Like many horse lovers, I grew up fascinated by movies and television. To me, a kid from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, whose family roots were in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, television was something many people didn't have and movies were a special treat. I guess that sounds like a long time ago, and almost as if I came from another land to some of my readers. Maybe so. But, it was a good land.

I didn't start out knowing how to produce films. I started out as an
artist, and I was lucky. I painted pictures, and I made clay souvenirs
for tourists at the popular farmers markets throughout Lancaster
County. Every week, I rented a space at places like "Roots Sale" or
"The Green Dragon" or the Downingtown Farmers Market. Every week, I
showed up with my clay, and my figurines of dogs, horses and all kinds
of animals. Every week, I had new stories to tell.

I chose animals because I loved them. I understood them. I was
fascinated by how excited people became when they found their favorite
animals on my table, or on my easel.

I started out selling my souvenirs for fifty cents apiece. Today, that
doesn't sound like much, but it was enough to cover my rent every
week. It was also enough to officially make me a professional artist,
making a living from my own work and on my own terms.

Because my customers were tourists from faraway cities, it wasn't long
before they were asking me to send presents to their friends and loved
ones. My work began to reach New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami
and Los Angeles. At nineteen, the skinny kid telling stories as he made clay
souvenirs of dogs and horses, chickens and cows and wildlife was a national artist.

It was an exciting time. I loved wrapping the figurines and carefully
boxing them up for shipment to places I had never seen. How well
I remember my first order from another country.

In time, as my studio developed, orders for Hevener figurines became
so great that my home was taken over by stacks of shipping boxes, rows
and rows of shelves for storage, and tables covered with paints and
art supplies of every kind. By then, I was setting up my wares at
horse shows and dog shows, too. I was packing my car, and traveling
for weekends to places I had never been before. I was making new
friends and learning about the fine skills of animal showmanship. One
might say, I was part of "animal theater" on the world stage.

As an artist, it was a natural progression for me to seek out
information. True, I had always raised animals of one kind or another.
Birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, puppies, kittens, lambs, calves … just
to name a few! But, something in me wanted more. Maybe I wanted to
"catch up" with the mystery of the ancients, I don't know. But, the
serious side of me ended up studying at a place called the North
Museum of Natural History. I studied there, as the unpaid apprentice
of the museum's preparator of exhibits, for two years. I loved it
there. As the only student of the retired professors who maintained
offices in the museum's various departments, I left my years at the
museum appreciating astronomy, art, oceanography, anatomy … in ways I
could never have discovered otherwise.

My personal life was in a turmoil in those years. Looking back at all
the responsibility I shouldered, I don't think anyone realized how
much stress and pressure I was under. From week to week, I never knew
what my income would be; but the costs were rising. A big cost was
emotional, and it wasn't long before my little family collapsed. The
years of doubt and sadness that followed weren't pretty. But, I think
anyone studying my work through the 1970's and 80's would be
hard-pressed to find any sad-looking Hevener figurines or paintings.

Maybe I was able to "compartmentalize" my life. Maybe I was lucky.
Maybe I was just a realist, accepting that there could never be a "normal"
family life for one who was -- and always would be -- so devoted to his work. On the other hand, maybe I was just like so many other horse lovers out there, patching together my jeans, holding on to my dreams and starting over.

I started thinking about horses in a different way. After all, they couldn't feed themselves. They couldn't take themselves to the vet. They couldn't take classes or go to shows and see others of their own kind .... Hey .... Wait a minute. This feels just like having kids! Changing our outlook can make all the difference in how we handle life. I would have lots and lots of animals!

Once that was decided, I was happy again. Hevener figurines became
more distinctive and the team of people who really put the Hevener
Collection together -- and who manage it today -- came into being. The
studio, the kennels, the stables all in a setting surrounded by
wildlife … it's a good place to think and to dream. It's a very good
place to write stories like "Fate of the Stallion," and to launch
stories into films.

FILMMAKER . . . .

Because feature film production is out of my league, it was necessary
to convey the story in a brief film version. Generally, a ten or
twenty-minute presentation is made to "shop" or "pitch" the idea to
professionals in the entertainment business. In our case, we decided
to expand our presentation into thirty minutes and produce it as a
do*****entary of the novel. With that approach in mind, "Fate of the
Stallion … From The Pages of a Novel" was born.

Production started in October 2006, with the purchase of the stallion
to portray the lead character in the film. He wasn't easy to find.

Since the story was about "Nahgua" a real Arabian stallion known by
many people around the world, the one to portray him in a film had to
be the same breed, the same color, and bear the same markings that he
did.

There was one complication, however. When painting the illustrations
for the book, I had taken some "creative license"… I had made Nahgua
"cuter" and more appealing in the face . . . And (OK, I admit it) I
had made him "a lot" taller than he really was. Too -- at least a
whole "Hand" taller, to be precise.

In horse terms, a Hand can make quite a difference. Measuring about
four inches, it not only makes a horse taller, but -- with the
accompanying body mass -- considerably bigger the whole way around! In
Arabians, this is especially hard to find.

There was only one place to find such Arabian horses, and that was in
the herd of my friend, Jim Andreson, of Selket Arabians fame. Being
over six feet tall himself, Jim has always bred his horses taller than
average and his herd goes back almost fifty years. Did he have a horse
for our film? Not only did Jim have a horse, but he had a bay colt who
fit the bill perfectly.

