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One day a very good friend of mine , now of Salt . Lake City , Utah , called me and said he had something he wanted me to see . My friend ’ s name was BILL PETERSON , and we had horse-traded together for several years . I told him frankly that I wasn ’ t interested in buying anything , and he promised me faithfully he wasn ’ t trying to sell me anything . He just wanted my opinion on ' something .’ So 1 drove to his home . We sat and talked for a few minutes , and I asked him what it was he wanted my opinion on . He told his daughter CHERYL to go get ' it ’! Cheryl went into a stall and came out leading something 1 could never recall seeing before , although I had seen many . What she came out with was the blackest , most dazzlingly beautiful horse I had ever seen . Believe me , 1 was flabbergasted . She was so shiny that she sparkled like one huge diamond . I think Bill and Cheryl must have been up all night polishing her just for my benefit . She was tall , 16-1 , and long-legged . Her head was proud and her neck arched and she held her tail up high . The only white on her was a star . I never noticed that she walked differently from all the other horses I had known . 1 only knew ' that here -was one of the finest animals 1 had ever seen . I was so awe-stricken that I bought her before I knew what I was doing . It didn ’ t dawn on me until after I got home that 1 didn ’ t even get on her . I looked at my receipt for the down payment and it read : " part payment for one black Tennessee Walking Horse Show mare names Judy Gleaves .” 1 asked myself what in the devil was a Tennessee Walking Horse ? I had never even heard of one before . This was 1954 , and I believe she was seven years old at that time .
I went out the next day with my own saddle and bridle to ride my " surprise ” horse . I didn ’ t know what she had been trained for . In fact , I knew less than nothing about her . When I got her saddled , Bill told me to watch her because she had a habit of running away with people . I thought , '' Oh , boy ! I not only bought a pig in a poke , I bought a runaway !” Well , I mounted and started around the ring . We went around about twice and Bill yelled for me to speed her up . I dug my heels in a little and took hold of the reins . 1 don ’ t really know ' what I expected , but whatever it was , it wasn ’ t what I got . We speeded up all right . I lost my new hat and my breath at the same instant . She was running away wdth me and I felt like a blithering idiot . I tightened my grip on the reins and she seemed to be flying low , while I seemed to be flying right out of that saddle . I can ’ tbegin to describe the feeling I had right then . 1 finally got her stopped . Bill told me I looked just great and how did I like that running walk ? I could only utter " fine ” and I was surprised to find she hadn ’ t run away with me , but had just been doing a little of that running walk . I knew right then and there how this breed became known as the Tennessee Walking Horse . I never did admit that 1 thought she had run away wdth me . It took me some time to learn how to ride her , the hard rvay . I didn ’ t know a blasted thing about how she was trained , or how to get her into a canter , but
I never really had any trouble with her . She was really a marvelous mare . She tried her best to do everything I asked of her , and gave more than any horse I had ever owned before . Eventually I learned to ride her right . 1 still rode western , and she loved it . The mountains and trails were a breeze for her , rounding up stock she took to quite readily , she packed kids all over the place and refused to say she was tired . Whenever I took someone riding with me , they were allowed to ride her and I rode my quarter horse , but I found it was getting harder all the time to make myself ride him . Not that I didn ’ t love that old horse . It was just that I found that .... well , in plain English , he trotted ! I never noticed that before . I had the mare ’ s name changed from Judy Gleaves to Cheyenne Maiden and she gave me a beautiful chestnut colt which 1 sold , then later bought back . He became known as Cheyenne Thunder . I sold the mare , with a lot of misgivings , to people in Santa Ana , California . I then traded my quarter horse , with my heart breaking , to a woman in Chico , California for a two-year-old palomino gelding which I named Chief Yellow Sun , and then sold him to a gentleman in Woodside , Calif . It wasn ’ t easy to sell a horse I raised from a colt , but my quarter gelding found himself standing in the pasture most of the time because I didn ’ t want to have to endure that trot - and hehadan easy-going jog-trot , at that ! Up until the time I bought the mare , his trot didn ’ t faze me . I broke and trained all kinds of horses that trotted for thirteen years : Morgans , Arabs , Standardbred , quarter horse , just plain horse , etc .; forwestem pleasure , parade - you name it . I think I would have to be pretty desperate to ride or break a trotting horse now . I am afraid the Walker has ruined me for any other breed of horse . Not that I don ’ t admire a beautiful horse of any kind , for I can still pick out a good horse of any other breed ; but own one ? Never !! I ’ m hooked but good on the Tennessee Walking Horse . There isn ’ t anything a Walker can ’ t do , and I , for one , am glad .
A gloomy Sunday morning hangs over the Celebration grounds after the big show . ( Photo by AusbarJ
12 VOICE of the Tennessee Walking Horse