1967-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1967 August Voice RS | Page 7

BIG SHOT’S
T BIRD
"MOTION" is his Trademark ... and He can Stay!
BIG SHOT’S T BIRD is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Billy
Robinson of Chattanooga, Tennessee. They purchased him
as a colt as a prospective horse for their daughter Cathy
to ride. He has turned out to be a lot more horse than
any juvenile should attempt to handle, however, and their
approach to the horse business has been tempered some­
what by this horse.
T BIRD represents a lot more to Billy Brantley than
just a top horse. When young Mr. Brantley came out of
the hills as an unknown in 1964 to win the World’s Two-
Year-Old Championship on SETTING.SUN’S APOLLO,
everyone implied that “the horse had made the rider”
and that it would be a long time before Billy Brantley
hit the “big time” again. The next year, however, he
came out with BIG SHOT’S T BIRD, a long, lanky bay
stud colt that was the exact opposite of APOLLO as to
his build, nature and way of going. People began to ask
about Billy Brantley and his ability, and he soon had a
waiting list of prospective customers.
Billy and T BIRD started off the 1967 year without
much fanfare. He hasn’t shown him too much and has
been concentrating on his conditioning and stamina. BIG
SHOT’S T BIRD has won five blues this season in Junior
competition including an impressive victory at Murfrees­
boro, Tennessee. Billy showed just enough of his horse
to stay with his competition and then at the right moment
made one big “Celebration pass” to take the blue. People
say that you can’t win at the Celebration with “one pass”
and no one knows this better than Billy Brantley.
At the Celebration last year, many people insist that
his showing in the Three-Year-Old Stallion class was one
of the few flawless exhibitions of the year. Both horse
AUGUST, 1967
and rider made a consistent show without making a single
mistake and they rode out with the blue ribbon.
It is a known fact that BIG SHOT’S T BIRD is a
controversial horse. People either like everything about
him or nothing at all. He is that kind of horse because
he is “different.” On questioning several professional
trainers about their opinions regarding T BIRD, we got
a variety of answers. We have noticed that those profes­
sionals who do not have a horse in competition with him
like him a lot better than those who do. A typical com­
ment is “T BIRD is a great horse . . . but,” and it is
here that the pros and cons of a top horse become
interesting.
T BIRD does so much of everything that he is hard
to compare with other horses. His flat foot walk is a
deep striding movement with a lot of head action. His
canter is a high, deliberate rolling gait that is exciting
and his running walk sees him drop down in the back
end with a tremendous front end. “Motion” is his trade­
mark and few horses can go with him as far as speed
is concerned. His 20% for conformation is assured as he
is a beautiful horse. Most people say however that he
will not reach his peak of conformation until he is an
aged horse.
The 1967 Celebration will again find BIG SPIOT’S
T BIRD in the running for the Championship. This time
he will be aiming at the Junior Stake. According to the
army of loyal T BIRD supporters, he is about as ready
as a horse can get. He is in the best condition of his young
career and is fat and hard as nails. He should be at his
peak by the time the gate opens. Time will tell!