| Sources |
- [S74] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume IV, 1987-1999, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 7 Mar 1992.
James Blaine "Jim" Atchley obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 19 Feb 2007.
Making Great Strides
By: GAIL CRUTCHFIELD
Community News Editor
February 19, 2007
Trainer works dozens of Tennessee Walking Horses
In freezing temperatures, Stephen Hankins puts the horse through its paces, leading it up and down the 200-foot stretch of ground in the stables located just outside the city limits of Sevierville.
Royally Famous is just one of the 26 Tennessee Walking Horses that Hankins trains at Snappwood Stables off Pullen Road. On a warmer day, the horse would have been worked outside, but chilly temperatures kept them indoors. The wind was still even chillier, Hankins said, sitting atop Royally Famous.
Hankins has been training Tennessee Walking Horses all of his life. Raised in Tazewell, Va., Hankins grew up watching his father train the horses and kept up the tradition.
"It's in my blood," he said. "I was born into it.
"It's kind of like NASCAR drivers or some of those rodeo guys. It gets in your blood," Hankins said.
"It's not the money," he added. "Not like doctors and lawyers." Hankins has been in Sevier County for more than a year.
Royally Famous is owned by Sevier County's Richard Lindsey and Jimbo Conner, but not all of the horses trained at Snappwood are locally owned. Hankins said the farm trains horses belonging to people from North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
According to Hankins, the breed of Tennessee Walking Horses came about in the 1940s and grew out of common working horses. Farmers would take the horses used to plow the fields to shows on Saturdays.
"They're known for their smooth gait and gentle disposition," Lindsey said of the breed.
But, like any large animal, you have to be careful.
"You see that right there?" Hankins asked, pointing to a dent on the left side of his face as he groomed Pardon Me Governor, a 3-year-old stallion sired by Out on Parole, a world champion Walker. "He kicked me right there and broke my jaw," Hankins said, adding the horse got spooked at the time of the incident.
But overall, the animals are very gentle.
Lindsey's children Shelby, 8, Cammie, 5, and Bailey, 4, all show the horses, as do Conner's children, Alexis, 12, and Austin, 10. In fact Shelby won the first show she ever entered.
The sport is graceful in most facets. The riders wear English riding attire and guide their horses through a series of gaits.
A show consists of three parts: flat walk, running walk and canter. The horses have to be trained to learn the different gaits, but some show a natural talent, Hankins said.
"You've just got to work them every day and have naturally talented animals," he said.
The horses are ridden beginning at 17 months.
"Then you start building them like you build a weight builder," Hankins said.
Horses who don't show a natural talent as show animals, he added, make excellent horses for pleasure riding.
Along with the horses, riders also require training. Lindsey said his children will work with the animals one or two times a week for about an hour each day. Half of that time is spent on the horse, with the remainder used for grooming.
Training goes on year-round, but the show season runs from March to October. Lindsey said they travel to Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and throughout Tennessee.
The first show will be April 20 in Panama City, Fla., to which Lindsey is looking forward.
"I heard it's 82 degrees down there today," Lindsey said.
* gcrutchfield@themountainpress.com
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 3 Sep 2006.
Conner continues father-son tradition
PIGEON FORGE - Jimbo Conner, the new 4th District County Commissioner, is ready to follow in his father's footsteps.
"It feels great," he said. "I really wanted to serve. My father was a commissioner. I'm really looking forward to serving."
His father, Jack Conner, served as both a county commissioner and as a member of the Sevierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen. His mother, Peggy Marshall, previously served as the Sevier County Clerk and Master for more than 25 years.
As a commissioner, Conner wants more community members to be heard during the commission meetings.
"I'd just like it to be more open," he said.
Conner is also an advocate of providing more help to the Sevier County Schools.
"Being young helps because I've actually got kids in school," he said.
A lifelong resident of Pigeon Forge, Conner is involved in several local business ventures. He and his wife, Mandy, have two children, Alexis and Austin.
jwdavis@themountainpress.com
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
CONNER JAMES S KRISTI B NOT GIVEN SEVIER 06-08-1991 28184
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