MANNING, S.C. - Despite torrential rains, members of the South Carolina Walking Horse Association gathered at the newly remodeled Stan Tindal Stables in Manning, South Carolina for a day of fellowship, fun, food, and a fantastic exhibition of show horses.
Shortly after noon, Dr. Larry Heiden, Master of Ceremonies for the event, introduced Bill Rorick, SCWHA President. Bill warmly welcomed the crowd of approximately 200 people and thanked them for their appearance in spite of the chilly, damp weather. Mr. Rorick promised the gathering crowd a day of excitement, filled with door prizes, auctions, money board raffles, stud service auctions, delicious food, and plenty of excellent horses for viewing. He thanked Stand and Kim Tindal for hosting this year’s Spring Fling and then turned the microphone over to Mrs. Mary Hinson, who offered the invocation and blessing for the barbecue lunch which was catered by Eddie’s Bar-B-Que from Turbeville.
After lunch, the bidding on items up for auction quickly began as Doc Heiden tried to keep up with the frantic pace of the bidders. Several nice items were auctioned, with the highest bid going to a blue vase with silhouetted Walking Horses adorning it, which Randy Lollis received for $200. The most amusing bidding action occurred when Stan Tindal outbid his mother-in-law, Jean Sanders, on a Walking Horse mailbox. Little did Stan know that Jean was trying to win the mailbox to give as a gift to Stan and Kim.
After the auction, the tables used for dining were quickly broken down to allow for the main attraction...the presentation of the horses. Even though the presentation of the horses had to be moved inside due to the rain, there was plenty of room for the crowd to get a good look at almost forty horses that were exhibited. With fine selections from trainers like Rae Martin, Bobby Kellett, Ron Curkendall, David Boyce, Chad Adams, Larry Heiden, Debbie Wells, and Stan Tindal, there was a constant parading of quality horses to keep the audience entertained. The spectators had a chance to get a first look at the new two and three-year-old horses that are to be shown in the upcoming show season. Aged horses that have thrilled crowds in the past were also present, reminding the audience of the quality performances that they have to look forward to.
During brief pauses from the exciting auction, stud services from Pusher’s Bossman, Sensational Stuntman, Pusher’s High Voltage, and Star Of The Future were auctioned. The winners of the money board were also announced, with Randy Lollis winning $180 and Melissa Burnett taking home an impressive $250.
When the last horse had been presented, and people began to disburse, everyone agreed that this year’s Spring Fling had lived up to the standards that had been set before. Stan and Kim Tindal wanted to extend special thanks to G.W. Tisdale, Smiley Gibbons, their customers, and families for everything that they contributed in helping make this Spring Fling a huge success. They also wanted to thank everyone that braved the weather in order to come out and support the South Carolina Walking Horse Association.
Bill Rorick made the closing comments by again thanking Stan and Kim for the use of their facilities, as well as thanking the owners, trainers, and spectators for making the Spring Fling a success and wished everyone good luck in the upcoming show season.
With a preview of what to expect in the coming months, the Spring Fling was the perfect event to kick off the upcoming show season and get everyone exciting about returning to the show ring.