1964-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1964 January Voice | Page 8

TENHESSEE WALKING H 8 )RSE
JANUARY
WINK GROOVER ...
Typical of the
Nation's Young
Walking Horse
Trainers
BEGINNING OF A CAREER — A young inexperienced Wink Groover receives
winning trophy at age 8 years. Here started an interest in horses that was to
determine his future.
By Gloria L. Spencer
The VOICE takes pleasure in intro-
ducting a new feature column, which
will appear each month, as a part of
our continuing effort to provide the
best possible coverage of the Walking
Horse World. “Professionals on Parade”
will serve to acquaint our readers with
many of the trainers who make and
show your horses.
Writing this column is Mrs. C. Bruce
(Gloria) Spencer, Readers’ Service
Director of the magazine and treasurer
of the VOICE Publishing Company,
Chattanooga. Any correspondence con­
cerning this column should be sent to
Mrs. Gloria Spencer, Box 3054, Chatta­
nooga, Tennessee (37404). A devoted
lover of Walking Horses with a genuine
understanding and appreciation of the
important part played by the profes­
sional trainer, Mrs. Spencer is a fre­
quent exhibitor at shows throughout
East Tennessee and North Georgia. We
feel that this new column will prove
to be a very popular feature of our
growing magazine.
—The Editors.
In our continued effort to be of service to our readers and to provide
articles of varied interest, we have been prompted to present a monthly
series of stories about the professional trainers. Numerous letters and
personal contacts have indicated a keen interest on behalf of the nation­
wide Walking Horse readers to know about the men and women who
make their living training and showing the Tennessee Walking Horse.
“Wink” Groover had to work many years, over-come a serious
injury and train a lot of so-called second rate horses before he rode
out of the “big” ring with the roses on an aged horse. In 1962 he rode
GOLDEN SUNDUST to the title of World’s Champion Gelding. This
horse, with “Wink” as his rider-trainer, won this title twice and placed
third in the stake class at the Celebration. The horse-shoe of roses hangs
in the office of the new Wink Groover Stables in Etowah, Tennessee.
Perhaps the most descriptive word for “Wink” Groover is “competi­
tive . He has an ernest and keen desire to win and when in the show
ring exhibits his horses with the finess of an experienced and ring-wise
professional. When talking horses with “Wink”, it is obvious that he
knows exactly what he is looking for in a show horse and knows, in his
own mind what they are supposed to do.
Winston Lester Groover, Jr. was born in Miami, Florida on Septem­
ber 27, 1935. The family name “Wink” was given to him at an early age
and now his 7 year old son has the nick-name “Winky”.
Wink Groovers first walking horse was purchased in 1944 by his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Groover. He had shown an early interest in
horses and began his show career with ponies and gaited horses. This
first walking horse was a grey gelding by TOP WILSON purchased in
Wai trace, Tennessee. To the Groover’s-knowledge, this was the first
registered walking horse carried to the state of Florida. “Wink” recalls
meeting and learning much in these early years from such well-known
people as Henry Davis of Wartrace, Mark Tenpenny, Fred Walker, J- T.
Parker, Betty and Ed Ezell, Winston Wiser, Carl Edwards and Katherine
Sherrill.
At the age of 14 “Wink” moved to Live Oak, Florida to live with his
high school football coach. He rapidly became an outstanding athelete in
many sports and horses were left in the background. It was here that he
met his wife, Faye, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Collins.