1964-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1964 February Voice | Page 45

FEBRUARY, 1964
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ROSS M. HART FAMILY
TYPICAL OF WALKING HORSE
ENTHUSIASTS OF WEST
Beaverton, Oregon is further west than many
points of California. It is, in the true sense of the
words, “far west” and as such has a heritage in the
background of the horses of the west. Here, as in
all areas of this part of the country, the horse is
respected and loved. Here, the horse is part of his­
tory, for without him man’s efforts to conquer the
wild terrain would have been fruitless.
As expected the Tennessee Walking Horse is a
relative newcomer to this section of the nation. It
has been through the efforts of people like the Ross
M. Harts, of Beaverton, that the progress of the breed
has been furthered here. Mr. and Mrs. Hart are
natives of Oregon. They were both raised in the
vast farm country and were accustomed to horses
both for pleasure and utility, however it was not
until 1952 that they were prompted to purchase a
horse of some quality.
Both Ross and his wife Lavon, taught school dur­
ing their early married life but for financial reasons
Mr. Hart decided to join his father in the poultry
and hatchery business. Later he bought his parents
out and has been operating a successful business
ever since.
It was primarily through the efforts of their
daughter, Pat, that the Harts got into the horse busi­
ness. Some twelve years ago, at her insistence they
contacted Mr. Joe Biles for some advice and direc­
tion regarding the purchase of a couple of saddle-
bred horses. This, as Ross says, “was the start of it
all”! Next Ross and Joe, who had become fast
friends, ventured to Missouri and bought their first
show horses and from this trip came their first Ten­
nessee Walking Horse by the name of A MIDNIGHT
STORM. He was a top Walking Horse for this part
of the country at that time and was sufficient to
prove to the Ross M. Harts that here was the type
horse they wanted. Having developed an interest in
showing horses, the Hart family, through the efforts
of Joe Biles, decided to try their hand in the show
ring. At first the going was rough. There just was
not enough interest at that time in Walking Horses
and few horse shows had suitable classes, pleasure
or otherwise.
The Ross M. Hart Family — Kathy, Ross, Pegg, Lavon
and Bob. The interest of this family in the Tennessee
Walking Horse has become an example to many others
in the West.
In 1962 Ross decided to get into the breeding end
of the business and contacted a well known Walking
Horse personality from middle Tennessee by the
name of Sam Paschal. With his help the Harts have
purchased an excellent band of breeding stock and
are genuinely interested in developing the best stock
available to help promote the Tennessee Walking
Horse in the West. Speaking of Mr. Paschal, Ross
Hart says, “Sam has done a terrific job of getting
us started right and we have relied on Mr. Sams’
knowledge and integrity in doing business.”
The highlight of the current Hart operation was
the purchase of STORMY MIDNIGHT, a black roan
stallion that they purchased from Sam Paschal. They
feel that this horse brings to the West Coast the
finest in Walking Horse bloodlines as well as the
greatest example of the modern show horse gaits
for which the breed is now famous in the show ring.
The enthusiasm for Walking Horses is shared by
the entire Hart family including, two married
daughters — Marylee and Pat, two grandchildren,
Mike and Carrie and their three children at home—
Pegg, Kathy and Bob. The Harts have had many
personal thrills with their horses but perhaps the
most exciting and rewarding was their trip to the
1963 Celebration and the show that their new horse,
STORMY MIDNIGHT, made at the Cow Palace in
San Francisco to win the Stallion Class and the
$1,000 Stake with Sam Paschal in the saddle.
We are indeed grateful to the Ross M. Harts and
the many others like them who have worked dili­
gently and faithfully over the years to promote a
breed in which they believe and a horse that is
fast becoming the new “Horse of the West” . . . the
Tennessee Walking Horse,