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Tennessee
Walking Horse OnLine Congratulates
Adult
Supreme Champion
Vance Boyd,
Massachusetts
Moonbeams High Noon
By Connie Waldo
By Mary Jane Roberson
When Vance Boyd first heard the announcement at the New Hampshire horse
show, he said it really didn't "hit home".
But it didn't take long for him to comprehend its full meaning. With the
addition of three driving points earned at the Canterbrook Show, Boyd, of
Springfield, Massachusetts, became the first Tennessee Walking Horse
Breeders' and Exhibitors' Adult Supreme Versatility Champion. It was an
honor that Boyd and his horse, Moonbeams High Noon, a double registered
Tennessee Walking Horse and Palomino, had been working toward for two
years.
"It was just about the end of our show season," said Boyd, "and if we
hadn't done well at Canterbrook, the prospects for success this season
would have been twice as difficult because the other shows were few and
far between, with only one driving class per show.
"There were many mental obstacles to overcome before the Canterbrook
show," he said. It was cold, wet and late in the season. Boyd worried that
there might not be enough horses in the driving classes to qualify.
However, the weather was beautiful on show day, despite the previous day's
heavy rains. "The show ring was uncomfortably muddy for the three driving
classes we needed for Versatility," said Boyd. "Although neither Honey
(Boyd's stablename for his horse) nor I had ever driven before, she is
such an outstanding mare that we always managed to put on a respectable
performance. But competing against top Morgans and Saddlebreds this summer
had truly been a challenge for us."
The TWHBEA Adult Supreme Versatility Championship is awarded to the
stallion, mare or gelding that has won: (l)Forty or more points in
recognized versatility performance and model classes at shows; (2)Fifteen
or more points in Model (halter); (3)Twenty or more points in versatility
performance, at least eight of which are won in one or more of the
following divisions: English Pleasure, Trail, Western Pleasure, Water
Glass Class, E Z Rider; (4)At least eight points in Pleasure Driving,
Tennessee Walking Horse Hunter Class, or Basic Reining Class.
According to Sis Wolaver [Osborne], director of the Versatility Program
for the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association, no
one else has come close to winning the Supreme Championship since the
program began in 1977. "Category four is the most difficult one in which
to earn points," she said.
Points are awarded in the Adult Versatility Program on the basis of
placement and the number of entries in a given class. One point is awarded
a class for each three horses he or she places over, to a maximum of four
points in any one class. Second place winners shall receive one point for
each three horses he or she places over, to a maximum of three points. A
third place winner shall receive one point for each three horses he or she
places over to a maximum of three points. Fourth place winners will
receive one point for each three horses placed over to a maximum of two
points in any one class. Fifth place winners will receive one point for
each three horses placed over to a maximum of one point. No points will be
awarded lower than fifth place regardless of the number of entries in a
class.
Reprinted from Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse
magazine, January, 1980
Adult Supreme Champions
Youth Superior Champions
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