1964-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1964 January Voice | Page 19

JANUARY
TENNESSEE WALKING H 1 9]SSE
Walking Horses West
By Alelha Wiehl
At the risk of sounding like a one
member Chamber of Commerce
Committee, I must give a pat on
the back to my home town delega­
tion (Yakima, Washington) for go­
ing after, and getting, the Washing­
ton State Open Horse Show for
1964!
For 14 years Washington State
University has sponsored the show.
While Dr. M. E. Ensminger was at
the school, then Washington State
College, he watched interest and
participation double again and
again. Well, watched is hardly the
right word, as Dr. Ensminger was
both the guiding light and guiding
hand of the show. A lot of good
hard work went into it. The show
has been, from the beginning, both
a training school and a show.
This year it was obvious the
show had really outgrown its
original setting. Over 750 entries
were attracted from all parts of
the West. Stabling was woefully
inadequate. Classes ran far behind
schedule. Finally, there was no
schedule. For the Walking Horse
people, the climax came when it
was announced their classes were
postponed from Saturday afternoon
until Sunday morning starting at
7:30! Imagine the tremendous audi­
ence on hand at that hour!
While everyone rejoiced at the
size of the show and the interest
exhibited, it was plain to see some
changes were in order before next
season. After consideration, the
school decided they were no longer
physically able to host the show
and asked for bids from other in­
terested communities. (The W.S.U.
building program will cut into Hill­
top Stables grounds more and
more.) The interest of the school is
primarily in the classes for stu­
dents rather than in the manage­
ment of the show itself. A delega­
tion of club and civic leaders, as
well as horsemen, presented the
advantages of having the show in
Yakima. With Yakima Meadows
at the Central Washington Mair-
grounds, a new million dollar club­
house and grandstand, ample stab­
ling facilities, and excellent hotel
and motel accommodations for
visitors, there should be no limit to
the growth of the show.
Yes, Yakima can and will host
the W.S.U. Horse Show in 1964,
now to be known as the Washing­
ton State Open Horse Show. May
28, 29, 30 are the dates.
Yakima Valley is a veritable
paradise at this time of the year.
The show is not limited to Wester­
ners I am told. And every one East
of the Rockies will be welcome too!
* * *
At the last W.S.U. show, one of
the outstanding entries was a black
6 year old stallion, THE FLYING
DOLLAR. He had been around and
about, but this year he suddenly
became somebody special. He flew
on at Wenatchee, Billings, Great
Falls, Spokane, Glendale Hunt
Club, Salem State Fair, Kirkland,
the Pacific International, The Cow
Palace. Twenty-two blue ribbons
he garnered this season. And, when
he came out with a reserve in the
Cow Palace stake class, his owners
and trainer could not have felt too
disappointed at it took the combi­
nation of Sam Paschal and
STORMY MIDNIGHT to win over
him. Especially when this same
horse had the job, and did it, of
winning in the amateur class at this
same show!
I was curious to know what
made this son of DICTATORS’
PROFESSOR suddenly begin to
shine in the show ring. It took no
great amount of detective work to
discover the secret. It can be
summed up in two words: Charles
Court. It was merely another case
of getting the right man and the
right horse together. Dr. and Mrs.
Howard Roberts of Walla Walla,
Washington ,put him in training at
the Charles Court stables in The
Dalles, Oregon, last year. (Mrs.
Roberts was up when he won in the
amateur class at the Cow Palace.)
This 27 year old trainer, born in
Astoria, Oregon, started his ap­
prenticeship in horse training at
the age of 13. He listens more than
he talks. He hasn’t stopped learn­
ing. He has a quiet, sure way with
his horses. And he’s not afraid of
work . . . and more work. He has a
firm belief in the personal touch
with his horses, even to the point
of eliminating some of the work­
saving machines and devices. He’s
getting good results, not only with
Walkers, but with gaited horses
and roadsters.
In December he moved into a
beautiful new barn high on a hill,
overlooking the Columbia river.
Dr. James Schlichting, the owner,
has some 40 acres surrounding the
barn, as well as ready access to
trails leading from Canada to
California. There are 25 stalls in
the main barn as well as a spacious
tack room and spectator room over­
looking the large indoor ring. Be­
sides THE FLYING DOLLAR,
who, incidentally, was the high
point Walking Horse for 1963 in
Oregon and Washington, he has the
Roberts’ two year old filly, DOL­
LARS’ MISS TWIST, a three year
old stud, GO BOYS’ MIDNIGHT,
and a 3 year old mare, SOCIETY
MERRY WIDOW, one of the last
fillies sired by the now deceased
SOCIETY MAN. MACK K’S BIG
RED, a 5 year old owned by
Sydney Robins is another horse
here with a varied background,
now coming into his own. Mrs. G.
E. Erickson of Union Gap, Wash­
ington ,has her trim 3 year old
filly in training. Mr. and Mrs. G.
Bleakly of Yakima have a 3