Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse 13
Blacksmith Trade Booms With Horse Industry; Two Colleges Offer Courses
The“ horse boom” in the nation is creating news in many ways— and it caused the United Press International newspaper press sendee to run a special feature recently on the art of horseshoeing. The article was distributed to newspapers, radio stations and television stations all over the
country.
James Doyle wrote the piece that gave some wide open facts about Oregon’ s horse population. Here’ s how James told the story:
“ The days of the Village Smithy are returning.
“ But nowadays, he’ s called a‘ farrier’ and his spreading chestnut tree is more like a stately fir in Oregon’ s suburbia.
“ It is a paradox that the mechanization of industry and transportation that ended the heyday of old Dobbin is providing the leisure time to bring him back as a hobby.
“ Pleasure riding is a 100-milliondollar industry in Oregon alone. And more than 100,000 horses clamor for a staggering list of accessories and services... including horseshoeing.
“ The art— now reborn with a more proper name and a big city twist— is listed as a one-million-dollar item.
“ But where do we get the farriers to shoe the horses?
“ Learning the modern trade of shoeing is not cheap. Registration is S200— plus living costs for 12 weeks.
New Name Given To Voice By Louisiana Readers
“ We call our magazine‘ Concentrated Walking Horse’ writes Mrs. Reid Estess, Jr., of Kentwood, La.
“ We recommend it exclusively to our friends," she continues.
“ We have a very small stable, a nice concrete block barn with eight stalls, and a feed and tack room and a small office. We have a two-year-old show filly and a stallion coming three( as of July).“ Our three brood mares are in foal to good stallions, all different and one mare has a two and one-half month old colt at her side....
“ This is not an overnight interest
“ But Oregon State University says rewards may be high for this once lowly trade turned into a profession. Operators often set up in suburbia and do a profitable business that frequently includes putting‘ corrective’ shoes on valuable animals.
“ Says O-S-U Professor Emeritus A. W. Oliver:‘ A good farrier can match incomes with many college graduates trained in the more common spaceage professions.'
“ Only one other institution in the country— California Polytechnic College— teaches such a course— and it has a two-year waiting list.
“ The course includes— besides use of metals, anvil and forge— studies in the anatomy and physiology of the horses’ feet.
“ So, next time you see pi’ Dobbin at the hitching post, note that he may not only be wearing more expensive shoes than you... they may have been fitted by a college-trained expert.”
( Note— We are happy to see the United Press International give valuable wire space to telling folks generally what a lot of horse folks already know. Farriers or blacksmiths are highly regarded practitioners who give a valuable service to the horse industry. And the industry years for more of them— and the better qualified for the work the better they will be appreciated. BAG.)
with us. We have both been in Walkers for many years, but our three children have kept us from‘ getting started’ again. We owned a gelding that we showed in pleasure classes when we were first married,” Mrs. Estess explains.
( She and husband also visited at the Celebration this year in what they called a“ Honeymoon- Vacation- School.”)
( Note— The Kentwood stable of the Estess family sounds like an inspiring operation— one designed to bring much happiness to all concerned. Congratulations to every member of the family. BAG.)
4 Circle T Ranch
Four Circle T Ranch horses— pictured in this edition of the Voicewon first places at the State Fair of Texas Horse at Dallas Oct. 5-9, in the Coliseum during the annual State Fair.
Shadow’ s Luminaire, pictured on the front cover with Owner J. Glenn Turner riding, won the Owner-Amateur Class for riders over 35 and continued his winning streak that has featured the season in the Southwest.
Luminarie is currently reported to be leading the point roster for wins in shows affiliated with the American Horse Shows Association and is apparently a bright prospect to win the AHSA Point Championship for 1962.
Triple Threat— pictured on the right-hand page of the center page— is shown below winning the § 1,000 Grand Championship Stake with trophies presented by Mrs. James P. Neill, Mrs. J. Glenn Turner and Mrs. H. Tom Fulton. This horse ' s head is also shown on the top of that page with Mr. and Mrs. Turner and Trainer Harold Kennedy who rode him in the stake.
Shown at the top of the left hand page is Mrs. J. Glenn Turner on My Merry Shadow, winner of the Ladies Class at the Dallas show.
At the bottom of that page is Fred Turner on Shadow’ s Red Ace, winner of the Amateur Class at the Dallas show.
Three of these horses were sired by Go Boy’ s Shadow. Their dams were— Luminaire out of Jean Gillespie( by Last Chance), My Merry Shadow out of Roan Allen’ s Linda Lou( by Roan Allen Again), and Red Ace out of Mau’ s Merry Widow( by Sir Maugray).
Triple Threat was sired by Sun’ s Quarterback out of Tensas Gypsy Girl( by Wartrace).
Walker Gains In N. C.
“ It may please you to know that in the past year the T. \ V. H. has become so increasingly popular in our circuit that we have had to add an additional class to our show schedule,” says Alton L. Whitehead of 1108 West Haven Ave., Scotland Neck, N. C.( Notel ' ine going, Alton. The advance in the popularity front seems to be general over the U. S. A.)