March 2009 - TWH Heritage Society

Heritage Highlights
Published By: TWH Heritage Society
The above photo was sent by Franne Brandon, Petersburg,
Tennessee after a snowstorm on February 28 left 8-11
inches of snow in various parts of Middle Tennessee.
Sunday Snow Surprise by Franne Brandon,
Petersburg, Tennessee
Tennessee is not impervious to snowfalls. While a White
Christmas is more rare than Heritage Horses, from the first
of January until mid-February, Tennesseans prepare
themselves for the possibility of snow. TDOT stockpiles
road salt and the ingredients for the liquid brine that those
orange trucks spray when wintry weather is expected.
Since the century changed, however, snow has been a rare
occurrence in the southern central basin of Middle
Tennessee. So when the forecasts out of Nashville
predicted snow for the weekend of February 28th, most
people scoffed at the notion. The precipitation forecast
previous to that had called for “big rains”, but instead,
there were very gusty winds and precious little rain.
Saturday, February 28th, brought cloudy skies and
ordinary rain. Nashville forecasts included maps of the
mid-state counties, predicting 3-4 inches in those west of
the Tennessee River, but only an inch or maybe two in
areas to the east. Later in the day, news clips showed snow
falling on Memphis streets. Twenty years ago, a snow in
Memphis assured white scenes in Middle Tennessee before
many hours passed. Afternoon skies seemed to brighten,
though, and the rain quit. Saturday evening Nashville
broadcasts continued to call for an inch of snow, although
southern counties had the possibility of up to two inches.
Saturday night, between eight and eight-thirty, light rain
began falling again at Pinefolly Farms. A check on the
back porch thermometer showed 33 degrees, causing a
very cold rain. Not long afterward, odd noises on the
windowpanes as well as tapping on the stovepipe
suggested that perhaps sleet was mixing with the rain, but
a trip outdoors showed no sleet pellets in the grass or on
the walkway around the backyard pool. The light rain,
punctuated by the occasional tapping, continued until
bedtime.
Nocturnal ramblings on nights when snow is predicted
usually result in checks out several windows, and on
Sunday morning, March lst, by 1:30, such checks revealed
the lightest coating of powdery snow. My husband and I
assumed, based on the track record for Nashville
meteorology at that point, that our snow had come and
gone. I had to get up earlier than usual on Sunday morning,
because I had to be a choir practice at 7:30. My first look
outdoors was through the glass in the sunroom door. Since
Volume III
Number 3, March 2009
it was a door and the sight was so shocking, I opened it
wide for a broader view. Snow covered everything! No
powdery skiff, this coating! The grass had disappeared,
and a blanket of white covered everything in the back yard.
The well house, the garage/shop, the loafing barn, and the
regular barn, all within the vista visible from the sunroom
door, sported heavy white coverings on their respective
roofs. Tanasi Gold spotted me with her eagle eyes and
began nickering for breakfast. I pulled on some
sweatpants, a warm jacket, gloves, and my lovely new
insulated boots, but all I managed to achieve in the trip to
the barn was the retrieval of the CoCoRAHs rain gauge.
The latch to the barn lot gate was frozen shut. An
impatient and very dirty palomino had to wait for her
chow.
Tanasi Gold waits for her morning chow
In case anyone wonders, I did not make it to 7:30 choir
practice. No one did. The roads were covered in white as
well, and if the rain had frozen before the snows fell, they
would probably have been impassable for days. As it was,
through the early part of the morning, they were too slick
for anything other than a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. I walked
around breaking in the new boots, and measured various
depths of snow on our property. For the official
CoCoRAHs report, I used the depth of 4.5 inches found on
the flat top of our son's old aluminum hound travel kennel.
The snow there had not been blocked by any buildings or
trees, nor blown by the wind. In other locations on our
small farm, we had varying depths. The front yard
measured only 1.5 inches, as a loblolly pine windbreak
broke up the snow's descent. Our back pasture, which
slopes downward to a wet weather stream, had
snowy places with around eight inches. Whatever the
depth, the sun's appearance in mid-morning brought
warmth to the air to melt the snow from the top, while the
warm ground on which it had fallen had the same effect
from below. Our road, which gives a two-mile view of the
straight stretch that runs past our place, was almost clear
by early afternoon.
Icicles coming off garage roof
Predictions were for “just an inch”
The snow had fallen in a belt south of Nashville, and
ranging from rolling to hilly Lawrence County in the
west, to Coffee County, leading up to the Cumberland
Plateau, in the east. Schools within this belt had snow days
on Monday because the back roads, shaded by deciduous
trunks and cedar trees (junipers) remained coated in snow.
In Marshall County, Heritage founder Leon Oliver had
eight inches, which WKRN weather reported that Chapel
Hill, north of Leon's Brown Shop Road location, had
eleven inches, "more snow than measured at Berry Field
since 2005, according to Jeff Wray. On Tuesday,
Lawrence, Giles, Marshall, and Coffee counties were still
closed, as this group got the deepest amounts of snow
overall. By Wednesday, though, all school systems were
back in session, and Friday's high temps in most of the
area reached the seventies. Such is the nature of that very
rare but real phenomenon, a Tennessee snowstorm in
March.
Tastefully trimmed garage roof
From Bob Long, Fayetteville, Tennessee via
email:
“Us last night. Leon and John got 8", Shelbyville got 10",
and I had around 3" or so. Been a long time since we had
snow like this. Leon will know to
the day and hour when that happened last”
Later Bob emailed back to say Leon told him the last time
this had happened was in 1964, before his nephew John
Oliver had been born.
From John Oliver, Cornersville, Tennessee
via email:
This is the biggest snow I have ever seen and I’m 29 yrs
old !! We have 8 inches of snow here in Lewisburg, TN.
When I woke up this morning I didn’t realize how much
we actually had till I went to feed the horses. My Bullet
mare Lady was tuned out and I know she has never seen
this before, none of the animals ever had. My dogs were
having a big time playing in it. My old dog, Belle, had
seen some snow before but my pup, Hector, who’s 11
months has never seen this before and he had a good time
running and playing. The goats wouldn’t venture out of
their shed to eat any hay; they just stood there and looked
at me like I was crazy. My chickens stayed in the barn too.
