1967-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1967 June Voice RS | Page 46

Murray Farm Sale Rounds Out
Record Year of Spring Sales
The Murry Farm Sale is now history, but it has made
its mark on the Walking Horse business again this year.
Mr. S. W. Beech and Pete Yokley did an outstanding
job in running the show as smoothly as ever.
The big news of the sale was the top dollar brought
by two-time World’s Grand Champion, BOMB’S BALLY
HOO. The new owner of this champion is W. Z. Foss of
LaGrange, North Carolina. Mr. Foss will show BALLY
HOO in amateur classes and his trainer will be Sammy
Cecil. The horse was sold for SI0,500 and caused a stir
among the various observers on the rail at the sale.
A look of sadness was noted in the eyes of previous
owner DeLeese Williams, who stood by and watched her
beloved stallion go under the hammer. DeLeese had ridden
this tremendous horse to two World Amateur champion­
ships in addition to innumerable blues in Amateur
competition.
Other top horses going through the sale were SET­
TING SUN’S SUPREME, selling for $7,500 to V. G.
Gochneaur and consigned bv W. L. Cooley, and HOT
CARGO, sold to Jimmv Holoway and Wink Groover and
consigned by V. G. Gochneaur. This fine mare was later
re-sold to Jimmy Lackey.
Referred to as ‘'the oldest Walking Horse Sale in the
nation” the Murray Farm Sale occupies a position of
significance unparalleled in the business. Prior to the sale
this year we had seen a series of fairly successful sales
held from Florida to Kansas City. Some were better than
others but none was an overwhelming success. The pri­
mary concern of astute observers was the prices that
horses were bringing. We analyzed the situation and noted
that a trend was developing. The gap between our pleas­
ure horses, those in the $250 to $700 category, and our
show stock was getting wider. Going into the Murray
Farm Sale, everyone was a little bit skeptical as to the
condition of the market.
The Murray Farm served to prove what had been
suspected for some time: that pleasure horses, regardless
of how much training they had or their bloodlines, would
no longer bring show horse prices. Many dejected owners
turned to the Murray Farm for the “top dollar” only to
find that the buyers are now more critical than ever be­
fore. The emphasis today is on “looks and breeding” and
if a horse doesn’t have it he just won’t bring the price.
Result . . . more concentration on better stock!
As expected, horses selling through the Murray Farm,
all seven hundred of them, brought what they were
worth, proving that the market is stable and that there
is still a demanding market for good horses of all types.
We have learned a lesson this year that should be kept
in mind: The future of our breed depends upon develop­
ing new markets for all our horses. If you are content to
raise horses whose breeding and conformation are that
of a pleasure horse, you are going to have to be content
with pleasure horse prices. If, on the other hand, you con­
centrate on “breeding the best you’ve got to the best you
can find” . . . then you can expect higher prices for your
colts. Regardless of which route you travel you can de­
pend on the Murray Farm Sale to provide the best facil­
ities for both buying and selling.
Pete and S. W. have announced the dates for their
Celebration Sale of Champions. The five-day sale will
begin on Tuesday, August 29 and will run through Sari
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urday, September 2. This sale is one of the highlights of
the Celebration week and many enthusiasts from all
over the country come to town to buy horses. The facil­
ities for this sale arc located just a block and a half from
the Celebration grounds on Horse Mountain Road. At
present they plan to sell 70 head per day and entries close
on June 30. Also remember the Annual Fall Sale at the
Murray Farm usually held the second week in October.
TOPS MURRAY FARM SALE—DeLeese Williams takes one
last look at her horse BOMB’S BALLY HOO, which she
sold to C. Z. Foss, pictured at the left with trainers Sammy
Cecil and Donald Paschal.
GOING EAST—-Mr. and Mrs. Ben Long of Statesville, N.C.
are pictured with Bob Cherry and Clovis Efarber as they
loaded up SAVAGE SAM, a fine Amateur horse that they will
be showing in North Carolina.
MIAMI BOUND—Dr. Linda Staley, seated at left, and Bill
Staley are pictured assisting Sgt. LeRoy Shelton and George
Reid as they buy horses for the Miami Mounted Patrol at
the Murray Farm Sale.