BARN STORMING( Continued From Page 30)
Mr. Thurman, a well known farmer around Maryville, has been in the Walking Horse business for six years. He plans to stay in all phases of the business, including brood mares, standing a stud and training. The Thurman Stables has a main show barn with 16 stalls in the middle with the riding hall around it. The entire structure is made from concrete block and cherry wood. A visitor is made welcome in a fine paneled office and lounge that is 16’ x 24’. They have an automatic walker and a modern tack room with all the facilities for caring for top show horses and there are 12 additional stalls in an adjoining stable.
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Riding High Siables
After we left the Thurman Stables we wound our way through the country-side to the Riding High Stables of Carolyn &“ Skip” Standsberry. Here is a young couple who have embraced the Tennessee Walking Horse in a manner that is a pleasure to see. These people really love their horses and have the patience and fortitude to work hard to fit their horses into their everyday lives. Mr. Standsberry, who is employed at the Dixie and Ohio Freight Lines, is the ground man for his charming wife, who handles most of the training. Together they have managed to conquer a big shiny black stallion named MERRY BOY’ S SHADOW that Caroline showed last year to win the junior championship of the East Tennessee Horse Show Association. When they first acquired this horse he was hard to handle. He was appropriately named“ Thunder” and tried to live up to his name. With patience and strict handling, they managed to win him over and have since won many blues with him in and around the East Tennessee circuit. Carolyn tied 5th with“ Thunder” in a fast amateur class at Knoxville. The big horse looked great in the final workout. Riding High Stables consists of a new 6 stall barn and is located in a beautiful meadow with a branch and
32 spring running through it on a 21 acre spread. Carolyn and Skip are now working SUN’ S TRIPLE TREAT a brown roan two year old filly by a WILSON’ S ALLEN stud out of a SOCIETY MAN’ S mare They are also training MONEY TREE’ S ACE, a black three year old gelding. We hope to see a lot of these people in horse shows from East Tennessee to Shelbyville during 1964.
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J & G Siables
We received word from Dr. Ben Fuson of Middlesboro, Ky. about his new Walking Horse operation. At this point the principals of Fuson Stables are strictly amateurs and are new in the business. Dr. Fuson has acquired the assistance of Bill Gibson, a 23 year old trainer who was with Bud Seaton before moving to Middlesboro. They have a six stall barn and are in the process of obtaining some horses with show prospects. Bill is also working with the J and G Stables of Tazewell, Tennessee( just across the state line from Middlesboro), owned by Jimmy and Gary Venable. They are working a 3 year old gray mare by a son of MID NIGHT SUN out of CROWN JEWELL; a 2 year old stud by MIDNIGHT SUNGLOW out of a mare by BUDDY LEE; another two year old stud by SOUTHERN SUN out of ACC’ S SWEETHEART and a two year old filly by SUN’ S BIG SHOT. The J & G Stables, which Carson Venable, Jr., also has an interest in, is a six stall operation on a ten acre spread. Gary Venable showed his gray mare in the Knoxville Show and put on a commendable show against top competition. Bill Gibson also made his 1964 debut in the Knoxville Show on a horse owned by the Venables.
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Jim Messenger Stables
Jim Messenger of Sparta, Tennessee, gave us a first hand report on his Walking Horse activities and plans for 1964. Jim, who also operates a shirt factory in Sparta, has 17 horses in training and always has some of the finest and fastest moving show stock in this territory. At present he is working GO BOY’ S SENSATION, that tied 9th in the Celebration 2 year old stake and is owned by Lester Flatt. He is also getting good results with a full brother to SEN SATION named GO BOY’ S PER FECTION M, a two year old stud, GO BOY’ S DARLENE, a speedy mare that tied third in her class at Knoxville, JIM’ S GOLDEN ROCKET, an aged horse that Jim will show many times this year as his stake horse and a two year old SHADOW filly. The Messenger Stables will be well represented in 1964.
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Battleground Stables
Several members of the VOICE staff have horses in training with Billy Brantley in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. It appears that we spend more time with you, watching your horses than we do watching our own. At any rate, here is a report on the activities there:
Billy Brantley’ s Battleground
Stables in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia is the center of much attention in the tri-state area of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama these days. For years it has been said that Chattanooga needs a good Tennessee Walking Horse Stable. Now it has one. Mr. and Mrs. L. O.“ Sheriff” Ledford, principal stockholders of the corporation that owns the facilities, have gone all out to provide the best conditions for training and caring for show horses. A nine-stall tractor trailer van has just been completed and is ready to roll.
Billy, who worked for Sam Paschal for three years and for the Bel Aire Stable of Roy Davis in Calhoun, Georgia for two years has had his hands full lately training horses and judging. He hurried back from Florida, where he judged a show on April ninth just in time to carry one horse to the final night of the Knoxville Show.
He has 14 horses in the stable and is working hard to get several ready to show. Billy has five handpicked two year olds. Headliner to date in this class is the stallion, SETTING SUN’ S APOLLO, owned by Dr. and Mrs. Eugene B. Sliger. This crowd pleaser won the blue in the recent Knoxville Dogwood Arts Festival Show. GO BOY’ S
( Continued on Page 34)
VOICE of The Tennessee Walking Horse