It’s funny though because by mid week here it will be 70
degrees and sunny which will be awesome riding weather
and I can’t wait for that !!!!
The English Shepherd dogs, Hector and Belle
From Shellie Pacovsky, Bainville, Montana,
via Email”
“Here are a couple pictures of the snow. Note the date.
This is our oldest daughter and grandson. Our daughter is
5' 2" tall.”
Yikes! 8” of snow!!
Amy and Tanner
Sterling’s Signature Lady
Lots of snow!
Finding Gabriel by Shellie Pacovsky,
Bainville, Montana
Early in 2006, Mark and I became aware of The Heritage
Society. We strongly believed in their mission and goals.
We had been doing it for years, but they had put it into
words and actions. First, we had our stallion Slush Creeks
Jubal S certified. Then we followed with several mares.
We decided that we really wanted to continue with the
Heritage breeding, and we began searching for a Heritagecertified colt that could be used on our fillies that we had
been holding back that were by Jubal. We did have another
breeding stallion, The Ultimate Bum, so we were not in a
big hurry. After some searching, we settled on a nice
yearling from Wisconsin, NFF Lightfoot Taylor.
“Lightfoot” came to us in the fall of 2007; he was
everything we had been looking for, and we were very
pleased. We had big plans for him! Then, in February of
2008, Lightfoot had an accident. Though we tried
everything, after three long weeks, we knew that Lightfoot
would not be saved, and he was euthanized. We were
devastated.
After all, we have only been breeding natural TWH’s for
20 years. We picked the brains of our recruits so often they
were probably sick of us! We very quickly found out that
there were not any mature Heritage stallions for sale,
except for a son of Jubal’s and that didn’t work for us.
I spoke with Leon down in Tennessee; he didn’t have
anything but knew of a couple of colts by his Bullet
stallion. He provided me with contact information and
away I went. We did find a colt that interested us, but he
was just a yearling and he was in Tennessee. We got
pictures, pedigree, etc. We didn’t see anything that took
him out of the running, so we asked Ms. Franne Brandon
to go make a video for us, which she did. The colt had not
had anything done with him, but a deal was made and we
purchased him. His name is The Little Red Rascal (aka
Mikey) 20709238; he is by Buds Sterling Bullet and out of
Red Bud’s Last Dreamer.
Though The Bum was not from Heritage bloodlines, we
could still use him to cover the mares by Jubal. Then, once
more, on the 9th of April 2008, fate dealt us another cruel
blow! We lost The Ultimate Bum to a kidney tumor. The
decision was made to breed whatever mares we could to
Jubal for 2008 and begin the hunt for a Heritage- certified
stallion. Because we had only Jubal, we decided that we
would look for a stallion that we could use for breeding
purposes right away.
We put out feelers; called some breeders we knew,
searched for sale ads, and even emailed some of the lists
we were on. I sent out an email in April that that said: ‘We
are looking for a stallion/stallion prospect. We are not in a
hurry and will carefully examine any offers. We require a
nice natural gait, calm, quiet disposition, good bone and
conformation. We really like the old bloodlines the older
the better! Color is NOT an issue. Please contact us if you
have something that would work for us. We breed good go
using horses and could offer an excellent home with wide
open spaces, lots of pasture and his own band of mares.
Please send pedigree and pictures. ‘
You would not believe some of the “candidates” we waded
through. I spent hours on the phone, going through
pictures, pedigrees, and videos. Some were easy to weed
out! We had Pusher and Generator lines on pads,
misshapen foot due to an accident, stallions requiring
special care, some that didn’t walk, had big ole jug heads,
club feet, terrible dispositions, or the “miracle colors”.
Some folks were angry when we would say that their horse
“was just not what we were looking for”. Still others
wanted to argue, thought we were snobs, or told us we
didn’t know what we were doing. I drafted some help,
people that had more experience and knowledge than we
do, and not just with bloodlines and horses but also with
people
The Little Red Rascal, aka Mikey
Then we found a mare for sale with a foal by her side. The
foal was by Buds Sterling Bullet and out of Ostella Sara
Lady; his name is Red Bud’s Revival (aka Buddy)
20800553. We consider these colts stallion “prospects”,
meaning we think they may be stallion quality but want to
let them grow up some, declare themselves to be stallion
quality, if they are. We feel that decision should not be
made until they are at least started under saddle. We knew
that it was going to be three years before we would know
about these colts, but it was the best we could do at the
time.
He was not hard to convince. His owner had bred for him
and raised him his whole life, she would let him go BUT
not without checking us out first. We gave her references
including our vet, and she did contact them, and I guess we
passed inspection, because Gabe came to live at Slush
Creek. I am not sure that he is all that impressed with
Montana considering the winter we have had so far. Our
plans are to breed Gabe to our Jubal fillies and work with
our two younger Heritage stallions. Hopefully, both Jubal
and Gabe will give us plenty of time to get the two young
prospects raised and trained.
Red Bud’s Revival
Then several months later, in September, on the TWH
Breeders list, someone posted our original email and asked
if we had ever found a stallion. We answered no and were
slammed with a whole new bunch of emails trying to sell
stallions. One email was from some folks out in
Washington State and they had a stallion that had been
with them for 3 years. His owners were getting out of
breeding and were selling all of their horses. His owner
was also his breeder and had owned him his entire life. He
was 18 years old, barefoot, in excellent health and
condition, had been shown and winning as recently as 3
weeks earlier. He is a direct grandson of Midnight Sun; his
name is Delights Midnight Legend (Gabe) 900339.
Delight’s Midnight Legend (aka, Gabe)
We weren’t really in the market for another stallion but he
sounded interesting and looked great so I thought I just
look him up on IPEDS. Wow, he did have some really
great old bloodlines. So without saying anything to Mark ,I
asked for more information on him. I contacted his owner,
got pictures, information, and video, put everything
together on this stallion and looked at the complete
package. When I finished looking at everything I knew I
wanted this stallion, and so I presented my “case” to Mark.
