WALKING HORSES in MONTANA
by Ethna Friesen Belt, Montana
The Tennessee Walking Horse Association of Montana held its regular meeting at the Salish House in Poison on January 15, 1966.
The following officers were elected for the coming year: President, TED MEFFORD; Vice President, GLADYS FERREE; Secretary, PEARL TOMPKINS; Treasurer, BOB KEYSER; and Directors ROY CUR RIE, PREACH GRAY, and FRED PLUMMER. The association is only four years old but it has grown unbelievably fast. " To ride one today is to own one tomorrow " was just about proved true at this meeting. A young couple from near Poison just happened to wander into the banquet room and were invited to stay and see the movie, bought from a firm in Indianapolis, showing the 1965 Celebration. Later the news got around that they were going to sell all their horses and buy Walkers! Until they saw this film they had no idea such horses existed.
This is just more proof of the task that we in the north have to do to bring this horse to the attention of the horse-buying public.
ART HARLOW gave an interesting account of the winnings of his show mare, Joe’ s Little Queen. She is a mare we are all very proud of, as she is a Montana-bred mare, foaled on the ranch of BOB KEYSER in the Bitterroot Valley, sired by the good stallion Hey Joe. CHUCK COURT, well-known trainer from Kirkland, Washington, trained Lil and rode her to her victories in Washington and Oregon this past summer. On the West Coast she was Grand Champion Mare at Seattle. She won the trophy in the mare class of the Pacific Internation at Portland, Oregon. She won the Open Class at Oregon City and then went on to win the Stake. At all these shows she was competing with the best the West Coast has to offer, and was never out of the ribbons in any class she entered. Lil was high point mare at home in Montana in 1964 and 1965.
We are planning to have a small show at Kalispell this summer to work in with the Montana circuit.
We took advantage of a nice day to visit the Larson Training Stable at Kalispell and watched ROY and DIANE LARSON work out some of their horses. High Hat Sunday Silk, the gorgeous black mare brought up from Tennessee last spring by Dr. and Mrs. FER REE, was given her daily workout while we were there, and she is surely a beautiful sight to see. She in not in training, as she is expected to foal this spring. Art Harlow has a very promising chestnut filly, Chevrolet Belaire, just being started in her training, and Roy has a beautiful black, four stockings and a blaze colt he plans to start soon.
Dr. and Mrs. Ferree are just downright happy, they are counting the days until the foals begin arriving this spring, and a good crop they ought to be with many of the top stallions in Tennessee for their sires.
This part of Montana has been blessed with a wonderful winter. The temperature here at the Bar Seven T Ranch has reached zero only twice this winter and then only for a few hours. For this we are very grateful, but we also realize that spring is a long way off.
HELP WANTED
An experienced Ground Man and Stable Helper for full-time employment. Require sober man with good references. Age no factor. Ours is one of the most successful major Walking Horse Stables in the South. Located less than 150 miles from Middle Tennessee. Send complete resume of background and experience with snapshot and salary requirements. Write:
DEPARTMENT BS c / o VOICE Publishing Company P. 0. Box 6052 Chattanooga, Tennessee
26 VOICE of the Tennessee Walking Horse