merru no boil
Few horses have etched their names in the annals of history to become living legends in the short span of twenty-five years . Whenever we think of famous horses , our attention turns to such well-known favorites as DAN PATCH , MAN O ’ WAR , TRIGGER , WING COMMANDER and BLACK BEAUTY . Some of these are famous for their performances , while others are part of the heritage of American folk lore and the world of entertainment . There remains a pinnacle of recognition , however , that is reserved for the few in the equine world w ’ ho achieve stardom in all areas of excellence . Such a horse is our subject .
MERRY GO BOY is considered to be the " nation ’ s leading Walking Horse Sire ”. He has made a notable contribution to the horse business for a quarter of a century and herewith we present his story and the story of the many people involved in his illustrious career as a show ' horse and a breeding horse . Silver is the honor and Silver it has been . ... for MERRY GO BOY has won every honor in the Walking Horse World .
Wartrace , Tennessee - May 4 , 1943 . The United States was two years directly involved in the Second World War . The world was split in a conflict that carried American soldiers to Europe and the Far East to fight for freedom and " our way of life .” Amid all this conflict and confusion there was little to take our minds off the major issues of the day . On this day however , something took place in a little hamlet of Middle Tennessee that did indeed take a few minds
off world conditions . It was a beautiful , balmy spring day and there was a bit of a haze in the air . . . probably coming from the charcoal pits over at the Motlow Distillery in Lynchburg . A mare had just had a colt and he was described as " something special ” by all w ' ho saw him .
Just one week later a group of Walking Horse enthusiasts gathered at a farm of Mr . Archi Wiser in Wartrace to look at this colt . He was by old MERRY BOY and out of a fine mare named WISER ’ S DIMPLES . He was black as the ace of spades and the morning sun glistened on his fine coat as he moved about the pasture in complete independence . The only time he was concerned with his dam was at dinner time . Among those present were Archi Wiser , who owned him and
16 his dam , and his brother Winston Wiser . It was Winston who made the first notable comment about this colt ; and he turned to his wife Katherine and said , " I ’ ll bet I can win the Celebration with him !”
One week later Winston Wiser bought this colt for the grand sum of $ 350.00 , which was a tidy amount to pay for a three-week-old black stud colt in those days . He took the mare and the colt to his farm and turned them out . Katherine Wiser took a special interest in this colt and it was she who later called the Celebration office in Shelbyville , Tennessee , to find out when the entries closed for the Weanlings Class . To her dismay , they had already closed . She promptly called Mr . Gilly Orr and prevailed upon him to use his influence to get a colt entered . This he did and shortly thereafter one black stud colt named MERRY GO
BOY entered the ring for the first time . His first contest was victorious as he won his first
World Championship in the Weanling Stud Class at the Celebration . Winston Wiser showed him in the Celebration as a Weanling and when they came back for the Championship his charge decided he was not interested . His manners in the showring were less than favorable and he was tied reserve to a pretty little filly named FRANCES LANGFORD , owned by T . H . Gather of Lewisburg . This was the only defeat that Winston Wiser and MERRY GO BOY were ever to experience in their class .
As a yearling , MERRY GO BOY continued to attract the attention of many astute Walking Horse enthusiasts . Mr . Elroy Mallard , a well-known horseman from Georgetown , Kentucky , was so impressed that he purchased a half-interest in him . GO BOY , as he had become known by that time , was a big drawing card for the popular Wiser Stables in Shelbyville , Tennessee . In halter classes , he was undefeated as a Yearling . In the Celebration of 1944 MERRY GO BOY was shown by Mr . Odie Adcox , a friend of the Wisers , and he won both the Stud Class and the Championship with him .
The next step in the careet of MERRY GO BOY was most interesting . In talking to Mrs . Wiser recently we learned that " GO BOY was not too hard to break . He had a mind of his own but he and Winston had been together for so long that they respected one another . Winston only knew one way to break a horse
Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse