Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse 17
Fight To Save Injured Foal Shows Appreciated Value ' Of Walking Horse
Some months ago the Voice began to receive letters from Miss Charlotte H . Owen , Valley Station , Kentucky .
She related an experience which shows how far one will go to take care of an injured Tennessee Walking Horse — thus depicting what we have tried to show is " the appreciated value of a Walking Horse ” that has become a part of your family .
“ Mr . Jack L . Berry and I met as the result of Jack ’ s desire to meet my Tennessee Walker mare , Stra ’ berry Roan Allen ,” Miss Owen says .
Met One Sunday Night Through mutual friends , she and Mr . Berry met at a dinner one Sunday . The results were several dates , an engagement and purchase of a 20-acre farm in Indiana , and a wedding date when the farm house is remodeled to the extent that it is ready to live in .
All of this has taken place over a period of close to five years . They have had the farm for three years , and Jack and Charlotte ’ s father , Charles H . Owen , have been doing the remodeling on week ends . The house has been remodeled completely . Jack lost seven months of work on the task in 1960 because he was on crutches due to injury in auto accident .
Major projects have been completed , including a water system from a spring , an oil furnace with a forced air system and rewiring .
Miss Owen ’ s mare was bred to a registered Palomino Quarter Horse after failing to get in foal from a registered TYVHBAA stallion . Stra ’ berry Shortcake ( Shorty ) arrived and was regarded as a fine-looking foal . Miss Owen took the mare and foal to Elizabethtown , Ky ., determined to breed the mare to a registered Walking Horse Palomino stallion . Shorty Caught Leg In Stall While in a box stall with the mare , Shorty caught her right rear leg under something and in the struggle to get loose ground the flesh off the outside of the foot from above the fetlock to down across the coronet band . Miss Owen did not discover the injury until the animals were brought home , then she sought a veterinarian and meanwhile applied home remedies .
Miss Owen had given Shorty to Jack , so left the decision of destroying her or trying to save her up to him . They decided to save her if at all possible — a struggle that went on for weeks .
They placed the mare and Shorty in a stall , and designed a neck brace to keep Shorty from gnawing her injured foot . The model included a surcingle around her body , two straps around her neck , and hardwood staves fastened to her halter at one end and the surcingle to the other .
The veterinarian , who runs a small animal clinic , left an enzyme to be used twice a day to keep down development of proud flesh , and left assorted salves and liquids to be used alternately on the injured area .
It took six to eight weeks for flesh to grow back and seal the joint . The old hoof was detached for about two inches where it had been scraped , an inch on either side of the break in the coronet band . The new hoof grew out under this and she was kept quiet so as not to break the old growth off too soon . The hoof developed a crack where the coronet was broken , but this is due to grow out in time — leaving a line down the hoof .
Finally The Outdoors
Finally the day came when the veterinarian said " trim her feet and turn her out . She and the mare spent two weeks in a small lot adjacent to the stall . Finally the entire injured area was healed , and they could be turned out to pasture . Miss Owen ’ s parents were most helpful in nursing and doctoring the foal . Sta ’ berry lost considerable hair in confinement , but regained her coat later . She also suffered from an overdose of fly spray but an injection by the veterinarian corrected that .
In early November the weaning of Shorty was under way — and from all appearances she was in good health and well on her way to becoming a fine yearling — with a great investment of appreciation and love on the part of her owner , Jack , Miss Owen , and Miss Owen ' s parents . This horse surely qualifies for “ appreciated value .” ( Above was written in the Wintertime .)
P . S . May 15 , 1963 , Shorty has developed into a beautiful yearling , full of bounce and with a zest for what each day will bring . The injured fetlock joint has slimmed down to almost normal . She will carry the scar for the rest of her life , but it certainly won ’ t slow ’ her down . Jack and Charlotte hope to set a wedding date soon , as w ’ ork is progressing very nicely on our “ farm ." Best of all , Stra ’ bery is expecting her registered foal the second week in June . Everything seems to be " GO ” for them at last .
Amateur Classes Today s Big Need In Horse Show
Hubert H . Jones of 1418 Oakland Ave ., Johnson City , Tenn . believes horse shows nowadays should have more classes for amateur riders . He puts it better than we can say the same thing . So read what Hubert says herewith :
Dear Ben :
First , I would like to say that I enjoy your magazine very much and I think you are performing a real service to the Walking Horse people .
1 have something on my mind and know of no better way of airing it than telling you , and if you concur with my way of thinking you might air it out in your magazine . Being an amateur exhibitor causes me to raise the question .
A great majority of the Walking Horses today are owned by amateurs and I believe that the amateur owners and exhibitors account for the great influx of interest in walking horses . A great many of the shows allow only one class for amateurs and generally speaking they are the largest class of any show .
1 contend that show managers and people responsible for shows should give more consideration to dividing the amateur exhibitors such as ; men , women and juvenile and by division of stud , geldings and mares , in order that more people could get a fair chance and more opportunity to show . This will give more trainers jobs and more horses will be bought by amateurs . After all , very few trainers actually own and foot the bills on all these horses .
. 1 desire no personal gain from this . However , I believe it is a problem that needs correcting and after you consider it you might feel like pushing the issue in your publication .
Know Where He Is ?
The Voice has a letter from a Friend in Augusta , Kansas , who wants to know the address of Chester Beshears — formerly of Missouri . If someone will pass this information on to us we will pass it along to the inquiring Friend .
( Continued on page 19 )