1968-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1968 May Voice RS | Page 51

TOPS IN THE SALE — Both GO BOY’S RENDEZVOUS (left) and
SUN’S STRADIVARIUS were consigned by the Jeffcoat Stables, Cor­
dova, Tennessee. Pictured at left are the new owners of RENDEZ­
Among the other outstanding stock to be purchased
was B. MAJOR’S BLACK PEARL, a top mare that
brought S6,900. She was sold by Claude Brown and
purchased by John W. Green of Tullahoma, Tennes­
see. Mr. Jack Moorman of Meridian, Mississippi rode
HOT CARGO, another top mare, through the sale to
bring S6,200. She was purchased by James K. Taylor
of Huntsville, Alabama. With mares dominating the
four-figure sales, DEBBIE’S JOY reached a peak with
$6,000. She was consigned by Bill Carter and was
purchased by John Malone of Winchester, Kentucky.
Also sold during the sale was a fine mare named
BOMB’S LUCKY STAR. She was sold by Sharon Ter­
ry and was purchased by L. E. Riddle of Martinsville,
Virginia. She will be shown this year by trainer Joe
Gibbs.
In evaluating the Murray Farm Sale we could do no
better than the letter which we recently received from
a reader. We feel that this is a credit to the manage­
ment of this sale and reprint it herewith.
"Gentlemen:
"Some observations by a 'Yankee’ on the recent
Murray Farm Sale might interest your readers.
"The management of the sale is highly organized
and does much to insure the well being of visitors.
Mrs. Wiggins was a real help to this newcomer.
"Stalls are listed in cross reference to the catalogue.
It is a good idea to order a catalog early if you are
coming from a distance or are unfamiliar with the
proceedings.
"Flights to Nashville are numerous but motels fill
early. Reservations are a must.
"The horses are generally of good quality. Msrs.
Beech and Yokley try hard to sell sound animals.
May, 1968
VOUS, Mr. and Mrs. Lew Williams of Eugene, Oregon, with their
trainer, Mr. Chester Gillespie. At right are former owner Mrs. Marie
Jeffcoat and trainer Mr. Neil Robinson with SUN’S STRADIVARIUS.
Each horse is vetted before entering the tent. Any
unsoundness is called by the Auctioneer. I was im­
pressed by the efforts made to correctly describe
each animal.
"The Auctioneers at times get carried away by their
own patter. It would be wise if they could concentrate
on selling and not on showmanship. Even local horse­
men complained of difficulty in following the prices.
"Loudspeakers were too loud.
"With the serious problem of scarring before us, I
was surprised and relieved to see how 'clean* the
younger horses were. Horses with heavy scar tissue
or those obviously touched appeared to bring substan­
tially less money.
"The opinion of those trainers I spoke with was
that if the industry didn’t clean up the problem, the
government would. Maybe I just met the right men,
but each of them was trying hard to avoid scarring. (I
saw several young horses with rubber chain guards.)
I certainly hope owners and future owners will force
continuation of this policy by refusing to buy or sup­
port scarred stock.
"Prices seemed reasonable and in some cases, low.
The stands were never full. Whether the scarring
problem or the recent riots in Tennessee kept crowds
down is anyone’s guess.
"If you love horses, you should attend this sale. We
are going back. The surroundings are beautiful, the
people friendly, and the sight of so many fine animals
will long be remembered.
"Sincerely,
GARDINER F. SMITH
Vice President
Keator, Smith & Co.
Fairfield, Connecticut”
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