Gabe struttin’ his stuff
Tennessee Road Trip by Gwen Moberly,
Russellville, Kentucky
I have a long time friend of the family named Sherman
Price... he's helped our family and me personally over the
years with his lifetime of experiences concerning horses.
He is an older widower who has been on his own for the
last 20 years. He cares for himself, his pastures, his farm
equipment, drives himself (even at night), goes to church,
cooks his own meals, helps other folks, and tends his herd
of a dozen or so cattle and six Tennessee walking horses
which include a 3 year old stallion, three mares and two
weanlings. Sherman considers himself to know best about
most things and wants to own the best walking horses as
well.
This could sound like the average man but average he is
not. His gift is his healthy longevity. At 95 years old, he
doesn't take one solitary prescription drug and has 20/20
vision! He says that keeping active with his horses,
livestock, and land have kept him young.
A few weeks ago he had reminded me again that he
wanted to go back to visit Billy Taylor in Winchester,
Tennessee. You see, he'd bought a superior mare from him
back a few years ago, but lost her due to a freak
accident. I, as well, had bought a mare from Billy that
turned out to have the most unusually tractable, calm
disposition. She really did not have to be taught anything,
and she didn't know what the word 'spook' meant!
Now, he'd gone with me to pick out my filly, and he's
regretted not buying her first since!
We finally made the trip to the Taylor farm on a sunny
March day after months of cold and rainy/icy weather; it
was good just to get out and visit in the emerging spring
air. Sherman likes 'road trips', especially when it involves
looking at and talking horses. He had no intention on
buying anything and was adamant about it.
We looked at some of the stock, and we commented on
some of the great old time mares that stood before us. We
then looked at the young colts and geldings. I saw a pretty
black sabino colt that stood out and also a large bay
gelding that was familiar to me in that he was up- in -yourface for attention.
Right off, Billy told us that the bay was my filly's full
brother, so this made sense. He was just like my Lucia
(Echo's Nancy J). I couldn't get over how, like my filly,
he was so tall. He towered over his sire and dam.
For the last stop Billy said that he had two Heritage fillies
down on his brother Danny's farm, so we hopped in the
truck to go see them as well. Last stop, and I was
already noticing that it was going to be dark soon, so we'd
have to be headed out for home. When we got to the barn,
we saw Smokey (Sun's Smokey Midnight, who belongs to
Danny Taylor). Sherman's mouth about dropped open
when he saw Smokey standing there just as calm and still
right over a short woven wire fence from a mare in heat
and a gelding. Smokey never made a sound or tried to get
across the fence. Now this would NOT have been a barrier
at all for most stallions of even good disposition. This was
unusual. As we kept an eye on Smokey, just waiting for
him to at least lean over the fence or make the slightest
peep, the two Heritage fillies came running up from a back
field when they heard people's voices. These fillies were a
max white sabino, and a pretty, refined sorrel with a big
white blaze and a sock named Echo's Elegant Belle. They
came at once over to us, mere strangers, to get attention.
Smokey was still quiet, so unlike any stallion, except for
Dan Allen just up the road. Billy went on to tell us how he
led this particular girl behind a 4- wheeler for about a
quarter of a mile to his trailer when she was just weaned
from her dam, a baby! Billy gave a very reasonable
price each on both fillies and I saw Sherman's eyes bug
out! I knew what that look meant...he was seriously
interested!
We first pulled up to see Billy there, awaiting our arrival.
We looked at Dan Allen again, and he was same as
always. Though he's housed right across the fence from
his mares, he stayed quiet and docile. You wouldn't know
he was a stallion at all.
Sherman & Billy talking about horses in front of their
audience
Billy Taylor, left, Society’s Dan Allen in the middle,
and Sherman Price, right
Before I knew it, he bought the filly. The combination of
the filly's look, her disposition, and seeing how the two
Taylor stallions were kept, so unlike anything he'd seen
before, sealed the deal.
Billy Taylor in the foreground with Sherman’s new
filly, Echo’s Elegant Belle, Danny Taylor in the
background
Billy even offered to deliver the filly as he'd done before.
In a few days, Billy and Danny came to Russellville,
Kentucky to deliver the 10-month-old filly. She rode alone
and was instantly put into Sherman's pasture with two
other weanlings. There was no ruckus, no hollering or
fighting. These horses don't seem to fight back; they just
are unconcerned about other horses trying to be dominant.
They just go their own way and do not bother anyone.
There were no kicks or even running! Too strange
again, but not since the Heritage disposition is what
sold her.
Belle in her new home in Kentucky
We had a great day with Billy and Danny. They are two of
the kindest, most honest, and most gracious gentlemen
that I've had the pleasure to know. Sherman is happy at 95
to own yet another Tennessee Walking Horse. He said he
would only have the 'best' if he were to get anymore. I
think he succeeded in that. Good horses and good, true,
genuine people. You can't get much better than that!
Pictured from left to right: Billy Taylor, Sherman
Price, Danny Taylor
Women – Horses – And Confidence, by
Dawna Hansen, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Who wishes your skill with horses equaled your love or
desire to do things with them? Are there some times when
you think about going on a trail ride (or whatever the
activity may be) and you get a little worried – wondering
how your horse will act that day? So now you have a
queasy feeling in your stomach? Guess what, this is not
fear; it is a lack of confidence. The previous article talked
about fear as an emotion, a rush of chemicals into the
blood stream. Lack of confidence is more nagging, but it
takes away some of the joy we could otherwise experience
with our horses. Most of us experience it in varying
degrees at some time or other. Remember, fear is an
emotion, but confidence is a mental set! This is a good
thing; then, there is something we can do about it.
Why do we lack confidence? No matter if the root of this
question has something to do with the relationship we had
with our mothers, or some traumatic experience, there is
still something we can do about it now, in a practical way.
