Evening star., 1942-01-27

sS'''''S''7' wouldn't last,
Henry McLemore. and sooner or
later all sensible folk would get back
to the only real, honest-to-goodness
means of transportation. the Ten
nessee walking horse.
Wartrace. non-thriving, nom
bustling Middle Tennessee metropo-
lis Of 700, is the cradle of that
unique breed of all-around utility
horse, the Tennessee walker. The
automobile durn near killed the
place, but now, with the automobile
frozen, and with tires scarcer than
retreaded horseshoes, Wartrace is
on the boom again.
So are all the other towns in this
section of the country, where the
walking horse had his head bloodied
by the automobile, but never COM
pletely bowed They've been breed
ing and selling walking horses
around here since Andrew (Old
Hickory Jackson was dashing
blade.
But now you perhaps are wonder
ing what prompted me to come to
Wartrace, and why my sudden in
terest in the Tennessee walker. Ill
be honest with you. Twenty-four
hours ago I had never heard Of that
breed, but in a conversation with
Gilbert Orr of the Nashville Ban
ner I became convinced that when
the automobile becomes temporarily
extinct, it's the thing to ride.
It's the one breed Of horse that
every one can ride. The running
horse is out, naturally. Even jockeys
have trouble staying on them. The
American saddle horse isn't any
thing for novices, either. 1t is
fractions, spirited. has five gaits, all
of which are schemingly calculated
to make the rider uncomfortable.
Put a non-horseman or non-horse-
woman on the average saddle horse
and dreadful things happen. And
not to the horse, either.
But the Tennessee walking horse
strictly lives up to his name. He
walks.
He is not interested in shaking
your gizzard loose from whatever
gizzards cling to. He doesn't like to
buck. He won't run and shake you
I'D unless he is driven to it. II
you'll just get on his back and leave
him alone, he'll walk you to wher-
ever you want to go, and If you do
happen to slip of, he'll stand quietly
by and wait for you to get back on.
There have been instances where
Tennessee walkers have tried to
assist dismounted riders back to the
saddle.
He has only three gaits: The
canter (Which he despises and uses
only when forced to show of to a
crowd. the flat-footed walk and
the running walk. When he is fiat
footing, he travels at about 8 to 5
miles per hour, and when he shifts
into the running walk he gets up
to to miles an hour.
No other breed of horse has these
gaits. Don't ask me why. My guess
is that the horse wants to be
comfortable, too. Little children can
climb on a Tennessee walking horse
and ride away in perfect safety.
Grandma can hitch up her skirts.
settle down comfortably (side saddle.
Of course) and go off to the Ladies'
Aid or missionary meeting without
a fear of falling of and breaking her
bones. The same goes for grandpa,
mama and papa, and all the other
members of family.
If you're not riding him, you can
plow him. He's big, tough horse,
whose stamina comes from progeni-
tors who weren't nursed and PAM
pered in elaborate stalls. but came
from rickety, wind-swept farm barns.
Veterinarians would starve to death
If they depended on treating Ten
nessee walkers.
They're a handy horse in front
of a carriage, too. They'll pull a
surrey, buggy, barouche or any other
vehicle you hitch to 'em. They don't
even mind pulling a wagon, with the
overflow members of the family sit
ting in the back on cane-bottomed
chairs.
Don't get the idea. though, that
when you get Tennessee walking
horse you have bought yourself
something with bloodlines like a
mule. No, sir! His blood is as pure
as anything that wears name and
tail as standard equipment. In April
Of 1899, Haynes Peacock, a Tennes-
see walking horse. won first prize
of a 40-pound sack of flour at a
county fair show in New Hermon,
Tenn. Seven months later, in No
vember, he f1at-footed out into the
show ring of another city that starts
with New--New York. Right in
Madison Square Garden. And when
he had shown his stuff, they pinned
a blue ribbon on him.
Tomorrow I am visiting q famous
farm near here with the view Of
purchasing me Tennessee walking
horse. See your local paper for
what happens.
Giddy-ap!
Distributed BY McNausht Syndicate. Incl