The BEST of Walking Horse Trivia!

I'm drawing a blank on the tree as well. All I remember is that Hawkersmith Nursery donated it..

In the pictures on previous page
1. Is Hackney driving a Belgian or Friesan?
2. Was the log cafe on Fayetteville hwy in Shelbyville?
3. Where was the Lucy barn in Shelbyville?
4. Brownboro was really Brownview (Bobby Brown) in Murfreesboro.
5. Fred Walkers barn was Rivergrange off Del Rio Pike in Franklin.
6. Is the old Coleseum still standing at LSU?

S B, that was a fine barn Fred Walker had for back in the 40s. Was Fred originally from around Wartrace?

Looks like a Belgian to me
J C Lucy's barn was on 231 across from Sand Creek - LM Murphy worked for him

1. Believe that is a Friesian. Mason told me at the S'ville, Ky show that Hackney had a few of em. I'll try to verify that, but it sho looks like one.

3. Should have read L.M. Murphy Stables. Corrected.

4. Corrected. Thanks for catching these errors.

Freison's are ALWAYS BLACK.

Jean wrote:

Freison's are ALWAYS BLACK.

THATS RIGHT

I haven't seen very many Fresians and don't know anything about them but all the ones I have seen were black.

My Horse Breeds book says always black.

I do believe that's a "Gypsy Vanner"...that Wayne is driving. Wayne currently trains Keith and Suzy Johnson's Friesians (yes, black) and I have viewed video's and photo's of their Friesians on facebook. Impressive driving hosses and I also saw them at the Celebration.

The new tree..in the old warmup..is a Willow Oak.

SB...Last yr I attended the Baton Rouge show was about 2001, so I don't know. The coliseum was old and it was always very dusty. I remember peoples clothes getting dirty, if you didn't wipe off your seat before parking your carcass. LSU does have a beautiful campus.

OHM you may be right- that horse does resemble a Gypsy Vanner - but ones that I have seen are usually very colorful. Not quite big enough for a Belgian.

OK, I got the scoop. It IS a Gypsy Vanner, not a Freezin ( I used to know a couple of gypsy vanners back in the 70's........Hee hee !!!.......that's my joke for the day) My "sources" tell me that a woman on Fairfield Pike in Bedford County owns the hoss and that it takes 3 hrs to wash and dry that bugger once a week.



Gypsy Vanners

Is that the Gypsy Vanners you knew?

uh-huh.

When I talked to Wayne last week [thanks to Big Daddy], I told him about his picture being on this site. When I described the picture, he said it was probably Keith & Suzy Johnson's horse. He told me what kind of horse it was, but I didn't understand what he said. I have never heard of a Gypsy Vanner. He did say that it takes about three hours to wash & properly dry one.


I believe that the John M. Parker Coliseum is still standing at LSU. I spent a lot of time there in the 60's during my time at LSU. Not only was it home to the Dixie Jubilee & the LSU Rodeo, it was also the home of LSU Fightin' Tigers basketball team [including Pistol Pete Maravich]. I believe the basketball Tigers moved to the Maravich Assembly Center over by Tiger Stadium in '71.


The new tree in the Celebration warm-up ring is on the opposite from where the old tree stood. I don't know why they did that.

I believe I remember reading somewhere that the LSU coliseum was used for Katrina animal rescue shelter.....Haven't really heard anything since that time.

sadlbum wrote:

Last Sat. Evening at 6:00 pm at the Cel., stake night 09, there were no people gathered at the warmup ring & only 1 horse was being peddled. It was so SAD!

So much about the Celebration has become SAD....I was foaled much later than most of you...but I'm old enough to remember the Shoeing Shed, All night barn parties, All night horse trading in the old warm up ring, vendors and peddlers everywhere, the shoe shine men, whittlers, packed classes, standing room only crowds (more than just Stake Night), Huge turnouts for the sales.... It nearly brings me to tears thinking about all we've let go.......we let the corporation take over a vital piece of our heritage and the Celebration has been left without a soul.

I wish so much that we could just get a little of that back....I wish my kids could experience what it was like just once.....

Newt - that was very well said - "the Celebration has lost its soul" - sad but true - we experienced some very special times that most people would never even begin to imagine. I used to count the days from one Celebration to the next.
When do you think that the "soul" finally disappeared?

Bubbadog wrote:

When do you think that the "soul" finally disappeared?

In my opinion, it was when they put Ron Thomas on commission to sell corporate sponsorships.

I think it didn't help that they managed to cut the "average Shelbyville citizen" right out of the mix. That used to be the high moment in Shelbyville society where the average could run with the elite and enjoy a commonality together. That has fostered the resentful feeling that visitors are somehow intruding on the town and causing traffic problems, noise, and disturbances. Therefore, the police come around and shut down the parties at 1:00 regardless of the time the performances were over and the party started. I also think you are right about the corporate mentality. Last year, they said they were making a conscious effort to "bring back the good old days". I hope it works.

I talked to a friend tonight about this topic to see if I was way off base since I don't have a horse and was told that "the cost to show a horse there is awful and now us average people can't really afford to show just for the fun of showing at the Celebration anymore. It's a money racket now instead of an enjoyable horse show." They spent over $300 just for a stall and the horse was only in it for a few hours. Seems there is a fee for everything these days. However, I can say we all would/do miss going and surely don't want to see it come crumbling down!! I'm sure OHM and CB will have some feelings about all of this too.

I think Ron Thomas did worlds of good for improving the quality of the infrastructure & plant. But I think that when He came on the scene, the County Fair atmosphere disappeared. I remember 3 deep lined up around the warmup ring. I remember when the crowds were so large, the gates were opened at 4 pm on stake night & people flooded the Gen ad section to get a seat. I remember when tickets were scalped around the barn office. I remember the Arabian Shiek shoeshine Boy. I remember Emmit Guy retiring His Big R'ra joke. I rember 120 2 yr old studs in 1 class. Remember a road horse breaking a leg. A trainer boycott, shoeing shed, early morning workouts in the fields, all the sales & the good donuts & much more.

Do some of the local residents of Shelbyville still rent their homes to the out of town people/families that come to the show? There was a family we rented from every year. They would pack up and leave and we would come in and stay in their home for the entire Celebration. I thought that was a good deal for all involved.

Sadlbum...I rememeber all those things too. The last one I went to was still like that. I looked forward to it from one year to the next...nothing but great memories for me!!!

In 1966 the first time for the trip to Shelbyville, we rented a room in private home.. One year we stayed with Winston Wisers sister. For several years had a pop up & rented a spot in yard close by. Then having a trailer with sleeper parked with horse trailers ( no charge). Just across the street. Last year the warm up ring had no horses, no one gathered around before show. After , they had a BAND IN THE RING. No fun like the old days.

Hill,
Correct me if I'm wrong, at one time didn't You have long hair, with it tied in a pony tail on the side, with it hanging down in front of one shoulder?