Kelly Marks, who studied under Monty Roberts, and
became famous in her own right, says this about the
confidence issue:
“A common reason why people lack confidence is because
they don’t have the physical, emotional, and/or mental
skills needed to do the job well.”
This seems to beg the question then, which of these is
where my lack of confidence resides? How do we know?
First of all, let’s look at how to approach confidence
problems and with that understanding, we can analyze
more specifically what causes our worry. What do we
know about how to build confidence?
“The best way to build confidence is to have as many
successful experiences as possible.”
Oh great, how do we have successful experiences when
that is the problem we are concerned about in the first
place? This is too easy to seem helpful, but trust me,
sometimes the simple is the profound. What you do is
break the entire horse activity for that day/moment, that
situation and/or that interaction, into very small pieces.
Build your confidence piece by successful piece. For
example: If you are going on a trail ride that afternoon, do
a confidence analysis. Start your analysis by looking at
yourself and where you really feel good about what you
are doing. Start this as soon as you wake up that morning.
How do you feel when you feed, when you groom, clean
feet, longe your horse for the warm up? If all of this goes
well, don’t just rush over it in your mind “waiting” for the
times when the horse will act up. Revel in it! Tell yourself
how good it feels to groom and notice if the horse responds
well to your touch and how he likes this special one -onone attention. Spend extra time on the special places he
likes scratched. Talk to him. This can do at least three
things. 1) It releases endorphins in you, 2) it releases
endorphins in your horse, 3) it tells you if you have the
physical, emotional, and mental skills to relate to, or
connect, with your horse at this level. If this goes well and
you feel like you just spent a relaxed time with your horse,
tell yourself you have some good emotional skills here.
You are able to relax and help this huge animal relax just
with your presence in a grooming session. These are not
only good skills, they are great skills! How many times do
we just brush over these wonderful situations? We need to
enjoy the moment and feel the satisfaction of what we are
good at.
If this does not go well, where was the breakdown? If you
emotionally didn’t connect with the horse, were you going
too fast, or were you angry at something and couldn’t clear
your emotions? Did the horse frustrate you by not standing
still when all you wanted to do was love him up a bit? If
you felt frustration, that could have been either an
emotional or mental set. If you were angry and couldn’t
shake it, that was an emotional issue. Now you are starting
to look at yourself to see where the little successes are or
when the confidence breakdown begins. This works with
any activity with your horse.
It is impossible in this written format to help you with your
emotional issues except to express a couple of
generalizations. One is if you are getting angry or
frustrated, it might be that you are expecting too much
from both your horse and yourself. Slow up, forget the trail
ride that day. Spend time just enjoying your horse by going
for a walk or hand grazing. While most of my neighbors
take their dogs for walks past my place, one neighbor takes
her horse for a walk – it makes me smile.
Secondly, if you find yourself frustrated quite a bit with
your horse, you are not going to like this, but it is likely
you don’t understand him. Horses are always trying to
communicate with us, and often we think they are
misbehaving so we discipline them, or just give up and do
nothing. This falls under the mental skills set. It means we
need more knowledge, more understanding of the horse
and situation. I work with women age 40 and older who
are getting back into horses as their children are older, or
first time horse owners who are fulfilling a dream. I can’t
tell you how many of them get all kinds of advice that is
horrible and gets them in trouble. How sad, when good
horse experiences could fill that empty nest feeling, and
give them ways to enrich their older years both
emotionally and physically.
So, in review, if we have a confidence problem:
1. Build confidence in tiny steps, love each minute,
and count the successes of each contact.
2.
Do a confidence analysis by breaking down the
entire situation in small pieces. See if your issues
are physically, emotionally, or mentally
(knowledge and attitude) related.
3.
Get the right kind of help. Look for someone
experienced in Natural Horsemanship!!
The next newsletter article will talk about Natural
Horsemanship.
My First Tennessee Walking Horse by Billy
Taylor, Winchester, Tennessee
I was born in 1946 on a farm in the Awalt Community,
which is located in northwest Franklin County, Tennessee.
My dad was a farmer who used mules for farming until the
middle 1950's when he bought a tractor. He owned no
riding horses, that was considered a luxury that he didn't
think we could afford. That changed in 1956. I was only 10
years old but I persisted so much that he finally purchased
an eight year old mare and her filly. They were Tennessee
Walking Horses. We named the mare Lu Lu Taylor
(#570334) and the filly Pinkey Lu (#621512), because of
her pink nose. They were foundation bred, no modern
show horse breeding. Lu Lu's sire's breeding was Hunters
Allen, Slippery Allen, and Boones Grey John. Her dam's
bloodlines were Brantley's Roan Allen Jr., Dick Allen F98, Giovanni, and several lines to non-Allen F-1 horses.
Pinkey Lu's sire was Wilson's Merry Boy GG. He was by
Merry Boy and out of Wilson's Allen Mellow Gold. She
was by Wilson's Allen and out of a Mabery Allen/Boone's
Grey John bred mare. Wilson's Allen Mellow Gold was a
full sister to Miller's Wilson Allen.
Lu Lu Taylor was not broke to ride when we got her but
we just got on her and rode her. She never resisted in any
way. She had no trot or pace, she was very naturally gaited
for a four beat walk. We had no saddles and she was
ridden bareback. When Pinkey Lu became two years old, I
started riding her. I was 11 years old with very little riding
experience. I rode her several times with only a halter, no
saddle or bridle. Pinkey Lu was very naturally gaited for
walk, smooth as silk no trot or pace. The only time I
remember her bucking was when she got her tail over an
electric fence while I was riding her. It didn't take her long
to get rid of me, about three bucks and I was on the
ground. I don't remember her bucking or resisting riding
ever again.
different stallions while we had them, including Gordon's
Merry Boy, Sun's Black Jack, Sun's Midnight Prince, Sir
Winston S., Paige's Black Boy, Duke of Dearmanville,
along with others. Pleasure horses were very cheap in the
1960's and some of the offspring of these mares were not
registered. Dad sold Lu Lu Taylor in the late 1960's and
Pinkey Lu in the early 70's. He kept a daughter from each
of these mares. Pinkey Lu's daughter was sired by the
popular breeding horse, Sir Winston S., owned by Earnest
Smith in the Hurdlow Community. Lu Lu Taylor's
daughter was sired b Duke of Dearmanville, a son of the
1958 World Grand Champion Setting Sun. Because of the
low demand for pleasure horses, dad didn't raise foals from
these mares for some time.
