( Continued from page 76) a proven MIDNIGHT SUN mare that won second place in the Baton Rouge Dixie Jubilee. She haswalked from the day she was born and stands fourteen hands of all black, solid horse flesh. Her mother, by MIDNIGHT SUN and out of OLD
GLORY, is bred back to SUN’ S DE LIGHT and is safe in foal. My horses are stabled at my home on Cleary Avenue, overlooking Lake Ponchartrain, in New Orleans. The stable is named after my children, The 3TK( Tara, Trist, Tracee, Keith) Stable. If you ever have the occasion, please come to see us. We are very proud
of our new home and our new horses. The atmosphere and quality of horses we have has been a tremendous stimulus for the Tennessee Walking Horse in New Orleans. If you should
ever have time to visit with us, I am sure you would enjoy hearing the story as to how I got started in business by the sale of my fine Walking
Horse colt, now known as DARK MAGIC, who is shown throughout the United States by Frank Parnell.
Thus you can see that I, probably more than most people, am deeply indebted to the Tennessee Walking Horse and the promotion of the breed. I would like at this time to thank you for your fine efforts and all that you have done to help the breed. I assure you that I, like so many others, sincerely appreciate your hard work and good news.
Very truly yours, GERALD G. PFISTER New Orleans, Louisiana
( EDITOR’ S NOTE: This letter came
10 us as a general warning for new people in the horse business. This vas not one of OUR trainers; howver, we felt it deserved reprinting n this column. Think about it!)
' ear Sirs:
I hope you print this letter as a / arning to the novice horse buyer. My husband and I have just re-: ently moved to Missouri and deided to buy a horse, preferably an Appaloosa.
We heard that a trainer in Springfield, Miss our raised them. We didn’ t want to get into anything too expensive, as this was our first time at buying a horse. We didn’ t know what to look for or expect.
When we got to this stable, we found a little two-year-old Appaloosa stud we liked. He was a little thin and the trainer told us he scoured a little, but the vet could clear it up easily. Not knowing exactly what scours were and how badly they could affect a horse, we didn’ t think it a serious matter.
The horse was built nice and had a nice disposition, so we bought him. We didn’ t notice that the horse had not dropped and the trainer didn’ t volunteer any information. The vet told us this is quite an expensive
operation.
The vet bills for scours and poor condition haven’ t ended yet, and this has been going on for two months now. We called the trainer and asked if we could either get another horse
or a refund, and he said he " just couldn’ t do it. You bought the horse, he’ s yours. Whatever was or is wrong with him is not my responsibility now.”
Please watch out for this type of individual in the horse business.
MRS. W. R. Correll Missouri
Dear Sir:
Your magazine’ s remarks on the’' pleasure horse”( A Lot To Talk About) were the unkindest cut of all! Let me say that out here there are those of us who definitely do not consider the " using horse,” as somecall it, to be the garbage left over after the banquet of the show has been prepared!
I daresay there are a few who would not trade their best horse for any Celebration winner alive! We are as hard to please as any show judge, but we are looking for entirely different things. Maybe it’ s a horse that simply can walk right up a flfteen-hundred-foot mountain without needing a rest. Maybe one who has the brains to stand ground-tied while hunting and doesn’ t kick the gun dogs. Maybe we have one who can drag a post on a rope and not mind a post-hole digger balanced across the saddle, or can pull a tool sled in harness, chase cattle or even cut them, or one who can keep up a steady five miles an hour over mountain trails all day long, walk and running walk. Whatever it is that we want, it’ s an excellence of its own. To breed a good using horse some people wouldn’ t even try breeding two show horses.
The Walking Horse breed is bigger
than the show ring, even the biggest show ring on earth, and it’ s a terrible shame this gets so little publicity.
Yours sincerely, RUSSEL FREELAND 1238 Versailles Avenue Alameda, California
Dear Editor:
We recently visited Middle Tennessee in the effort to learn more about the Walking Horse breed.
Stopping in at Mr.( Charlie) Bobo’ s stable was a real privilege. Mr. Bobo
and his son, Bill, spent an afternoon
giving us valuable information on various aspects of riding and handling the horses.
It was indeed a thrill for us and we feel this is a way of really selling the breed.
We know now from experience that once you ride the Walking Horse you won’ t be happy until you own one.
Sincerely, DOUG AND BONNIE CLARK 4717 Barton Road Williamston, Michigan 48895
EDITOR’ S NOTE- We have received considerable correspondence from
readers who are primarily interested in the Tennessee Walking Horse for pleasure. One letter, from Mrs. Douglas C.( Suzanne) Patton of Cincinnati, Ohio, pointed out that there is considerable confusion with regard to the horse show aotivity for Pleasure Horses. This confusion stems
from the terminology used to describe classes for Pleasure Walking Horses in various Rules and Regulations. To clarify the situation we reprint herewith revised rules for 1968 from the February, 1968 issue of the " Horse Show” bulletin of the A. H. S. A. as Mrs. Patton suggested. 1968 RULE CHANGES RULE XXXIII Part VI, insert Park Pleasure Class before Pleasure Class and change Pleasure Class to Plantation Class. WALKING HORSE PARK PLEAS URE CLASS. To be ridden by an amateur( shows may divide class by rider’ s age and / or horses age or sex). A Park Pleasure Walking Horse is defined as a lady’ s or gentleman’ s mount for park pleasure riding. The horse should typify the ultimate of
the Walking Horse Breed for a personal mount. Set tails, boots and braids are optional. Tobe judged25 % for the flat walk, 25 % for the running walk, 25 % for the canter, and25 % for manners, quality and suitablity of
horse to rider. Horses competing in this class are not eligible for any other class in this division at the same show in which the performance of the horse is the deciding factor.
WALKING < HORSE i PLANTATI ON CLASS. To be ridden by an amateur( shows may divide class by rider’ s age and / or horse’ s age or
( Continued on page 84 }
August, 1968 81