1962-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1962 April Voice | Page 14

April, 1962
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animals became less popular, there­
fore the roans drew lower prices. The
rumor got started that roan animals
should not to bred to roan animals.
They could be bred but it wasn’t
in the Tennessee Walking Horse dur­ good business to do so.
ing the early 1920’s.
Campaign Against Them
The breed almost faded out of ex­
So there began almost a purposeful
istence because the mechanization of
campaign
to eliminate the roan
the farms had eliminated a great deal
of the utility values of the Tennessee quality in the Tennessee Walking
Walking Horse. They were displaced Horse. There are very few of them
as work animals for plowing, trans­ found now and maybe that explains
portation, and other service. But there it. There is a little bit more to this
were a number of brood mares at the roan picture. One difficulty about the
Albert Dement Farm near Wartrace. word roan is that it does not designate
Nearby there was Roan Allen F-38. a specific color. That is something
Such famous horses as Merry Legs and that should be understood when you
others were bred to Roan Allen and speak about a roan. A roan color is a
the great Tennessee Walking Horse charactertistic and not a solid color.
lines of today were derived from that The present trend in Tennessee Walk­
source. That is why the roan charac­ ing Horses is that people want solid
teristics in that day were so very color.
You see we have a number of colors
popular.
that
are typical in the Walking Horse
That went along for some years and
I am told by J. G. Walker, a veteran field—black, chest