1966-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1966 June Voice | Page 22

By Gloria L. Spencer
"LIGHTNING” STRIKES
TWICE FOR
F. W. GREGORY
IN WALKING HORSE
BUSINESS
AFTER THE SHOW - RUTH, KEN, arid F. W. Gregory relax
at a party for this family portrait.
Among the several families originally from Middle
Tennessee who have moved to other states and are
currently helping promote the Walking Horse is
"LIGHTNING” and RUTH GREGORY of Greenville,
South Carolina.
F. W. (better known as "Lightning”) and his wife,
the former RUTH STEPHENS, are both originally from
Bedford County. W. L. and RUTHIE GREGORY,
Lightning’s parents, always had horses on their farm
in Shelbyville. In 1943, four years after Ruth and
he were married, Lightning went into the Navy. He
served the next three years in the Southwest Pacific,
in Okinawa and was in the invasion of Japan. When
he came back home, he went to work in a machine
shop in Shelbyville.
He had spent much time around horses as a boy
and when he had spare time he helped WINSTON
WISER around the old stable. Here is a man that
has the greatest personal respect and fond memories
for the late Mr. Wiser. When he finished his day in
the machine shop at 3 p.m., he would go to Winston’s
stable just to learn anything he could about Walking
Horses. No salary was involved for these many hours
that he spent and the hard work he put in at Winston’s
for the next year.
The first year that Winston stood Merry Go Boy
at stud, "Lightning” quit his regular job and went to
work for Winston for the great salary of S20 a week
and stayed there for the next year. His first venture
from Shelbyville was to Prescott, Arkansas, to train
for ALICE BROWN and JIMMY NICHOLAS at Wil­
low Oaks Acres for the next two years. During the
next few years Lightning worked for Winston again;
went to McMinnville for Mr. and Mrs. RALEIGH
PATTON; trained in Ashville, North Carolina, for
AL J. GOODMAN and his son, PAUL; and operated
a public stable in Hendersonville.
22
In October, 1960, the Gregorys moved to Green­
ville, South Carolina, to their present home. Mr. FRED
H. HUDSON built the stable that "Lightning” now
leases. Seeing the stable, with the Gregory home be­
side it, you can see the pride that these people take
in the Tennessee Walking Horse. The main barn has
20 additional stalls with 40 acres of land adjoining
the stables.
Some of the horses that "Lightning” has worked and
shown over the years are: Hall Allen’s Play Boy;
Sun’s Go Boy; Old Glory, Jr.; Midnight Miracle;
(Continued on page 32)
ANOTHER SIDE OF "LIGHTNING"
-
Grandfather Gregory
with his pride and joy, six-month-old MARGO.
VOICE of the Tennc
Iking Horse