WEST COAST WALKING HORSE NEWS
A monthly report of breed activities on the West Coast with news about the horse activities of individuals , associations and horse show ' s .
All Editorial and Advertising material should be directed to : Editor , VOICE PUBLISHING COMPANY , P . 0 . Box 6052 , Chattanooga , Tennessee .
“ West Coast Walking Horse News ” is a special section that will appear periodically in the VOICE . Our purpose is to give maximum emphasis to the increasing activity in this part of the country and to assist in the growth and interest in this breed . The Tennessee Walking Horse is fast becoming one of the most popular breeds in this part of the country . The natural versitility that is inbred in this great horse , makes him the most sought after Pleasure Horse in the land . He is fast becoming a valued Utility- Horse for ranches and farms and he is undesputed in his claim as “ the greatest showhorsc in America ”. The West Coast offers a “ wide open opportunity ” for expansion of this breed and we hope to assist in this growth .
IT AIN ' T SO FAR AFTER ALL
From Middle Tennessee to Sacramento , California , is approximately 2.400 miles . At first , this appears to be a long way from STROLLING JIM . Jack Daniels , cedar whittling sticks and all the other little pleasantries so common to the middle basin of the Volunteer State . We recently- discovered , however , that all of these things ,
plus the prime ingredients of Walking Horse lovers , can move the West Coast very close to Middle Tennessee .
So it was that we discovered that West Coast Walking Horse enthusiasts are among the finest in the world and that their love of this breed is just as dedicated and their ambitions just as lavish as we have found anywhere in the country .
The Northern California Walking Horse Association annual Horse Show in Sacramento , was the reason for our trip , but we also had an ulterior motive in going . We wanted to find out for ourselves —“ just what was going on .” We were very pleased at the situation on the West Coast and feel that here lies one of the areas of real growth of the breed if we lend our wholehearted support io their needs .
From every quarter we found enthusiasm and a willingness to learn . We found a firm belief in top blood lines that are most popular and soughl-for in Middle Tennessee . Wc found a genuine concern for knowledge and understanding of the breed . We also found the same problems that are paramount in other areas of the country . Judging , training techniques , classes . Pleasure Horse interests versus Show Horse interests . . . it ’ s all there and it represents a healthy attitude on behalf of everyone .
Many pople asked the question , “ what do we need most ?” Our answer was “ just a little time .” West Coast Walking Horse lovers have the stock , they have the enthusiasm and desire . . . now all they need is the time to discover the breed and what it can do . For all practical purposes , the majoritv of Walking Horse lovers out West are “ experimenting .” It is impossible to approach the horse with textbook in hand and proceed to produce
a well gaited animal , but they are trying .
A note of personal interest proved effective in illustrating a point . When we first got into the Walking
Horse business , we asked a professional trainer , “ What do we look for in the gaits of a Walking Horse ?” Pie smiled and said that it would take time , but there was
one thing to remember . . . “ if they7 aren ’ t shaking their heads . . . they aren ’ t walking .’’ This has proven to be a good guideline for me and should prove helpful to
others .
At the professional level , the training of Tennessee Walking Horses on the West Coast is in good hands . There arc a few who have really begun to master the gaits of this horse and the remainder are eager and willing to learn . Wc noticed that there arc a lot of Walking Horse trainers on the West Coast that have a considerable amount of experience with other breeds and that this background inadvertantly creeps into the performance of their stock . This is to be expected ! As more experienced long-time professional Walking Horse trainers enter the activities in the West , we will see a gradual upgrading of the performance of show horses out there . Wc understand that the judges on the West Coast are doing their best to judge our horses effectively but that they too have a background with other stock and are not quite sure just what the Walking Horse is supposed to do .
We heard one story about a gaited horse judge who tied a Walking Horse down because “ he was striding too much in the back end .” Our first response was that it is the judge ’ s responsibility to tic our horses according to the established standards for the breed . . . not to change the rules to suit his own tastes . This , however , is also easy to understand , as many of these judges have seldom seen a top Tennessee Walking Horse perform , nor can they gather from the rule books just what “ square ” means .
Amateurs are in abundance on the West Coast . Here , as in many other parts of the country , people have discovered the easy going gaits of the Walking Plorse and are eager to try their hand at it . For the most part they have good stock and are doing fairly well in their eflorts to “ put on a good show .” They , too , need time to find
20 VOICE of the Tennessee Walking Horse