it too . Dear Mr . Barnes :
It pleases me to inform you that you have been selected as one of the three judges for the 1969 Tennessee Walking Horse National Festival to be held in . . . Lonny skipped over the details he already knew and went on to the part that interested him most : Working with you in this capacity will be Mr . Carson Bean of Belgrade , Louisiana and Mr . Tommy Brynner of Oakgrove , Maryland . Helen looked at Lonny in marked surprise . " Tommy Brynner . . . why in the world would they pick someone like him ?” Lonny said , " Now hold on . They asked me about him , and I said I would judge with him if he was selected . I ’ ll have to admit that I didn ’ t get too enthusiastic about the idea but I guess it ’ ll be all right .” Helen looked him in the eye and said , " Well , I know you can tie horses with Carson Bean . He ’ s been training and showing horses long enough and I think he ’ s honest . . . don ’ t you ?” Lonny laughed and said , " You know , I ’ ll bet his wife just asked the same thing about me !” Reading further in the letter , he noted :
Each judge will receive two hundred dollars
per day for each of the ten days of the show and will be provided lodging and meals for himself and his family for two weeks . Please be advised of a meeting with the Board of Directors at 10:00 AM ... we know that you realize the importance of this task . . . the reputation of the Festival . . . the future of the Walking Horse business . . . etc ., etc .
Sincerely yours , Gen . Billy Hohan ( Ret .)
People had always amazed Lonny . Despite the fact that he had never studied much about psychology , he had always had an uncanny ability to interpret the motives of people , especially in the horse business . The word had spread rather quickly about the judges for the 1969 show and Lonny didn ’ t know he had so many friends . * His phone had been ringing off the hook with people wanting to " do something for him .” In the two weeks since the official announcement had been made concerning the judges , Lonny had become the number-one winner at virtually every one-night horse show in the area . Even the losers were congratulating him on beating their " good horses ” — which were to be shown at the Festival . The constant line of chatter and smiling faces were beginning to get to him as the Festival neared . At the first official board meeting of the Festival directors , Lonny had been somewhat uneasy . General Hohan introduced everyone and Lonny knew all but two of the directors . They went through the formalities of the show and outlined the basic procedure of the Festival judging system . The relationship with all the ringmasters was clearly pointed out and the in-the-ring communications system was discussed . Shortly , Mr . Thomas Roberts , rules chairman for the show , got up
and discussed new rules and regulations for 1969 and asked if anyone anticipated any problems . Lonny remained silent throughout the whole meeting and was content to listen . Every once in a while , Carson Bean
would give Lonny a knowing look when boots and the acceptable condition of horses ’ feet were discussed . Lonny was beginning to wonder about the third judge ,
Tommy Brynner , as he was all too enthusiastic about the whole affair . He was full of talk and was prone to offer his opinions on everything from checking horses outside the ring to the procedure for judges ’ taking a " restroom break ” during the show . It had never dawned on Lonny that a ringmaster would have to accompany him to the restroom during the show , but that was the way it was explained to him . " Just a minute here , fellows ...” Lonny broke into the discussion . " Uh , I hate to be dumb , but do you mean that a ringmaster will stay with us at all times during the show ?” General Hohan smiled and said , " Lonny , we have found it is a good way to prevent unnecessary complication with people who have horses showing . It ’ s amazing what people will do just to win a ribbon at the Festival .” He went on to tell him about the time that a judge was handed a Coke just before he entered the ring to judge a class . . . and found a SI , 000 bill in it . Mr . Brynner laughed and said , " Now , that ’ s my idea of a soft drink .” After discussing the method of spinning the color wheel to select the call judge and the referee , General Hohan dismissed the group with the reminder of another meeting in two weeks .
For years Lonny had heard all the barn talk about what went on with regard to judges for the Festival . He had heard how judges in the past had mysteriously come into considerable wealth shortly after the show . . . how some of them had sold several fivethousand-dollar broodmares , and about the new cars and the mink coats and some solid cash offers . As the three men sat in the corner of a restaurant eating lunch they casually discussed the many facets of the job at hand . Lonny still couldn ’ t peg Tommy Brynner . He had been dealing with horses for many years but was not too well known . To the best of Lonny ’ s recollection , he had never had a good horse , and most people referred to him as a " junk dealer ” — that is , he dealt mostly with stockyard horses and pleasure stock , always trying to move his horses quickly to
make a short profit .
A tall man with slick black hair , Tommy Brynner was too enthusiastic about the job to suit Lonny . As he wiped a trickle of grease from his mouth , Mr . Brynner carried the conversation . " Well , boys ... it looks like we got our work cut out for us , don ’ t it ?” Lonny looked up and said , " Yeah ... it sure does .” Brynner added , " Well , I ’ m just going out there and tie horses . Yes , sir ! That ’ s what I ’ m going to do . . . go right out there and tie horses . Let the best horse
win , that ’ s my motto . Always has been . Ain ’ t that right , Carson ?” Carson Bean smiled and said , " If you say so , Tommy .”
Mh Arm Walking $ fnrsr ^tablra
Reliable and Dependable
Specializing in Amateur Horses BOARDING AND TRAINING
Owner : Manager & Trainer : MR . & MRS . PETER J . LIVOLSI ROBERT S . MORRIS
R . D . 5 , Menoher Heights , Johnstown , Penn . Phone 255-3075
July , 1969 29