Bob and Charlotte Blackwell 

Bob had been ill for awhile and was in the process of downsizing and dispersing his herd of Missouri Fox Trotters.  His horses are advertised on page 12.
  
Bob gladly stepped up to the plate when FOSH was in need of a Director of its DQP and Inspection program.  He was a wonderful addition to the Board, and we all benefited greatly from his vast knowledge.  His zeal to protect the horse and untiring dedication to end soring will not be forgotten.  We will have a follow up article in the next Sound Advocate about Bob and his dedication to the sound horse.

Donations are being collected to assist Charlotte with Bob’s final medical bills and funeral expenses.  To make a donation directly to Bob’s wife, Charlotte, please mail to Charlotte Blackwell, 273 High Point Lane, Niangua, MO 65713.

Rick Lamb Visits FOSH Supporters,  Bucky and Nancy Sparks

Photos and article by Susan Noble

Rick Lamb, host of the weekly television program “The Horse Show” on RFD-TV is scheduled to be the Master of Ceremonies at this year's Sound Horse Conference in November, so Lori Northrup (President of Friends of Sound Horses) thought he might enjoy meeting some sound horse advocates beforehand. When she learned that Lamb would be a headliner at the Four States Ag Expo in Cortez, Colorado in March, she arranged for him to visit with Nancy and Bucky Sparks at their Walkin' the Dog Ranch, just north of Cortez.
 
Rick decided that this would be a good opportunity to film an episode for his television show, so on March 23, he and camera man, Jay Casmirri, arrived at the Sparks' ranch.
 
Jay set up his cameras for the interview in front of the Sparks' hundred-year-old stud barn. As Rick and Bucky sat down on a couple of bales of hay for the interview portion of the program, Lamb commented that the old barn was just the sort of classic structure he would want to build for a backdrop. Later he looked around and decided there wasn't a bad backdrop anywhere, surrounded as he was by the snow-capped Rocky Mountains on two sides and Mesa Verde National Park on another.
 
Bucky later said he appreciated Lamb's approach during the interview. “Rick Lamb is just who you see on his TV show – decent, interested, intelligent and easy to be around. He knows how to put a person at ease. He makes an interview a pleasant process.”
 
Following the interview, the action moved into the indoor arena where Nancy Sparks demonstrated what makes a gaited horse special. She then turned her mare, Rio, over to Rick for a test drive.
 
“It was a joy to be able to introduce a horseman like Rick Lamb to our breed,” said Nancy. “He had never ridden a Tennessee Walking Horse, and when he stepped aboard and picked up the reins, he lit up like a Christmas tree! He was amazed at our horses' calm dispositions, the smoothness of their gaits, and how responsive they are to a rider’s cues.”
 
Rick was treated to a demonstration of the gaits by two of the Sparks' youth riders, Hannah Truelsen and Emily McDonald, who were riding two of the Sparks' National and State Champion Tennessee Walkers. Then it was time for Rick to climb back in the saddle. Once he'd begun to get a feel for the gaits and had one of the horses moving along at a pretty good clip, Rick shouted to Bucky, “Is THIS a Running Walk?”
 
“Naw, Rick,” Bucky grinned. “Why don't you actually try GOING somewhere?”
 
With that, Rick got serious in inviting the mare forward. She moved up into a Running Walk, at which point Rick was whoopin' and grinnin'.
 
When Rick rode over to talk to the camera man a few minutes later, Jay commented that he has seen a lot through the lens of his camera, and on this particular day, he couldn't believe the speed and the action the horse was giving while Rick just sat up there barely moving.
 
For the final horse, Bucky brought out Eternal Flame, the ranch stud who is a two-time National Grand Champion Western Pleasure horse and two-time Reserve National Champion English Pleasure horse. Rick rode Flame English first, and then western, testing out his gaits (including his rocking chair canter,) turning on the forehand, turning on the haunches, and side-passing. When he finished, he rode over to Bucky, shook his hand and thanked him for the opportunity to learn about Tennessee Walkers.
 
Throughout the filming process, Lamb asked cogent questions regarding the misconceptions about the training of Tennessee Walkers. In response, the Sparks showed him how they have combined the groundwork aspect of Natural Horsemanship along with Dressage and Reining to build a training program that results in versatile horses who are equally capable of winning championships, going on pleasant trail rides, or packing elk during hunting season.
 
“Filming the show was an interesting experience,” said Bucky . “Nancy and I appreciated them coming to our ranch. We were grateful for the sincere interest they showed in our horses and our training methods and are looking forward to seeing the finished product when it is shown on RFD-TV in June.”