by Christy Rogers-Brown

Big shows, big titles and big names made headlines in October of 1993. The month was kicked off with the Ohio Celebration followed by the North Carolina Championships. The Corn Belt Walking Horse Classic, the Dixie Jubilee and the East Tennessee Walking Horse Association Double High Point Show made for a full schedule of shows.

The Ohio Celebration was held at the Ohio State Fair Grounds and ran from September 30 to October 2. Judge Steve Dunn was the official. The show included 88 classes of performance, plantation and racking classes.

The Championship was claimed by Generator’s Master and Jamie Hankins. Reserve honors went to the Aged Stallion lass winner Pride Of Clutch and Tom Cottle. Two stables took home the majority of the blues; Full Moon Stables and Sugar Creek Farms accumulated eight wins a piece. Quarterback Stock brought owner Denise Rowland a blue in the Amateur Grand Championship class. Generator's Torch claimed victory in the Plantation Grand Champion class.

Moving down south, the 1993 North Carolina Championship Walking Horse Show was said to be the most successful one in the show’s 24-year history. The event was held October 7-9 at the Western North Carolina Agriculture Center in Asheville, N.C. The schedule included 67 classes judged by Bill Bailey, Jimmy McConnell and Vicki Self. The competition was enhanced by the fact that 44% of the show’s blue ribbons were awarded to current or former world champions.

With a 10-entry stake, it was not surprising that the judges called for a second running walk on the reverse before finally naming Bill Cantrell and Ultra Copy the champions. Jubilee’s Magic Man, the reining International Grand Champion and Reserve World Champion Aged Stallion, captured yet another blue for the Thomas Holton family with Ramsey Bullington in the irons.

The show’s excitement intensified with the performances of 1993 World Grand Champions The Touch and Chad Way, Junior World Grand Champion Ebony’s Threat’s Professor and Four-Year-Old Amateur World Champion Silver Design.

After a successful Celebration, Bob Hunnicutt and I Told You Twice captured a win in both the Amateur Over 15.2 class and the Amateur Grand Champion class for J & B Marketing and Dr. W.S. Warr. The new team of Mountain Sugarbear and Kathy Zeis captured a blue ribbon in the Amateur Specialty Gelding class. Time Of My Life, Pride's Flashy Girl and Lady With Cash, all under the direction of Bill Cantrell, claimed blue ribbon victories.

Ramsey Bullinton's show string accumulated six blue ribbon wins. The Snow Job accounted for two blues, and defended his three Celebration wins as he and Bullington won the Two-Year-Old Mare and Gelding class. Gary Bowman repeated the blue ribbon victory in the Two-Year-Old Amateur Mare and Gelding class.

Dark Spirit's Misty and Dark Spirit's Lou netted blue ribbons for the Scott Lambert family and Ramsey Bullington. The winning look of Bullington and the National Futurity Champion Sir Thumper added to their list of blues. Sir Thumper remained undefeated in open competition with his North Carolina victory.

An enormous class of three-year-old stallions brought 19 head to the arena and was unarguably the finest class of the show. Bart Star, a world champion, commanded the attention of the audience and the judges and won the roses for the Bob Parks family.

Four blue ribbon wins were won by David Landrum and B & R Stables. Ronnie Spears, Beaty Stables and Eddie Tuck all staked their claim on three blues. Ronnie Spears rode Pushin Bushes to wins at Asheville, Baton Rouge and Atlanta. Captain Miss Lucy, a plantation world champion, got the judges' vote in three different classes, including the plantation stake on the final night of the show.

The Corn Belt Classic held in Waterloo, Iowa, at the National Cattle Congress Grounds brought a 63-class show and some of the Midwest's finest walking horses. Jim Baum marked the cards for the show. Slew O' Blew took trainer Jerry Fields of Walkaway Farms to the center ring for the blue ribbon win in the stake. Headshaker Stables won a total of five blues, two of which came from the Market's Hotrod B. Sandra Huffman's Whispering Pines won the show's blue ribbon tally with 11 blue ribbons.

The biggest little city in the world, Reno, Nevada, was host to the 6th annual Western States Celebration, which ran October 15-17. The show was made up of 95 classes for walking, spotted and Missouri fox trotting horses. The show's highlights included a popular exhibitor's party hosted by the Robert Pollack family. The judge for the event was Jamie Hankins of Paris, Ky. He made the selections in the park and show pleasure, open and amateur walking horse classes. Sherrie Szucx chose the winners in the lite-shod and plantation competitions.

The stake on Sunday afternoon brought five entries to the gate. Following a second running-walk Coin's Adonis merited the tricolor with Jimmy McConnell in the irons for Molly Andrews Walters. Golden West Farms took home a record 15 blues ending their very successful show season.

Playing For Keeps and Brian Martin captured the victory in the Four-Year-Old Stallion and Gelding class. Final Attraction, the reining Show Pleasure World Grand Champion, accumulated wins in the Open and Amateur Show Pleasure classes and the Show Pleasure Championship.

