week and it is these intimate moments that keep us focused on our mission.

Thank you to all of you that had a hand in helping us.  It means more than we can ever express!

Sincerely,

Operation Unicorn – John and Becky Maubach, Allison Dawson, Crystal Nichols

 

2022 Sponsors

Nickelbar Ranch

Tres Seis

Zerlotti Genetics

Blessed River Ranch

Pink Buckle Sale

Andreini and Company 

Barrel Horse World

Boehringer Ingelheim 

Classic Equine 

Hay Chix 

Impressions Printing

Midwest Agri

Probity Photography And Design 

Royal B Threads 

Royal Vista Southwest

ViaGen Equine 

 

STALLIONS that donated to the silent auction! 
A Guy With Proof 
A Streak Of Fling 
AL Capone
Blazin Honor
BR Golden Leader
CSR Dual Glo
Dollys Streaknbadger 
Eddie Stinson 
Epic Leader 
Epically Famous 
Feel The Sting 
Freighttrain B
French Empire
Guys Eye Paint 
KR Fantallicka 
KVN Corona 
Ivory James 
Metallic Malice
MP My Goodbye Stings
No Pressure On Me
PC Redwood Manny 
Quahadi
Roarrr 
Shawne Bug Leo 
Sheik Jean Fly HHT 
Slick By Design
Streakin Boon Dox 
The Goodbye Lane - ICIS ONLY***
The Kingsman 
Traffic Guy
Unbullyvable