The BEST of Walking Horse Trivia!

From The Tuscaloosa News, 1981

From The Tuscaloosa News, 1982

I remember the awards banquet when David asked you to dance, but like you I cannot remember where it happened other than somewhere in Alabama...........David was an extremely good dancer, having more rhythn than the law allows....He even had a fan club for his dancing back in high school. The fan club resulted from a local (Fayetteville, NC) television teenage dance club program back in the American Bandstand years.......I remember him dancing with Norma Lynn at a barn party at Howard and Betty Robbins barn in Senllville, Ga. when everyone backed away from the dancing area and just watched while the two of them entained the crowd. I'm not nearly the dancer he was, and can only slow dance anymore because of a really bad knee, but Norma Lynn surely inherited her father's rhythn and style and not her Mom's two left feet.......Oftentimes during the Celebration, especially late after the show, the folks would gather and street dance in front of our barn (after the streets were paved).......

David loved to work with kids and I guess that was his forte - kids and horses......He always admired your riding ability and competitive spirit. And he was extremely fond of Guy and Aileen, having tremendous respect for both your parents.....Do you remember the TV program about horses that we did in Birmingham? He was adamant that "Molly must bring Snowman because she will be able to perform really well for the cameras.".......

David focused on the youth and amateur riders, and we always had numerous youth riders. I always believed the reason he had so many youth riders was because he always tried to teach them so many aspects of horsemanship, sportsmanship and competitiveness.......Many of them spent lots of time with us, and when I prepared the meals I never knew if I was cooking for five or twenty five......His dedication to teaching horsemanship was immense, because he believed the correct approach to competition was an important lesson about life. I remember him saying: "It is important these kids learn how to win with ease and how to lose gracefully." And I used his words in one of the promotional films I helped develop for TWHBEA many years ago..........

He always took our youth riders' horses to their schools so their schoolmates could have an understanding of their hobby....In that way he was an ambassador for the TWH. Many of the schools would request to have field-day trips to our barn. He also assisted the TWHNC - TWHBEA - MTSU Youth Judging Program that was held during the Celebration each year. He assisted that program from the very beginning back sometime in the '80's thru 1998, the yearl he died......I guess the most significant youth involvement he did was the handicapped youth riding program for which we developed the annual benefit horse show that was held on Derby Day each year in Arab. He invested lots of time with those kids.....but he refused to call them 'handicapped', choosing instead to call them "challenged youth"........They all loved him.......

Our barn and home was always full of kids..........and sometimes we were stretched pretty thin with all the activities and horse shows......One day I became frustrated about all the time we spent doing youth oriented horse related activities, and he responded by telling me: "The only part of yourself you ever really get to keep is that part you give away"...........I didn't respond but silently thought to myself: 'what a strange and unusual philosophy'......But when he died I soom realized exactly what he must have meant, because my family and I received cards and letters from many corners of this country from people whose lives he touched and parents of children whose lives he touched...........So you see, that part of him that he shared with so many people during his walk thru life actually lived on even after he was gone.......Molly, part of him still lives on because you remember that first dance and you also remember that because of him you were not afraid to get out on the dance floor and try..........

David Bledsoe was a gentle and kind man who was a friend to many people and lots of horses.......

SL

Here is also a couple of photos that someone here might know some more about:

Never seen the top one. Great photo. Judging from Jimmy's age in the photos, I would GUESS that both of the horses are one of the MANY Walking Ponies Jimmy has shown. From what I have read, Jimmy probably has shown more DIFFERENT Walking Ponies than any young exhibitor I've ever heard of. Not sure which ones they are or what their names are, but looking at the white jacket & haircut leads me to believe the top horse MIGHT be Sun's Glory Boy (?). Just speculaion here.

Yes, it is a great photo. Got it from an old friend of him since his school days. :)
Wish there were possible to read what the price say.. Could be that someone here recognise the price and can narrow it down to a certain competition..? :)

Ken, I'm assuming you mean "Prize" not "Price" ??? If so, most of the trophies, ribbons and silver at horse shows look quite alike most of the time. I'll let the Alabama folks speculate on where the photos may be from. By the way, you are our first member from "across the seas" and we're glad for you to join us. I often notice we have many visitors from Germany and Russia as well. We also have quite a few vistiors from China occasionally, but for some reason they have slacked off of late....(LOL).

The Tennessee Walking Horse has a pretty good following in Germany, by the way.

