man of the hour in
" 01 * Vic is about as controversial as any man who ever throwed a leg over a Walking Horse... but he managed to accomplish what a lot of people said could never be done.” That statement just about sums up the general feeling regarding Vic Thompson and the Walking Horse Trainers Association. It could be said that Mr. Thompson is indeed the " man of the hour” in the Walking Horse business. He set the wheels in motion to form an organization that this business has needed for some time. He got the trainers together and made them realize that " the future of this breed is what they make it.” Vic Thompson is one of the few college-trained men in the business( although more men with higher education are entering the training profession every day). He actually studied pre-veterinary medicine at Texas A & M. Vic started working with Walking Horses in Fort Worth, Texas, after serving in the Air Force for three and a half years. He met and married the former Mariland Goff of Kennedy, Texas, and she has been no small influence in his rise to the top of the horse business.
It would be almost impossible to discuss the horses that Vic Thompson has trained and shown. He has won almost every ribbon at the Celebration including the World Grand Championship. He is a promoter as well as a fine trainer and a good businessman. He has been involved in the purchase and sale of as many top horses as anyone in the business and takes special pride in Juvenile and Amateur horses. This activity was stimulated by his two daughters, Vicky Lynn and Kathy, both of whom love horses and have worked with their father.
At the breeding level Vic Thompson, as manager of the Stallion Stables in Shelbyville, as handled some of the top stallions in the Walking Horse world. He is a firm believed in planned breeding and has produced some top colts on his farm in Shelbyville.
For some time, Vic has dreamed of getting the trainers together to form an association. He was at one time an active member of the Rodeo Cowboys Association and saw first-hand what benefits could be achieved for the membership of such an organization. In his mind he had a dream of a similar association for Walking Horse trainers. Today... this
dream is a reality, but it has been costly for him. For over six months he has been working day and
night on this organization. He has traveled over 25,- 000 miles on behalf of the Trainers Association, much
of the time at his own expense. Recently, while on a trip to Missouri to address the Heart of America Walking Horse Association, he suffered a mild heart attack and had to be put to bed in Kansas City for ten days. We point this out only to indicate that some sacrifices have been made for this organization.
At the recent Trainers Association meeting, Vic had slowed down a bit. He was obviously tired but still enthusiastic. He took great pride in looking out
over the crowd of the nation’ s finest Walking Horse trainers and knowing that he had played a part in
the program. When the gate opens shortly. • ■ Vic Thompson will be just another trainer. He will win a few and lose a few, but like last year he will just load up and go to the show. He will be just another trainer then, but now... now he is " the man of the our in the Walking Horse business.” Thanks, Vic!
26 Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse