Vic Thompson

Last updated
Vic Thompson
OccupationHorse trainer
DisciplinePerformance Tennessee Walking Horse
BornTexas
Died1996
Major wins/ChampionshipsWorld Grand Championship in 1957
Honors
Inducted into Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame
Significant horses
Sun's Jet Parade, Mr. Sensation, Ebony's Senator

Vic Thompson (died 1996) was a Tennessee Walking Horse trainer. He and the horse Sun's Jet Parade won the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration's World Grand Championship in 1957. Thompson was the first president of the Walking Horse Trainers' Association and was later inducted into the Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame.

Tennessee Walking Horse American horse breed noted for its running walk gait

The Tennessee Walking Horse or Tennessee Walker is a breed of gaited horse known for its unique four-beat running-walk and flashy movement. It was originally developed in the southern United States for use on farms and plantations. It is a popular riding horse due to its calm disposition, smooth gaits and sure-footedness. The Tennessee Walking Horse is often seen in the show ring, but is also popular as a pleasure and trail riding horse using both English and Western equipment. Tennessee Walkers are also seen in movies, television shows and other performances.

Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Annual event in Shelbyville, Tennessee

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration (TWHNC), sometimes known as the Celebration, is the largest horse show for the Tennessee Walking Horse breed, and has been held annually in or near Shelbyville, Tennessee since its inception in 1939. The Celebration was conceived by Henry Davis, a horse trainer who along with several other horsemen, felt the Shelbyville area should have a festival or annual event. Although the Celebration was originally held in Wartrace, Tennessee, it moved to Shelbyville, the seat of Bedford County, a few years later. The Celebration spans 11 days and nights in late August and early September annually, and finishes with the crowning of the World Grand Champion Tennessee Walker on the Saturday night before Labor Day. The TWHNC draws an estimated 2,000 horses and 250,000 spectators to Shelbyville each year.

Life and career

Vic Thompson was born in Texas and began training horses in 1939, when his father bought a group of 22 horses to resell. Thompson later moved to Tennessee, where he opened a breeding and training stable in 1951. [1] It was located outside Shelbyville, Tennessee, on the Tullahoma Highway. Thompson was best known for training the stallion Sun's Jet Parade. In 1957 he had entered the horse in the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, but the night before the World Grand Championship class, he received a phone call from a neighbor, saying, "Vic, your good black stud is running down the highway." [2] Thompson managed to catch Sun's Jet Parade, who had been let out of his stall. The next night the pair won the World Grand Championship. Thompson hoped to repeat his win the next year, and entered the stake again, but was beaten by Setting Sun and Sam Paschal. [2]

Shelbyville, Tennessee City in Tennessee, United States

Shelbyville is a city in Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. It had a population of 20,335 residents at the 2010 census. Shelbyville, the county seat of Bedford County, was laid out in 1810 and incorporated in 1819. The town is a hub of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry and has been nicknamed "The Walking Horse Capital of the World".

Stallion Term for a male horse that has not been castrated

A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to female horses, known as mares, and castrated males, called geldings.

Setting Sun was a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion who competed in his breed's World Grand Championship three times. On his first attempt, in 1956, he placed third; he won the Reserve World Grand Championship in 1957 and the World Grand Championship in 1958. He was trained by Sam Paschal. After his wins, Setting Sun made nationwide television appearances. He died in 1976 and is buried near Newport, Tennessee.

Thompson was one of the trainers to set up the Sale of Champions, an annual horse auction that takes place during the Celebration every year. When he founded it in the early 1950s, it was held on the Celebration Grounds and only sold horses that were entered in the show. Although he had ridden a World Grand Champion, Thompson's favorite horse was a gelding named Mr. Sensation. He was Reserve World Grand Champion twice, won Gelding World Championships in six consecutive Celebrations, and won over 400 ribbons under Thompson's training. [1] Thompson was influential in starting the Walking Horse Trainers' Association, as well as their first president from 1968 to 1969 [3] and was also known for mentoring young trainers and amateur riders alike. He had relatively high standards, and did not allow riders at his barn to wear shorts, chew gum, or wear their hair loose in case of female riders. If a rider he taught was competing in a horse show and did something wrong, he would whistle loudly at them. His daughter Kathy said, "When he whistled you had better be listening". [2] Trainers who got started in the horse industry by Thompson include Allan Callaway, Jack Johnson, Joe Martin, and Mack Motes. [2]

Gelding Castrated horse or other male equine

A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine, such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally-driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday working animal. The gerund and participle "gelding" and the infinitive "to geld" refer to the castration procedure itself.

Chewing gum soft, cohesive substance intended for chewing but not swallowing

Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its texture is reminiscent of rubber because of the physical-chemical properties of its polymer, plasticizer, and resin components, which contribute to its elastic-plastic, sticky, chewy characteristics.

Horse show A judged exhibition of horses

A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer for major, all-breed events or national and international championships in a given discipline or breed. Most shows consist of a series of different performances, called classes, wherein a group of horses with similar training or characteristics compete against one another for awards and, often, prize money.

In 1968 Thompson retired from training and set up a breeding operation called Stallion Stables. [1] The next year Maurice Wilson, a rider he had been mentoring, won the World Grand Championship on the horse Ebony's Senator. [2]

Thompson and his wife Marilyn had two daughters, Kathy and Vicki Lynn Thompson. [4] Kathy rode horses as a very young child but quit after an accident in which a horse fell on her. She was sitting beside an arena during the Wartrace Horse Show, and as a horse and rider turned the corner the horse lost his footing and slid down on top of her. Kathy was not seriously harmed but refused to ride again until she was in high school, when someone dared her. After riding on the dare, she began riding often and later competed in some horse shows, including the Celebration. [2]

The Wartrace Horse Show is an annual one-night horse show held in Wartrace, Tennessee. It has been held since 1906 and is traditionally popular with competitors hoping to enter the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration later in August.

Vic Thompson was inducted into the Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame. [1] He died in 1996. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Golden Oldies-Vic Thompson - The Walking Horse Report". The Walking Horse Report Online. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "A daughter keeps her daddy's legacy alive". 3 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "Home - Walking Horse Trainers Association". www.walkinghorsetrainers.com. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Obituary - Marilyn Thompson - The Walking Horse Report". The Walking Horse Report Online. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
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