man of the hour in
" 01 * Vic is about as controversial as any man who ever throwed a leg over a Walking Horse . . . but he managed to accomplish what a lot of people said could never be done .” That statement just about sums up the general feeling regarding Vic Thompson and the Walking Horse Trainers Association . It could be said that Mr . Thompson is indeed the " man of the hour ” in the Walking Horse business . He set the wheels in motion to form an organization that this business has needed for some time . He got the trainers together and made them realize that " the future of this breed is what they make it .” Vic Thompson is one of the few college-trained men in the business ( although more men with higher education are entering the training profession every day ). He actually studied pre-veterinary medicine at Texas A & M . Vic started working with Walking Horses in Fort Worth , Texas , after serving in the Air Force for three and a half years . He met and married the former Mariland Goff of Kennedy , Texas , and she has been no small influence in his rise to the top of the horse business .
It would be almost impossible to discuss the horses that Vic Thompson has trained and shown . He has won almost every ribbon at the Celebration including the World Grand Championship . He is a promoter as well as a fine trainer and a good businessman . He has been involved in the purchase and sale of as many top horses as anyone in the business and takes special pride in Juvenile and Amateur horses . This activity was stimulated by his two daughters , Vicky Lynn and Kathy , both of whom love horses and have worked with their father .
At the breeding level Vic Thompson , as manager of the Stallion Stables in Shelbyville , as handled some of the top stallions in the Walking Horse world . He is a firm believed in planned breeding and has produced some top colts on his farm in Shelbyville .
For some time , Vic has dreamed of getting the trainers together to form an association . He was at one time an active member of the Rodeo Cowboys Association and saw first-hand what benefits could be achieved for the membership of such an organization . In his mind he had a dream of a similar association for Walking Horse trainers . Today . . . this
dream is a reality , but it has been costly for him . For over six months he has been working day and
night on this organization . He has traveled over 25 , - 000 miles on behalf of the Trainers Association , much
of the time at his own expense . Recently , while on a trip to Missouri to address the Heart of America Walking Horse Association , he suffered a mild heart attack and had to be put to bed in Kansas City for ten days . We point this out only to indicate that some sacrifices have been made for this organization .
At the recent Trainers Association meeting , Vic had slowed down a bit . He was obviously tired but still enthusiastic . He took great pride in looking out
over the crowd of the nation ’ s finest Walking Horse trainers and knowing that he had played a part in
the program . When the gate opens shortly . • ■ Vic Thompson will be just another trainer . He will win a few and lose a few , but like last year he will just load up and go to the show . He will be just another trainer then , but now . . . now he is " the man of the our in the Walking Horse business .” Thanks , Vic !
26 Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse