N. Carolina, Virginia & W. Virginia Memories

Ronald mosley

So, What is the horse?

Rebel Yell maybe!

Ronald is riding EBONY'S DOLLY to the stake win at the Bright Leaf Celebration in Chatham, Virginia in 1971.

I thought it looked like Ebonys Dolly,
but I didn't remember Ronald Mosley
riding her. I associate her with some
Well known amateur. Was it Mrs. Frank
Parnell? Janie Beech?

I did some research.
I found that Mrs. Dixie Parnell (Mrs.Frank) rode Ebony's Dolly in the 1971 Fun Show.
She placed second to Anne Daugette and Rock-A-Bye Lady in the Ladies Class.

From The Sunday Journal, August, 1971



The 14th Annual Dobson M.Y.F. Horse Show was held July 23rd at Dobson North Carolina. This is really a nice place to hold a horse show, and the attendance was really good.
The Tennessee Walking Horses came out in full force for this show. North Carolina and Virginia were well represented trainer wise, at this show, some of the trainers attending were, Kenny Price, Kenneth Lamb, Doodie Powers, Burke Myer, Kenny Burke, Jack parker, Ronald Mosley, Tommy Wetzel, Steve Pardere, Charlie Sapp and several others that I didn't have a chance to see.
On Friday night the Walking Horse classes got off to a big bang with the Walking Mare class. It was won by Sarah Anne A. with John Petree riding this sorrel mare for Woodlawn Farms of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The Junior Class was won by Midnight Mike Again with Jack Parker doing the riding for Walk-A-Way Farms of N. Wilkesboro, North Carolina. This was a great class and Mike really proved that he was a champion.
The Juvenile Class was won by B. Major's Annie with Gail Holcomb of Mt. airy, North, Carolina riding this truly outstanding entry.
The Walking Stallion & Gelding Class brought the Friday night show to a close. Ronald Mosley rode Major to the blue for Lindsay Holcomb of Mt. Airy, North Carolina.
The Saturday night performance started with the Two-Year-Old Class being won by Kenny Price riding Ebony Jet's Invasion for C.A. Turner. This is truly a great colt ad the world show horse is written all over him.
The Juvenile Walking Horse class was won by Delight's Sport ridden by Kay Hayes, this was a rather large class.
The Three-Year Old Class was won by Ebony Go Boy L. ridden by Burke Myers for Mr. and Mrs. Sidney A. Fishel of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This was probably the strongest class of the entire show, and Burke was on an obvious standout thoughout the show.
The Ladies Class was won by Playman's Sun ridden by Brenda Carter. This big black gelding can really get the job done and he did in this class.
The Amateur Class was the largest class of the entire show. There were over twenty horses in this class, and after two long workouts the champion was finally tied. Hi Pine Dixie Go Boy owned by Lindsay Holcomb of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, ridden by Jack Davis.
The Walking Horse Championsgip Class was won by Sir Henry's Heir ridden by Kenny Price, for Mutual Investor's of Greensboro, North Carolina.
This is really a growing show and it is getting larger each and every year.

I've had this photo for a while, but I have no idea where it came from. Nor do I have any idea who won this trophy or for what class it was awarded. It has some age on it. Be interesting to know wouldn't it?

For many years the N.C. state championship horse show for all breeds was in Raleigh. It was
a great horse show. But some time in the late 60's or early 70's the Walking horses spit away
and formed their own Walking Horse State Championship show. I think it was in Dallas near
Charlotte. By 1974 a lot of the Walking Horse trainers had left N.C. for Tennessee. I can not
hazard a quess who might have won in 1974.

1962 Fayetteville, N.C. Horse Show
Ray Renfrow on Sue Sun the first Walking Horse he trained.
She was a sister to 1967 World Champion Mare Miss Sundown R.

Another good one, Razor. I didn't realize you trained your own horses at one time. Up until now, I thought Jean and I were the only ones on here that had trained our own. I was fortunate to have a trainer in my younger days and then train myself later. Both were deeply rewarding in different ways. I was fortunate enough to win some blue ribbons both ways, however, there is nothing more rewarding than doing it yourself. All the hard work you put into it makes it that much more exciting when you are successful. Not everyone gets the opportunity or would want the opportunity to train a horse, but I'm very happy I did.

