44 August, 1962 Vic Thompson ' s New 300-Foof Concrete Barn Called Pattern
44 August, 1962 Vic Thompson ' s New 300-Foof Concrete Barn Called Pattern
Vic Thompson’ s Tennessee’ Walking Horse Stables of Shelbyville moved to a new location July 21st and occupied a 44-stall concrete block barn that may set a pattern in permanent, functional, year-around Walking Horse facilities. The 300-foot long building is 50 feet wide with a 26-foot walkway and a quonset type aluminum roof. It is located eight miles northwest of Shelbyville on U. S. 41-A( The Unionville Highway).
Every stall is occupied and more than 100 other horses are in pasture on the 244-acre farm— formerly known as the Spencer A. Clardy Farm but bought several months ago by Thompson. Erection of a residence for Mr. and Mrs. Thompson and their two daughters, Vicki Lynn and Cathy, is due to begin soon.
The stables were moved in quick time with a two-van shuttle operation from the former Burch Stables on the New Tullahoma Highway. Thompson occupied that barn 11 years ago when he moved here from Indiana with 15 horses.
Thompson said his associate, Bill Gill of Oklahoma City, Okla., former city manager there and one of the South’ s most prominent construction contractors, has purchased 173 acres across the Unionville Highway from the stables— and will operate a major breeding establishment. Two buildings have been remodeled for breeding purposes. Stallions in service, a highly selected band of broodmares, and visiting mares will be quartered there and in fenced areas on the property.
The stables have features believed never before incorporated in a permanent facility of its type.
Thompson plans to develop a“ Celebration-dimension” show ring in front of the bam to be illuminated with two vapor floodlights set for automatic operation from dust to daylight.
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The barn has special rooms for a blacksmith shop, a tack room, two wash racks, a walker-cooler to cool off horses, a medicine and cleaning equipment room, utility storage room, oat bin, two rest rooms and a 16 ' by 32 ' air-conditioned office with a large fireplace. A concrete 16 ' by 32 ' porch or patio will be placed in front of the barn.
All stalls have watering bowls. Feed can be placed in the stalls from the hallway.
The farm property fronts approximately one mile on each side of U. S. Highway 41-A, has a mile of creek frontage, seven developed surface wells, and 100 acres in cultivation, Thompson said.
Thompson is nationally known as a Tennessee Walking Horse trainerrider and salesman of the breed. He rode Sun’ s Jet Pra. de to the World’ s Grand Championship at the 1957 Celebration, and also won the big stakes at the Montgomery Southern Championship and Baton Rouge Jubilee— an unparalleled record for a Celebration grand champion in one year.
He for years trained Mister Sensation, gelding world’ s champion for six straight years, winner of many other titles with a total of 400 blue ribbons in nationwide competition, and twice reserve world ' s grand champion. Sensation died on July 24 at Omaha, Neb.( See details on Page 28.)
His daughter, Vicki Lynn, age 18, has been one of the great girl riders of the nation since she began showing at age 9— and won the world’ s pony championship in 1959-60— and the world’ s Juvenile championship on Mark of Glory and other ribbons in 1961.
Boy, 15, Tells Of Losing Twin Colts, Mare Saved
Charles Lee Curtis, age 15, of Route 1, Cookeville, Term., writes us this letter every Voice Friend will want to read: It tells about his losing twin horse colts:
" I am a 15-year-old farm boy, my father takes the Voice and we all want to be the first one to read it. We read iL over and over. We save each copy for it is something that will boost the Tennessee Walking Horse as long as it is published.
“ I have a 4-year-old registered Tennessee Walking Horse for my project in Agriculture in high school. She is out of a Merry Boy mare and sired by a Wilson Allen Horse. I bred her last year to Hal Allen’ s Glider.
“ She began to labor June 25 and I called Dr. Keller in Cookeville but I had to lake the mare to his hospital as she could not foal. Dr. Keller took twin horse colts from her. They were black with stars on their foreheads. I sure hated to lose them, but thanks to Dr. Keller for saving my mare. I hope to have better luck later."( Charles, I think that letter will be interesting to all the thousands who read the Voice. You write a fine hand, express yourself well and you know how to take a loss. Those are excellent qualities. Much luck to you. BAG.)