Billy and Danny Taylor shown with Pinkey Lu and
Lu Lu Taylor
In 1978 my friend, Leon Oliver, offered me the use of his
foundation stallion, Red Bud's Rascal, to breed both mares.
In the spring of 1979 both mares had foals and they were
both fillies. I got the first pick of the fillies and chose the
sorrel filly from April Flower T. and named her Red Bud's
Lady Bug. My brother, Danny, got the other filly and sold
her at a young age. I moved Lady Bug to my farm in
Moore County, TN as soon as she was weaned. She was
broke to ride at the age of two years. She had an excellent
mind and very good gaits. She was very natural in her gaits
with no pace or trot and would execute a running walk
while leading her. Lady Bug was an excellent brood mare.
She was always easy to get in foal and was a good mother
to her foals. She had 17 live foals from several different
stallions and lived to be 28 years old.
Billy Taylor with Pinkey Lu
We bred both mares to Society Man, the 1943 3-Year Old
World Grand Champion. His sire was Wilson's Allen. Lu
Lu foaled a filly from that mating that was born in 1959.
Pinkey was bred several times to Society Man but never
produced a foal by him. In 1959 my parents purchased a
farm in the Harmony Community, which is located
approximately 15 miles from the Awalt Community. We
moved to that farm in 1960. Dad bred these mares to
Society’s Dan Allen as a foal with his dam, Red Bud’s
Lady Bug in the background
In 1993 I located Paige's Echo, an old stallion that my dad
had raised. He was born in 1965 out of Pinkey Lu and
sired by Paige's Black Boy who was sired by Society Man,
out of a Merry Boy mare. Paige's Echo was double-bred
Wilson's Allen, Merry Boy, and had four lines to Boone's
Grey John. This was some of the best foundation breeding
ever.
I raised three foals from Lady Bug and Paige's Echo. My
stallion, Society's Dan Allen, Echo's Lady Bug (a mare)
and Society's Duke Allen, a stallion that Diane Sczepanski
just bought. I currently have two other Paige's Echo mares
that I breed and raise foals from. These mares are
producing some of the best pleasure horses we have ever
owned. I have seven mares at this time and five of them
have Lu Lu Taylor and Pinkey Lu in their pedigree.
Jewel and Rose, Laura’s Quarter Horse, enjoy a race
around the pasture
From Gwen Moberly, Russellville, Kentucky,
via Email:
“Hi, I haven't been able to post much but wanted to show
you some pictures of our 'crazy' Taylor/Red Bud filly..
Well the cat...he's just either really brave OR really
stupid!, Or maybe he actually senses that he's on a solid
surface?? the jury is still out.......”
Echo’s Lady Bug with her foal
As long as I am able to care for horses, I will continue to
line breed back to Lu Lu and Pinkey Lu through their
ancestors that I currently own.
From Laura Carlson-Humphrey, Eau Claire,
Wisconsin via Email:
“I had borrowed Ryan's digital camera, I let the girls out
on the big pasture and they were kicking up their hills. I
can't believe the warm feeling I get watching them.
Enjoy”
NFF Wilson’s Crown Jewel enjoying a winter day
Ahhhh, nothing like a nice place to warm the toes
Finding Rascal by Cynthia Priebe, Grafton,
Ohio
At the time, what I thought was a very unfortunate event
caused me to be searching for a new riding horse. My local
show and trail riding TWH was just diagnosed with severe
arthritis in his neck. He was no longer safe to ride. The
cause of the arthritis is undetermined, but it is most likely
caused by a very old injury long before I acquired him. I
was devastated. I was not optimistic that I would find
another great horse, but I had to ride, and Cool J’s riding
days were over.
Then one day in late September, a woman called me to say
that a friend had told her my story over a month ago, and
that she might have a horse for me. She had health
problems that were keeping her from riding her trail horse,
she didn’t have it on the market for sale, but she kept
thinking about what she heard about me and finally
decided to call. She told me he was ten, (older than I
wanted) a gelding, (I wanted a mare) and he was sorrel
(definitely not a “fancy” color.) I didn’t jump at the chance
to go see him. three days later, I called her back and asked
if I could visit.
I walked into the barn and, when Rascal looked me in the
eye, I knew he was the one. I never felt this kind of
connection before. Even with my beloved Cool J. She
tacked him up in the aisle, climbed on,and rode him
around the little indoor arena. It was my turn. I hopped on,
rode around inside, then asked to go outside. She asked if I
wanted to see what he was like on the trail, and I said sure.
We went outside the fence, across a big field and into the
woods – just Rascal and me. I look back at it now in awe; I
wouldn’t have even thought about it with the other horses I
tried, let alone do it. There was just something about
Rascal that told me I could trust him.
Cool J & Cynthia
I started looking on the Internet, the tack shops, and told
everyone I knew what I was looking for. It was May, 2007.
I knew I wanted a TWH, it had to have trail experience,
and it had to have the ability, even if no experience, to
show at regional all- breed shows in TWH and Open Easy
Gaited classes. Nothing flashy, no special shoes or “stuff”
to make it go right, just consistent and fun no matter what I
was going to do - you know – the perfect, all -around
horse.
Now, I am what you would call a cautious rider, and my
horses have to have common sense and not be hot. I check
out the “whoa” long before the “go.” I had just finally
started to gain confidence in my riding abilities when Cool
J was diagnosed, and I am definitely not someone that just
hops on a horse and rides. I have to get to know my horse
and trust it before I do anything other than basic circles
around the ring. They are horses, you know, and one may
fall off!
