Merry Go Boy (May 4, 1943 – July 7, 1967) was a highly influential

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 ...

sire and two-time World Grand Champion. He is credited for producing the most desirable conformation type in his offspring.

Life

Merry Go Boy was foaled on May 4, 1943. He was sired by the stallion Merry Boy, and out of a mare named Wiser's Dimples. Merry Go Boy was

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 ...

with a white

star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...

and near hind

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...

. He was bred by Archie Wiser of

Wartrace, Tennessee Wartrace is a town in Bedford County, Tennessee. The population was 653 at the 2020 census. It is located northeast of Shelbyville. The downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Wartrace Historic District. Wartr ...

, and sold to Wiser's brother Winston for $350 when he was a few weeks old. In 1944, Elroy Mallard from

Georgetown, Kentucky Georgetown is a home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 37,086 at the 2020 census. It is the sixth-most populous city in Kentucky. It is the seat of its county. It was originally called Lebanon whe ...

bought a half-interest in Merry Go Boy. In 1948, Merry Go Boy was sold again to a Virginia owner for a then-record price of $55,000. Merry Go Boy was euthanized due to arthritis on July 7, 1967, at

Belfast, Tennessee Belfast is an unincorporated community in Marshall County, Tennessee, United States. The area ZIP code is 37019. It is roughly halfway between Nashville, Tennessee, to the north and Huntsville, Alabama, to the south. History A post office was e ...

Career

Merry Go Boy won the

weanling A weanling or weaner is an animal that has been weaned, eats solid food independently, and no longer relies on its mother's milk for nutrients. ''Weanling'' usually refers to a horse, though can be used with any livestock. ''Weaner'' is more co ...

horse colt class at the

Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration (TWHNC), sometimes known as the Celebration, is the largest horse show for the Tennessee Walking Horse breed, and has been held annually in or near Shelbyville, Tennessee since its inception in 19 ...

in 1943. In 1944, he won the yearling colt class and the

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the ...

championship. He won the two-year-old stallion class in 1945, and in the following year, 1946, won the three-year-old stallion/

gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...

junior stake and was then entered in the "big stake" or World Grand Championship, which he lost to

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 ...

. However, Merry Go Boy won the World Grand Championship title a year afterwards, in 1947, and again in 1948. Merry Go Boy's last major win was in 1967, when he won the get of sire class at the Celebration.

Offspring

After his retirement from showing, Merry Go Boy was put to stud in 1954 at S.W. Beech's stables. He sired three World Grand Champions: Go Boy's Shadow, winner in 1955 and 1956 with

Winston Wiser Winston Wiser (1910–1961) was a Tennessee Walking Horse trainer from Shelbyville, Tennessee, who won five World Grand Championships on three separate horses. Life Wiser was born in Bedford County, Tennessee on January 23, 1910, to James Daniel ...

; Go Boy's Sundust, winner in 1967; and Go Boy's Royal Heir, winner in 1968. In the 1960 Breeders' National Futurity, 24 of the 46 awards were given to sons and daughters of Merry Go Boy, although it is not known what became of these horses after they matured. Merry Go Boy is credited with popularizing his black color and fine conformation within his breed. *Merry Go BoyIn Memory of Merry Go Boy
/ref> ** Go Boy's Shadow ***Shadows Shadow ****Sensational Shadow **Go Boy's Royal Heir **Go Boy's Sundust

Pedigree

Merry Go Boy is

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders an ...

3S x 3S x 3D to the stallion Black Allan, meaning that he appears third generation twice on the sire side of his pedigree and third once generation on the dam side of his pedigree.

References

{{reflist Individual Tennessee Walking Horses 1943 animal births World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horses