Strolling Jim

Strolling Jim (1936–1957) was the first Tennessee Walking Horse to become World Grand Champion of his breed.[lower-alpha 1] Since Strolling Jim's death, a restaurant, street, and an annual ultramarathon in his hometown of Wartrace, Tennessee have been named after him.

Strolling Jim
BreedTennessee Walking Horse
DisciplineShow horse
SireWilson's Allen
GrandsireRoan Allen
DamAllen's Strolling Jennie
SexGelding
Foaled1936
CountryUnited States
ColorChestnut, hind sock, star, snip
BreederEd Gilliam
TrainerFloyd Carothers[1]
Honors
First Tennessee Walking Horse World Grand Champion

Life

Strolling Jim was foaled in 1936 near Viola, Tennessee, and was bred by Ed Gilliam. Strolling Jim was sired by Wilson's Allen and out of Allen's Strolling Jennie. Through his sire he was half-brother to Midnight Sun and Haynes Peacock. He was a chestnut with a left hind sock, star, and snip on his nose.[1]

Strolling Jim was first trained to pull a wagon and a plow. Like many horses at the time, he was used as a working farm horse until he was seen by a well-known Walking Horse trainer at the time, Floyd Carothers.[1] Carothers thought the young gelding had potential, bought him for $350 and took him into training.[2][3]

Strolling Jim was a three-year-old in 1939, when the first Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration was held in Wartrace. He was shown by Floyd Carothers and the pair won the World Grand Championship.[1]

After his win, Strolling Jim was sold multiple times and finally sold out of state to a farm in California. From there he went to Pennsylvania, where he had a successful show career,[4] before being flown back to Tennessee in 1947.[5] There he was given to Carothers' widow, Olive. She showed him in a ladies' class in the 1948 Celebration, which was his final show before his retirement.[1]

Strolling Jim died April 23, 1957, and was buried by his stables behind the Walking Horse Hotel owned by Mrs. Carothers in Wartrace. His grave, with engraved headstone, can still be viewed today.[1][6]

Legacy

A color portrait of Strolling Jim, painted in 1940 by Bill Humphreys, is on display in the Tennessee Walking Horse National Museum, along with the leather saddle Strolling Jim wore at the 1939 Celebration.[7]

In the late 1990s, some guests at the Walking Horse Hotel reported seeing Strolling Jim's ghost "prancing" around by his old stables on New Year's Eve.[8] The restaurant at the hotel was named the Strolling Jim Restaurant after a renovation in 2007.[9]

An annual 40-mile ultramarathon held in Wartrace is named in the horse's honor,[10] and there is a street named Strolling Jim Drive in the nearby town of Shelbyville, Tennessee.[11]

Pedigree
Pedigree of Strolling Jim[12]
Sire
Wilson's Allen		 Roan Allen Black Allan Allendorf
Maggie Marshall
Gertrude Royal Denmark
Ball II
Birdie Messick Black Allan Allendorf
Maggie Marshall
Nellie Walking Dan Allen
Unknown
Dam
Allens Strolling Jennie		 Maberry Allen Roan Allen Black Allan
Gertrude
Mayberry Kendal
Queen May
Unknown Unknown Unknown
Unknown
Unknown Unknown
Unknown

Notes
  1. When the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration was founded in 1939, the largest honor was referred to as the National Championship. For the 1945 Celebration, it was changed to the World Grand Championship, which it has been known as since. Horses which won the National Championship are listed with the World Grand Champions on official records.

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References
  1. "Tennessee Walking horse – Strolling Jim #410315 home page by Walkers West". walkerswest.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  2. Littman, Margaret (2013-07-23). Moon Tennessee. Avalon Travel. ISBN 9781612383514.
  3. "Notable Horses From The Past". twhheritagesociety.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  4. "The Pittsburgh Press – Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  5. "Lodi News-Sentinel – Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  6. "Grave of Strolling Jim, Tennessee Walking Horse". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  7. "Shelbyville Times-Gazette: Local News: Strolling Jim portrait graces museum (04/09/15)". Shelbyville Times-Gazette.
  8. Brown, Alan (2009-02-26). Walking Horse Hotel. ISBN 9780811746489. Retrieved 19 January 2016. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  9. Publisher, MIKE PIRTLE. "New fine-dining venue in an unexpected location ... Wartrace". The Murfreesboro Post.
  10. "Strolling Jim marathon – Race Details". Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  11. Manning, Russ (May 2002). Scenic Driving Tennessee. Globe Pequot Press. ISBN 9780762711383.
  12. "Strolling Jim Tennessee Walking Horse". Retrieved 24 March 2016.
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