Ebony Masterpiece Joins Merry Go Boy Atomic Star In Beech ' s 24-Stall Barn
4 January , 1963
Ebony Masterpiece Joins Merry Go Boy Atomic Star In Beech ' s 24-Stall Barn
A brand new chapter in breeding of the Tennessee Walking Horse got under way in January , 1963 , when S . W . Beech , Jr ., of Route 5 , Lewisburg , Tenn . launched his New Year ’ s program with three World ' s Champions at stud in his new breeding barn .
Ebony Masterpiece , age 6 , crowned 1962 Grand Champion of the World at the Shelbyville Celebration last September , was placed at public service at the Beech establishment . The stallion is owned by Mr . and Mrs . Billy Hale of Gallatin , Tenn ., and was ridden to the 1962 championship by Sam Paschal of Murfreesboro .
At the Beech Farm already were Merry Go Boy , age 20 , twice Grand Champion of the World ( 1947-4S ) — and also Atomic Star , twice World Championship pony ( 1958-59 ) and owned by Miss Virginia Jones of Canton , Ga .
Beech said he did not know of any other breeding farm where three such champion stallions were available for service at a single location . He planned to start breeding operations by January 15 .
Merry Go Boy , who has been at Beech ’ s farm since 1955 , was recently bought for syndicate use as announced on page I in this magazine .
In preparation for his expanded program Beech has constructed a 21- stall barn especially designed to meet the needs of breeding activity .
BARN 192 FEET LONG
This frame structure is 192 feel long , and 45 feet wide , including a hallway 20 feet wide .
Twenty-three of the stalls measure 12 feet by 12 feet but there is onestall double size , 12 feel by 2-1 , for stallion use .
Included in barn facilities are a large office , a rest room , tack room , a wash room with concrete floor and drain , and a double set of cross ties .
Beech said the barn was especially designed to care for broodmares , weanlings and yearling colts although the hall is large enough for exercise and other use .
Atomic Star will be used chiefly for the production of colts , he explained , but also can be put to other service . The veteran breeder said w h e n Atomic Star was shown to the pony championship he was generally acknowledged to be one of the finest “ Walking Ponies ever seen in competition .”
He is a son of Atomic Gentleman and is a “ line-bred Wilson ' s Allen " stallion — his sire being by Miller ’ s Wilson Allen . Atomic Star is a registered pony , Beech pointed out .
” 1 am most happy to have Ebony Masterpiece standing at our place ,” said Beech . 1-Ie pointed out that the 1962 Grand Champion had a most distinctive natural walking gait and should become a fine producing sire .
The 1962 champion was sired by Son of Midnight at Solitude Stock Farm , Goodlettsville , Tenn .— owned by H . L . Worrell — and his dam is Lady Lee , a daughter of old Merry Boy . His grandfather on his sire ’ s side is Midnight Sun . Ebony changed ownership several times and when 4 years old was used for stud service . He has a few weanling colts at the present time , Beech said .
GAVE BREED ‘ MODERN LOOK ’
Merry Go Boy is one of the best known stallions in the history of the Tennessee Walking Horse and is credited with having given the breed a new “ modern look " when he won the two world ’ s grand championships and exhibited speed not previously shown by Walking Horses . This speed was attributed largely to the heritage from Giovanni , an American Saddlebred stallion infused into the breed by the late Henry W . Davis of Warlrace back in 1914 . Giovanni sired Wiser ' s Dimples who was the dam of Merry Go Boy — this mare being mated to old Merry Boy .
Many world ’ s champions in various classes have been sired by Merry Go Boy , including Go Boy ’ s Shadow who twice won the grand title — in 1955-56 — with Winston Wiser up . Wiser owned Shadow and also owned Merry Go Boy when he was acquired by C . G . Turner for a record price .
Among the most recent Merry Go Boy-sired champions are : Little Mystery , world ’ s champion mare of 1962 ; Cotton Queen ’ s Go Boy , winner of the World ’ s Junior Championship ( 3-year-old ) of 1962 ; Go Boy ' s Black Jack , reserve in the 2-year-old championship stake competition ; Go Boy ’ s Black Dandy , co-winner in the split division for 2-year-old stallions of 1962 . He also sired Go Boy ’ s Big Talk , the reserve junior champion for 1961 .
Beech himself was “ raised in ” the Tennessee Walking Horse business . His late father , S . Wood Beech , Sr ., was one of the early breeders , active in the original Tennessee Walking Horse Breeder ’ s Assn , ( now the Breeders & Exhibitors ’ Assn , at Lewisburg ) and a prominent farmer in the community .
WORKED WITH HIS FATHER
Young Beech worked with his father and rode the 4-year-old stallion , Trouble , to the stallion world ’ s championship in the first Shelbyville Celebration-staged in 1939 . He later won other Celebration classes and took the Reserve Grand Championship on Black Angel at the 1914 show — when riding for Bliss Yancey of Wilson , Ark . The mare had won the grand championship in 1943 with the late Winston Wiser rilling for R . F . Ellis of Orrville , Ala .
Beech returned to the home place in 1945 several months before his father ’ s death on Sept . 28 .
A year later Beech secured Brown Allen and stood this prominent sire until he began to stand Merry Go Bov in 1955 — and bought an interest from G . C . Turner . Earlier Beech and his father had owned Trouble and stood him for two years . This horse was still living last fall — reportedly in Kansas .
Young Beech married Miss Margaret Moore of Lewisburg and they have three sons : Bobby , 21 , student in industrial management at the University of Tennessee , Knoxville , Tenn ; Steve , 20 , student in agriculture and a pre-veterinary course at Middle Tennessee State College , Murfreesboro , Tenn .; and Ray , 13 , eighth grader at the Belfast School several miles from the Beech home .
Beech was elected president of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeder ’ s fc Exhibitor ’ s Assn , of America , Inc ., at its annual meeting in May , 1962 . He had served on the board of directors and executive committee for several years , and had been identified with the association for a long period . He was a judge at the 1953 Celebration and has judged at many other major shows . He retired from riding competition almost 10 years ago .
In recent years Beech and his sons have scored an amazing number ol victories in colt competition at the
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