Legends of Past Heritage Horses

Tennessee Walking Horse Heritage Society

Legends of Past Heritage Horses

Boone's Grey John

J.D. Luna of Petersburg, TN had told the story of how about 1863 a band of northern soldiers came through Booneville. This group of soldiers had a fine mare who was heavy with foal and she could not keep up so they swapped her for a younger mare at Captain Boone's (namesame for Booneville). This mare foaled about a month later and dropped an odd bluish colored colt. Captain Boone returned home in June and saw the blue colt. Legend has it that Captain Boone told the farm help "Just let it alone and we will see what kind of horse a damned Yankee colt will make."

The colt shed out lighter in color and they named him Grey John. He developed into the walkingest, reachy saddle horse that area had seen or heard of. Booneville was about 8 miles from Fayetteville, TN and it was said Grey John could flatfoot walk the distance in an hour. He stood in Booneville until he was 23 years old.

Grey John is surrounded by several other legends of his connection with the North. Mr. Luna seemed to have knowledge that was difficult to refute. All the legends say this horse was a product of northern bloodlines. His dam and sire were not known to Captain Boone so Grey John was never named among the 114 Foundation Sires and Dams of the Tennessee Walking Horse.

Grey John's son, Buford L. F-11 and grandson, Bramlett F-9 were among some of the first Foundation Sires of our breed when the registry began in 1935. Mares came from far away to be bred to Grey John. The travel was long and difficult but the mare owners felt it was worth the effort to get a colt from this sire. Mr. Luna owned Buford L. F-11 and Bramlett F-9, who were foaled around 1900 and 1906 respectively. When Mr. Luna was 84 years old he said, "Boone's Grey John without a doubt, was the greatest Walking Horse that ever lived." The Grey John horses were said to be the best saddle horses and the ones with the most sense of any family of horses that was ever known in that region of Tennessee. Mr. Luna had commented, "Horses of the Grey John family are the only horses I ever rode to any great extent, and they made a sick man feel well and a poor man feel rich. When I was on a Grey John horse, I felt like I had money in both pockets and in the bank."

Hunter's Allen F-10

Hunter's Allen was foaled in 1909 and was owned by J.N. Black of Beech Grove, Tennessee. He was the man who had also bred the famous Maude Gray. Hunter's Allen was a golden sorrel horse with a star and snip, long mane that was always wavy in appearance. His long tail touched the ground.

Hunter's Allen's influence on the Walking Horse breed became buried in the female line of registration papers. He was sired by Allan F-1 and his dam was Allis F-85, by Pat. Allis was owned by Dr. J.E. Childress who lived in Coffee County. Dr. Childress used Allis to make the rounds of his medical practice in that county. Many of the homes he serviced were inaccessible except by horseback. Allis was unusually tall at 16 hands, and was described as being "well made, strong and good looking."

Hunter's Allen had several names, and the first of these was Little Allen. He was used as a buggy horse when he was old enough to work. He was driven alongside a pony and used to deliver groceries. He was sold in 1917 to the Hunter family who renamed him Hunter's Allen. He remained the Hunter's horse until he died in 1932.

Hunter's Allen began his show career with county fairs in Middle Tennessee. He was shown in 1912 at the Tennessee State Fair and won first place. The following year, he returned to the State Fair again and won first place, defeating Roan Allen F-38. A lot of old-timers spent time debating which of these two horses was the better horse but there was one aspect of them that proves interesting down to this day: At the time these two horses were alive, crooked or "sickle hocks", a trait that is often seen in modern day Walking Horses, were frowned upon. Hunter's Allen was believed to be the better horse for the simple reason that he did not have crooked legs.

Some of the best known Hunter's Allen F-10 offspring were:

Last Chance

Brown Allen

Walker's Allen

Wilson's Allen	Wilson's Allen was foaled in 1914 on Bud Messick's farm in Coffee County, Tennessee. There was quite a buzz created among breeders when Roan Allen F-38 was mated to his own half-sister, Birdie Messick F-86 to produce Wilson's Allen. It was said to be the first act of linebreeding done on purpose. Johnson Hill had arranged to have Bud's mare bred to Roan Allen in hopes of producing a stud colt, which he had contracted to buy for two hundred dollars. The resulting foal was a chestnut foal, named Wilson's Allen. When the colt was five months old, it was brought to the farm of Johnson Hill and as was the custom at that time, it was named for the owner, so this colt was called the Johnson Hill Horse. His gaits were exceptional and disposition the best. Steve Hill had said the colt could really walk, "he'd walk and shake his head and slobber."
The horse was used as a farm horse pulling a heavy hillside plow. Mr. Hill died in 1922 and the following spring the stallion was offered for sale. He was purchased by Bibb Kirby of Bedford County, TN and by this time he had lost an eye in an accident and came to be known as the "one-eyed Kirby horse." Kirby believed the horse would develop into a great sire. He rode him everywhere and used him to round up cattle near Petersburg. The round trip was nearly 30 miles. Kirby offered the horse at stud for ten dollars with a live foal guarantee. He had few takers and was offered for sale in 1928 but not before he left behind two outstanding colts, Haynes Peacock and Slippery Allen. Mr. Frank Wilson bought the horse and immediately offered him at public stud. The easy gaits of the foals attracted attention from many southern states. Pride of Memphis was born in 1932, one of Wilson's Allen's foals, and in a few years he established his sire in the show horse world. Most of the successful show horses sired by Wilson's Allen were chestnut in color and inherited their sire's muscular build and proud carriage. Frank Wilson had commented that Wilson's Allen was one of the most gentle horses and easiest stallions to handle he had ever seen. "I never saw a better natured horse," he declared, "I used Wilson's Allen all the time; if I didn't have a bridle handy I'd use a halter and ride him bareback. I rode him to get the mail, in the field, driving cattle....in fact, for a long time he was the only horse on the farm, and I rode him everywhere. He had a walk better than any horse I'd ever ridden." The old horse died in 1938, one year before his son, Strolling Jim, was crowned World Grand Champion. Wilson's Allen sired many great horses. On the video, "A Look Into The Past", Dr. Bob Womack commented that if horses such as Haynes Peacock and Strolling Jim had been left stallions, think of what the breed would be like today. One of the Wilson's Allen sons is Sir MauGray. Billy Taylor said Auburn Gray had sold twenty thousand dollars worth of foals from Maude Gray, dam of Sir MauGray, back in the 30's and 40's and that was big money back then. He said Sir MauGray was sold in the 30's for eighteen hundred dollars. Dr. Bob Womack, in Echo of Hoofbeats, published by Dabora, Inc, Shelbyville, TN, says, "When the great of the Walking Horse breed are listed, Wilson's Allen will find a place reserved for himself at the top. Judged in terms of the time in which he lived, the degree of the promotion he received, the undeveloped status of the industry during his lifetime, and his impact on the breed no Walking Horse, with the possible exception of his son Midnight Sun, has approached the significance of this great stallion. Forty years after his death, Wilson's Allen dominates the male line of the breed, and should his blood be taken from the Walking Horse, that animal would be a pale imitation of what it is now."

Merry Legs F-4
	Albert Dement was one of the pioneers of the Walking Horse breed. The Biography of The Tennessee Walking Horse by Ben Green states: "As early as 1905, he envisioned the development of horses which would produce and reproduce, by proper mating, the true gaits of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed as they are known today. In 1905 he showed a three year old mare at the Tennessee State Fair in Nashville, and was offered for her after she won every class in which she was entered. 'I was dreaming of the future and refused to sell this mare', he later recalled, 'I had in mind a registered plantation stallion, and I felt I had a foundation start with this mare.'" The three year old mare was Nell Dement F-3. Allan F-1, known then as Old Black Allen, was often referred to by Mr. Dement as the greatest sire of plantation horses, was next selected as a mate for Nell.
From this mating was foaled the famous mare, Merry Legs F-4. Mr. Dement considered Merry Legs F-4 a much more even breeder than Nell F-3. Mr Dement had commented, " This breed of horses has more stamina and is the longest lived breed I know." He pointed out that Nell F-3 lived 28 years and foaled her last foal when she was 26 years of age. Jimmy Joe Murray had this to say about Merry Legs F-4, " Foaled in April, 1911, out of Nell Dement F-3 and Allan F-1, as her sired, the great Merry Legs F-4 was the culmination of long years' experiments in animal husbandry planned by the late Albert M. Dement for the definite purpose of producing true-gaited Tennessee Walking Horses... "Merry Legs was a straight-going mare with no amble whatsoever. She had lots of head motion, a good long neck, perfect ears and large eyes. Her canter was perfect, and her flatfoot walk and running walk were truly as great as any ever displayed by Tennessee Walking Horses. Anybody could ride her, because she had perfect manners, and was as gentle as could be." Bob Murchison pointed out, " She did one thing that mares do not do nowadays. She would foal a colt in the spring of the year, then Mr. Dement would wean the colt two or three weeks before the State Fair at Nashville and would enter Merry Legs in the show, where she would win first place. Merry Legs was a big mare - about 15 1/2 hands, weighing 1200 pounds - and in comparison with the best Tennessee Walking Horses today, I believe she could beat any one of them. Her tail was never set, but she could carry it just about as well as if it were set." Some of Merry Legs' offspring were Bud Allen, Major Allen and Last Chance, foaled in 1931 by Hunters Allen F-10

Last Chance
	Most Tennessee Walking Horses trace heavily to Roan Allen F-38 through Midnight Sun. Many others trace to Roan Allen F-38 through Merry Boy, out of Merry Legs F-4. A different gene pool was started by Albert Dement in 1930 when he crossed Hunter's Allen F-10 with Merry Legs F-4. The foal, Last Chance, foaled in 1931, died in 1956, was the only horse to pass on this unique set of genes because he had no lines to Roan Allen. For several years it appeared Last Chance would carry the family of Hunter's Allen forward in the male line. Trouble, son of Last Chance, won the Stallion Class at the 1940 Celebration, while Last Chance's daughter, Nancy Ann Hendrixson, won the two year old filly class at the 1947 Celebration. Trouble sired the dam of Mack K's Handshaker.
Last Chance sired John A's Chance, the palomino stallion that Vance Paschal said was "the greatest yellow breeding stallion of all time." Mr. Paschal made this comment when he was 84 years of age. He was a life long breeder and dealer of yellow walking horses. John A's Chance sired more yellow show horses than any other sire. The Biography says, "Perhaps one of the greatest tributes ever paid a Tennessee horseman was the ceremony at Columbia, TN, horse show in the spring of 1940 - a few weeks after the death of Mr. Dement. As a gesture of sincere appreciation for Mr. Dement's contribution to the Tennessee Walking Horse breed, Last Chance, the last colt foaled out of Merry Legs F-4, was led around the show ring, saddle empty, followed by members of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' Association of America, the Columbia Horse Show Association, and other close friends and admirers of Mr. Dement. While this solemn procession was under way, the announcer read an impressive tribute to the memory of Mr. Dement, a man whom every fancier of the Tennessee Walking Horse should forever admire and respect."

Merry Boy
	Merry Boy was sired by Roan Allen F-38, and was out of the great mare, Merry Legs F-4. Merry Boy was a 3/4 brother to Wilson's Allen. He was foaled at the farm of Albert Dement in Wartrace, Tennessee in 1925.
As a sire, Merry Boy did not receive the attention that his 3/4 brother, Wilson's Allen did. Mr. Dement told the neighbor boys if they could break the young horse and show him that night, they could keep anything they won with him. They really tried. They bucked the horse out all day long and got thrown many, many times for their efforts, but by nightfall, he was rideable enough to carry young Ray Tenpenny to the show. Merry Boy was just tired enough to behave himself and he performed flawlessly. Witnesses said that few horses that ever lived could perform a more perfect running walk that he exhibited that night. Merry Boy came to New Hermon, TN in 1928. His reputation for meanness was well known. While at the barn of Ed Ward, he was sometimes ridden by Carl Ingle, one of the few men ever to stay on the horse's back. On one occasion, they met a lady in a buggy driving a mare who was in heat. To the embarrassment of the lady, and the disgust of Ingle, Merry Boy took care of things on the spot. Regardless of his slow start, Merry Boy did sire some outstanding performers under saddle. The fact that Wilson's Allen completely dominated the early Celebrations left little for the offspring of other sires. The best that Merry Boy's get could do was compete for what remained after the Wilson's Allen colts left the ring. The only two World Grand Champion horses that were sired by Merry Boy are the black mare, Black Angel who won in 1943, and Merry Go Boy who won in 1947 and 1948. Merry Boy died in 1958 at the age of thirty-three. As a sidenote, Billy Taylor said, " Mr. A.D. Thoton of the Awalt community stood Merry Boy during the middle 30's. I talked to Mr. Rhoton's son in the middle 90's. He stated his dad rode and worked Merry Boy in harness. He said that his dad was riding Merry Boy one day and a horse fly began bothering him. Mr. Rhoton hit Merry Boy in the side with his heels and Merry Boy bucked and threw him."

