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An outstanding young colt, EBONY’ S SENATOR attracted the attention of trainer Bud Seaton and
Walking Horse enthusiast Billy Hale of Gallatin, Tennessee, who purchased him from the Beech Stables as a yearling in 1965. When Mr. Seaton moved to Dallas,
Texas in October of 1965 he carried the young colt with him and later sold half-interest to Frank Mason. SENATOR was not shown as a two-year-old and was shown only sparingly as a three-year-old. He entered the Celebration with little fanfare and tied fourth in the Three-Year-Old Stallion Class in the fall of 1967. Later that year he was sold to Vic Thompson along
with the other horses of the Blue Bonnett Stables, which were owned by Frank Mason. He was purchased by Lloyd Wood in the fall of 1967 and remained his property until recently. The showring career of EBONY’ S SENATOR really got underway in the spring of 1968 at Fayetteville, Tennessee. After being worked for just a few short months by Marvin Wilson, the fancy black junior horse captured the fancy of Walking Horse lovers as he marched to victory in a great class at this earlyseason show. Throughout the season he was undefeated, and he entered the Celebration as a popular favorite for the Junior Championship. EBONY’ S SEN ATOR was shown seven times that year and gathered a following of supporters that were to stick with him through the remainder of 1968 and 1969. He was reserve in the Junior Stallion Class in 1968.
A lot of people made an effort to purchase the potential champion but it was not until August 12, just twenty-five days before the 1969 Celebration, that a sale was finalized. O. D. " Peck” Carlton of Albany, Georgia, a long-time friend and business associate of Vic Thompson’ s, paid an undisclosed high five-figure price for EBONY’ S SENATOR and joined the ranks of supporters that believed he could win the big one.
Throughout the 1969 season EBONY’ S SENATOR was shown fourteen times. His record indicates that trainer Marvin Wilson showed his contender more times in front of more different judges than any major champion in modern times. He was trained carefully and deliberately, and was primed throughout the hot summer months to get him in shape to compete at the Celebration. He was ready!
VVVHAPP1NESS‘ is WORLD * CHAMPIONSHIPS
Charlotte Neill, the VOICE Staff Photographer during the Celebration, shot some good pictures of several champions and their owners, riders and trainers. On the facing page, left column, top to bottom: Wallace Brandon shows real pleasure at his outstanding victory in the Age Stallion Class as the Davis Brothers and members of the family gather to celebrate with SENSATIONAL SHAD OW... Donald Paschal proudly poses with HANDSHAKER ' S DE LIGHT as the Dennis Williams family and Dr. and Mrs. C. L. Sexton share the moment of victory in the Junior Championship... A big blue for Mack Motes is celebrated by the Buford Chitwood family and the H. C. Bailey family as they take a good look at SHADOW ' S ROYAL FLUSH, the 1969 World Champion Three- Year-Old... Harber & Cherry Stables had a " tiger In their tank " as they celebrated their great victory in the tough 15.2 & Under Stallion Championship. TIGER BAY doesn’ t seem too impressed by all the attention. Adele Harber is obviously pleased with her
trophy.
Right column, top to bottom: Charlie Waters and Bill Bobo were mighty pleased to get DELIGHT ' S RED SHADOW out for a picture. With C. A. Bobo riding, the fancy chestnut stallion took home the Two-Year-Old Championship... For the third time, MOONGLOW, JR. is called upon to pose with the C. W. Daugette family as the winner of the World Amateur Championship. Dripping wet but very happy, Burt Daugette was glad to leave the ring on Saturday night... " Finally!” Kim Lovette shows all the enjoyment of winning the World Juvenile Championship with her great HILL ' S PERFECTION. The Rex Lovette family and C. A. Bobo obviously share her pleasure... The Walking Pony Championship meant as much to the Hawkersmith family as the big stake as Steve rode SCAT MAN ' S KITTY KAT to a great victory.
Among the many impressive wins by EBONY’ S SEN ATOR in 1969 were: The National Championship at the Trainers’ Show in Nashville; the Walking Horse Championship at Lynnville, Tennessee; the Stallion & Gelding Class at Moulton, Alabama; the Stallion & Gelding Class at Petersburg, Tennessee; the Stake Class at Winchester, Tennessee; and the Stallion & Gelding Class at Wartrace, Tennessee. As the Celebration drew nigh, the name of EBONY’ S SENATOR began to get closer and closer to the top as a potential champion for 1969. The record now shows that both he and his trainer were ready for the test.
MARVIN WILSON
Few professional trainers have ever achieved the status of Marvin Wilson. He has trained and ridden
as many top winners as any man in the business, and almost everyone agrees that " he made them all himself.” EBONY’ S SENATOR is not the first great horse that Marvin has brought to the top and he will not be the last. A hard worker who loves his business, Marvin is a credit to the breed and has contributed much to the knowledge that has made the " big-time” Tennessee Walking Horse the most sought-after show horse in the nation.
Everyone who has been in the horse business any length of time knows Marvin Wilson. Now thirty-nine years young, he has had a hectic life as a trainer. He started at the age of twelve, working at the Claude Brown Stables in Morehead, Kentucky, his home town. As a youngster he developed quickly into a good horseman. His father, Harlin Wilson, was a mule trader and Marvin was raised around livestock. He applied everything he learned to every horse he rode and tried to learn something new every day. When talking to Marvin about his education, we were told that he went to a country school in Sandy Hook, Kentucky, and he added with a glint in his eye, " I joined the army so I could quit school. I thought I could fight better than I could write.”
As a young man, he worked on and off for Claude Brown for quite a few years and produced many of the well-known winners from that stable, including B. MAJOR WILSON, the 1961 World Grand Champion. Marvin managed to grab a share of the spotlight by tying third on MAJOR WILSON in the big stake in 1958. He had attravted a lot of attention also by defeating DARK GLORY at the Shelbyville PTA Showearlier in the year with MAJOR WILSON. For four years, Marvin Wilson plied his trade successfully at the Kibler Farms in Mt. Orab, Ohio. While there he produced some top winners including BLACK SOUTHERNAIRE, BLACK RHYTHM and BLACK VELVET, the only horse ever to beat the great COT TON QUEEN’ S GO BOY at Columbia. He left Mt. Orab and moved to Waynesville, Ohio, where he operated his own stable for a couple of years.
Early in 1965 Marvin moved to Middle Tennessee to work at the Old Milky Way Farms in Pulaski. He attracted a lot of customers who know of his ability and
shortly had about all the business he could handle. A year after that, Marvin moved to Pennsylvania, and
still a year later he took over the Escue Stables in Hebron, Kentucky. He still liked Middle Tennessee and felt that it would be here that he could do best as a professional trainer. After careful consideration Marvin decided that he would like to join forces w-ith
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