MR. F. T. T., T-BIRD.& FLYING CLOUD Big Winners.............
The Florida Horse Show Circuit starts the show season in the southern part of the country. This year the
Winter Haven Charity7 Horse Show began February 29 and ran through March 3. The weather was unusually cold for Florida, but this did not seem to hamper the exhibitors. Under the capable management of Show Manager Tom Turnbull and the Winter Haven Jaycees, the season got off to a good start. These shows are heavy on hunters, jumpers, gaited horses, Arabians and Morgans, but the Walking Horse classes are well represented in all the shows. Wink Groover of Etowah, Tennessee did the honors as Walking Horse Judge.
From Winter Haven the vans headed for the Tampa Charity Horse Show on March 6 through 10. Dick Randolph and the Tampa Horse Show Association and the Children ' s Home Auxiliary made this a warm and gracious show for all exhibitors. The Florida Circuit always treats their guests in a grand style; with brunches, exhibitors’ parties, barbecues, and a lot of Southern hospitality. The Honorable Jimmy Holloway of West, Mississippi judged the Walking Horse classes.
Next came the Gainesville Charity Horse Show on March 14-17. This show was sponsored by Epsilon Sigma Alpha and Alachua County Sheriffs Mounted Posse. Being this time of the month, the weather was much better and, for the first time in five years, the sun was shining on the Gainesville show grounds. Paul Smith of Alachua, Florida was the Walking Horse Judge.
Since this is a long circuit to make, you see about the same faces and horses at all three shows. Fashion 220 Cosmetics and the capable V. G. Gochneaur and son Greg won quite a few honors at these shows. They took home 12 blues, 1 second, 1 third and 3 fourths. One of the highlights of the Tampa show was the debut of JUDGE’ S CHOICE( the former WA MOO- LANG) ridden by Wink Groover. This filly has been so highly publicized since she was foaled that critics were all around the ring, including Mr. George Lenox and several of the original stockholders. No one seemed to be able to fault her; she is a great two-yearold. " Red” Gochneaur took the honors in the Amateur Class and the Amateur Stake on MR. F. T. T. in all three shows. His son Greg won the Juvenile Class and Juvenile Stake on ME AND MY SHADOW at Tampa and Gainesville. The other blue for this top stable went to LITTLE SPREE with Wallace Brandon up in the Junior Walking Horse Class in Tampa.
GO BOY’ S FLYING CLOUD with Ronnie Spears up for J. P. Eldridge of Oviedo, Florida won the Stallion and Gelding Classes and the Stakes at Winter Haven and Tampa, and BIG SHOT’ S T-BIRD, with Jim Babb up for Billy Jo Robinson of Chattanooga,
GO BOY’ S FLYING CLOUD, with Ronnie Spears up for J. p. Eldridge of Oviedo, Florida, was awarded the blues for the Stallion and Gelding Classes and the Championship Stakes at the Winter Haven and Tampa Horse Shows,
Tennessee won the Stallion and Gelding Class and the Stake at the Gainesville Horse Show.
Harold Kennedy of Manor House Farms, Pulaski, Tennessee, won his share of ribbons on the circuit. To the blue, he rode HOLIDAY’ S LADY, a threeyear-old, at Winter Haven, and MANOR’ S MIDNITE LADY, a two-year-old, at Gainesville.
Preach Fleming and son Joe won 5 blues showing for R. D. Keene of Orlando. Joe won the Juvenile Class at Winter Haven on SUN’ S BLACK SQUIRREL and Preach won the Junior Class there and at Gainesville with the same horse. He won the three-year-old class at Tampa with MERRY MARK and the mare class at Gainesville with MARK’ S LITTLE STAR. The mare class in Winter Haven was won by Marvin Wilson up for Randolph Farms on SPECIAL’ S FAIR LADY, and JUNE’ S BLUE VELVET owned and ridden by R. S. Musselwhite, Maitland, Florida, won the Tampa mare class.
Each of the ladies’ classes was won by a separate entry. Linda Robinson DeShazo, riding for Circle R Stables, won the Tampa class; SUN STAR PILOT and Mrs. Max Aulick for R. D. Keene won it in Winter Haven; and Diana Babb for Babb & Ledford on MY SECRET SUN won the Gainesville Ladies’ Class.
The two-year-old class at Winter Haven was won by Bob Cooley and RIDGELEA’ S DELIGHT for Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Lee, Madisonville, Tennessee.
There was only one pony class on this circuit and GO LUCKY’ S SUN, with Ronald Young up for Chitwood Stables, Resaca, Georgia, took home the blue. For complete results of all three shows see below.
As we have stressed before concerning the Florida Circuit— it is a good one to make if the winter gets too long and cold in your part of the country. The management of each show is to be congratulated for the hospitality shown to the exhibitors.
34 Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse