has been with them for seventeen years and has produced some of the best stock on the coast . MIDNIGHT MERRY BOY , a six-year-old stallion , is their breed stud and he has some fine colts on the grounds . Dr . Bishop is riding MIDNIGHT GLORY B by OLD GLORY JR ., that has been Amateur Champion of the Pacific Coast Walking Horse Association . Mrs . Florence Bishop , one of most delightful people we met in California , is showing PURE GOLD this year . He is a five-year-old sorrel gelding . They also have GO BOY ’ S MINX , a sevenyear-old marc that was Futurity Champion and West Coast Junior Champion . GOLD ' BOOTS FANTASY , a three-year-old sorrel mare , and LADY ’ S SHADOW BOY , a three-year-old gelding , are doing well , as is GOLD BOOTS FI , a double-bred WILSON ALLAN horse by GOLD BOND . Evergreen Ranch is involved in almost every phase of activity on the West Coast including breeding and showing . They also have some fine stock for sale and recently sold MIDNIGHT MERRY BOY JR ., a fine five-year-old stud .
Blue Mountain Ranch
( Editors Note : The following newsletter was sent to us recently by Jim and Diana Babb : Thanks for this West Coast information ).
After all the rubbing , picking , scratching , figure eights and so forth . MY SECRET SUN was judged the
winner of the Junior Class at Indio , Diana showing as usual .
Some of the walkers that impressed us at Indio were SHADOW ’ S DREAMTIME G ., SUNBEAM PRO DUCER , THE NEW BLACK ANGEL , and STATELY BRANTLY BOY , to name a few .
With the Walking classes so well-filled and obviously the most popular with the spectators , we believe it will not be too long before they are given the same consideration by show management as are the other breeds .
California is about the last state that does not employ separate , judges for the Walking division at their major shows . We feel , as do most exhibitors , that the Walking classes are becoming too large and competitive to expect a saddle horse judge to do justice in our division . However , at the few shows we have attended in California , the judging has been commendable considering the interference from other sources .
We owe a lot of our success on the West Coast to one of the best farriers we have had the privilege to work with in any locality . Mr . Reuel Darling , Fresno , California , is truly an artist at his trade .
Since being on the West Coast , we have seen no evidence of horses being sore from blistering . However , there are quite a few that have old scars . These old scars frequently get boot rubs in the ring which is considered to be sore . These are , of course , disqualified under AHSA rules .
Everett Agee has leased SUN ’ S DUKE OF DIXIE from Bob Womble , Chicago , Illinois . DUKE will stand the season at Blue Ridge Ranch , Clovis , California . He is a full brother to SPIRIT OF MIDNIGHT . Both of these stallions have some outstanding colts in Tennessee . Central California was in need of a top breeding horse .
It was a wise move for Mr . Agee to secure this MID NIGHT SUN breeding .
Here at Blue Mountain Ranch , wc have three colts already on the ground by SOUVENIR ’ S KING , a World ’ s Champion himself . He is a line-bred GO BOY . The mare ’ s pedigrees , here at the ranch , read like Who ’ s
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Who in Walking Horse Circles . They are own daughters of GO BOY , MACK K , MIDNIGHT SUN , SETTING SUN , BLUE NAMRON , ROAN ALLEN AGAIN , GO BOY ’ S CAPTAIN , and other nationally known sires . One prominent Tennessee breeder remarked , “ Why , y ’ ll have better breeding than we have in Tennessee .” We have two-year-olds , yearlings and weanlings for sale out of
this breeding . J . D . Landers , Rio Linda , just selected two two-yearold geldings , by SOUVENIR ’ S KING , to finish for some of his customers . J . D . and Jimmy are working a barn full , some pretty tasty stock there at Jo-El , too .
Walking Horses in Texas
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JOHN DENSON 3117 Fondren Dallas . Texas
It was my pleasure to visit with Bud and Mina Seaton recently . Bud is the head trainer at Mr . Frank Mason ’ s thirty-five acre farm and stable near Grapevine , Texas . In my opinion , this is probably one of the finest stables in the country , if not the finest .
Naturally the center of activity is the barn , which contains twenty-five stalls constructed of metal pipe and chain-link fence . The outside walls of the barn are all metal and are built so that during warm weather the sides can be raised to allow maximum ventilation . Since Bud has moved to Blue Bonnet Stables , he and Mr . Mason have installed a metal shop that Bud uses when he shoes the horses . A sprinkler system is used to control the dust in the hallway of the barn in the arena .
Of course , it is the horses that make a stable a good one — and Bud and assistant trainer Eddie Milligan are working some of the best in the nation . Although Bud and Eddie have only been to three shows since last year ’ s Celebration , they have compiled an outstanding show record . Bud has been showing one of the finest black stallions in the nation . Since January COUNT NOBLE , with Bud up , has won both the Stud and Gelding class and the big stake at both Fort Worth and Tyler . With this record , COUNT NOBLE is leading in points for the High Point Stallion of Texas award . This fine black stallion is owned by Hank Sheely of Dallas .
One of the best three-year-old stallions out this year is EBONY ’ S SENATOR , owned by Mason and Seaton . This is a great horse , as was proven by his Tyler Horse Show win . Since the Tyler Horse Show has more and better Walking Horses than any of its size in the Southwest , this win was considered a real victory . The “ Old Trooper ,” as Bud and Eddie call ROYAL SUN DUST , is one of the best geldings ever to come out of the Southwest . ROYAL has been shown three times since the Celebration with blues in the following classes : Gelding class at Jackson , Mississippi , Amateur Class at Fort Worth , and the Ladies ’ Class at Tyler . Susan Sheely did a wonderful job of showing her horse at Fort Worth and Tyler — and this pair will be one to watch .
Ask anyone to name a horse that Bud Seaton has shown and nine out of ten will reply “ GO BOY ’ S CHAT TERBOX .” Bud tied Reserve World Grand Champion on Shirley Sharpe ’ s beautiful blood bay .
VOICE of the Tennessee Walking Horse
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