By Mary Beth
Pruett
It was May ’91.
My Quarter Horse gelding had been diagnosed with a severe respiratory
problem. My vet had left instructions which included no riding until he
recovered, whenever that would be. Show season was underway and I had no
horse to ride. I called my good friend Carol Clark to tell her about my
dilemma. At that time Carol owned one flat shod and three padded TWH’s.
Carol suggested I go with her to White Star Farms where her horses were
in training with Betsy Knepp (formerly McCall) in East Canton, OH. There
was a three-year-old TWH gelding there for sale. I laughed and told
Carol never in my wildest dreams would I buy one of those TWH’s. I was
ready for a change from QH’s, but I was thinking more like a Paint or an
Appy. I wasn’t about to venture away from the stock horse breeds. I
thought it might be fun to check it out. Besides, I liked to watch
Carol’s padded horses.
The next
day I was at White Star looking at Dr. Detroit, better known as Doc. His
grandsire was The Super Stock and he was out of a Triple Threat mare. He
had most of the qualities I was looking for. He was bay and QH people
love bays. He was smaller than my 16.1 H gelding at home and I was tired
of hauling myself up on him. He had no white socks which I was tired of
cleaning. He did have an interesting white spot on his top right hip
which later got him SSHBEA papers. I rode him and he seemed quiet,
willing and really smooth. I knew he didn’t trot, but I wasn’t sure what
we were doing. On the way home I thought about what a huge adjustment
I’d have to make if I started showing a TWH. I’d ridden and shown QH’s
most of my life. I was definitely getting out of my element. The closest
thing I had done to this was show an Arab mare in mounted native costume
class for a neighbor. I decided to educate myself before I did anything
crazy. I went to several shows as Carol’s groom. I checked out some
other horse ads during this time, but kept that TWH gelding in my head.
After my month- long crash course on TWH’s I was hooked. I bought Doc.
That trip to White Star had been the end of my QH days.
Carol suggested
I keep him in training, but I thought it unnecessary. I finished my QH
myself when he was a three year old, so what was the difference? I did
agree to send Doc back to White Star to learn to canter. I let my
regular farrier shoe Doc and he stroked when he saw those plantation
shoes. It ended in a fiasco and that was the last time he shod him I
used Betsy from then on. While trail riding with my neighbors, I found
Doc could go as fast as their QH’s cantered—without cantering. When I
told Betsy that, she chewed me out and ordered "no more cowboying" if I
ever wanted to show Doc. I lost my trail ride buddies when I informed
them they would have to "walk" if they rode with me. I heard a few
comments like "that’s what she gets for buying one of those." I was on
my own.
With help
and a borrowed riding suit from Carol, I attended a few all-breed shows
locally. I had quite a few wild rides. As quiet as he was at home, Doc
got totally wired at the shows. My mom, who has attended shows with me
since I started showing at age 11, wondered why I hadn’t gotten a nice
QH gelding. Friends looked in disbelief when they saw me riding around
on the showgrounds and wanted to know "when did you start riding those?"
The more comments I heard, the more determined I became of making
something of this little gelding. That winter I was ready to send Doc
back to White Star. I was bored stiff riding a horse that didn’t canter.
That’s unheard of in other breeds unless you are a walk-trot 4-Her. We
spent 6 months working on his gait and finishing him. Betsy put a
beautiful canter on him. I was now ready and determined to hit the ring
with three gaits.
During the ’92
show season we attended all-breed shows and a few NHSC shows. We ended
up with the BWHA Non-Affiliated Canter and No Canter Hi-Point.
In ’93,
we started showing western and dropped to lite shod. The walking horse
version of western pleasure isn’t at all what I’m accustomed to, but we
learned to show western "up in the bridle". I’d missed showing western
because it’s my favorite seat.
My friend,
Belinda Green, who was enrolled in the Versatility Program, explained it
to me in ‘94. Filling out the point book sounded like too much bother.
It’s enough sending your points to BWHA. I should have enrolled that
year because I had started placing well in model and had tied a few
times in trail and water glass. I had always done well in egg and spoon
class in 4-H, so water glass was easy. We won ’94 BWHA High Point Model.
I wanted to kick myself for not having enrolled earlier that spring. My
model point requirements would have been met.
I finally
signed up for the
Versatility Program in ’95. We competed in Model, English Pleasure,
Western Pleasure, Reining Trail, Western Riding, Water Glass and E-Z
Rider classes. My niece, Michelle Carver, showed Doc in E-Z Rider
classes due to the E-Z Rider rule. Michelle is a die hard QH girl, but
she did a great job as groom and catch rider. She put a lot of E-Z Ride
points on Doc. At the close of the ’95 show season, we needed four
model, three trail and four reining points for Supreme Champion.
On June 23, 1996,
we got the last reining point we needed for Supreme. It had only taken
us ten months. We spent a lot of time on the road. We hauled to shows
every weekend. It wasn’t unusual for us to hit two shows on a weekend.