I thought maybe I would try a mare this time. I wanted a
“fancy” color or spotted and something around 6-8 years
old with a bit of “been there, done that”. I must have
watched one hundred videos, looked at 200 ads or pictures,
and went to check out over 20 horses. Most were nice;
some were not. Many couldn’t gait without extra help.
None of them I felt comfortable enough to ride outside of
an enclosed area. I tried to tell myself that I was being too
picky or just my overly cautious self, and one of them had
to be right. But I just couldn’t convince myself on any so
far.
Temp’s Red Rascal
Now was he or is he perfect? – No! He is a little on the
lazy side, a little too smart sometimes, and likes to throw a
“tantrum” every once in a while, but I wouldn’t take him
any other way. He isn’t big-strided, but you can set a
metronome to his gait, and he is so smooth. He loves to be
groomed, will clip, loads like a dream, and comes out of
the trailer whether at a horse show or trail head like its no
big deal, then ties and tacks up like a dream. He will go for
hours on the trail. Deer, dogs, rodents, birds, bikes,
strollers, mud, water and other horses don’t faze him. Oh,
but every once in a while, those horse-eating park benches
- they make him look twice!
In our first year together, we have been trail riding,
competed n four horse shows, placed in TWH and Open
Easy Gaited classes (English and Western) won year-end
awards, worked on dressage and the finer points of riding.
My friend’s four-year-old son competed with him in leadline classes. You can not ride him for weeks, tack him and
around he’ll go. No spooks, no fits, just Rascal. Whenever
we are introducing someone new to horses, Rascal is the
one they meet. He is so calm and non-intimidating that he
makes everyone feel comfortable. I think one of these
horse “newbies” said it best when they said they “didn’t
know horses were so muc like dogs. He is just like a
puppy. We can almost see his tail wagging!”
Rascal with the Round Up Award
Rascal, Cynthia, and Jim at the 2008 Central Ohio
Saddle Club Association show
He is the epitome of what a TWH should be.
By the way, I am a natural redhead (I guess you could say
sorrel,) and our hair is almost exactly the same color, AND
WE HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY! We are truly soul
mates.
Cynthia & Rascal
Although I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to
love and be loved by more than one horse, I am of the truly
fortunate to find that ONCE IN A LIFETIME, SPECIAL
HORSE -Temp’s Red Rascal.
“One Bloodline, Four Generations - Red
Bud’s Rambling Slim” By Penny Finley,
Cornersville, Tennessee
When Tod decided that he wanted to raise Tennessee
Walking Horses, he knew he wanted to perpetuate a
bloodline that had been a part of his family for over 80
years. Tod had always been enamored with his cousin,
Mr. Leon Oliver’s stud, Red Bud Rascal. Tod came across
a colt by Bud out of a Mark’s Crackerjack mare. The
Mark’s Crackerjack stud was owned by Leon’s brother,
Steve Oliver. Tod purchased Slim at weaning time and
had found a colt that met all his needs in starting a solid
breeding program.
In order to understand the family heritage, we have to go
back to Tod’s great, great grandfather, Bob Clark, who
owned Clark’s Red Allen, Slim’s great grandsire.
Leon Oliver with Red Bud’s Rascal
Tod started Slim under saddle as a two year old. Slim
never offered to buck or resist training. Tod then had him
ridden for 30 days. Once he had Slim home, he trail rode
him for several years. Tod has taken him overnight
camping and on big rides all over Tennessee and Alabama.
Clark’s Red Allen with Great, Great Grandfather,
Bob Clark
Tod Finley and Slim
When Tod started breeding mares, he continued to ride
Slim until we started getting several two year olds by Slim
that needed starting and riding. Tod still gets him out
occasionally to ride and even saddles him for those
interested in purchasing Slim’s offspring or considering
breeding to him.
Red Bud Allen with Great Uncle Jesse James “Boss”
Clark
Clark’s Red Allen sired Red Bud Allen owned by Tod’s
great Uncle Jesse James “Boss” Clark. Red Bud Allen
sired Red Bud Rascal owned by Leon Oliver. Tod grew
up riding many trails with his cousins, Leon, Buddy, and
Steve. This pride of bloodline has been instilled deeply in
this family. Slim has upheld the classic traits of his
heritage; gait, disposition, and conformation.
Red Bud’s Rambling Slim
Our first colt by Slim, Cash is Slim, otherwise known as
Bob, set the standard for future foals. Bob definitely
inherited Slim’s laid back disposition and wonderful gait.
I kick myself still for selling Bob when I should have kept
him for my own riding horse.
Tod on Red Bud’s Rambling George (left) , Roses First
Lady on the right, both horses were sired by Slim
Cash Is Slim – “Bob”
I have another heritage gelding by Slim that is a coming
two year old that I definitely plan to keep, but that ‘s
another story. Once Slim was established as a Heritage
Horse Stallion, we have bred him to several Heritage
mares. He has sired sabinos, bays, blacks, grays, sorrels,
chestnuts, and we even have a filly this year with one blue
eye.
After four years of trying to expand our family, we were
blessed in July with our sweet daughter, Abigail Shayne
Finley. We hope that she will share our love of horses,
and our pride in Slim’s heritage. We already have a
heritage colt picked out for her that bears a striking
resemblance to Mark’s Crackerjack. He is already
exhibiting the wonderful disposition all Slim’s offspring
have had that we’ve raised so far.
Penny Finley holding Miss Abigail, Tod Finley with
Red Bud’s Rambling Slim
Red Bud’s Lil PVF, the blue eyed foal by Slim
This gorgeous gelding is Oliver’s Flash, sired by Slim
Abi meets Sparky, the colt by Slim that we are raising
to be her horse some day
From Geraldine Hairgrove, Fulshear, Texas
via Email:
“Today my husband and I went out to the 7IL where we
board our horses. I just decided that today was the day I
would try to pony Lacy out on the ranch. I asked my
husband to ride with me in case I needed help or
interference with the several ranch horses who are loose
and the cows or what not! I asked him to carry my
dressage whip in case Lacy pulled back and wouldn't come
along, to tap her with it from behind, etc.
