1964-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1964 June Voice | Page 13

TENNESSEE WALKERS
are part of WOOD
FAMILY HOUSEHOLD
Horse fanciers the world over
are known for their intense inter­
est in all things connected with the
four footed creatures. One such
family of horse enthusiasts is that
of Capt. Robert H. Wood whose
special interest is in the Tennessee
W alker.
Their keen interest grew rapidly
after they attended a horse show
in Montgomery, Ala., in 1956,
where Capt. Wood was attending
the U. S. Air War College. His wife
and daughter Wendy, who was
then nine, needed to give him a
little coaxing to purchase a horse.
Eventually, a fine Tennessee Walk­
ing mare, CHOICE’S PARADER
GAL, joined the family household.
Captain Wood captured two blue
ribbons the first year while Wendy
became familiar in riding their
Tennessee Walker.
By the end of the first year the
Navy family had orders to the
Western Pacific. A major crisis
sideswiped the family. What to do
with CHOICE’S PARADER GAL?
The Navy did not consider the
mare a “true” dependent of the
captain.
Arrangements were made with
a ranch in Marion, Ala., to keep
her. Shortly thereafter, she was
bred to the well-known stallion
SPURS ROAN ALLEN.
A year later, while the Woods
were still in Guam, a beautiful
filly was born and PARADER’S
TRAVELING GAL was registered.
JUNE, 1964
Miss Wendy Lvnn Wood, daughter of Captain R. H. Wood, shown with her two
Tennessee Walking Horses, PARADER’S TRAVELING GAL and GO BOY’S
FLAME.
The owners in the far off Western
Pacific, particularly Wendy, had
dreams of eventually riding this
filly for world honors in the Na­
tional Tennessee Walking Horse
celebration at Shelbyville, Tenn.
Three months later the owners
received word that CHOICE’S
PARADER GAL, mother of the
young filly had died. Horse owners
know the tearmul moments exper­
ienced by the Wood family in the
days immediately following.
The Woods returned to Syra­
cuse, N. Y., in the spring of 1959
and one of their first missions was
to pick up the matchless year-old
chestnut filly.
During the next year, Wendy
was a constant companion of the
horse which was then placed in
the hands of trainer Billy Liles at
Hi-Tyre Farms near Pittsburg.
Subsequently, when Captain Wood
and his family were transferred to
Norfolk, the mare was trained by
Joe Gibbs in Martinsville, Va.
The Woods initiated the 1963
season with Wendy and her father
riding PARADER’S TRAVELING
GAL in Tidewater’s Tri-state Horse
Show Circuit. Since coming to
Navy Memphis they have contin­
ued to show their mare and Wendy
realized her dream last year by
riding in the National Tennessee
Walking Horse celebration, placing
in a class of 65 of the nation’s
top riders.
Captain R. H. Bob Wood, Chairman
of the Horse Show Committee at the
Memphis Naval Air Station, Memphis,
Tennessee, and major promoter of
Tennessee Walking Horses and horse
activity at the naval base.
Earlier last year, the Woods en­
tered competition with a two-year-
old filly, MELODY OF SPURS.
They developed the promising
mare under the guidance of trainer
Jimmy Waddell of Brownsville,
Tennessee.
Waddell, who has trained two
two-year-old world champions, had
hopes of delivering another cham­
pion to the masters with MELODY
OF SPURS.
“We thoroughly enjoy the com­
petitive spirit and are looking for­
ward to new friends and new com­
petition while here at Navy Mem­
phis,” states Captain Wood, who
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