1969 Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1969 January Voice RS | Page 24

the best,” related Bob Murchison of Wartrace, who
these observations of line-bred ALLAN F-l descend­
was closely associated with Mr. Dement and others
ants:
who worked with or showed MERRY LEGS. "She did
1. The sire of BUD ALLEN and MAJOR ALLEN,
one thing that mares do not do nowadays: She would
MITCH F-5, had for his dam MATTIE H., by SMITH’S
foal a colt in the spring of the year, then Mr. Dement
STONEWALL F-30 by STONEWALL JACKSON F-53.
would wean that colt two or three weeks before the
(Many old time Middle Tennessee breeders refer to
State Fair at Nashville and would enter MERRY
STONEWALL JACKSON F-53 as the finest stallion
LEGS in the show, where she would win first place.
ever in Tennessee.) SMITH’S STONEWALL was un­
questionably the greatest breeding son of STONE­
"MERRY LEGS was a big mare — about 15-2,
weighing 1200 pounds — and in comparison with the
WALL JACKSON F-53, because many of his get
best Tennessee Walking Horses of today, I believe she
showed fineness in conformation and have been re­
garded as among the best performers of the past 20
could beat any of them. Her tail was never set, but
she could carry it just about as well as if it were set.
or 25 years.
"As for NELL DEMENT F-3, the dam of MERRY
2. Among living stallions, the champion sire of today
LEGS, she was a constant winner in Middle Tennessee
is acknowledged to be MERRY BOY, a double grand­
shows for several years. I remember seeing her the
son of ALLAN F-l. An infusion through his sire,
first time Mr. Dement ever showed her, at Wartrace
ROAN ALLEN F-38 by ALLAN F-l, traces to some
of the best and most clearly established standard
in 1905 when the street show there was at that time
what the National Celebration at Shelbyville, Tennes­
blood out-crossed to BRADFORD’S TELEGRAPH, by
see, is today. The horse that won at the Wartrace
BLACKHAWK by SHERMAN MORGAN. BLACK-
show could win anywhere. Mr. Dement rode old NELL
HAWK (5) is frequently referred to by some of the
himself, and after the Wartrace show that year he
most able writers as the progenitor of easy gaited
rode her at Winchester, Murfreesboro, Shelbyville, and
horses, made possible through his dam, a Narragan-
sett Pacer. Through the dam of ROAN ALLEN F-38
Nashville, where she won consistently. The first horse
I ever knew to b eat old NELL was a mare named
flows the proven blood of BALD STOCKINGS, EARN-
BEDFORD, by OLD BLACK ALLAN out of a STONE­
HE ART’S BROOKS F-25 by BROOKS F-24 by BROWN
PILOT by PACING PILOT (Canadian Narragansett
WALL mare, ridden by Brantley Stevens.
"One of NELL’s outstanding mares was FLAX, and
bred pacer).
3. The fourth line-bred ALLAN F-l descendant of
the next was MERRY LEGS, by OLD BLACK ALLAN
MERRY LEGS, LAST CHANCE 350034, is by HUNT­
— in my opinion — was the only time NELL was bred
to a good horse. Later, however, she was bred to her
ER’S ALLEN F-10 by ALLAN F-l. Through the dam
of HUNTER’S ALLEN F-10, ALLIS F-84 — of COP-
grandson, MERRY BOY, that sired the white mare,
PERBOTTOM and MOUNTAIN SLASHER F-59 blood
SILVER FIZZ, that Mr. Dement owned when he died."
Thus, w-ith an unbiased approach, the evolution of
— again is demonstrated the potent power of MERRY
LEGS to reproduce through one of the two most cele­
MERRY LEGS recalls memories of county and state
fairs when she was the acknowledged queen.
brated sons of ALLAN F-l: namely, ROAN ALLEN
Hereto, it must be said of this great show and brood
F-38 and HUNTER’S ALLEN F-10. Like MERRY
mare, after examining the recorded ancestry of her
BOY, LAST CHANCE is a double grandson of ALLAN
own foals and their offspring, no Tennessee Walking
F-l.
Horse mare of today appears her equal as a reproduc­
MERRY KING was also a great producer of fine
er of true gaited offspring. MERRY LEGS was the
Tennessee Walking Horses, although he never reach­
dam of 13 colts, seven mares and six stallions. Her
ed the reproduction of the other famous sons of MER­
first colt was MAUDE, a bay mare by MORELAND’S
RY LEGS in imparting the flowing, easy, nodding
PRIDE F-13, and her others — named in the order of
running walk as desired by Mr. Dement.
which they were foaled — were MERRY KING 360121
The extended pedigree of MERRY LEGS is interest­
by MORELAND’S PRIDE F-13; MAJOR ALLEN 350-
ing, inasmuch as there is the blending of her sire,
059 by MITCH F-5 by ROAN ALLEN F-38; BUD AL­
ALLAN F-l, through one of the greatest all-time
LEN 350049 by MITCH F-5; GRACE DEMENT 370-
walking mares, NELL DEMENT F-3. NELL’s sire,
363 by ROAN ALLEN F-38; SILVER FIZZ 410653 by
DONALD F-6, imparts the rare blood of'BLUE JEANS
ROAN ALLEN F-38; a black mare by GIOVANNI
— of American Saddle Horse fame —also MOUNTAIN
370291; MERRY BOY 350189 by ROAN ALLEN F-38;
SLASHER F-59 and TOM HAL F-20. The dam of
SKIP 350101, a bay mare by SLIPPERY JIM by GIO­
NELL DEMENT, FLAX, by STONEWALL JACKSON
VANNI; SNIP 350038, a black mare by GREY LAD;
F-53, supplied an ability to blend the DENMARK,
a brown filly by HUNTER’S ALLEN F-10; a black stal­
COCKSPUR, and the Kentucky bred and owned TOM
lion by HUNTER’S ALLEN F-10; and LAST CHANCE
HAL (3237 A.S.R.) blood of the American Saddle
350034 by HUNTER’S ALLEN F-10.
Horse through the proven blending of the Tennessee
Walking Horse, into the sons and daughters of MER­
Through the foals of MERRY LEGS, without a doubt
the most noted of her sons include BUD ALLEN 350-
RY LEGS, which also furthers their ability to transmit
this inherited power of reproduction through their
049 and MAJOR ALLEN 350059, full brothers hy
MITCH F-5 by ROAN ALLEN F-38 by ALLAN F-l;
foals.
The sons of the Superior Foundation Mare, MERRY
MERRY KING 360121 by MORELAND’S PRIDE F-13
LEGS, have written their collective and individual
by MONTGOMERY CHIEF; MERRY BOY 350189,
records which are representative of the progeny of
foaled in 1925, by ROAN ALLEN F-38 by ALLAN
the breed’s most outstanding producing matrons.
F-l; and LAST CHANCE 350034, foaled in 1931, by
The equine world is not so builded whereby "luck"
HUNTER’S ALLEN F-10 by ALLAN F-l. With the
plays its mystic art in such records as given to a
exception of MERRY KING, all of these renowned
breed by MERRY LEGS. To this and all other similar
sons are line-bred descendants of ALLAN F-l.
occurrences, animal husbandry can answer the mys-
It may be interesting to some of our readers to note
(Continued on page 100)