So off we went. It was a good day for this as there was
only one group of folks riding on the ranch today. And, it
all went so well!! Lacy was such a good little girl, she was
looking around and listening to me. She was completely
comfortable next to my mare, Nessi, who deserved and got
big hugs and carrots after the ride! I think Nessi was
talking to Lacy as we went along. Lacy only pulled back
twice and I called her name and told her "Lacy come up"
waited about 4 seconds and then here she would come
along. We went on a trail through the "Game Preserve"
area with gates to go through, open fields, wood trails, a
creek gully, a sandy washout, an earth dam, things rustling
in the brush and treed areas, cows, little calves, and a very
loud jet going overhead! I had to keep reminding Lacy
not to mouth on Nessi or my leg or feet, and sometimes to
encourage her to move away some and not be right on top
of us. Those are things I have been working with her on
on walks around the barn and the barn area and she seemed
to know what I wanted. Only one time did the rustling in
the brush and trees startle Lacy and she ducked her head
under Nessi's head and we all just turned around in a circle
and then went on.
It was successful and I brought back a slightly tired little
pony to the barn! This is so good for her though! She has
grown up a lot since last summer. She will be 2 in May.”
NEWS & CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Franne & Harry Brandon on the birth of
their first grandchild and to the proud parents, Adam and
Misty Brandon. Hunter Corliss Brandon was born on
March 12 and weighed in at 6 pounds 2.5 ounces and was
19.5” long
Grandma Franne with newborn Hunter
From Diane Sczepanski, Whitehall, Wisconsin:
I received the following email from Yona, Hefer, Karkur,
Israel on Thursday, March 5:
“HI DIANE, I AM HERE ON THIS WORLD, HEALTHY
AND HAPPY, ALSO IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO
FIND MY WAY OUT, I AM HAPPY WITH MY
MOTHER AND ALL IS OKAY. YONA TOOK SOME
PICTURES BUT HE DID NOT FIND THE WAY TO
DOWNLOAD THEM FROM THE PICASA ALBUM TO
YOU. I DO NOT HAVE A NAME PERHAPS YOU
HAVE FOR ME, A NICE ONE?? SHALOM FROM
YONA”
The proud mother is CHF Laurabelle Taylor and the sire is
NFF Wilson’s Iceman. Congratulations, Yona!!!!
Geraldine on board Nessi, with Lacy in tow
Laurabelle with her new filly
Our Readers Write
“Thanks Diane, I have enjoyed the Heritage Highlights so
much.” Nancy Broyles, Tennessee Colony, Texas
“Thank you for sending me a copy. I am so impressed by
the stories and the quality of the publication. I know the
amount of work that goes into any publication. Your work
is amazing.” Dianne Little, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Here’s the new baby at one week of age
Heritage Outcrosses Sold
Pleasure’s Walkin Blues, Colt, Purchased by Monique
Burrsma, Netherlands
“Very nice Highlights, I have received more hard cover
books Friday of this week if you are still interested. Just
finished a clinic yesterday with some great head shaking
keg and barefooted horses. I think times are changing to a
Heritage Horse. I liked the Gabe horse in your pdf photos.”
Gary Lane, Brodhead, Kentucky
(Note: if Gary’s name looks familiar it’s because he has
been writing articles in the Walking Horse Journal
published by Four Craftsmen Publishing of Arizona. Gary
has a new book out called Training the Gaited Horse from
the Trail to the Rail – see the Ad section)
“That picture of Lucia sniffing the kitty is the cutest thing
I've ever seen. It should be made into posters and tee
shirts! The next issue of our FOSH Sound Advocate will
focus on TWH. Could we use that picture in our
magazine? Regards.” Desirai Schild, Chubbuck, Idaho
“Just read the news letter--some great articles and boy do I
like that black stud of Shellie’s!!! Nancy Bergman,
Whitehall, Wisconsin
“GOT IT!!!!!! IT'S WONDERFUL--I AM SO
ENJOYING IT!!!!! “ Herman & Jeanne Wyatt
(Sorry, I don’t know where you are from so can’t put in an
address for you)
“Just had to tell you, another great issue of the Heritage
Highlights. I've read the one where the lady broke her wrist
and then ended up showing the arm with all the bandages
to both horses and their reaction. What a good story! And I
read about Shellie's search for a new stallion, and then
Lucia and her antics. She was so sweet with the cat but
have to love her sense of humor with the hose.. Gotta go
back and read the rest now. But wanted to let you know
what enjoyable reading this is.” Elva Mico, Corrales, New
Mexico
“The newsletter is great! The photos really add to it! I
can't believe me and mom haven't got it together to make
the videos yet. We seem so busy with day to day stuff!
Together, we are doing all of the work for the ranch, in
addition to both working part time in town. With some
regret, we are set to geld Wizard and Freddy, but I think
that they will make nice geldings. We are having a hard
time finding Colorado gaited horse trainers willing to "tune
up" stallions. Although they are both well mannered,
reducing our number of mature breeding stallions will
simplify this spring! “ Collene Walsh, Arrow Walkers,
Arapahoe, Colorado
FOR SALE
Slim’s Red Rider: DOB 4/ 25 / 2008, sorrel
with a blaze and near hind sock.
This is one sharp colt. He is smart and really curious about
everything that goes on around him. He is correct in
confirmation, shows excellent bone structure, and gaits at
liberty in the pasture. He is bred in the blue. He was sired
by the Heritage stallion, Red Bud’s Rambling Slim, and is
out of a Bud’s Sterling Bullet mare. In addition to Slim
and Della, his TWHBEA pedigree will show Red Bud
Rascal, Red Bud Allen, Clark’s Red Allen, Mark’s Cracker
Jack, Mark of Merry Boy and Bud’s Sterling Bullet. Some
of the best saddle horses that I have seen out of these
bloodlines have been sorrel, which I believe is not only a
reflection of the genetic influence of Red Bud Rascal but
also Clark’s Red Allen and Red Bud Allen. This colt’s
breeding makes him an excellent Heritage stallion
prospect. He certainly could become a dandy trail gelding
if desired. He is TWHBEA registered and he is eligible for
Heritage certification. He should mature to 15 H or better.
