wing commander was the greatest five gaited horse ever, the reason i know my father work at dodge stables with him he was there, his name is Bethel ward, he said wing had the speed of a standard breed horse my father took care of dream waltz when she won the stake at Louisville in 1956, i am 50 years old in the 70s when i went to the horse shows such as the junior league show i ask people who seen him and they said he is the best five gaited horse they ever seen, this clip was on a documentary about Maryland farm made in 1947 the date is wrong, wing commander was a junior horse, i have the maryland farm tape and my father was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year at the junior league horse show the care taker hall of fame, my father said his rack and trot was unbelievable you had to see it to believe it my name is Maurice Ward thank you.
Maurice Ward We bought the 5 gaited champion Gay Lover as a colt from Earl. My father became a friend of Earl so I was able to visit Wing as a child and the grooms had me feed him q few cigarettes...this was after all Kentucky. I especially liked Showboat, that big boned mare. Gay won stallion class at Lexington Junior League, too. I thought that Wing was a horse of a different because. when I saw him show at the Illinois State Fair I thought his coat had a light dusting of gray.
Thank you for sharing that bit of info. I too was a kid in the 70's. I lived in CA though, so I didn't get to see the horses that you did. But I remember the first time I laid eyes on beautiful 3 gaited saddlebred being ridden by a 9 yr old boy( Bob Bradley's son, for those of you who are familiar with Bradley Farm in San Diego,CA), I thought " oh my gosh! Now that is for me !!! Soon after I ended up with nice 5 gaited gelding.And stayed with saddlebreds as long as I could afford them. Haven't had one for many years, but I still adore them.
Thank you Maurice, fascinating. I had that famous clipping of Wing Commander looking out of his stall, door covered with championship ribbons. I lost it in a flood. Would love to replace it. Nothing like what you and your family experienced.
I was fortunate enough to have a grand-daughter of Wing Commander. She is a beautiful black mare named OM Over Level, about 23 years old now. When I got her, she was the smartest horse I had ever owned. I got two very nice foals ( now mares) out of her, that I still have. The black mare is even smarter than her dam ! Very nice animals.
Important and historic film -- also please note the excellent shoulder layback and forequarter angulation on all three individuals -- today, we are seeing far too many straight shoulders in this breed.
Gotta say, I prefer Easter Parade - though Wing Commander had one hell of a rack. Thanks so much for sharing! Had to chuckle that they canter like today's pleasure horses!
My Uncle was Frank Bradshaw! A great horseman & Easter Parade was a great horse! I'm sure you've heard of My My, named after my cousin. It brings back such fun memories to see Uncle Frank ride!
While this clip is a gem as it is a piece of ASB history, it is eight mm and not a good representation of any of the horses. As a young child, I saw Wing Commander the year he retired. I can remember it like it was yesterday. The horse was a true athlete and had tremendous ring presence. He and Easter Parade met in the ring four times, each one winning twice. Contrary to what some say, he had a great rack and slow gait. The trot was his gait of choice and it was unreal. That is a characteristic of many of his offspring. They had endurance to spare and usually worked better on the rework. Enough said.
+Susan Fowler It is interesting that you saw him show the year he retired...I did also, and I believe it was at the Illinois State Fair horse show, and I think it was his last show. He was a "horse of a different color" in that his color was unusual...I detected a grayish hue in the brown. I knew him "personally" as my parents were friends of Earl Teater, and my father purchased "Gay Lover" from Earl as a colt...he went on to become a world champion stallion...His sire was from Anacacho Shamrock out of Sparkling Waters (I hope I have the dam correct!) so he was a half brother to Wing. As a child I remember giving Wing Commander a cigarette or two to chew (not filtered! and given to me by the grooms...after all, this was tabacco country :) Oh yes! He had "ring presence." !!!
+crispinmango Yes. I remember the unusual coloration. Back in the early sixties, I had a walk trot gelding in the stall next to one of his early memorable offspring, Anne Commander. Annie had the same color and markings as Wing. That blue grey hue seemed to be most noticeable when she was in an indoor venue with bright lights. Yep, the Kentucky horses liked their tobacco. I had one that preferred it over mints. Go figure. .
WING COMMANDER. I’ve loved this Saddlebred ever since I was a child--and I love him to this day! Khemosabi too! Different breeds but the same greatness!!!
See, the horses back then move like today's horses do in the pasture! The recent headset just looks so unnatural compared to how they truly move at liberty AND used to show, like in this video above. Bring back the natural headset, ASB community!
Sorry, but I was just playing with my 3 year old in the arena yesterday (Park show horse) chasing a "horse ball", and she had the headset of contemporary showhorses while playing naked. I can't agree with you at all.
My boy goes back to him and I definitely see a hint of resemblance. I just wish my horse had the heart of the amazing horses in his bloodlines. He's got the looks and build just not a lot of go.
Callaway's Special Dispatch, whose person I am, is Wing Commander bred and shows it. Now 21, "Angel" made his mark in Fine Harness, and now rolls in green pastures.
Angel's papers show Wing Commander on mare and stud sides, two gens ago. All the Callaway Hills horses are really well bred--I'm thrilled to share his life!
Poor horses, being made to move so unnaturally like the big lick TWH, and with riders riding equally badly - sitting back on the horse's loins, making them travel hollow-backed with llama neck and head posture. Nasty treatment of lovely horses!