1965-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1965 April Voice | Page 24

PROFESSIONALS
on PARADE
By Gloria L. Spencer
A GENUINE LOVE FOR HORSES. . .
THE BEST ROAD TO SUCCESS
IN THE HORSE BUSINESS
The JIM BABB Story
24
As the Walking Horse business continues to
expand and more and more young trainers come
to the forefront of the Walking Horse World, it is
good to review the backgrounds of some of these
men and determine exactly what their motives
are and find out why they are in the Walking
Horse business as professionals.
Most of these young men are experienced
horsemen, having been around horses all their
lives. But, by the same token, many of them
could just as easily have turned to some other
profession as a means of earning a living.
Such a person is JIM BABB, professional train­
er, now established at Carthage, Missouri. It is
interesting to review the background of a man
such as Jim and see how he decided to become a
professional trainer and to measurehis apparent
current success as a trainer.
Jim Babb was born in Dalton, Georgia in 1929.
His father, Edd Babb, was a well-known dealer
in horses and mules in the 20’s and 30’s. Jim
recalls his early experiences with horses with
fondness and easily remembers Scrapper Boy,
a Tennessee Walking Horse owned by Mr.
GORDON KITTLES of Dalton. This was the
first Walking Horse he ever rode and he was so
impressed at the time that he developed a fond­
ness for the breed that was to increase as time
went on.
VOICE of The Tennessee Walking Horse