1964-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1964 June Voice | Page 18
Walking Horses West
by VIRGINIA LAMB
From Mr. and Mrs. O. C. White,
Rt. 1, Box 861, West Sacramento,
California, we find why they, too,
are Walking Horse enthusiasts
and from testimonies of people
such as these, we learn why Sa
cramento area and all of Northern
California is fast becoming TWH
country. The following is taken di
rectly from their recent letter to
yours truly:
“My husband says that my story
of the Tennessee Walking Horse is
his story too, as I was always
“dragging” him out to see them.
Both of us having had ranch back
grounds, we’d retained our early
love for horses through the years.
His family were some of the ori
ginal settlers of the Cherokee Strip
in Oklahoma, where he was born
some years later. Mine fell the
trees on the site to build a log
house, still standing, in a beauti
ful green mountain valley in north
eastern Washington. My earliest
recollection of horses is of a buggy-
type team used for general work
around the ranch. This was later
replaced by slightly heavier and
more draft-type horses. It was on
the latter that my sister and I had
our first horseback-riding exper
ience. My husband was the proud
possessor of his own saddle horse
from childhood and throughout his
life on the ranch.
Married in 1943, we always
talked of some day having a home
in the country. Following World
War II we lived in various loca
tions, none of them proving to be
just what we wanted. Finally in
18
1949 settled at our present site.
Our feeling is that we are modern-
day pioneers as we parked our
house trailer in the midst of a su
gar beet field and started building.
In 1955 we bought our first horse,
a two-year-old unbroken MORGAN
filly, which we still have. Since
then we have had others, grade
quarter and mixed breeds, but they
have been replaced by the Walk
ers. Our first introduction to the
TWH was brought about by the
appearance of a picture of a young
lady and her horse on the front
page of the society section of a
Sunday edition. The accompany
ing item stated that she and her
TWH would be appearing shortly
in a charity horse show. Then the
usual question arose, “What on
earth is a TWH?” Though I made
inquiries from time to time no one
seemed to be able to give me an
answer. Finally came the State
Fair, and the newspapers must
have made some mention of the
Walkers as I recall phoning the
fair grounds to inquire when they
would be appearing. After being
left dangling on the line we for
tunately picked a night when the
Walkers were showing. They were
different all right, quite fascinat
ing in fact, but rather difficult to
explain; they traveled fast in an
odd sort of way.
Through the years to 1960 we
attended few State Fair horse
shows, do not recall seeing any
Walkers, but somehow the interest
in them stayed alive. That fall we
attended a State Fair horse show
first making sure the Walking
Horses were showing, and, if pos
sible, stock horses. We took with
us two teenaged riders to acquaint
them with each type of horse. Un
known to us we’d picked the night
of the sweepstakes. It was just
magnificent; the horses were beau
tiful, and their performance re
vealed the smoothness of gait. The
youngsters were greatly impressed;
“love that canter,” they said. Our
own interest in the Walker was
here to stay, though the thought
of owning one was hardly even a
vague drearn.
Early the following year we be
came aware of the existence of
the stables which were part of the
Jacobson estate, and shortly, that
the late Mrs. Jacobson was the
daughter of our then somewhat
casual acquaintance, Mr. Pat Abra
ham, who resides in West Sacra
mento. Here at last was someone
who knew something about Walk
ers. He and Mrs. Abraham became
frequent visitors, acquaintances be
came friends, and without them
possibly this story wouldn’t be
told.
Among horses at the estate was
a Walking Horse pleasure mare
who had been turned out to pas
ture for a year, and late that fall
Mr. Abraham offered to bring her
over for us to care for with riding
privileges. Needless to say, we
jumped at the chance. The feel of
that walk for the first time was
one of those thrills one never for
gets. Being part of the estate we
had her only a few months, which
seemed all to short a time, as we’d
grown very fond of her.
At this time, still remaining at
the estate ranch was an eleven-
month-old colt sired by GO BOY’S
SUN. Pat, as he was known to us,
began urging us to buy the colt.
Having two horses at the time,
plus a yearling colt, and a yearling
filly, we very firmly stated we
needed no more horses. Besides
we didn’t want another colt, we
already had one nuisance on the
place. Nevertheless one day he in
sisted he’d take us down to see the
colt, would have us back in an
hour and a half. To put an end to
being pestered about the colt we
consented to go, with our minds
made up we weren’t buying. We
were back in the allotted time, the
owners of our first Walking Horse.
Besides, he was a well-behaved
colt, as we’ve learned later they all
are which makes the Walker even
more desirable.
Then came the realization for
the need of another Walker so we
could ride together. At the Morada
Stables near Stockton we found an
eight-month old filly by STATELY
GO BOY and out of a mare with
MERRY BOY and double MERRY
LEGS breeding. In little more than
a month we’d acquired two Walk-
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VOICE of The Tennessee Walking Horse