Slim’s Red Rider with Franne Brandon
His Sire: Red Bud’s Rambling Slim
He is sired by the Heritage certified stallion, Red Bud’s
Rambling Slim, owned by Tod and Penny Finley of
Plainview Farm. Cornersville, Tennessee. Slim can be seen
featured on www.walking-horse.com under the Plainview
Farm listing. Slim continues the family tradition by siring
colts that have found utilization as high quality trail horses,
field trial mounts, in the flat shod show ring and breeding
programs.
His Dam: Ostella’s Della Ann
Ostella’s Della Ann, DOB 5 /16 / 01, is a gray, 15.1 H,
mare sired Buds Sterling Bullet out of the Red Bud Rascal
mare, Ostella Della’s Rosebud. Della was bred by Leon
Oliver at Brown Shop Road Farm, raised, trained and
ridden a “ million miles” by John Oliver, Leon’s nephew.
Della was a proven saddle horse long before becoming a
brood mare. She certainly could go back under saddle if
desired. Della is easy to get into foal and is an excellent
mother. Her sire, Bud’s Sterling Bullet, I believe is the
most widely known and most respected pleasure horse
stallion in this country. Della’s dam, Ostella’s Della
Rosebud, was sired by the well known and highly
respected stallion, Red Bud Rascal. Rosebud’s dam line
traces thru the bloodlines of Mr. Jake Reese of Moore
County, Tennessee. Her bloodline includes mares such as
Mayflower’s Lady, Mayflower R. and Della Reese. These
bloodlines trace further back to Grey Lad, Bramlet F-9 and
Buford F-11 the Grey John foundation horses bred around
Petersburg, Tennessee in the early 1900’s. Della is
Heritage certified.
Leon Oliver with Slim’s Red Rider
Priced at $1200. Contact Bob Long, (615) 4271174 or BUDDYBOBFARMS@fpunet.com.
This Heritage eligible colt is smart and
gentle, halter broken, he will stand tied, lead and
load. Don’t pass up this guy!
Bullet’s Elusive Angel – Trail mare for sale!
(Red Bud’s Angel x Bud’s Sterling Bullet)
Angel is my favorite trail horse. She is smooth. She
doesn't shake you back and forth like some TWH when
they get going. She goes anywhere you tell her to go. She
will blaze new trails, climb hills, cross a slippery rocky
river, plow through swamps. She LOVES water. She is
level headed and if she spooks it is just a planting of her
feet and stiffing. She sticks her nose in the halter. She can
sit all winter and I can climb back on in the spring without
any worries. Great hooves- good to go with just a trim.
Very low maintenance horse. To top it off she is an
elegant built horse — a beautiful bay with no white. She
is really is an all around great trail horse with much
experience but just too tall for my hips and knees. She
was born in 2001. Asking $2000 firm
Contact Judy Malisheski at (715) 452-5244 or
Email: malisheskifarm@centurytel.net
Judy is located near Sheldon, Wisconsin.
Judy and Angel go brush popping
Judy and Angel
Judy & Angel playing in the pond
Gary retired as a Detective with the Kentucky State Police.
He served in the National Guard teaching leadership skills
at the Kentucky Military Academy. Gary’s passion is
training gaited horses and teaching people to train their
own horses. He was awarded the Phoenix Award of honor
in recognition of sound training practices and rehabilitation
of abused Tennessee Walking Horses.
He is a certified Natural Horsemanship Clinician. Most
recently, Gary’s articles on training have been featured in
the Walking Horse Journal.
This is an interesting book as it lays out a step-by-step plan
for training your horse in a humane way, something that is
needed in the Walking Horse world!
From Gary via email:
The soft cover is $15.00 this includes shipping and
handling. The hardcover is $21.95, which also includes
shipping and handling. You can send your check to Gary
Lane 194 Hereford Road Brodhead, KY 40409. To keep
cost low I’ll send the book at book rate mail cost. You’re
getting a signed copy at my cost.
The book covers 29 chapters and is a detailed look at the
gaits of the Tennessee Walking Horse, Missouri Fox
Trotter, and the Rocky Mountain Horse. More importantly
the book teaches you a training program that is easy to
follow for a smooth easy gaited horse. You will have a
complete understanding of the gaits and problem solving at
your fingertips. No matter what your training goal are, trail
riding or showing. This book will help you understand
gaits, training and retraining for a great gaited horse.
Consider your horse’s natural ability and train to a sound
standard that matches that ability. Teaching your horse to
flat foot walk is fun and easy following the method
described in this book. Enjoy the journey be safe and have
fun. For more information go to
www.windsweptstables.net
CONTACT US:
Advertising in Highlights:
If anyone would like to place a classified ad in
Highlights, our set up fee is $10 for photos
and text.
Also, if you purchase a Heritage Horse from
someone who already has a certificate for the
horse and you would like the certificate in
your name, we can print a new certificate and
mail it for a $5.00 fee to cover the certificate,
mailer and postage.
For a listing of horses for sale, visit us
on our websites:
www.walkinghorse.com/twhheritagesociety
and
www.twhheritagesociety.com
The Heritage Highlights will now be
available on our
www.twhheritagesociety.com website
so you can download them any time!!
Franne & Harry Brandon, Petersburg, TN
(931) 276-2232
Sandra van den Hof, Hechtel, Belgium
+32 (0) 11 666 158
Leon & Mary Lou Oliver, Cornersville, TN
(931) 293-4156
Danny & Sherry Taylor, Winchester, TN
(931) 967-9553
Billy & Mary Taylor, Winchester, TN
(931) 967-9621
Diane Sczepanski, Whitehall, WI
(715) 538-2494
The Heritage Society does not endorse any
trainer, style of natural training, or tack and
horse equipment, to the exclusion of others, as
each horse is an individual and not all will
respond positively to a particular trainer or
training style. Articles published by the
Society, which include such endorsements,
reflect the view of the author, but not
necessarily that of the Society.