A Lifelong Honor: Local Horse Named World’s Oldest Living by Guinness World Records
Written by Sarah Hickner | Photos by Gracie Savage
Success, to most of us, looks like tricolor ribbons, polished trophies, or, in the Western riding world, rows of belt buckles. For local equestrian Paige Blumer, success has a different shape entirely: it stands on four legs and answers to the name Fancy.
Tracies Lil Kleberg, known simply as Fancy, is a bay American quarter horse mare who has lived an extraordinary life. Recently recognized as the world’s oldest living horse by Guinness World Records, Fancy’s story is not just about longevity, but about partnership and full-circle moments.
Beautiful Beginnings
For Blumer, that story began when she was just 8 years old. At the time, Fancy was living at an equestrian farm in Lucketts, Virginia, owned by Gary and Lisa Cox. Blumer rode there regularly, learning the sport of team penning. Among the horses she rode in lessons and competition was a mare who went by the name Josey Wales. Blumer was drawn to Josey Wales’ personality and the feeling of safety the horse provided.
When Blumer discovered that the mare was for sale, she did what any horse-loving child would do: she begged. Her parents, however, insisted they weren’t ready to buy a horse. But sometimes even parents can’t say no to a perfect partnership.
In June of 2000, after a team penning competition, Blumer’s father and Gary Cox walked her down the barn aisle to the mare’s stall. Cox turned to her and asked, “What would you say if I told you your dad bought this horse for you?”
Blumer says, “I immediately started sobbing.”
Fancy was 12 years old when she became part of the family, and with that new chapter came a new name — one that Blumer felt better suited the mare’s beauty and personality.
A Life Well Lived
Blumer and Fancy spent years competing in United States Team Penning Association events, traveling across the country. One of the most memorable trips was to Amarillo, Texas, for Nationals.
The duo has grown up together, from 8 and 12 years old to well into their 30s. They aren’t kids anymore. “It’s been a lifelong honor,” Blumer says. “She’s taught me so much. And honestly, she’s taught me even more as I’ve gotten older.”
While the shows and cross-country travel were memorable adventures, Blumer’s favorite moment was when she introduced her daughter to Fancy. “That’s been a full-circle moment for me,” Blumer shares.
Today, Fancy is retired and living in Aldie, enjoying a slower pace of life. Her days are spent in a dry lot at the center of the property, where she lives with her donkey friend, Rosie.
Fancy’s life hasn’t been without struggle. She suffered from colic a few years ago. The veterinarian was convinced she might find cancer, but after a thorough exam, there was no cancer or any other noticeable issues. Blumer attributed that to her good foundational quarter horse bloodlines.
“She’s incredibly tough,” Blumer says. “Nothing really slows her down.”
A Recipe for Good Health
Now in her later years, Fancy also manages Cushing’s disease, a common metabolic condition in older horses. This requires regular medication and a very careful diet that’s low in sugar. Her grain needs to be soaked and she’s fed a special hay that’s safe for horses with Cushing’s disease to digest. But with attentive care and a strong support team, she continues to thrive.
Blumer is quick to credit the equestrian community in Northern Virginia for that success.
“We’re so lucky to be in such a horsey area,” she says. “We have some of the most unbelievable veterinarians and specialists.”
When Fancy injured her eye, she was seen by an ophthalmologist and in surgery the very same day. Her farrier, who recently relocated out of state, returned to the area to care for Fancy’s hooves for her 38th birthday.
Blumer and her young daughter, Quinn, visit Fancy daily, taking her on what they call “old lady walks.” Fancy loves to make her rounds, drawing the attention of the geldings as she passes by. “She’s got certain boys she likes to visit on our walks around the farm!” Blumer says with a laugh. “Fancy brings all the boys to the yard, still!”
While Fancy has been retired for over a decade, Quinn will occasionally sit on her for short rides. They also give Fancy weekly baths in the summer and regularly ice her legs. Blumer is passing on more than an affinity for horses; she’s showing Quinn how to love well.
A Lineage of Excellence
Fancy’s health and resilience may be rooted, in part, in her lineage. She is a foundational quarter horse, with bloodlines that trace back to Leo, one of the most influential quarter horse sires in the early years of the American Quarter Horse Association.
In an even more interesting piece of her legacy, she was bred by the Paylor family, who once managed Leesburg’s historic Beacon Hill Farm for Arthur Godfrey. The Paylor family relocated to Kansas to work with Kansas State University’s breeding program, where Fancy herself was eventually bred and born. The mare who started in the Midwest has spent most of her life living just down the road from where her ancestors once stood.
The American Quarter Horse Association is considering Blumer and Fancy for one of its highest honors, a place in the AQHA Hall of Fame. While that recognition would mean a great deal, and seeing Fancy named by Guinness World Records has been exciting, Blumer says the real gift has been a life with her horse and the chance to share that same love with her daughter. ML
Published in the May 2026 issue of Middleburg Life.