1969 Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1969 February Voice RS | Page 26

APPOINTMENTS
Bridle: Standard Walking Horse bridle, complete with
cavesson and browband to suit the horse. No horse
shall be shown with breast plate, tie-down or martin­
gale.
Saddle: Flat English-type saddle, leather lining pre­
ferred, either standard or cut-back accepted. Girth
either leather or web. Forward seat or Western sad­
dles prohibited.
Dress (Riding Habit): The rider shall be attired in a
neat, well-fitting riding habit. The color should com­
plement the horse. Informal attire (as opposed to
formal) is generally accepted for men, women and
juvenile riders. A white shirt with a neat collar well
in place in recommended. A tie, either bow, cross­
over or straight with a tie clasp, is preferred. A bou­
tonniere (real or artificial) is recommended to com­
plete the ensemble for the well-dressed Walking Horse
exhibitor.
OUTLINE DRAWING OF AN IDEAL WALKING HORSE - Taking
ENFORCEMENT OF RULES
It has been said, "When a trainer loads up and
heads for a horse show, he has no idea what the rules
will be when he gets there.” This is true with the ex­
ception of those shows that are members of the Amer­
ican Horse Shows Association and a few state and
regional horse show associations.
There are three separate and distinct entities in­
volved in every horse show: Exhibitors (both profes­
sional and amateur); Judges; and Managers. Until
we can find a way to effectively control all three of
these groups, the makeup of which changes from week
to week throughout the show season, and be sure that
the rules will be followed by each and every one, we
will continue to have a "sandlot baseball” situation.
Due to the fact that we have no way to effectively
control our judges or managers, many of our exhibi­
tors maintain that it is "anybody’s ballgame.” Many
are in this business as a profession and it is their
livelihood. Blue ribbons do not necessarily mean "suc­
cess in the horse business” but to a lot of horse own­
ers winning is their motivation for participating, and
if they didn’t buy horses and pay the training bills,
we would all be out of business.
We have listened to many theories as to how this
problem could be solved. Some people say, "Let’s all
join the American Horse Shows Association.” Others
say, "Give the Breeders’ Association supreme author­
ity over all horse shows.” Still others feel that a na­
tional qualifying system for Celebration competition
would be the answer.
UntO we can come up with a workable solution it is
up to the individual to do his part to see that our
agreed-upon rules are followed at any show in which
he participates. Remember that many fine horse shows
are managed by local civic clubs that have no contact
with the horse world except one night a year. They
generally print on their programs that "Standard
Horse Show Rules Will Apply.” This is not sufficient
to warrant participation at their shows.
Many of these shows hire a judge as recommended
by some local Walking Horse enthusiast - who usually
ends up with a large part of the blue ribbons. If a
show is not a member of any association it can hire
anyone it may desire, whether he is qualified or not,
and if you attend such a show, you do not deserve a
blue ribbon.
On the other hand, there are many people who carry
a judge’s card from one association or another who
are simply not qualified, or whose past performances
indicate that they haven’t the honesty or integrity to
warrant your trust.
"beauty" for granted, we will use this drawing to illustrate
factors to consider when selecting a top colt. Note the sloping
angle of the line from the withers (1) fo the point of the shoul­
der (2). Also, note the short, straight bock (3) (just room enough
to put o soddlej. The rump or "bock end " (4) should round
off to a gentle slope. A high bock end is undesirable. To thor­
oughly understand whot is meont by a 'crooked bock leg/ it
would be best to know the bone structure of the horse, but
here (5) you con see the general outline of the angles desired.
Regarding the front legs, there should be a long joint between
the elbow (6) and the knee (7) and o short joint between the
knee ond the ankle IS). The front legs should be well forward
With this in mind ... DO YOUR PART! Work closely
with those horse shows in your area and try to assist
the management of those shows in obtaining the
services of a judge that will be a credit to the show
as well as to the Walking Horse business at large.
Make sure that the manager knows our rules and
knows what we expect of him as the key official at
his horse show. Point out to him that this is the best
way to have a good, successful, profit-making horse
show and to assure that horsemen will participate
again next year.
of the chest (9).
Reprinted From
VOICE OF THE TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE MAGAZINE
P.0. Box 6009
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401