After showing at another breed horse show in Valley City, ND., (the breed I had just purchased some top dollar stock in, and was putting together a breeding program for), we went to this show and found a lot of undesirable things happening.

I noticed the Tennessee Walking Horse Show at the NILE.  I suggested to Wade that we go and watch.  I was willing to see what the walking horse was all about, although not expecting to find people who were friendly, helpful and full of information.  Not after being at shows where no one would speak to you, where they gave you funny looks if you tried to make conversation in the warm up ring, and where so obviously, the one with the most money won,  - - a place where I absolutely did not want my children to learn the ways of showing. 

I stumbled into the Walking horse world.  It was cold and rainy, but yet everyone I met was friendly.  That's where I found Dollar.  He was just a two year old, and only had a couple of months under saddle.

He won the classes he was in that day.  The gal that had him was hard up for feed with winter coming and was willing to sell him.  I saw an opportunity.  Wade had absolutely refused to ever go back to another show where we were treated the way we were  in Valley City.  However he was having fun at the NILE, among a breed he was very familiar with.  I knew if I bought him Dollar, he would show with me. 

We made arrangements for Dollar's transportation to ND, where we spent the winter just enjoying him.  In the spring we had his shoes reset.  We had a hard time finding a farrier in our area who had experience with Walkers.  The ones we dealt with had Dollar all messed up.  This is how he ended up in Washington in training,  and how we ended up in the Tennessee Walking Horse show ring.