1968-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1968 November Voice RS | Page 12
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by David L. Howard
MISSISSIPPI STATE CHAMPION - Baine Lee and JET PARADE’S MID
NIGHT accept the official awards and the cheers of the crow'd for their thrill
ing victory In the Grand Championship Stake. This horse was sold shortly af
ter the show to Martin Best of Barnwell, South Carolina, and will be shown
in the future by his trainer, Huck Moss. This outstanding victory at Jackson
with Baine in the saddle put this horse in the category of top contenders.
For those civic groups that are interested in a short
course in horse show management, they missed one
of the finest three-day clinics on staging a horse show
in years. The site was the Civic Coliseum in Jackson,
Mississippi, and the official title was the Mississippi
State Championship Horse Show’.
A combination of hospitality and efficiency made
this show one of the top stops on the southern show
circuit this year - or any other year, for that matter.
About the only complaint involving the show was
concerning the numerous exhibitions between classes
that sometimes were unfortunately a little overextend
ed. However, crowd reaction to the exhibitions was
enthusiastic and the performance of the United States
Drum And Bugle Corps and Precision Marching Team
was one of the finest exhibitions this writer has ever
witnessed. It was a fitting answer to the often-heard
question, "What’s happening to this younger gene
ration?”
The horse activity at the show was competitive with
plenty of top horses and riders showing up in quest
of prize money and trophies. There were 46 classes
with almost half - 22 to be exact - of these Walking
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Horse classes. There were 13 professional classes,
while the other nine were divided between juveniles,
amateurs and colts.
The show management at the Mississippi Champion
ship is experienced and hard-working, and these two
essential qualities were much in evidence. Executive
Secretary Shelby T. Lilly and his staff did an out
standing job while hiring some of the best-known show
personalities to handle the vital functions of judging
and announcing.
The Celebration-type judging team was composed
of three of the best-known names in Walking Horse
circles. S. W. Beech of Belfast and James Rowland
of Murfreesboro represented the breed’s home state,
while the highly regarded Richard Mary of Baton
Rouge, Louisiana rounded out the team. Let me point
out here that these three men did a top job of judging
and conducted themselves in a manner fitting their
responsibility.
The audience stimulant behind the microphone was
O’Neil Howell of Memphis, who does perhaps the best
job of getting the crowd involved in the show. O’Neil
was at his best and no doubt added a lot to the
Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse