Ebony Masterpiece was a

Tennessee Walking Horse The Tennessee Walking Horse or Tennessee Walker is a horse breed, breed of gaited horse known for its unique four-beat running-walk and flashy movement. It was originally Horse breeding, developed as a riding horse on farms and plantations in t ...

stallion who won a World Grand Championship in 1962. After his show career he retired to stud, where he sired over 3,500

foal A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt (horse), colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. Whe ...

s, six of which also became World Grand Champions.

Life

Ebony Masterpiece was a

black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

stallion A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

sired by Skipper's Son of Midnight and out of Lady Lee. His grandsire was World Grand Champion

Midnight Sun Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When midnight sun is see ...

, and his damsire was Merry Boy. He was bred and raised on Solitude Stock Farm near

Goodlettsville, Tennessee Goodlettsville is a city in Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson and Sumner County, Tennessee, Sumner Counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was incorporated as a city in 1958 with a population of just over 3,000 residents; in 2020, its popul ...

. Bud Seaton, the manager of the farm, began Ebony Masterpiece's training when he was a two-year-old in 1957. Seaton showed Ebony Masterpiece at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration as a two-year-old and the horse won his age division's championship. However, he had a

bowed tendon Tendinitis/tendonitis is inflammation of a tendon, often involving torn collagen fibers. A bowed tendon is a horseman's term for a tendon after a horse has sustained an injury that causes swelling in one or more tendons creating a "bowed" appearan ...

and had to be turned out to

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...

to recover. In the spring of 1958 Ebony Masterpiece was sold to Clay Simpson of

Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a city in Warren County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 72,294 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Kentucky, third-most populous city in the stat ...

. In 1962, Simpson then sold him to Mr. and Mrs. Billy Hale, of

Gallatin, Tennessee Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 30,278 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census and 44,431 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Named for United States Secre ...

, for $17,000. Simpson had paid $2,500 when he bought Ebony Masterpiece. After the sale, Ebony Masterpiece was trained by

Sam Paschal Sam Paschal was a Tennessee Walking Horse trainer from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Paschal trained three horses who won the breed's World Grand Championship. Career Paschal operated a training stable in Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a ...

and shown in the fall of 1961. Ebony Masterpiece won the World Grand Championship in the 1962 Celebration, making him Paschal's second stake winner. Ebony Masterpiece lived to be 33 years old.

Influence

Ebony Masterpiece was retired to stud following the 1962 Celebration, where he sired 3,555

s. As of 2016, he remains the highest-producing stallion listed on the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association records. Five of his sons themselves became World Grand Champions in the Tennessee Walking Horse industry; Ebony's Senator in 1969, Another Masterpiece in 1974, Ebony's True Grit in 1975, Ebony's Mountain Man in 1980, and Ebony's Bold Courier in 1983. One of his sons, Bourbon Street Bum II, was registered as a Racking Horse and won the World Grand Championship in the 1984 Racking Horse World Celebration. Ebony Masterpiece was still siring foals in 1986, at the age of 30.

Sire line tree

*Ebony Masterpiece **Ebony's Senator **Ebony Mountain Man **Ebony's True Grit **Another Masterpiece **Ebony's Bold Courier **Dr Elmer ***Doc's High Tribute **Black Charger ***MasqueradingIn Memory of Masquerading
/ref>

References

{{Reflist, 30em Individual Tennessee Walking Horses World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horses