1969 Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1969 April Voice RS | Page 6

TAMPA SHOW
tops ALL PREVI
FLORIDA CIRCUIT
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EFFORTS FOR WALKING
Seasoned observers agreed the 36th Annual Tampa
Charity Horse Show was "the best ever” from the
standpoint of Tennessee Walking Horses. This is a
Jong-standing show that for years has had an "aura of
discontent" surrounding it. The 1969 show indicated
mat an extra effort was made to provide everything
necessary to give Walking Horse enthusiasts a "wide-
open show." The overall result was very rewarding.
Judge Bud Dunn did an excellent job tying the show.
This well-known and highly respected professional
trainer from Florence, Alabama worked the horses
well and tied each class with precision and deliberate
effort. Congratulations for a job well "Dunn.”
One would have to visit the Tampa Yacht Club and
adjacent facilities to thoroughly appreciate the area
where the show is held. This beautiful spot on the
Tampa Bay holds all the charm and grace for which
Florida is famous. There are permanent stabling facil­
ities for over five hundred horses and the grounds,
although not extensive, are orderly and well kept.
Dick Randolph, the Show Manager, went all-out to
make Walking Horse enthusiasts feel at home and
extended a cordial invitation to attend again next
year. There were many highlights to the four-day
show, including an exhibitors’ banquet and dance and
a brunch which topped off a week of social activity.
Approximately 100 Walking Horses competed in the
14 classes in their division. Many stables from differ­
ent parts of the country, including Fashion Two Twen-
tv Stables of Aurora, Ohio, came a great distance to
exhibit at this show. Also in evidence was a good
representation from the Deep South, including such
well-known professionals as Wallace Brandon, Jim
Babb, Wink Groover, J. T. Leech, Tommy Howell,
Ronnie Spears, Hershel Talley, and Paul Smith. Rep­
resenting their home state of Florida were such sta­
bles as Randolph Farms, L. Frank Roper Stables,
Triple H Farms, Pine Lake Stables, and Whispering
Pine Stables.
The weather kept playing games with the Florida
Gulf Coast, and one day would be balmy and warm
and the next, cold and rainy. The Saturday night per­
formance had to be postponed due to rain, and the
party at the Tampa Yacht Club got started early and
most people stayed late.
Outstanding in winning the various classes were
SUN’S HOT SHOT, a fine stallion owned by Floyd
Blundell and shown by Ronnie Spears in the Stallion
and Gelding Class; SWEET WILLIAM^ a fancy geld­
ing shown by the charming Nina Frazier of Gadsden,
Alabama to win the Ladies Amateur Class; MR. DIZ­
ZY DEAN, an easy-going Plantation Horse shown by
Gretchen Saltzer for Mr. and Mrs. B. J. Kurlan of
Lutz, Florida; JUDGES’ CHOICE, the ever-popular
daughter of CARBON COPY that captured her first
Three-Year-Old Class with Wink Groover riding for
Fashion Two Twenty Stables; MACK K’S SPUR, a
fancy Junior Horse ridden by Wallace Brandon for
Dr. W. J. Thompson of Franklin, Tennessee; EBONY’S
(Continued on page 15)
Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse
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