( Continued from Page 29 )
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 .
43