Midnight Sun
	From being a humble, back-country type known in a few southern states, the Walking Horse started going places after the registry society was formed in 1935. It seemed that nearly everybody was reading about the Tennessee Walking Horse, and wanted to see this distinctive "new" breed in action. Great singers, actors, athletes, and horses are "box office", and the big, black stallion was prominent among the performers to sell the breed to the public. For years a guest book was kept at Harlinsdale Farm. Some days the champ was brought out of his stall twenty times a day for visitors to see and have their pictures taken with Midnight Sun. He was never ill natured. A child could go in his stall and pet him.
It was a farmer, the late Samuel Ramsey, who bred Ramsey's Rena, a bay mare, with Wilson's Allen, a chestnut. Rena died young after producing just three foals. Rena was about 90% Standardbred. Her sire was Dement's Allen by Hunter's Allen. Her dam was by Bell Buckle, a registered trotter of Bow Bells and Wedgewood blood. The registry gives her next dam as by John Covington's Hal, and the next as by "Galleston". This was a trotter, but not an American Standardbred. Old timers in the Woodbury area who remember him say his name was Galson. He was an imported black German Coach stallion. Galston was nearly seventeen hands and fifteen hundred pounds. Midnight Sun was sold as a suckling because he was one of the last crop by Wilson's Allen, and the buyer was stuck with him for nearly three years. Nobody could see anything promising in that solid black colt that was plain, thin, and gangly. Alex and Wirt Harlin were among those who didn't want the black colt until they saw him perform under saddle when he was turn four years old. They paid 4400 including the commission for the horse in 1944. The history makers pedigree contains out-crosses that have probably added much vigor. Instead of Roan Allen in both lines, he had Hunter's Allen on the dam's side and some of the stoutest trotting blood of his ancestor's day. The Tennessee Walking Horse, June 1951 issue says: "Throughout the United States, the get of Midnight Sun gain in popularity each year because his are the colts that are good in every department - conformation, style, animation, good looks and the inestimable ability conductive to performing the three gaits just right! There was considerable speculation among various horsemen relative to the performance ability of Midnight Sun about the time he was acquired by the Harlin brothers. Evidently they were confident they had something. Although at the time of his purchase Midnight Sun appeared as a gawky, awkward individual, with kind handling and efficient training, they made a polished gentleman of this backwoods-looking black stallion. Before crowned champion in 1945 and again in 1946, Midnight Sun became the first Tennessee Walking Horse stallion to capture the Grand Championship, the most coveted honor of the breed. In winning his championships, Midnight Sun exemplified a regeneration of the old fashioned, easy slipping, flowing gaited Tennessee Walking Horse of fifty or seventy five years ago. Winning these championships was not sufficient to prove his worth to the breed, but since that time he has been able to transmit his greatness to his offspring, which will leave for him a living example yet to be matched." Billy Taylor says of Midnight Sun, " Midnight Sun, in my opinion, was the best and most consistent breeder of true gaited Tennessee Walking Horses. We have two mares and one stallion that are grand-get of this great horse. These mares and stallion are some of the closest links to this horse."

Merry Go Boy
	Merry Go Boy was sired by Merry Boy, out of Wiser's Dimples. Winston Wiser paid his brother three hundred fifty dollars for the colt when he was only a few weeks old in 1943. As a weanling, he was the winner of the Weanling Horse Colt Class at the 1943 Celebration during a morning show. Three classes later, he was reserve to the weanling filly, Frances Langford. This was the only time he was defeated in his class during his lifetime. He won both the Yearling Colt Class and the Yearling Championship at the 1944 Celebration. He was the winner of the Three Year Old Stallion and Gelding Class and the Junior Stake in 1946. On the following night, as a junior, he entered the big stake and was beaten only by Midnight Sun. The grand show stallion came back again in 1947 and won the World Grand Championship. He repeated his victory again in 1948.
Merry Go Boy as a conformation model for the Walking Horse Breed. The expression, "As fine as Go Boy", indicates the high regard in which he was held for his appearance as well as his ability to perform the gaits. One of the first things noted about him was his extreme nodding action. He had three distinct and perfect gaits and had many times been cited for his top performance. In the 1960 Breeders National Futurity, 24 out of 46 ribbons were awarded to weanlings and yearlings sired by Merry Go Boy. Nothing appears to be known about what happened to all these colts when they were put under saddle though. Merry Go Boy died on July 7, 1969

We acknowledge the following sources for some of the text on this page: "The Biography of the Tennessee Walking Horse" by Ben Green, published by Four Craftsman Publishing; "The Echo of Hoofbeats" by Bob Womack; and The Tennessee Walking Horse, 1951

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