Nine blues were won by horses under the care of Russ Thompson Stables. Bad News Debut, the 1993 Western Plantation World Grand Champion, carried trainer David Wooten to center ring. The horse also claimed blue ribbon honors in the Western Specialty qualifier with owner Lori Jackson and in the Model Stallion and Gelding class with Danny Wooten. Hit and Run earned a blue in every class entered for owners Marzinzik and Shaw. The World and International Champion merited three lite-shod preliminary titles for trainer Bruce Almeida and then won the Lite-Shod Amateur Specialty Grand Championship for Wendy Shaw.

The Dixie Jubilee brought repeat visitors back to Baton Rouge to show off their horses and indulge in some mouth watering cajun food. Held on the campus of Louisiana State University, the horse show welcomed horses and riders to participate in 118 classes. Fifty-six of the the classes were designated as walking horse events and included four divisions. Ronal Young, Harold White and Howard Hamilton were on hand to judge the big name event. Following the Thursday night show, the exhibitors enjoyed the annual Mardi Gras party.

Trainer Mitch Taylor rode his mount Fantastic Gold to the winner's circle after the Grand Championship. The unanimous win came after their previous week's win at the Texas State Fair. Backward S Ranch lead the number of wins as the team accumulated wins with Mark For Me, Ready Willing & Able, Gold Star Jubilee, Peddler's Supreme and Equalizer Good News.

Six blues were won by Jackie McConnell Stables, Jimmy McConnell's Formac Stables and Aymett Stables. Taking back five wins to their home town were the horses from Ronnie Spears Stables. Going three for three was Generator's Gypsy Rose, who claimed victory in the Plantation Open class, Western Plantation Open Specialty and the Plantation Grand Championship. The mare was owned and trained by Robert and Wayne Westbrook. The Amateur Grand Champion Executive Order was prepared by Jackie McConnell Stables for rider Kelly Sherman.

Pusher's Secret Threat enticed crowds as he won the Three-Year-Old Grand Championship and the Three-Year-Old Stallion class. Jerry Woodlee made the winning rides for Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Smith. Eb's Go Boy and Steve Hawkersmith claimed stake to their fourth consecutive gentleman's stake.

The much awaited 37th annual Southern Championships took place in Atlanta, Ga., and featured 67 classes and 709 entries. The management of the Georgia Walking Horse Exhibitor's Association made the decision to donate proceeds of the show to the Good Shepard Ridging Academy of Warm Springs, Ga. The excitement of the show was enhanced by exhibitions by the 1993 WGC The Touch and Chad Way and the talented Billy Gray aboard his two and three-year-old world grand champions, He's Puttin' On The Ritz and JFK.

Jubilee's Magic Man once again impressed judges in the stake. We're Puttin On The Ritz and Ramsey Bullington made a season debut and stole the blue in the Four-Year-Old Stallion class. Pusher's Benny Boy and Wallace Brandon earned a unanimous win in the Plantation Pleasure Grand Championship for owner Windward Manor Farm.

Carrying out roses in the amateur stake, was Amateur World Grand Champion Wired and Sheri Gamble. The Gamble horses also took victory in the 15.2 and Under Amateur Stallion class with Olympic Generator. Rachel Gamble and Hometown Favorite remained undefeated in the Juvenile 11 & Under class. These exhibitors were all prepared by Dick Peebles.

The most successful horse to show in Atlanta was the lite-shod champion Heaping Spoonful for the Windward Manor Farm. Victoria Martocci showed the steady chestnut gelding and claimed the tricolor in Western Plantation class, Western Lite-Shod Plantation class, Lite-Shod Plantation class and the Lite-Shod Plantation Specialty class.

Wrapping up the Southern Championships in Atlanta, Dark Spirit's Dazzle and Linda Scrivner won their 23rd blue ribbon of the year in the Show Pleasure Amateur Specialty class.

The last weekend in October brought us back to Tennessee and to Roane State Community College for the Tennessee Walking Horse Association Double High Point Show. Alonz Napier of Berea, Ky., was the judge of the 40 classes.

The force of Beaty Stables was one to be reckoned with as Scott Beaty rode Generator's My Papa to victory in the stake. This win was one of the eight accumulated by Beaty Stables. The Amateur Specialty class was won by the colorful Coin's Clown ridden by Joseph King for Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. Kathy Owen's talented string of horses were once again successful. Gold Treat, Steal My Heart and A Special Power were all winners owned by Owen.

Doc Hollywood dominated the show ring with his performance in the show pleasure classes. Jill Derickson piloted Countdown Heatwave to the win in the Open Amateur class for Dr. and Mrs. John Brundige. Derickson captured another win for her husband, Herbert, aboard Jubilee Royal Star in the Two-Year-Old Amateur class.

October sent us an extensive list of shows and brought to the arena big crowds, big names and big excitement. Walking horse enthusiasts were left with a big end to the 1993 show season.