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Following a practice established the previous year , each entry in the Grand Championship Stake Class entered the ring by number and at the running walk . As the first entry hit the gate in a truly great flowing running walk , the crowd put up a great roar . One by one , they came in the gate and the reception accorded number 35 was good , but not necessarily outstanding .
When the announced said , "' All entries take the rail to your left ,” the crowd of 25,000-plus settled down to watch the show . At this point it must be indicated that Betty Sain was no newcomer to the professional show ring . She had exhibited horses for several years in open classes , competing with professional trainers all the way . She knew her way around the ring and did not feel that she should be regarded any differently from the other exhibitors .
In this ring it is every " man ” for himself , and one cannot help recalling the movie of several years ago in which a young lady had to disguise herself and tuck her hair in a jockey ’ s cap in order to compete in a nationally famous horse event .
After the preliminary workout , five horses were requested to take the rail : GO BOY ’ S CHATTERBOX , Bud Seaton up ; JOHNNY MIDNIGHT , Sam Paschal up ; GO BOY ’ S SUN DUST ' Bud Dunn riding ; DUKE ’ S HANDYMAN , Hershel Talley doing the chores ; and SHAKER ’ S SHOCK ER , Betty Sain up .
Betty Sain did nothing more than show her horse . She competed in truly professional form , staying on the rail whenever possible and taking advantage of every break that came her way . It was a long class , and SHOCKER , as he is now known , stayed with it all the way . He was in superb condition , and obeyed every command of his trainer . On one momentous occasion , when it became apparent that the pressure was being put on her , Betty laid the crop to her mount and got the " extra effort ” necessary to get out of a spot . The crowd made little note of the efforts of another rider to " take her on the rail ’ because they had witnessed this many times before in professional competition .
On the rail was another horse being shown to perfection . GO BOY ’ S CHAT ! ERBOX was coming on strong . Experienced Walking Horse enthusiasts were beginning to pick up this fancy bay stallion with Bud
Seaton riding , as he was getting better and better as the class wore on . CHATTERBOX , who came into the ring a virtual unknown , was making a show of it .
Bud Dunn kept his GOBOY ’ SSUN DUST on the rail , showing to perfection . He , too , had a large portion of the crowd pulling for him . Hershel Talley , riding one of the greatest " running walk ” horses yet seen in the big ring , made his bid for top honors with several spectacular passes that tempted the crowd to change their allegiance . Sam Paschal , always a favorite with Celebration audiences , managed to keep a great number of followers on the rail yelling , " Come on , JOHNNY !” as the pre-Celebration favorite , JOHNNY MIDNIGHT , was showed to best advantage .
Around and around they went — then on the reverse , with sweat flowing from every pore and every muscle strained to the fiber . The call judge , Jack Moorman , determined to make every horse prove his worth , worked the class all the way to the finish . Judges George Henson on the North turn and David Welsh on the East straightaway moved back and forth to catch an accurate glimpse of every movement . They were looking for flaws ; searching diligently for the horses that were " fading ” and giving out . Some began to " string out behind ,” others began to tire greatly and lose the fineness of their gaits . Still others nosed out to catch more air in their burning-lungs . When the running walk was in full swing on the reverse , the roar of the crowd drowned the announcer ’ s plea for the flat-foot walk as two horses made another complete pass before the grandstand in the fast gait . When they were all finally stopped and the lineup was in order on the north end of the show ring , the crowd remained motionless and virtually silent as the judges made their marks .
It has been said that " Americans are always for the underdog ,” but the underdog theory does not apply here . SHAKER ’ S SHOCKER was not an underdog : he was the 1965 Reserve Champion Three-Year-Old and had won the Junior Stallion Championship just three days before this event . Betty Sain , while popular , had never been a great crowd favorite before , and she had ridden in several Celebrations prior to this show . The appeal of this team in the Big Stake had several interesting facets . Itwas the first time , to our knowledge , that a woman had ever ridden in the Big
Stake . SHOCKER is a big black stallion and Betty Sain was a little 112- pound dedicated WalkingHorselover . Quite a contrast to the other exhibitors . Betty also had the advantage of a red coat , making her easier to see in the ring .
Another interesting aspect of the twosome ’ s popularity is the fact that the vast majority of the Celebration audience is not active on a big scale in the Walking Horse business . Perhaps they felt that THIS horse and THIS rider represented their best interests and they could identify with this team more easily than with the other riders and their mounts . At any rate , Betty Sain and SHAKER ’ S SHOCKER did a great job of maintaining the support of the crowd during the class . They gave ' em what they came to see ... a horse show !
It is impossible to describe the tide of enthusiasm that pierced the night air as announcer Emmet Guy announced the winning number . Even people who had horses in the class stated that they let out a whoop when number thirty-five was called out . . . then , regaining their composure , waited with anticipation to see how their own horses tied . Pandemonium broke out all over the grandstand as Betty rode SHOCKER up to the spotlights to receive the horseshoe of roses emblematic of supremacy in the " horse world .” Her mouth was full of cotton and she was obviously shaken and pale . SHOCK ER , still heaving from the ordeal , listened to her every word as she parked him for the photographers .
Back at her stable , the little sign was still in place . Throngs of friends and the curious milled about , fighting for a look at the horse . Kids clamored for her autograph , and Mrs . Virginia Sain asked her if a little girl could have SHOCKER ’ s ribbons . Betty stopped long enough to look up and say , " She sure can . She ’ s the same little girl that got them when he tied reserve in the Junior Class last year .”
Betty set about the task of cleaning up her horse , just as she had done every day since the last Celebration . She answered a lot of questions , and talked on the radio . There were a few tears , some laughter , a lot of small talk . A few people even had to " eat some roses ” after advising her that it couldn ’ t be done just a few hours before .
Betty kept saying , " I can ’ t believe it . I just can ’ t believe it .” But those
( Continued on page 92 ) 80 Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse