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 Since then we have had others, grade quarter and mixed breeds, but they have been replaced by the Walk­ ers.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- (Continued on Page 27) VOICE of The Tennessee Walking Horse