1968-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1968 September/October Voice RS | Page 14

CMmi'm168!
The most hectic two weeks in the Walking Horse in­
dustry are over for another twelve months but the
barn talk about the 1968 Celebration will linger long
after everyone has gone home and recovered from the
two weeks of constant activity.
Yes, the 1968 30th Annual Tennessee Walking Horse
National Celebration is history and we have a new
slate of champions. The whole extravaganza got un­
derway on Friday, August 30 at 6:00 PM and ended
earl Sunday, September 8, over 200 exhausting hours
later. Believe it or not, the final night’s crowd of
over 25,000 was still calling for more when the Grand
Champion left the ring and it was many hours later
before the Celebration grounds emptied for the final
time in 1968.
"Difficult to believe and impossible to live” is an
accurate description of the Celebration, and 1968 was
more than true in both respects. The 1968 show was
not only difficult for exhibitors and spectators, it was
also one of the most physically demanding for horses
in modern times. The judges called for some of the
most gruelling workouts in many years and the horses
who could keep up the strenuous pace were rewarded
for their efforts. Being physically strong and in the
best of condition were prime ingredients for becoming
a champion in 1968.
The judges at the 1968 Celebration faced the awe­
some task of judging the largest classes in the history
of the show. It was common for classes of 50 or more
horses to enter the ring, and again this year the two-
year-old division had to be split into two classes. It
is a difficult assignment to judge the Celebration
under the best of conditions, and a nearly impossible
one under present conditions.
The long workouts requested by the judges were
needed to weed out the lesser horses, but all too often
they had the effect of weakening the top horses and
thus detracting from their performances in the final
workouts. This is not to imply that the judges should
not have had such difficult workouts; but more than
one trainer was heard to say, "I’ll not kill a good
horse in the ring, not even for a blue ribbon here'.”'-
By and large the judges did a commendable job '
this year. The cards were as far apart in some clas­
ses as it is possible to be and still produce winners.
But. this merely emphasizes the differences of opinion
among horsemen as to what a champion is supposed
to be doing.
The 1968 Walking Horse class judges were Clarence
Goodson, Galax, Virginia; B. H. McChesney, New
Orleans, Louisiana; and Claude Shaw, Selma, Ala­
bama. Judging the breeding classes were Fulton Fras­
er, Columbia, Tennessee; James Rowland, Murfrees­
boro, Tennessee; and James Stammer, Lewisburg,
Tennessee. Miss Nona Rutland of New Orleans, Lou­
isiana judged the equitation events.
(Continued on page 60)
14
Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse