Waterfall Farms 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 ...

farm located in

Bedford County, Tennessee Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,237. Its county seat is Shelbyville. Bedford County comprises the Shelbyville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also in ...

. During their heyday, they stood World and World Grand Champion stallions such as JFK, He's Puttin' on the Ritz,

Pride's Generator Pride's Generator (1975–2001) was a Tennessee Walking Horse who won three World Championships before being retired to breeding. Standing at stud first at S. W. Beech Stables and later at Waterfall Farms, he sired over 2,000 foals, of which two ...

, and Watch It Now at stud and had multiple

show horse A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer ...

s. Waterfall Farms was later sold and no longer is an operational horse facility.

History

Waterfall Farms was a 936-

acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...

property located in

, a few miles from Shelbyville. It was first bought by Buddy Hugh in the 1960s and had multiple owners until 1994, when it was purchased by Bill and Sandra Johnson and given its ultimate name. The front 89 acres of the property housed the majority of the horses, with a guest center, cottages and multiple barns, totaling over 300 stalls, and a riding arena with bleachers. The arena was the site of horse shows and the annual colt preview. Waterfall Farms hosted horse shows sanctioned by the Walking Horse Owners Association (WHOA) for several years. They had a number of employees, including notable trainers such as Tracy Boyd. In 2010 Waterfall was sold to Wayne and Jean Day of

Goodlettsville Goodlettsville is a city in Davidson and 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 population was 17,789. It is part of the Nashville metropo ...

and the name was changed. The couple announced at the time that they planned to stand stallions as well as raise

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

on the back part of the farm. The following year, the Johnsons were suspended for alleged violations of the Horse Protection Act that happened in 2000, but this did not affect Waterfall as it was no longer theirs.

Stallions

Waterfall stood many World and World Grand Champion stallions at stud to the public. The Johnsons owned the 1994 World Grand Champion He's Puttin' on the Ritz during his show career and stood him at stud for the rest of his life. A few months after buying the farm, the Johnsons purchased JFK, a stallion who was only defeated once in 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 ...

. He stood at stud there for many years.

, a major influence in Walking Horse bloodlines who sired two World Grand Champions and over 100 World Champions, stood at Waterfall for several years in the 1990s. He was owned by Claude Crowley. In addition to standing stallions owned by others, Waterfall had a training barn and showed horses. They owned multiple show horses, including Watch It Now, who was originally named The Titan. Watch It Now won the World Grand Championship in 2009, the same year he was purchased by Waterfall. He was retired to stud there the fall after his Championship. Waterfall Farms implemented an incentive program to recognize

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 sired by their stallions. If a horse sired by a Waterfall stallion during the years he stood at stud there won a World Championship, it received $100,000, with $50,000 going to the breeder and $50,000 going to the owner if they were two different people.

References

{{coord missing, Tennessee Tennessee Walking Horses Horse farms in Tennessee