( Continued from page 41 )
cold milk " but today he said something at recess about what his daddy had read in the paper about Walking Horses and about the Festival .” He brushed the hair out of his eye and wiped his swollen mouth easy with a big napkin and said , " I never said anything until he said Daddy was a crook because he judged the Festival . He said his daddy said everybody knew it was Fixed in the first place .” To Helen , it seemed that everybody had " said ” something to somebody about what somebody else had " said .” She measured her son with a stern glance and inquired about the fight . " Did you hit Aubie first ?” As only a little boy can do , young Lonny looked at the floor and kicked the table leg . " Yessum . . . but only after he said Walking Horses was all crippled .”
Not much was said at the supper table as Lonny got a bit-by-bit explanation of the proceedings of the early afternoon . At first he thought about really scolding his son for fighting , but them he thought to himself , " Well , if we don ’ t take up for ourselves , we ’ ll soon be out of business .” He did give his son a firm reprimand about fighting and said that there is always a better way to settle an argument .
Glancing at his bruised reflection in the bathroom mirror as he tried to brush his teeth that night , little Lonny had to agree that there must be a better way . He went to bed wondering if they would hear from
Aubie ’ s daddy .
About 9:30 , Lonny heard the dogs barking . He noticed the lights of a car coming up the drive and into the yard . Laying the paper aside , he told Helen that he would see who it was . As he opened the door he could tell it was Mr . Franks , and knew that he had better step outside . Without so much as an introduction the man stepped out and slammed his car door . " Look here , Barnes . . he started , " my boy tells me that your son started a fight with him this afternoon and I intend to see that you make sure he doesn ’ t start another one .” Without waiting for a reply , he added , " You ignorant Walking Horse people never did have any class anyhow . Always scrapping among yourselves . Just keep other folks out of it from now on .” Lonny began to get mad . He took a deep breath
and said , " Well , Mr . Franks ... I understand that your son needled my boy a lot about our horses and said some pretty strong things about our stock .” With a note of determination Mr . Franks countered , " Fella , there aren ’ t words strong enough to say about Tennessee Walking Horses !” Without thinking , Lonny grabbed the man by his jacket lapels and slammed him up against the car . He felt a strong urge to smash his head against the glass but restrained himself . As Mr . Franks struggled to get free , Lonny jerked him around and said , " Mister . . . it ’ s people like you that are causing us trouble all over the country . You keep those crazy gaited horses so buggered up that it ’ s a crime , and every time they come into the ring everybody goes and gets a Coke . The Walking Horse is plowing you under in sales and popularity , and you can ’ t stand it . I sell more Walking Horses in a week than you do all year and you can ’ t keep up . So what do you do ? You holler for the humane society to do something to help those poor Walking Horses . . . with nails in their feet and screws in their frog and all that —. We ’ ve about had it , mister , and we ’ re just about ready to fight back , and if you open your mouth I ’ ll start right here . Now you get the hell off my place and don ’ t ever come back .”
As Mr . Franks drove out the driveway toward the road , Lonny laughed to himself and said , " And that goes for your damn cat , too !” As he headed back to the house , he saw a slight figure by the porch . " Boy , what you doing out here ?” Young Lonny ran up to his dad and said , ” 1 never heard you talk that way to anybody before !” Lonny smiled and said , " I ’ ve never felt that way before , son . Go on back to bed !”
As he lay in bed looking up at the ceiling , Lonny pondered the future of the Tennessee Walking Horse . The horse business was really in a mess . Everyone was on edge and it looked as if things would get worse before they got any better . He didn ’ t know much about politics but knew that there was something really wrong about all those newspaper articles . And that mess in Washington . . . well , that was too much . Helen eased up close to him and said , " What ’ s the matter , honey ? Can ’ t go to sleep ?” Without answering her immediate question he said , " You know , sweetheart , I believe I had rather go back in that ring and tie the big one again than to have to tell
my son that some of the things they are saying are true .” Helen ran her fingers through his hair , saying , " Now , Lonny Barnes . . . you know a lot of that is a pack of lies and it ’ s not nearly as bad as some people say .” Lonny replied , " Yeah . . . but all those people out there thinking about buying a Walking Horse don ’ t know it isn ’ t true .” He rolled over on one elbow and said , " Do you know that they are really trying to put me — ME , Lonny Barnes , who don ’ t even know a one of ' em — out of business because of how they
THINK I train my horses ?” As Helen pulled up the covers to ward off the late fall chill , she said , " What are we going to do about it , Lonny ?” " I ’ m not sure but I ’ ve about decided that somebody ’ s got to do something . ( Continued Next Month )
TRAINERS ASSOCIATION MEETS DURING CELEBRATION
The members of the Walking Horse Trainers Association met several times during the ten days of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration . Their annual chicken dinner meeting was held Sunday , August 30 , and they had a called meeting with Celebration officials later to discuss specific interpretations of the rules for the show .
A major item of interest at the dinner meeting was the series of articles that appeared in the Nashville Tennessean newspaper blasting the Tennessee Walking Horse industry .
Association President Vic Thompson and Executive Secretary Jack Short brought the membership up to date on the activities of the Association , and they discussed plans for their 2nd Annual National Horse Show , to be held in the spring . They also discussed the prospects of holding another clinic similar to the one that was so successful last year .
There was a good representation of the membership on hand for both meetings , but a lot of trainers failed to attend either one . It is assumed that the busy schedule of activities during the Celebration made it impossible for all trainers to attend everything on that schedule . The " Century Club ,” an affiliated organization of horse owners , was also well represented at both meetings .
September / October , 1969 53