in 1963 . But , because of his powerful way of going , BIG STORY was beset with quarter cracks throughout 1963 and during this season he showed only twice and went through the Celebration only because of his great heart and the outstanding ability of his rider . But , now those days are over and BIG STORY is ready to go , unhampered by injury , and in the full bloom of his magnificent maturity .
And what of the man who will ride him . Literally reared on a horse , the son of trainer , Fred Kirby , Buddy Kirby , although only twenty-four years old , has ridden some of the great champions of this decade . As a youngster , he left the stable of his father to enter the “ Big Time ” in middle Tennessee as a rider at the Vic Thompson Stables . Stabled there at the time were such all time greats as MR . SENSATION , GO BOY ’ S WONDER , SHADOW ’ S HEADMAN , SHADOW ’ S CELE BRATION , THE UNTOUCHABLE , and SHADOW ’ S RED WARRIOR . After leaving there he returned again to his father ’ s stable in Kentucky and from there invaded middle Tennessee with the now famous BLACK GOLD horse , and made such a showing to assure himself a place among the top trainers . Then , to the Urquhart ’ s Stable where he made FASCINATION B , the great mare now trained by Jack Warren and MACK K ’ S RE FLECTION , who sold for one of the highest prices paid for a two year old and it was there that Buddy first rode BIG STORY , the horse that catapulted him into the limelight as top Contender for 1964 .
When BIG STORY returned to his home stable , Tap Root Farm , Kingsport , Tennessee , Buddy went with him as manager and trainer of the farm .
At Tap Root , every effort is being made to develop young horses into show ring prospects for show and sale . BIG STORY already has two yearling colts and three other mares are in foal to him and Buddy is looking forward to bringing the get of this great horse into the show ring .
Twenty-one years ago , the country was in the midst of an international conflict . The sports activity of the nation had become a stop-gap measure to keep the world of athletic endeavor alive until the men could return from the battlefront . Baseball , football , indeed all team sports and many others , were considered necessary to keep up the spirit of the homefolk . BUT . . . somewhere along the line a move was made to stop all horse show activity until the war was over . Mr . Gilbert M . “ Gilly ” Orr , regular correspondent for the Nashville Banner , whose article entitled “ Speaking of Horses ” was loved by all Tennessee Horse enthusiasts , took issue with the " idea ” of stopping horse shows . His article contains some real “ food for thought ” for today and should provide interesting reading for all those interested in the horse show as an exhibitor , sponsor and spectator .
WHAT ! NO HORSE SHOWS IN 1943 ? For what reason are horses , horsemen , exhibitors , horse shows and patrons who love the sport being discriminated against and singled out to be taboo in 1943 ? Why not let sauce for the goose be sauce for the gander ? If one sport is to be called off why not call all sports off ? What ’ s wrong with horses ?
Why should picture shows run ? Why should baseball go full blast ? Why should football hold regular schedules ? Why should golf matches be coming up ? If these sports are to continue , why relegate horse shows to the heap ?
WHAT ABOUT HORSE SHOWS ANYWAY ! The horse show is now a business . It is an engrossing one that has an enormous investment in all parts of America . Most horse shows throughout the country are one-nighters . Some run for two or three nights . A few go a full week . They occur chiefly once each year in most communities . They are not a form of entertainment that goes for long periods of time together .
Horse shows run from two to four hours . They give the spectators a clean and wholesome form of entertainment . They are peculiarly free of gambling and are , in this respect , different from another horse entertainment that has gone on without interruption . Horse shows , it is true , don ’ t pay a heavy tax , other than the admission tax on tickets for spectators .
If the exhibitors at horse shows are of military age they will go with the draft . If they are under or beyond military age they have a right to indulge in their favorite form of recreation and amusement as much as the man or woman who goes fishing or hunting or collect stamps or has some other legitimate hobby .
INVESTMENT IN HORSE SHOWS — - This part of the argument is neither here nor there , in a sense , but it is an item to be considered . The man who maintains a stable for his horses has to have stable boys and grooms and trainers . He has a feed bill each day , week , month and year . After the payment for the stable , and the wage maintenance of this personnel , he has the overhead of lights and water and whatnot that make the stable go .
His horses cost him a pretty penny if they are show horses . The equipment the exhibitor uses to show his horses , whether under saddle or in harness , costs him a sizeable sum . It takes a heap of dollars to put a horse out in an arena under a saddle , and a lot more in harness . Those shiny little buggies , harness , boots , blankets , and all other paraphernalia run into money .
JULY , 1964 7