As
taken from the book-Echo of Hoofbeats by Dr. Bob Womack
Merry Boy, like Wilson’s Allen, was a son
of Roan Allen F-38. In
addition to this great paternal boost he was foaled from one of the most
influential mares ever developed by the breed, Merry Legs.
Since Merry Legs was by Allan F-1, as was Birdie Messick, the dam
of Wilson’s Allen, the two stallions were three-quarters
brothers…
Merry Boy was, of course, out
of the famous Merry Legs, and she was out of a mare named Nell
Dement…Nell’s daughter, Merry Legs, gave birth to three colts sired
by Roan Allen F-38; Merry Boy was the third colt from that cross.
The black roan stallion was foaled at Wartrace in 1925, and
remained the property of his breeder, Albert Dement, until approximately
1935. Merry Boy was another
product of Dement’s experimental breeding program, and if the program
had produced no other animal its existence would have been more than
fulfilled in this great sire…His offspring became noted for their airy
way of moving, their flashy colors, and high spirits.
In 1944, at the age of nineteen, Merry Boy was sold to Mrs.
William McBride Yandell of Vance, Mississippi, who kept him until 1949,
at which time he was sold to George Williams of Jackson, Tennessee.
Merry Boy died in 1958 at the age of thirty-three…
Although the blue ribbon
seemed to elude the get of Merry Boy, it was quite evident by the
mid-forties that the son of Merry Legs was a force to be reckoned
with…The greatest show horse Merry Boy sired was, of course, Merry Go
Boy…From that time on Merry Go Boy with his black color and his
fineness, plus his great show ring record, picked up the Merry Boy torch
and relegated his sire to a second-rate position even in his own family.
If Merry Go Boy was Merry Boy’s greatest,
he certainly was not the last good show-horse sired by the old
horse…While the winning record of Merry Boy offspring at the
Celebration is not as impressive as that of Wilson’s Allen and
Midnight Sun, it is, nevertheless, outstanding when compared to the
average sire. Even though
the record of Merry Go Boy alone would have established Merry Boy as one
of the breed’s most influential sires, certainly there are others that
have contributed to his reputation.
Among the old horse’s most impressive show ring performers are
the following:
Merry Go Boy
Old Glory
Merry Gypsy Rose
Merry Belle
Wilson’s Merry Boy
Katie Mearle
Black Angel
…Merry Boy’s greatest
influence on the Walking Horse was as a sire of breeding stock.
He produced many outstanding stallions that eventually
distributed his blood throughout the breed.
By far the most influential of these was Merry Go Boy, who sired
three World Champions: Go
Boy’s Shadow, Go Boy’s Royal Heir, and Go Boy’s Sundust.
Besides these three champions, Merry Go Boy produced countless
numbers of other outstanding animals.
The following are among the other notable sires produced by Merry
Boy:
Ed Nowlin F-8
Old Glory
Yandell’s Merry Boy
Merry
Boy’s Knockout
Diamond Allen
Alex Allen
Ace of Spades
Merry Boy’s Chance
Little Merry Boy
Merry Boy’s Pride
Barker’s Merry Boy
Merry
Boy’s F-88
Sunshine Merry Boy
*Merry Maker
*Reynold’s Pride
*White Merry Boy Jr.
Byrom’s Allen
*Lee White Allen
Neely’s Merry Boy
*Merry Boy’s Fancy
Blue Namron
Admiral Gleaves
Swamp Man
…*Five of the foregoing
stallions were from the same mare.
These five stallions, Merry Maker, Reynold’s Pride, White Merry
Boy Jr., Lee White Allen, and Merry Boy’s Fancy are from the famous Pearle,
a full sister to Hall Allen
and Sam Allen.
As a producer of outstanding
broodmares, Merry Boy is probably unexcelled in the history of the
breed. The identity of only
a few famous broodmares should serve to establish Merry Boy’s eminence
in this most important area of Walking Horse production:
(1.)
Merry Rose, dam of three times World
Grand Champion Talk of the Town.
(2.)
Crain’s Merry Lady, dam of World
Grand Champion White Star.
(3.)
Merry Sue, dam of World
Grand Champion Sun’s Jet Parade.
(4.)
Merry Walker, dam of
two World Grand Champions, Go Boy’s Shadow and Rodger’s Perfection.
(5.)
Lady Lee, dam of World
Grand Champion, Ebony Masterpiece.
(6.)
Panola, dam of Midnight
Mack K., two times the Reserve World Grand Champion and sire of two
World Grand Champions.
(7.)
Merry Bird, dam of Midnight Merry Bird,
winner of four open classes and one divisional stake at the Celebration
in 1942.
(8.)
Nell Allen, dam of Lovely Night, winner of
Three Year-Old Mare class at the Celebration in 1942.
(9.)
Tsini La, dam of Go Boy’s Ace, winner of
Junior Championship Stake in 1951.
(10.)Merry
Queen, dam of Midnight Mist, winner of Amateur Stake in 1952; Gleam of
Sun, winner of Two-Year-Old Futurity, Three-Year-Old Mare class, and
Aged Mare class at Celebration; and Mr. Masterful, and outstanding show
horse of the 60’s.
(11.)
Merry Sue, dam of Merry Boy’s Skipper,
winner of Two-Year-Old Championship at 1947 Celebration.
(12.)
Strolling Merry Bird, dam of Sun’s
Celebration, winner of ten Celebration Ribbons.
…It is highly probable
that the cross between Merry Boy mares and Midnight Sun produced more
outstanding performers, not only in the Walking Horse breed, but all
other breeds as well, than any other cross in America’s history.
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