On Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, multiple World Grand Champion and World Champion Time To Strut passed away at the age of 17.

Bred by Charlotte Morrow of Columbia, Tenn., the beautiful bald-faced bay gelding was born May 29, 1996. Sired by Pusher’s Doing Time and out of Quality Time, “Strut” was purchased in the spring of 1999 by Sandra Reid and started as a two-year-old by Kurt Kovalick. For the next several years he was under the direction of Don Crum showing mainly on the Texas and West Tennessee circuits.



In 2004, the talented contender was purchased by Emily Prentice of White House, Tenn., and placed in training under Leigh Stuart. Together the pair was highly competitive as an equitation team and in youth classes. Stuart’s daughter Paige Bennett also successfully showed Strut in the equitation division.

He had the unique ability and demeanor to know the experience of the rider on his back. He along with Stuart and the TWHBEA and WHOA Academy Program gave exposure and taught hundreds of kids and aspiring riders not only to the art of Equitation, but the Tennessee Walking Horse in general. 
 Being an equitation mount, he was a horse that could truly do it all. Not only did he have to compete in rail work, flat-walk, running-walk, and canter, but also he had to complete patterns in precision with his rider…that asked a lot of a horse.



After a few years of showing flat shod horses in rail and showmanship classes, Allison Thorson wanted to get more involved with other divisions of the Tennessee Walking Horse. She went to Stuart for riding instruction, and after many lessons, the Thorsons started looking for a horse that could compete in the Equitation division. Strut was Allison’s first exposure to a performance horse and they worked exceptionally well as a team. He was purchased from Prentice in 2008. All the long hours and hard work for the team paid off in 2011, 2012 and finally in 2013, when the pair unanimously earned the Youth Equitation World Grand Championships.



Strut holds a major place in Allison’s heart. If it wasn't for this horse, the Thorsons might not have gone on to purchase other horses for their show string. He was a major stepping stone for her not only in Equitation but also in wanting to show in more divisions such as Youth Ponies, Youth 12-17, and now Amateur Performance classes.

“No matter the occasion, he always gave 110%,” stated Allison.

Time To Strut is a horse that will forever be remembered in the equitation division. The Thorson family and all at Leigh Stuart Stables will sadly miss this ambassador to the breed who touched so many lives.