1967-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1967 November Voice RS | Page 17

to get his five hundred dollars back from that Mr.
Olsen, who had no business selling the mares in the
first place. "Don’t forget, Lonny,” Don cautioned,
"that he didn’t have any records on those horses
and probably had no idea who they belonged to.”
"That may be true, but he could have found out
something if he had just asked somebody. Maybe
someday somebody in this business will get wise and
start tattooing Walking Horses on the lip with an
identification number like they do those race horses.
Then, by damn, we’d know a horse when we saw it.”
When they got home and unloaded the horses it was
too late to call the lawyer, but Lonny was determined
to get his money back. He bid Don goodnight and
went into the house. Helen was waiting up for him.
She met him at the door and, taking his coat, asked,
"What did you find out, honey?” "We found the mares
over at the Blanton County stockyards. That man
had sold them for two hundred apiece and I had to
pay five to get them back.” "Lonny . . . you didn’t
pay for them, did you? That’s all the money we had!”
Helen was visibly shaken by the fact that her hus­
band had spent her new furniture money getting the
mares back. "I could just cry . . .” she quavered, as
she settled back into a chair. "Don’t worry, baby -
I’ll get it back somehow if I have to take it out of
that old man’s hide,” Lonny soothed. "Com’on, let’s
go to bed. I’m bushed.”
(Continued next month)
ALABAMA WALKING ON
by Gail B. Chambers
Box 14
Morris, Alabama
As a new contributing editor to the VOICE, I would
like to introduce myself and invite all of you Alabama
trainers, owners and riders to send me your news.
I live in Morris, just 15 miles north of Birmingham,
with my husband Gene and two children, Micki and
Penny. I have always loved horses and grew up with
them. I graduated from Stephens college, where I was
a member of the Prince of Wales Riding Club, and the
University of Alabama. I have served as Secretary-
Treasurer for the Bit and Spur Riding Club here in
Morris for four years and have helped with putting on
fourteen club shows. My family and I have been show­
ing during that period. Gene is showing our stallion,
SWANKY PERFECTION, Micki and I both show SUN’S
SILVER STAR in Walking Pleasure classes (this mare
is owned by my parents, Lucile and Grady Barger),
and Penny is still in the lead line on CUTIE PIE.
This past winter we devoted our time and enthusi­
asm to building Bridlewood Stables in Morris. It is a
twenty-four stall training barn with all the modern
facilities for training Tennessee Walking Horses. Wayne
Luna, a former Tennessee trainer, has leased this
barn and is doing an excellent job. Some of the stock
he is working includes a three-year-old, SUN OF
MASTERPIECE, which belongs to Shirley and Jimmy
Jolly of Fultondale. This horse was purchased from
Harold Kennedy and has only tied out of the money
one time in Alabama and has won four blues. MID­
NIGHT JET STAR , owned by Coker Lathram of Cull­
man, has had a good season and wound up winning
the stake class at Hueytown. MR. SOCIETY, the two-
November, 1967
i
year-old that belongs to Mr. and Mrs. Claude Walls
of Hayden, looked mighty good this season. MACK’S
GYPSY MAN, a white two-year-old belonging to Mr.
and Mrs. R. L. Sandlin of Warrior, should be a horse
to watch next season. Mr. and Mrs. M. H. McElroy
of Birmingham have two horses with Wayne. Their
INVASIONS FUTURA is a flashy four-year-old stud,
and SUN’S JENNY LYNN is an aged mare that can
really get under herself and walk on! She is shown in
juvenile classes by Mitzi McElroy. Jim Corley of Bir­
mingham has a beautiful black three-year-old stud,
JIM’S GO BOY C, and three nice colts in training
here. DAWN’S BLUE ANGEL, owned by Tommy Du-
chock of Fultondale, is a beautiful little grey mare
with a big lick. Wayne has had a very successful sea­
son and topped it off with an Open House recently at
Bridlewood Stables. From the stereo came the sounds
of Jimmy Richardson filling the barn with good old
show sounds to back up all the horse talk among
friends.
J. B. Coker of Joppa has already begun breaking
and working six two-year-olds for the coming season.
Mr. Coker considers these to be some of his best pros­
pects yet. These two-year-olds include a MASTER­
PIECE filly owned by Mr. and Mrs. Finis St. John of
Cullman, a GO BOY stud colt owned by Mr. and Mrs.
Lester E. Wooten of Decatur, two SHADOW colts for
Mr. and Mrs. E. F. Patterson of Vinemont, a roan stud
colt owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Tucker of Cullman,
and a SETTING SUN’S CHIEF stud colt owned by
Family Fashions of Huntsville. Besides these six fine
colts, by this printing, he should have started working
a good-looking stud colt by COTTON QUEEN’S GO
BOY. This colt is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Saul Wal­
drop of Florence.
I had a nice chat with James and Pat Martin of
Gadsden recently. As most of you know, James Mar­
tin is well known on the political scene in Alabama,
and his very talented wife Pat was Miss Alabama just
a few years back. They have recently purchased MY
PALOMINO PAL for Pat to show. She got a late
start this season but has made some mighty good
shows. You may remember this fine stallion being
shown by Mr. H. L. Worrell. The Martins also have a
broodmare in foal to a MIDNIGHT SUN stud. The
Martin children, Doug, Ann and Richard, are getting
off to a good start by owning their own ponies. It is
always nice to have such a fine family join the show
circuit.
Four nice young riders from the J. W. Hicks Stables
in Hanceville have had a good season. They include
Margaret Babb of Cullman on her mare, RHYTHM
JANE; Sara Coffee of Cullman on LITTLE AFTER
DAWN; and Sheila Ray of Bessemer on COCHISES
ROCKET, all showing in juvenile classes. Laura Moody
from Birmingham shows her GO BOY’S AIRLINER
in amateur classes.
That little black mare, BLUE’S MARY DOLL, in
training with J. W. and shown by Jimmy Hicks, is still
hitting a big lick that’s hard to beat! She is one of
top mares in Alabama and is owned by Dr. and Mrs.
Harry Blaylock of Birmingham.
News from Sonny Southerland is that he will be
moving to a new barn in Leeds, Alabama this fall.
The barn is being built by Mr. Tom Jernigan of Bir­
mingham. I hope to have more news on this barn
after the opening.
"Alabama Walking On” needs your news! Walk On
to the mail box and drop me a line.
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