The 1967 Tennessee Walking Horse National Ce e- bration was perhaps the most exciting and suspensefilled event that has ever been witnessed at this
Shelbyville classic . Very little went " according to the book .” The show got off to a dismal start as rain drenched the arena in a steady drizzle during the first night . The slow drip . . . drip . . . drip was interrupted occasionally by a downpour that sent spectators scurrying for the protection of the new doubledeck south stands . The next day saw the sun shine , and produced a twelve-hour marathon of men and machines that labored to dry the track that was a foot deep in muck and mire . Somehow they managed to get the track in fair shape by show time Saturday
night .
The new south stands , containing 3,500 seats in a double-deck arrangement , were not quite completed by showtime . They did not get to paint them and , according to Celebration officials , some changes had to be made in the electrical system , as the lights would not go on and off with the rest of the stadium and the sound system could not be heard under the stands . It was a fine addition to an already excellent facility , however , and by the final night the stands were full .
Two new bams with forty stalls each were constructed in two weeks just before the show started . These were built on the east end of the grounds and eliminated the need for tent stalls . The people who stabled horses there were well pleased with the new facilities .
The camp area , located just north of the show grounds , was well organized this year . It looked like a state park in places , with tents , campers , trailers and traveling vans all lined up in the field and under the trees . Several excursions to the camp grounds indicated that everyone there felt that it was " the only way to come to the Celebration .” They all sat around whittling , talking horses and eating country ham cooked over charcoal . It looked pretty inviting ! Jimmy Richardson had a new attachment to his electric organ this year and he really sounded like a " one-man band .” He can pick up the background sounds of bongo drums and other rhythm instruments that blend well with the song he is playing , and it sounds great . Jimmy usually sticks it out in inclement weather , but on the second night of the show he could be seen up on top of the building in the center of the ring covering up his sound system . The last song he played was " Singing In The Rain .” As usual , Jimmy added greatly to the Celebration and his efforts and talent are truly appreciated by everyone . The local civic clubs stayed with it all week , operating the various food booths , donut stands and other concessions . Believe me , by the end of the week there were some " tired soldiers ” with VFW hats on who were ready and willing to go home for another year . As usual they were courteous and pleasant throughout the show and did everything they could to make our stay as enjoyable as possible .
The judges in the colt classes - Buddy Moore , Walker Limbaugh and " Pluck ” Miller - did an excellent job , as did Captain Bob Wood , the equitation judge As could be expected , the three judges of the saddle classes " had their work cut out for them ” when they walked into the ring on that first Saturday evening with eight nights of hard work before them . Gene Adams Berry Coffey and Rex Watts all deserve *
vote of thanks for a job well done . Few of US Can imagine the pressures and problems of being a Cele bration judge . They take on this task with full knowledge that , with a few exceptions , the only people who will really be happy will be those who get blue ribbons . This is the way it has always been and I guess it is the way it will always be in the horse business .
This year , as everyone knows , there were problems of unusual proportions which faced these men . They had to cope with the largest classes ever assembled , including several that had to be split to give everyone a chance to show . Even at that , it is extremely difficult to give everybody a fair shake with fifty or
more horses in the ring . They had the added problems of new rules regarding Two-Year-Olds , and they did their best to judge according to the wishes of the Celebration . They also had more emphasis being put on the physical condition of horses being shown and were charged with the responsibility of pointing out those horses which did not appear to be in proper shape to be shown further . This eliminated some fine horses and was rough on some few exhibitors , but was part of the job for which they had been hired . They also had to cope with a crowd that built up tremendously in the last four nights . It was obvious that a large portion of the crowd had come for one purpose . . . " to see some of the big boys get beat .” I cannot help but wonder where these horse enthusiasts were hiding all week . Many of them waited until Saturday night to make their annual pilgrimage to the Walking Horse capital of the world in the hopes that they could " cheer ” whatever horse captured their fancy into the limelight . This year it didn ’ t work ! This year , despite the large volume of booing from the bleachers , the judges tied horses according to the 20-20-40-20 % standard that we have been following for years . There are no percentage points given for " crowd support ” and if it ever reaches the point that the horse receiving the loudest applause should win , then we will install an applause meter and do away with the judges .
An interesting sidelight on the subject at hand was the tension that had built up within the stadium as we awaited the entrance of the contenders in the Aged Stallion Class on Wednesday night . A record crowd was on hand , straining their necks awaiting their favorite . Someone yelled , " Here she comes !” and , as the pretty blond on the big black stallion entered the ring , a rousing cheer arose from the stand . This cheer followed the beautiful big black horse almost around the ring before it was finally discovered that the horse was MERRY BOY ’ S SHAeu^u ’ num^er 1811 , ridden by Carolyn Stansberry- She has a fine horse , by the way !
T ere are several interesting facets to the phenomena of Celebration popularity . Like most American sports fans , Walking Horse enthusiasts tend r cheer for the underdog , or at least the horse or peson who they feel is an underdog . It is amazing owever , just how much some people are willing 1
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VOICE of the Tennessee Walking He