Smitty, Yes you are right, I meant prize.. lol Sorry, my english is soemtimes sloppy. I will have someone proof-reading my book that is for sure.. hehe
Nice to be the first "over seas-member"! I always figures the TWH community was huge all over the world. I guess people will discover great forums like this slowly but surely. As I have said before you and all members sits on great knowledge and this is a great way to share that. :)

Here are some more photos you might like.







The last picture is Jimmy and Mary Faye Ellis taken around 1986/87.

Fantastic! All new to me. I especially enjoy the 2cd photo. The horse in that shot MAY not be a Tennessee Walking Horse (?). Jimmy is riding in Western attire with a Western saddle and hard to say, but the horse appears to be a Palamino or something similar. I'm sure some of our members will enjoy the last photo as well.

Velkommen til alle våre norske venner !!!!



(bet y'all didn't know I spoke Norweejin' did ya?? I'm a man of many talents..... )

Better quality version of previous song WITH INTERVIEW at the end....

smitty wrote:

Velkommen til alle våre norske venner !!!!



(bet y'all didn't know I spoke Norweejin' did ya?? I'm a man of many talents..... )

Haha, thanks for the welcome in Norwegian.. Google translator work perfectly! hehe

In 1973 after having won a Third Place ribbon in the Two Year old Mare Class at the Celebration with Doug Wolaver up, I sold Ebony's Caroline to Dr. Sexton as an amateur mount for his Grand-Daughter Candace Williams. Anyone remember how they did? Whatever happened to Candace?

I looked on IPEDS and it shows Ebony's Caroline as being a 71 model sorrel mare owned by Lois Ragan, no other information.
I don't remember Candace showing much after Chatterbox. Her brother Stuart Williams was still showing a few years
ago and may still be.

Love the picture of Mrs Ellis and Jimmy! Brought tears to my eyes as this is exactly the way I remember them....

Smitty, the picture on page 4 shows Glory Boy WITH A STAR. The pic 's on page 5 have white hind feet. Must not be him. ..I am enjoying this information on ORION. I saw him show but never knew all this other about him.

Good EYE Jean!...........must be Merry-whatsisname.................??

Candace lives here in Fayetteville, NC............She manages a land trust and participates with the Audobon Society (birds)......Her older brother Lee died a couple of years ago, sadly by his own hand.......Of course Doc and Kathryn Sexton are both dead..........Candace's mother, Betty Sexon Williams and her father Dennis also live in Fayetteville. Betty is still the same fashionable hostess of years ago.

The first Sally Hills Farm remains but the Sally Hills in TN was sold years ago. No horses occupy the barn, and much of the land surrounding the barn has been subdivided. Stuart has a beautiful home on another farm near the Cape Fear River with cattle and horses. I do not think Stuart shows anymore though horses occupy the pastures at his home.

I think Candace showed the mare under the name Caroline's Caroline, at least that was the show name I remember....Joe Gibbs was the trainer and negotiated the purchase of the mare for Doc, and I believe this was the first show horse that Candace showed.....Candace showed Caroline's Caroline in the early 1960's so the mare cannot be the '71 horse researched on iPeds.......The way the Sexton-Williams families became associated with the TWH was when Candace wrote Claude, her grandfather, a letter asking him to buy her a horse. She had found a pleasure horse priced at about $500. Claude told her he had never seen a horse worth $500.....and that's how Candace's horse story began. The Sexton-Williams banner hosted many horses after Caroline including such notables as Jane's Spirit, Handshaker's Delight, Go Boy's Royal Heir, and my favorite of hers - Go Boy's Chatterbox......Guess Claude did actually realize horses do have great value...........

Both Candace and Margaret Hubbard (Roberts) showed out of the same stables in juvenile classes at the same time.....In addition to the Williams and Sexton families, the stables where Candace began her horse career had other TWH notables as customers such as Dorothy and Ed Hubbard, Charlie and Lucille Warren and Raymond and Rosalie Renfrow......Charlie showed Short Snorts and Ebony Rose, The Renfrow WC horse that readily comes to my mind is Miss Sundown R...Anne Daughette from Gadsden AL of Rockabye Lady fame became the wife of the younger Raymond (Ray) Renfrow....And the Hubbard owned WC horses are far to numerous to even mention........

Sarah Lynn

From The Times Daily, 1989

Onehotmare found her copy of the Blue Ribbon with the Ellis Family article in it. She emailed a copy to Ken and also sent a copy for me to post here. I think you will agree it's a great article and probably very helpful to Ken in understanding Jimmy's family and early life.

Does anyone know where Ellis is buried?

Jean, it's all right here.....

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?GRid=19214&page=gr

The Horses of Kim Lovette

Some rare ones here. I'll have to have some help with all the names Hill!