1969 Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1969 September/October Voice RS | Page 60

( Continued from page 57 )
them were willing to accept a large part of the responsibility for the " sore horse " situation . They did point out , rather emphatically , that the owner was partly responsible . The contention was that many owners push them into showing a horse before he is ready . They say " Get him in the showring ... I don ’ t care how you do it .” The owner many times feels that the expense of keeping a horse in training is not worth it if he has to wait a year or so before it is shown .
WHAT ABOUT THE HORSE ?
In the previous section we dealt with the development of the " sore horse ” and the effect that our training techniques have had on our breed . In keeping with this approach , however , we must not overlook the primary ingredient — the HORSE . How has he developed during all of this ? Is he still the same horse that we started with back in 1935 ? Has he become a victim of man ’ s desire to excell ? Has he been pushed beyond his capabilities to perform ? What can we expect from him in the future ? The Tennessee Walking Horse is still in the developmental stage as far as becoming a breed is concerned . Even after thirty-five years he has no identity that he can call his own . Other breeds — Morgans , Arabians , Appaloosas , Quarter Horses , American Saddlebreds — have a true identity . So do Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds .
Almost all of us agree on what our horses should look like . We also have a fair idea of what he should do , but when we compare our champions of the past few years there is no similarity . . . except that they are all black . They don ' t look alike . They don ’ t go alike . They don ’ t fit any particular pattern as to the example we are looking for . Why is this true , after a quarter-century of select breeding ? To begin with , the
Tennessee Walking Horse is a blend of many breeds that were in-bred to produce the unique quality of
our horse — his gait . This was the one thing that made him different from all other horses , and it was on the basis of this gait that the U . S . Department of Agriculture granted him " breed ” status in 1947 .
With the flat foot walk and the running walk firmly in mind , the originators of the Walking Horse breed set out on a path of development that was to include many things . As the breed has developed we have sought " bloom and good looks ” — and our horses are prettier today than they have ever been . We searched for horses that could perform , and today we have a body style that will enable our horses to do the required gaits easier and with more grace . We have searched for " heart and stamina ”: our horses are stronger and more eager to perform than they have ever been . And today ... in less than a decade ... we have seen the emergence of a new style of horse that is pretty with excellent conformation by any standards . He is built to do the flat foot walk and the running walk naturally and to hit the " big lick ” with very little of the abusive training practices that have produced our current problem . In other words , if We give him time , our HORSE will get us out of the ’ ditch
I am firmly convinced that we can " have our horse and our honor , too ,” and that within the next te years we will see the development of Walking Horsec that will surpass anything that we have ever dreamt of and they will be in excellent shape by all standard
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE ?
We have tried to clarify the situation regarding " sore horses .” We have tried to point out how it developed and what the results have been . We have also tried to give you some idea as to the corresponding development of our breed during this same period . Now the big question is , " Where do we go from here ?” The first thing we need to do is forget all the ranting and raving about " sore horses .” This is not our problem ! It is the result of our problem which is , of
course , the complete lack of authority in the Walking Horse business . If we had some authority to control our horse shows we wouldn ’ t have any " sore horses .” VVe are attacking the results of our problem rather than the problem itself , and federal legislation is not the answer .
As I review the situation , I cannot help thinking , " We are smarter than this .” Here we are with one of the greatest horses ever developed . He is a beautiful animal that can do amazing things . Our breed is growing by leaps and bounds , and the price of our horses continues to rise as the demand for good stock increases . Beautiful new stables are being constructed all over the country . People are coming to horse shows in droves and people with money to spend are buying
Tennessee Walking Horses as fast as we can raise them . With all this going for us , are we going to sit
around and let a few uninvolved and misguided individuals put us all out of business ? I would hate to think so ! I would also hate to think that we would sit idly by while the various news media blast us , and legislators pass laws against us , and not do something about it .
SOLUTIONS
The vast majority of trainers tell us , " We don ’ t care what rules we follow , just as long as they apply to everybody and can be enforced .” They state that they can ’ t show a clean horse against a sore horse and compete , and that until we find a way to keep the competition from showing sore horses , it ’ s " every man for himself .” So . . . our problem is to find a way to enforce our rules ( whatever they may be ) at ALL shows , and do it from week to week throughout show season . Keeping in mind that there are some among us who prefer things the way they are , this is going to be a difficult task . There are three separate factions at every horse show that must know and adhere to the rules . They are : ( 1 ) Exhibitors ( both professional and amateur ); ( 2 ) Judges ; and ( 3 ) Horse Show Managers . There are two types of horse shows with which we must deal . They are the Independent show and the Association show- The shows that belong to an association are not too rnuch of a problem , although they need to put more emphasis on " rules violations ” and enforcement of tbese rules . It is the Independent show that is causes most of our trouble in the Walking Horse busil1688 * especially in the south where our breed is
domlriant- There are several possible solutions . Consider : ( 1 ) A jsjational Affiliated Horse Show Association — Require that a^ shows belong to a national organization . Thefe are over thirty horse show associations in the nati0 ° today and they range from the giant American
Hor $ e Shows Association , which has over 1,000 member $ hows , to the small area associations with a dozen
60 Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse