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| In the
spring of 2007 we got the message that a horse we knew
from the time that he was still a foal, was in need of a
new home, and thus for sale. It was Pride's Regal
Delight, called Tuck, and we remembered him as Pride's
Nip & Tuck, the name at first given to him by his
breeder, Ron Powell.
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| Sure we
also remembered Ron, an American living in Germany for
many years, as he introduced us to many fine Tennessee
Walking Horses, including Tuck's sire Pride's Regal Boy
and Tuck's dam Midnites Model Lady S. Together with Ron,
who was mostly presenting his favorite Pride's Regal
Boy, we showed TWH's to the public at many shows and
fairs, including the Americana at Munich in Bavaria,
back in 1988, where I rode my favorite Lad's Black
Buster. Ron's mare Lady was also shown at many occasions
and at a fine sunny day in Rhineland-Palatin, Ron
invited several Tennessee Walking Horse fans to ride
this mare. Here I want to share a few pictures of that
day, showing Lady with different riders, among them
Bärbel Ossowski, former owner of Joy's Little Lady,
Ingrid Deubel, former owner of Buster's Dutch Darling,
and me. |
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Shortly after this day when we had been
riding Lady, there was a big show with several Tennessee
Walkers participating during the Equitana fair in Essen,
Germany. For gaited horses, the IGV (see our links list)
prepared a catalogue which needed photographs
representing each participating breed. We, the "oldies"
in promoting TWH's in Europe, were asked to come with a
picture of a TWH showing the breeds typical gait.
We selected a picture of Lady, with Helmut |
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from Germany riding her, to
grace the front cover of this first major IGV
publication. In those days, the IGV still
worked under it's initial name: IGT - Internationale
Interessengemeinschaft für töltende Pferde, which was
later changed to IGV - Internationale Gangpferde
Vereinigung (International Gaited Horse Association) as
the first title didn't encompass gaited horses with
another gait than tölt which is to be translated as
rack. And, as we know, a flat walk and a running walk
are absolutely different gaits than a rack. |
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| Then, in
1990, Lady got her first foal, Pride's Nip & Tuck, a
loudly colored middle grade sabino bay colt with lots of
roaning. On another visit to Ron I took his baby
picture, when Tuck was roaming around with people and
horses, but not staying close to his dam as he was one
of those foals who had to be bottle-raised. This
naturally didn't give him the best possible start in
life, and maybe he could have grown a bit bigger if he
had been nursed by his dam, still he grew out to be a
strong little fellow with amazingly sturdy joints in his
legs and big, solid hoofs! |
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| Needless
to say, Henk and I hurried to Thüringen in Eastern
Germany where Pride's Regal Delight was living, to fetch
him home. Arriving there, we found him fully indulged in
eating, but later he was shown outside and we were both
impressed to see his extremely long strides. I also
remembered to have seen him as an adult horse before,
when he was shown at an IGV (see our links list)
competition in Reken, Germany, ridden by a young girl
and placing very well because of his splendid walk gait.
Anyway, we took him all the way from Jena to Horst, he
was quiet and well behaved on the long drive alone in
the trailer, as he always was later on. |
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| Here in
the Netherlands, Pride's Regal Delight embarked on a
little success story. We found another youth rider for
him, Felicitas Band, who did a very good job with him at
the 2007 Dutch TWH Championships! Not only did she
become Dutch Youth Champion with Tuck, but the horse
also got a prestigious title: Dutch Grand Champion 2007!
In spite of the very short
preparatory time, Felicitas showed Tuck's natural
ability
to go a fantastic long striding square flatwalk and
running walk as well as a slow and quite loose but
correct canter. Pride's Regal Delight was shown unshod,
whirling the sand with his big, hard quality hoofs! |
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| We went
back to his country of birth again to show Tuck at the
2007 TWHBEA European Championships at Alpenrod, Germany,
this time with youth rider Suzanne Thomassen from
Belgium. Again Tuck showed the audience what a proper
long striding walk is, and he placed second in the
well-filled English two-gait class. A job well done by
the Suzanne & Tuck team and the first time for Suzanne
to present a stallion! Especially for Henk, who
fell severely ill shortly after we fetched Tuck in Jena,
it was a delight to celebrate the success of Pride's
Regal Delight in competition. |
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| As we
knew about the fine qualities of both Tuck's sire
Pride's Regal Boy (an European Champion in his own
right) and dam Midnites Model Lady S, we wanted to have
Pride's Regal Delight available at stud as a welcome
addition to our string of stallions. After arriving
in the Netherlands, Tuck proved himself to be fully
worthy to be a breeding stallion. |
| Let's
have a look at some of Tuck's ancestors, his pedigree
boasts several World Grand Champions and other renowned
studs. |
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The most influential
sire of the breed, Pride of Midnight H.F.,
appears once in his pedigree, as
great-grandsire. As the great qualities of
this stud are widely known, we need not
elaborate about this further! |
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| Another
great-grandsire is Sir Winston S., a well known stud
from Tennessee, commented as follows in advertising:
"Sir Winston S. has stood the test. His get compare
favorably with the best. Sir Winston S., the sire of
true Tennessee Walking Horses." |
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Articles
in the Voice in 1974 and 1975 by Wanda
Jowers comment on this stud as follows:
"No trip to Tennessee is complete without a
visit to the home of Sir Winston S. This
beautiful black stallion defies description,
and his pictures don't do him justice. He
has to be one of the most beautiful
stallions the breed has ever produced, and
is the culmination of every breeder's dream.
He has a faultless pedigree and conformation
to match, with a back just big enough for a
saddle, a deep sloping shoulder and a
beautiful head and ear mounted on a well
proportioned neck. He has good bone
structure and a nice disposition as well.
The reason for his popularity in recent
years is no secret - he sires winners -
World Champions included. Next time you're
in Lynchburg, stop and take a look at Sir
Winston S., he's fantastic." |
"Sir
Winston S.......a study in royal breeding.
Many good things have been said about him,
but little emphasis has been placed on his
fantastic pedigree, which is unsurpassed by
any stallion standing today.
Sir Winston is a blending of two great
bloodlines, Wilson's Allen and Merry Boy,
and he is line bred to each. His sire Go
Boy's Shadow is a double grandson of Merry
Boy and a two time World Grand Champion.
Shadow's sire was the world renowned Merry
Go Boy, another two time World Grand
Champion. Shadow's dam Merry Walker, was the
only mare in the history of the breed that
produced two World Grand Champions, the
other being Rodgers Perfection. Sir
Winston's dam Midnight Bessie was an
outstanding show mare. She was a double
granddaughter of Wilson's Allen, and a
daughter of Midnight Sun, often referred to
as "the greatest of the Tennessee Walking
Horse sires". He was also a two time World
Grand Champion. Midnight Bessie's dam
Harlin's Bess was a fine show mare. Seldom
do you run across a pedigree like this. Few
stallions can boast of six World
Championships in the first two generations
of their pedigree. Sir Winston is
undoubtedly the finest breeding son of Go
Boy's Shadow, who is by now the oldest
living World Grand Champion." |
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Midnight Sun, mentioned here as "the greatest of the Tennessee Walking Horse sires", was indeed not without reason honored with a statue and a place on the cover of "The Echo of Hoofbeats", A History of the Tennessee Walking Horse, by Bob Womack. In the pedigree of Pride's Regal Delight we find him twice in the fourth generation, once as sire of Pride of Midnight H.F. In this studs extended pedigree we find Midnight Sun many times more, among this as sire of Sun-Dust 481968 (in the fourth generation on the pedigree), one of the most beautiful and well respected sons of Midnight Sun. |
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Apart from
the already mentioned sire of Sir Winston
S., Go Boy's Shadow, there is still another
World Grand Champion in the fourth
generation on the pedigree of Pride's Regal
Delight, it's GLL's Carbon Copy. As
the qualities of World Grand Champions are
widely known, we can refer to literature on
the breed to read more about Go Boy's Shadow
and GLL's Carbon Copy. Only, there's a poem
made by Carbon Copy's last owner, Barbary
Ann Pate, in memory of this stallion who
lived to be 30 years old, which we want to
copy here as it shows so nicely how this
stud was adored: |
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- In
memory -
GLL's Carbon Copy, 1960 - 1990
1964 World Grand Champion
Take your rest now, O great stallion,
How nobly you have served your breed.
Your courage superior to the test
A strikingly brilliant steed.
So many sons and daughters though
You have come to be,
Bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh,
A dynamic legacy.
Your blood now courses through their veins,
Your intuition and traits passed on,
Of champion caliber in black or bay,
What beauty to look upon.
Oh, Copy, you know, you were a legend
in your own time,
Your talent and natural ability
has truly blessed mankind.
Tho sadness presently grips this aching
heart
of mine,
I thank my God that you re-entered our lives
For even a brief space of time.
Barbara
Ann Pate |
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Pride's Regal Delight is a royally bred bay sabino-roan Tennessee Walking Horse with enormous strides shown with a correct square flat walk and running walk and a fine slow canter. He's got correct conformation with very good bone structure and solid quality hoofs, and a head with small chiseled ears to match. He measures 1,48 cm at the withers. He's the 2007 Dutch Grand Champion. "Tuck" will
pass on quality gait and conformation, as well as a fine disposition. Foaled 05-05-1990.
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photo by Koen Gabriels Natuurfotografie
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**With great regret we have to tell that Tuck is no longer with us. He was being prepared for the 2008 European Championships at Steinhagen, Germany, by Felicitas Band, when he fell ill. It turned out to be a terminal condition and despite the treatment, we had no other choice than to have him euthanized. Surrounded by his people, Tuck was put to sleep.
We still miss him - he was a brave and gentle little stallion!** |
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