It was a twist of fate that brought Ron Hevener and his prized stallion, Nahgua, together.

Hevener, an author and artist, was living in Philadelphia in the 1980s when he felt the urge to return home to Lancaster County. He was drawn to the familiar grounds of the New Holland Sales Stables, where he had hoped to purchase a horse, but sales were finished by the time he arrived.

Hevener then caught a glimpse of Nahgua, a Bay Arabian stallion, pacing around in a back stable.

"It was the horse I had been picturing," Hevener, who participates in dog and horse shows, said. A sales official told Hevener that Nahgua had been auctioned off for slaughter, but that he was willing to sell the stallion to Hevener instead. Hevener had just enough money on him.

"It was right to the penny," Hevener said. "I was starting to feel like it was meant to be."

Perhaps it was. The night that Hevener moved back to Lancaster to care for Nahgua there was a random shooting and murder outside his Philadelphia apartment.

Hevener went on to document his experiences with Nahgua in his 2000 book "Fate of the Stallion," which he later adapted for the screen. In early June, "From the Pages of a Novel" debuted on Nicker Network, an online television program for horse lovers.

Hevener was on hand Sunday afternoon at the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau for film screenings and autographs.

Outside the bureau building stood Selket Louchiano, the Arabian stallion that played Nahgua in the film. Nahgua died two years ago, just months after Hevener purchased Selket Louchiano.

Selket Louchiano is a favorite among visitors, said Maxine Bochnia, whose photography is featured in the film.

"I think he enjoys the adulation he receives wherever he goes," she said. Selket Louchiano, a halter champion and champion sport, playfully nudged visitors and fed on grass during the event.

Also present were Selket Louchiano's trainers, Judi and Christi Scott of WaterGap Stables in Christiana.

It seems appropriate that Hevener's film highlights the scenic fields and stables of Lancaster.

"I grew up in farm country playing with Amish and Mennonite children, my neighbors in the Dutch country," he said.

Even more fitting is the fact that the the film screening was on Father's Day, Hevener said.

"It really is a father story," he said. "It's about a broken family who lives with a broken horse. Both get a second chance."

The 30-minute film tells the story of Nahgua, which in Arabic means "guardian spirit in the form of an animal." The injured racehorse is cast out of the racing world and brought to a stable to be auctioned off. There he is found by an owner distressed over divorce.

Hevener found himself ready to leave city life and once again become involved with horses. Before he was injured, Nahgua was Michigan's Arab Race Colt of the Year. Under Hevener's ownership, Nahgua was registered as an Arabian Race Cup sire.

The film uses stock footage from the Delaware Park Racetrack, but all the original scenes were shot in Lancaster. Hevener even pays homage to New Holland Sales Stables.

"That's where I've found some of my best horses," Hevener said. "That's where I found my Nahgua."

E-mail: kobrien@lnpnews.com