We’re fortunate in northeastern Ohio in that you can find an open show
at any county fairground on most any given weekend. I didn’t travel far
to get the most of my versatility points. Competing at open shows is one
of the best ways to promote your breed. It’s also a quick and convenient
way to meet your versatility point requirements. The versatility classes
are always FULL enough to get your points and you don’t have to travel
far. You also get to show the general horse population what a great
breed you have. I was a little intimidated showing against other breeds
at first, mainly because I had always been on the other side of the
fence. We consistently placed right from the very beginning. I’ve always
entered the ring with my horse and myself perfectly turned out,
especially in halter class. Whether the judge has a personal preference
for or against TWH’s, I make it darn difficult for him to pass us over.
You have to SHOW your horse and LOOK like you really know-what you’re
doing. I’ve shown in large Open Halter classes with QH’s and Arabs and
came out with a ribbon 95% of the time. Once, in a large Western
Pleasure class that was filled with nice QH’s, I tied 2nd out of 28.
Afterwards the judge congratulated us on the nice ride and mentioned we
were the first TWH team he’d ever judged and wondered why more people
didn’t show them. Of course, not every open judge we’ve run into has
been that pleasant. One guy said he’d have tied us higher in reining if
the horse didn’t have so much "up and down" at the canter. I informed
him I paid several hundred dollars in training for the "up and down"
canter and that was the way the horse was supposed to do it! Another
judge, who tied us way down in an Open Halter class, was asked why. He
said my horse wasn’t straight enough in his back legs. Slightly
cow-hocked. He received a detailed lesson in TWH conformation. The open
judges are getting more and more educated on TWH’s because so many of us
are showing under them. I guess they figure we’re a force that has to be
reckoned with.
People have
asked what will Doc and I do now that we’ve finished our Supreme. Well,
we’re going to keep showing, that’s what! He’s now a well-behaved
seasoned show veteran. It took me a while to get him to this point and
now I can enjoy him. Doc’s a pretty good little athlete. He’ll do most
anything I ask of him. I think reining is his favorite. I know it’s
mine! He seems to like to be in the ring by himself. Besides, he’s a
gelding and his only lot in life is to carry me wherever I want to go,
whether it’s showing or trail riding at Beaver Creek State Park.
I need
to thank a lot of people who have been there the past five years. My
husband, Brian, deserves a medal for being supportive and such a big
help. He doesn’t always go along with me to the shows, but he makes sure
the dually and gooseneck are maintained and ready to hit the road. Knock
on wood, but after all the miles we’ve hauled, we’ve never broke down.
Brian wasn’t into horses when we got married, but he ended up buying a
plantation gelding of his own to show. He figured since he had to go to
all these horse shows, he may as well have a horse to show. The problem
now is can I get him to STOP buying horses!! We have two more broodmares
and a two-month-old filly. I want to thank my mom, Doris Carver, for
being a good travel companion for the last 15 years. Mom’s gotten quite
the TWH education the last 5 years. She always packs us some goodies so
at least I know we’ll eat good at the shows. She’s even gotten brave
enough to get on Doc and "walk". Thanks, Mom! Carol Clark deserves the
title of "The Official Person Who Got Me Into This". If it weren’t for
you taking me to White Star, this never would have happened. Thank you,
Carol, for all your help. My niece, Michelle Carver, deserves a round of
applause for being such a great groom and even greater catch rider.
Michelle moved to Utah this past spring so we really miss her at the
shows! I don’t imagine there are many TWH’s out there, just Mustangs.
Thanks, Michelle! Good luck goes to Belinda Green and Little Bit, her
TWH, on their quest for Supreme. Thanks for your companionship at the
shows, Belinda. Special appreciation goes to Bernie and Betsy Knepp for
their expert training and shoeing.
Thanks, Betsy,
for the knock-out canter you put on Doc and for the many, many times
you’ve helped us with various training problems. You and Bernie have
been an enormous help. Thanks to Ruth Barton for sewing my show ring
attire and to the Gushert Family for being such good traveling buddies.
We show together weekend after weekend. The TWHBEA Versatility Program
and Sis Osborne are to be commended for the great way they are promoting
the TWH breed. Thank you for the beautiful awards. They were well worth
the effort.
NOTE:
Doc is semi-retired
from the showring, Doc is now my dependable, go anywhere trail horse. He
has taken me everywhere on the trail the last 3 years since his Adult
Supreme Versatility Championship. We have been to Mammouth Cave Nat'l
Park, Cook's Forest, George Washington Nat'l Forest, name any
State Park in OH and we've ridden there. We still show up in the
Versatility classes every so often when offered in OH. He went to the
BWHA Versatility Show in Ashland, OH this past July and tied 1st in
Reining, TWH over Fences, Water Glass, Western Riding. But for the most
part, we trail ride. He prefers that anyhow, I think. We have other
horses to show. I think he's glad he's off the hook, not having to work
so hard and getting drug to the shows every weekend. He laughs when the
other horses leave for the shows. I guess he's earned a rest.
I would
like to thank Laura for
contributing her story & photograph of Doctor Detroit, giving us the
opportunity to meet this extraordinary Champion Tennessee Walking Horse.
Her story was also published in the December, 1996 issue of the Voice
magazine.
Adult Supreme Champions
