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Tennessee
Walking Horse OnLine Congratulates
Adult
Supreme Champion
Carol Worsham,
Florida
Prized Pusher
Pushing the Limits and Winning the Prize
Carol Worsham of Dunnellon, Florida, is very serious about the versatility
of her Tennessee Walking Horses. Not too very long ago, she guided her
stallion, Hot Black Desiado, to their first Supreme Versatility
Championship. Today, she has done it again with a beautiful black stallion
named Prized Pusher.
She really had no intention of pursuing another championship so soon, but
it just sort of happened. "In August of 1996, I got a call from a man who
wanted to sell his blue roan stallion, a horse I had admired for a long
time. There was just one small catch. He was going to get out of the
business so I had to take his black horse, too." Carol says that while she
was familiar with the roan, she didn't know much about the black horse.
She had seen him win several blue ribbons in built-up classes at local
horse shows, but that was about it. In order to get the roan, she decided
she would buy both horses and sell the black as soon as possible.
When she picked up the horses, her mind was focused on the roan. She
noticed that the black was quite beautiful, but didn't give it much
thought other than that. Eventually Carol and her husband took the black
horse to their trainer, Sheryl Skala-Carl at her Hard Rock Farms which was
then located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Their plans were to get Sheryl to
assess the horse, then sell him. But, what the Worshams thought would be
an uneventful trip, turned into a real eye-opener.
Sheryl's professional eye was quick to notice there was something about
the fellow. She asked for his papers and Carol handed them over. Carol
says she hadn't even looked at them. They had no room for another
stallion, so keeping him never crossed her mind. When Sheryl told her what
she thought his value would be, Carol says her teeth nearly fell out of
her mouth. "If she was right, I could never afford to buy a horse like
this. He must have been made of gold underneath all that black!"
Even so, Carol was more excited that she had finally gotten the blue roan,
she didn't think to ask Sheryl why the black horse could command such a
price. However, Sheryl realized Carol just wasn't paying attention to what
she now owned. The next morning, the Worshams came out to the barn to
watch Sheryl and her crew work the excellent show horses they train. Most
of the horses, Carol says, she recognized. Then, out of the barn came this
awesome black plantation horse she'd never seen before. He was striding
and strutting, and he really got her attention. He had the looks, the
style, everything one would want.
"I was totally impressed," says Carol. "I asked Sheryl who the horse was
and who owned him. Imagine my chagrin when she told me he was my horse!
The same black stallion I had trailered in yesterday!"
Sheryl asked the Worshams if they wanted to look at his papers now, and of
course they agreed. His name was Prized Pusher, and he was a direct son of
The Pusher C.G., a horse Carol had always admired.
Jim, the practical one, reminded Carol that they already had four
stallions at home. What in the world was she going to do with him? Carol's
reply was instant. "I'm going to make him a Supreme Versatility Champion!"
Carol knew this was a tall order. She had just earned the same honors with
another stallion, Hot Black Desiado, and needed to fill that void. "I
believe in my heart that most folks thought we could not do this. They
thought Pusher was too 'up and showy'. But, I decided then and there he
would be a champion."
The Worshams left Pusher at Hard Rock Farms so he could adjust down from
his built up shoes. Sheryl's son Sasha Tefft rode him in local shows and
won a few blue ribbons for Carol. When she picked him up and took him
home, Carol immediately began his versatility training. Pusher promptly
told her to get on fast or she was a goner. He also told her that he did
not do trees in circles, he only moved in a straight line, and he did not
back well. Despite Pusher's talent, they had a lot of work to do.
They started learning the side pass. Carol believed that was the basis for
everything Pusher would learn. Since he wanted to go to the barn all the
time, Carol used that in her favor. They side passed in each direction
toward the barn until he caught on to the cue. Thanks to a lot of patience
and love, Pusher continued to learn and improve. According to Carol they
became a great team, and he became her best friend. Today, he is
practically a push-button horse. Carol says he now knows her every cue
almost before she gives it.
"It's unbelievable how smart these horses are," she says. "Smart and
willing. I have learned a lesson from Prized Pusher. That is to pay
attention to what you have in front of you. It may look rough but it could
be that diamond we all search for. I could have easily lost Pusher and
been none the wiser."
At 57, Carol shows no sign of slowing down her personal quest for
excellence. She's enrolled horse number three into the versatility
program, a stallion named B.T.'s Main Moonlight. She encourages people to
get involved with the versatility program. "It's a real challenge and will
be the ride of your life," she says. "Remember, this is always a team
effort, and it takes lots of practice, but it's really fun."
Reprinted from the Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse
magazine, March 2001
Adult Supreme Champions
Youth Superior Champions
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