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himself and still do the multitude of other chores required of a trainer. Johnny Brown, who has been with him for 20 years, is a big aid / as is Kay McCoy of Mobile, Alabama, who has been helping Steve for two years. Together they all pull hard for the many blue ribbons captured by the Steve Hill Stables, with teamwork more than just a saying around the bam.
Steve has trained quite a few horses that have captured championships for juveniles and amateurs. The recent sale of GO BOY’ S ROYAL HEIR to Dr. C. L. Sexton of Florence, S. C. for his granddaughter Candace Williams certainly bears this out. This horse was considered one of the prime contenders for the championship in 1966 but a fall in the preliminary class at the Celebration cost him his chance to come back in the stake. The horse suffered a badly bruised left rear flank while Steve sustained three cracked ribs and multiple bruises and abrasions. Steve’ s fall caused a quiet hush of concern to fall over the Celebration crowd, but he came right back and climbed aboard ROYAL HEIR for the judges’ decision. ROYAL HEIR and Steve tied second in this class and unfortunately never got their chance in the Grand Championship Stake.
As we mentioned before, Steve has lived in Beech Grove all of his life and apparently he plans to settle there. He owns 1000 acres of land and is raising Black Angus cattle, mares and colts on it. Beech Grove is a quiet, peaceful place that Steve Hill has always called home. It is also a gathering place for notables in the Walking Horse business. If you ever feel the urge to talk about some of the“ old-time” horses or want to discuss current“ top contenders”... go by and see
PROMOTION MINDED— Steve has always taken the professional approach to his horse activities. Here he is pictured on MIDNIGHT MERRY as the cover picture of the old“ Tennessee Walking Horse” magazine, after he won the Big Stake at the 1949 Celebration.
JULY, 1967
Let’ em Walk On... and On... and On
Mr. L. C. Fritzsche of Shelbyville, Tennessee, told the VOICE this little story about a real“ Walking Horse.”
“ Every time I go riding on Sunday afternoon or go to a one-night horse show, I am reminded of what Mr. Audry Walker of Wartracc, Tennessee told me the other day. Watching folks load and unload their horses from one truck to another, he said,“ The horse today can hardly travel any distance under its own power.’ Mr. Audry says( and at his age a man is truthful) that in 1917 he had a four-year-old blue roan horse named MARY KING. Mr. Audry was fifteen at the time. An older man, Mr. Albert Dement, told Mr. Audry about a horse show in Murfreesboro to which he was going in a buggy, so Mr. Audry rode alongside the buggy to the show.( Mr. Audry’ s horse was a colt out of a mare called MERRY LEGS, the property of Mr. Dement.) When they got to Murfreesboro, Mr. Audry won the show. This was good for a fifteen-year-old boy. Mr. Dement said,‘ Young Man, I am going on to the state capital, Nashville, Tennessee, to the state fair where there will be a horse show also.’ So off they went, Dement in the buggy and young Audry Walker on his horse.
“ Arriving for the first time in Nashville, the country boy went to the state fair and by the time the week was out had won the horse show. That too was good for a boy of fifteen. Not knowing just what to do next, he heard Mr. Dement say that there would be a horse show ' in Bowling Green, Kentucky in about ten days. Mr. Dement added that he was taking the buggy and that Mr. Audry could ride along with him. Well, Mr. Audry was young and had a lot of time and a mighty good horse, so away they went to Bowling Green( I wonder how many show horses today could walk to Bowling Green from Middle Tennessee?). When they arrived at Bowling Green, Mr. Audry went to work and wfon the show '.
“ By this time, it was time to go home and there was
enough money in Mr. Audry’ s pocket to pay his fare and the cost of shipping his horse home. He felt the horse deserved the rest. He later sold the horse but reacquired him in his later years and used him as a stallion until he departed this earth.”
Mr. Fritzsche said that Mr. Audry Walker could verify this little tale, and ended his communication with the VOICE this way:“ The next time you are coming to Middle Tennessee, ride your horse!”
MHP AD WINS HIGH AWARD
This coveted Hermes trophy was recently won by Fort Dodge Laboratories for its outstanding advertisement featuring the“ Managed Health Program.” The winning
ad is part of the series on“ MHP” which has appeared regularly in The Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse. The award was presented at the 25th awards banquet
of the Chicago Advertising Club, to Cecil E. Barger( left) of Sander Allen Advertising, Inc., Chicago, and Dr. Merritt E. Skidmore( right) of Fort Dodge Labortories, Fort Dodge, Iowa. The“ Managed Health Program” is sponsored by Fort Dodge in cooperation with local veterinarians, to promote better horse care based on latest advances in veterinary science. The Hermes trophy
was the second won by Fort Dodge in two years. Last
year, the company received the honor for its Clovite Conditioner advertisement, which ran in Voice of the
Tennessee Walking Horse.
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