Forsyth, Montana
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Close to 60 years ago my mother, Marie McBroom Was going through a
catalog put out by the TWHBA when she saw Trouble's picture. Mom
said all of the TW champions and foundation stock were in that
catalog. She wrote to the Association in Lewisburg and that is how
she found Silvertip-Rickey our ranch's foundation sire.
Rickey was bred by E. E. Everson of Carrol, Iowa. He was sired by
Trouble and out of the mare, Strolling Beauty A. Her sire was a full
brother to Trouble so Rickey was line bred Last Chance. Rickey was
shipped by train in a crate from Iowa to Polson, Montana as a
yearling. This was in 1947. That same year Mom bought the sorrel
mare, Richardson's Honey Chile.
Honey would be considered a sabino now. Honey's sire was Chief's
Allen, a lit up chestnut stallion sired by Edward King O'Chiefs.
Chief's Allen was considered the best of the living sons of Edward
King O'Chiefs. Chief's Allen was shown in 20 classes and won 20 blue
ribbons.
Honey was transported with several other walkers that Fred Pierce of
Billings, MT had bought. My parents picked her up in Billings. Honey
was bred to Spiller's Gold Dust, a rich dark gold Palomino stallion.
At that time he was standing at stud in Tennessee.
In 1948 Chief O'Chief's was the result of this cross and the first
TWH foal born on our Big Arm Ranch. Chief was a lit up sorrel sabino.
Chief was sold as a yearling. His most notable offspring was Chief
Joseph who was owned and trained by Ross Howell. Chief joseph went on
to sire 44 registered TWH offspring. Some of those in Alberta. Chief
O' Chiefs was purchased by Frank Smith in 1948 or 1949.
In 1949 Mom bought Tom Moss' walking horses when he retired from the
Rafter 33 Ranch , Big Horn, Wyoming.
Black Beauty Allen 440890 foaled 7-1-1935
Patty La Marr 380002 foaled in 1937.
Margaret La Marr 440480 foaled in 1943
Ruby Jones 431032 foaled in 1941
Dixie La Marr 474575 foaled in 1947
Baby Kay 2nd 482684 foaled in 1948.
Buck La Marr 450574 foaled in 1944
Patty La Marr's dam was Lady La Marr , a mare that Mrs. Bill Eaton
sold to Tom Moss. Lady La Marr was 19 years old when she was bred to
Tom Moss' stallion, Billie Gene. Patty La Marr was the result of that
breeding. Lady La Marr's sire was the Thoroughbred stallion, Jack La
Marr. The noted trainer and author, Lee Zeigler , has mentioned Jack
La Marr in some of her writing about Tennessee Walkers.
Mom was excited about the La Marr horses some having strong Copper
Bottom blood lines through Yellow Jacket. Yellow Jacket's sire was
Last Chance and his dam Golden Lady. Tom Moss said, "there are other
palomino TWH from other families but none of them that I have ever
seen have the beautiful color of gold that the family founded by
Golden Lady has, nor do they seem to pass that color on from my
observations, as regularly as Golden Lady's family. " Mom said Yellow
Jacket wasn't really a palomino. She described his color as almost an
orange or pink shade of Yellow. She said he was close to a Claybank.
The genetics of a claybank are Chestnut + Cream + Dun.This color is
described as very rare.
Buck La Marr, a grandson of Yellow Jacket, and Black Beauty Allen
produced Marie La Marr , a buckskin mare that has a glow to her color
and she has had champagne offspring.
Mom believed that these old lines Tom Moss had were an excellent
cross with Silvertip-Rickey which has proven to be so true. One of
the most notable mares born to Silvertip-Rickey and Black Beauty
Allen was Sago (Black beauty II) . Mom sold her to Pearl Tompkins in
1957. Pearl was asked when she was 90 years old which walker was the
best she'd ever owned. She replied "Old Beauty."
Silvertip-Rickey sired 20 fillies and 9 stallions, 3 of those were
gelded. The 6 stallions who passed his bloodlines on were:
Lightfoot Rickey (501200)
Golden Copperbottom (1952)
Rickey's Frosty Son (1953)
Rickey's Silver Star (1954)
Reveille Boy (1955)
Silvertip Shawn (1955)
Lightfoot Rickey, a son of Silvertip-Rickey and Richardson's Honey
Chile was foaled in 1950. Mom sold him to Homer Davis in 1952 or '53.
Homer is the one who got Pearl Tompkins interested in walkers. Pearl
never looked back . She went on to become involved in breeding and
promoting TWH throughout the Northwest and Canada.
Patty La Marr's daughter, Col.s Princess Pat was the dam of Red Cloud
V. , one of Gene Autrey's Champions.
Black Beauty Allen's daughter, Melody O Rollin Hills, (owned by Raili
Tenkula) and Col.s Princess Pat were traded by Mom to Calvin Miller
for Zephyr's Flash O Gold in 1959. Silvertip Rickey had to be put
down due to a broken shoulder in 1954. Mom had been using Colonel D.
a son of Black Beauty Allen and she was also trading stud fees with
Homer Davis, Ross Howell, and Pearl Tompkins.
Zephyr's Flash O' Gold's first foal crop for Mom was in 1960. He
sired 16 foals for Mom. Mom said Flash was gentle and lovable. A
person would never know he was a stallion. Silvertip-Rickey was the
same way. My sister, Alice, and I were riding Rickey all over the
ranch, around mares, and other riders when we were 8 and 10 years old.
Golden Copperbottom sired Copperbottom Patty who had Patty's
Silvertip. Patty's Silvertip
was the dam of Coldwell's Pat, the stallion who sired Montana Travler
the foundation sire for the Montana Travler Horse Breed.
Our Big Arm Ranch was instrumental in bringing in some of the best
TWH bloodlines that are still popular in the Northwest and Canada
today. Most of our High Plains Walkers go back to these old
foundation bloodlines.
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