Looking back now, I realize that training my own horse was one of my biggest accomplishments.

Smitty when I was really young we had Five Gaited horses and fine harness ponies both Shetland and Hackney. During that time
1955-1959 we had two different trainers. My first showhorse was a five gaited pony. Around 1958 we changed over to Walking Horses.
We bought a few brood mares and started raising colts. Sue Sun pictured above was out of Stepp's Black Mariah who was also the
Damn of Miss Sundown R. Who was foaled on our farm in 1961. I started Miss Sundown but it was obvious from the beginning
that she was very good so we moved her to C.A. Bobo as a two year old.
When I went off to college in 1965 we had a couple of trainers. Everett Majors and Dave Culbertson. In 1967 we realized that in
order to compete we had to move to Tennessee. From then on we had horses with Charlie Bobo and Mack Moates. 1967 was the
year Miss Sundown won the celebration.

The decade from 1959 to 1969 was the zenith of the walking horse in North Carolina. There were many Celebraton Champions
from the Tarheel State during this golden decade. Here's a partial list. Hill's Perfection, maybe the winningist gelding of all time,
Fair Warning, maybe the winningist mare of all time, Go Boy's Royal Heir, Go Boy's Chatterbox, Miss Sundown R, Lu's Lulu, and
Sun's Bottled and Bond. During that decade some of the top trainers called the Ole North State home. Here's a partial list. C.A. Bobo,
Jack Johnson, David Polk, Kenny Price, Kenny Burk, David Welsch,Dude Crowder,Everett Majors.

Mr. Sundown R. full brother to Miss Sundown R.
1967 World Grand Champion mare.
Ray Renfrow up.Renfrow Farms Fayetteville, N.C.

Both were sired by Sundown S. who was shown
Sucessfully by Joe Bales when C.A. Bobo trained
for him in Thomasville, N.C. 1957-64.

Hey guys, please don't forget my dad, Charlie Overstreet. We did all of our own training. We took the horses to Marianne and JT before the Celebration each year, but Dad started Fantasy along with Carl Johnson who was just getting started with the horses. She was 3 before we ever took her to them.

We had a few other good ones along the way. Eldorado's Merry Boy (we won as many as 4 blue ribbons with this horse at some nice one day shows), Eldorado's Merry Maker (I believe he went on to win the owned and trained class at the Celebration with someone from Alabama riding), Ebony's Blue Sun (my juvenile horse).

Susie

Amend the above statement regarding Eldorado's Merry Boy to be that we won as many as 4 blues on the same day of a one day show. I showed him juvenile, someone else would ride him in an amateur class, Dad would stake him and someone else would ride him for the grooms class.

It sounds like a lot nowadays, but that horse was the toughest I have ever sat on.

Sarah Coffee won either Baton Rouge or Montgomery on him.

Susie

This one posted on the FB page by Pat Ireland. I think maybe I've posted it before, but it belongs on the N. Carolina thread in my opinion.

Pat said...

"Junior Cottle, this one's for you! This is Mr. Charlie Bobo on "Wild Turkey" when the team won and retired my dad's memorial challenge trophy in Burlington, NC at the Alamance Saddle Club. This was 1966 I beleive. The signature is Bill's. I asked him to sign it for me when we were at the Celebration a couple of years ago. I also gave him a copy. He seemed to really appreciate it. I thought it was a pretty cool picture."

Do any of you Virginia people know or remember Allen Ramsey from Altavista? His Dad drove a truck for the Lane Cedar Company and came to the Celebration for a lot of years in that truck. There was a branch office in Smyrna, TN and they used that as an excuse to make a business trip and do double duty in Tennessee. They always sat next to us at the Celebration. I lost contact a lot of years ago, but have often wondered whatever happened to them.

I remember Pat's picture well.She came out to the barn to meet Rowdy and Bill and she brought that pic for Bill to see and had him sign it and then gave him a copy.I know Bill was so happy to get it.

Miss Sundown R. 1967 World Champion Mare
Bred, Born, and trained at Renfrow Farms in
Fayetteville, N.C. Ray Renfrow up, 1965.

Razor,

You appear to be a "tall drink of water" !!! Did you ever play any hoops?

I road horses during all my off time.
I wish I had played some golf. It would
Have been alot more useful than horse
Training at this stage.

RRR I sent you a private message.