The colt was well into his show career. A grandson of Jim's 16.2 Hand
world champion named * Furno Khamal, and a son of U.S. Reserve
National Champion Da Vinci FM, he was already making a name for
himself on the regional level. Very soon, he would become a Supreme
Champion Sport Horse (in hand) and he was on his way to a promising
show career. Sight unseen -- strictly on Jim's word -- Louchiano was
purchased for the film. I was hoping I had made the right choice!

I met Louchiano at the U.S. Arabian Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky.
I arrived on a rainy night and wanted to see Louchiano right away.
Together with Jim and fellow breeder Jan Campbell of "Influence
Arabians," I was driven through the back lot of the show grounds to
the stalls of trainers Al and Glenna Gruppen. Others may have seen me
riding a golf cart in the rain, but I was remembering when I first met
Nahgua, so many years before. It was raining then, too. Only, this
time, instead of finding my horse in a back stall of an auction barn,
I was finding him in good hands, with people who loved him.

The stall was glowing with light. In the center, beautifully groomed
and cared for, was the tallest young Arabian stallion I had ever seen.
I'm sure my heart forgot to take a few beats when I stood there,
asking myself if this horse was real. I stepped closer … and then he
did what only Nahgua had done until that moment. He leaned his head
down and kissed my face. I was a goner.

I had found a horse who loved people. That much was certain. But, what
would he be like in front of a crowd? The next day was the real test.
I didn't have long to wait.

As Aretha Franklin wailed "Who's Zoomin Who" over the sound system and
the arena echoed with applause and screams, over twenty young
stallions rushed into the ring for the Stallion Futurity class.

Towering above the rest, Louchiano calmly handled the lights, the
cameras, the action. I knew, if Paramount Studios itself had hired me
to find a stallion for a movie, I would have picked this one. I knew
we had found ourselves a star.

That moment is when production began in earnest for "Fate of the
Stallion." Although he was scheduled to travel to Scottsdale for the
prestigious Arabian show there, Louchiano was moved to Pennsylvania,
instead. We had work to do. We had to know how he would handle a
different kind of crowd. We had to get him started under saddle. And,
of course, we needed to secure foals to him.

Within months, Louchiano was presented at one of the most
widely-attended horse Expos in the Mid-Atlantic region. A few months
later, he was winning at regional shows in the East, and by Summer --
after being under saddle only one month -- he was competing at the
East Coast Arabian Championships. Much of our filming took place at
that show, on the beautiful grounds of the old Quentin Riding Club,
where the story itself took place.

Rick Fett, the innovative horse photographer, came in from Michigan
and spent a week filming for us. Maxine Bochnia, the popular animal
photographer got some wonderful stills for us. Judi and Christi Scott
of WaterGap Stables handled and trained Louchiano beautifully. Christi
rode him very well in the film and his biggest fan, Olga Link, was
there to cheer him on. Louchiano was surrounded by friends.

When filming was done, the work of editing began. This wasn't easy! It
took many months and a few tears over what ended up on the cutting
room floor. Finally, we had ourselves a script, and a film about the
making of a novel … but what about music?

Anyone who loves movies knows how important music is to a story. In
our case, we thought we might use material I had previously recorded
over the years. But photographer Maxine Bochnia had seen the
award-winning film, "Mystery of the Nile" in her travels and she had
fallen in love with the music. We had to hear it. She insisted!
Finally, I gave in … and I knew this exotic sound was right for the
story. Could I license one of the songs?

It took a while to find the production company for "Mystery of the
Nile," but we finally got through to them, in Spain. No, we could not
use the song in their movie; but, they were kind enough to put us in
touch with its composer, David Giro'.

I liked David right away. He was serious about his work and very
professional. I felt like we could get something important done. We
sent him some of our footage and he agreed to write a special song
just for the film. As it turned out, he ended up scoring the whole
film and I hope to work with David on all of my productions from now
on.

David wrote the music, and words were added to the song that became
known as "Never Let Me Go" -- an exotic, passionate call for love. It
was exactly what "Fate of the Stallion" had always been about.

There are many people to thank when it comes to making a film. Nobody
can do it alone. "Fate of the Stallion" . . . from novel, to film, to song . . . has been one of the greatest adventures of my life. I hope its message -- that love is just around the corner, just around the far turn, just across the finish line -- is understood. I hope -- every time they fall and get up again -- that horse lovers reflect on second chances in this crazy world we live in, and find their way . . . over, under or around anything that ever stands in their way.

- Ron Hevener.

==============================

PLEASE NOTE:

From the links on this announcement, you can:

1. See a stallion video of Selket Louchiano.
2. See the movie trailer for Ron Hevener's do*****entary that is based
on his novel, "Fate of the Stallion."
3. Hear Ron Hevener singing the title song from his do*****entary -
entitled "Never Let Me Go."

(Announcement Design by Arabhorse.com - Photo by Maxine Bochnia)

==============================

Submitted by Ron Hevener's Publicist
1338 Mountain Road
Manheim, PA 17545
717-664-5089
www.RonHevener.com
www.SelketArabians.com

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