| Reference: Pride
of Midnight H.F. |
Photo courtesy of Lisa of
Pride's
Noble Walkers.
Photo taken from
The Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse.
Pride of Midnight H.F. was
a naturally high-stepping stallion with the attitude of a true show
horse. While he was a successful show horse, his true success can be
measured by his success as a sire. Pride of Midnight (POM) is one of
the most influential walking horse sires in history. His offspring possess
uncommon beauty and naturally animated movement. While POM colts are
sensitive and easy to train, they are noted for the fact that they will
not take abuse and can't be "fixed" like other lines.
|
Pride of Midnight
H.F.
by Sarah Gee for the
Tennessee Walking Horse Sire Summary
By Midnight Sun
and out of Pride Of Stanley, Pride Of Midnight H.F. was bred
by H.L. Worrell of Solitude Stock Farm in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
As a weanling, he caught the eye of Wirt Harlin and was subsequently
purchased by Harlinsdale Farm of Franklin, Tennessee. As a two-year-old
he was placed in training with Dot Warren.
 Recognizing
his ultimate potential, Warren took his time with the gifted
stallion. Pride Of Midnight H.F. made his show ring debut in
1970 as a four year old at the "Early Bird" show in
Fayetteville, Tennessee. By the following Monday morning he
was the toast of the industry. He showed six more times in 1970
always exiting the ring with a blue ribbon.
As a four year old,
in addition to being active on the show circuit, Pride Of Midnight
H.F. was bred sparingly. Although small, his first foal crop
produced both Pride's Airy Son and Pride's Merry Gold. Both
of these horses went on to great show ring acclaim.
After seven stellar
show ring appearances, Pride Of Midnight H.F. was retired full-time
to the breeding shed where he quickly became one of the industry's
most sought after stallions. His combination of natural gait,
beautiful conformation, agreeable disposition, and championship
bloodlines made him all but irresistible to breeders the nation
over.
Over the years,
as he consistently produced contender after contender, his reputation
grew and the horse that Wirt Harlin called his favorite, achieved
legendary status. He sired four World Grand Champion Tennessee
Walking Horses - Prides Secret Threat, Delight Of Pride, Prides
Final Edition, and Pride's Jubilee Star. He also produced the
great Prides Generator who could easily be called the greatest
sire of his generation.
Following in his
sire's hoofprints, Pride Of Midnight H.F. played a major part
in continuing the Harlinsdale tradition of producing the finest
Tennessee Walking Horses. He also played a vital role in ensuring
the continued improvement and expansion of the breed through
the tumultuous 1970s and 1980s. -Sarah Gee
|
|
 In
1965 MIDNIGHT SUN died. Harlinsdale Farms had three colts to
carry on his bloodlines: PRIDE OF MIDNIGHT, SUN'S DARK
BEAM and MIDNIGHT ALLEN. They were from the last crop of
MIDNIGHT SUN
colts. They decided we would not let any of them go. The
colts were broken out at Harlinsdale and then sent to Dot Warren
for finishing. It was decided that they were all keepers.
Their judgment was vindicated; they all proved to be very good
breeding horses. When they were 4 years old, they were
put into service. PRIDE didn't breed many mares until
he was five, so they showed him the year he was four.
It was unfortunate that PRIDE did not catch on early, but Mr.
Harlin believed in him and told people as early as 1971, "Believe
me, this horse is going to turn this industry around’.
PRIDE'S
dam was owned by Mr. Worrell at Solitude Stock Farm, but he
was owned by Harlinsdale Farms before he was registered.
PRIDE had a funny personality. He was pop-eyed and he
stood up in the cross-ties, he was a show horse from the day
one. He could do a lot when Dot Warren was riding him,
but when they decided to take him to the Celebration they brought
him right back home and left him from that day forward.
Harlinsdale Farms had a hard time
convincing folks that they had the horse of the future but Pride
had a lot of freedom up front. At the time, the industry
didn’t have the big foot as they do now and it took a lot get
a horse's foot up. But PRIDE could do it with a lot of
ease and he had a natural kind of snort and show horse ways.
The trouble was, a lot of trainers put him down hard.
They said you can't fix [sore] his colts - they won't take it.
Such trainers were missing the message that Harlinsdale Farms
was trying to convey which was: "We've got a horse that
you don't need to fix that way. He does it naturally."
But they had a hard time. There were some very vicious attacks
against Harlinsdale Farms and PRIDE OF MIDNIGHT during
that period. The result was that over half of the colts
PRIDE sired, were sired during the last two years that he live.
To quote Bill Harlin, “He was put down so hard by so many
people "You can't fix his colt”….That is a blight
on our industry as far as I am concerned.”
In 1979, PRIDE passed away after
two colic attacks. That was the last times Bill Harlin saw his
father in tears.
-TWHBEA
|
PRIDE OF MIDNIGHT H.F.
TWHBEA #661459
DOB: 1/01/1966
DOD: 8/11/1979
COLOR: BLACK |
MIDNIGHT SUN
TWHBEA #410751
COLOR: BLACK
 |
WILSON'S ALLEN
TWHBEA #350075
COLOR: CHESTNUT
|
ROAN ALLEN
TWHBEA #F-38
COLOR: CHESTNUT SABINO
HEIGHT: 15.3H
|
BIRDIE
MESSICK
TWHBEA #86
COLOR: GREY |
RAMSEY'S RENA
TWHBEA #410682
COLOR: BAY
MARKINGS: NONE |
DEMENT'S
ALLEN
TWHBEA #391007
COLOR: CHESTNUT |
DENA
TWHBEA #410681
COLOR: BAY |
PRIDE OF STANLEY
TWHBEA #472897
COLOR: CHESTNUT
SABINO
MARKINGS: BOTH HIND STOCKINGS, BALD, MIXED MANE
AND TAIL.
|
MERRY MAKER
TWHBEA #410944
COLOR: CHESTNUT
SABINO
MARKINGS: BOTH HIND AND NEAR FORE
STOCKINGS, OFF FORE CORONET, BLAZE, FLAX MANE/TAIL.
|
MERRY
BOY
TWHBEA #350189
COLOR: BLACK SABINO
|
PEARLE
TWHBEA #370229
COLOR: CHESTNUT SABINO
MARKINGS:BOTH
HIND STOCKINGS, BALD. |
PATSY DELBRIDGE
TWHBEA #443146
COLOR: BAY
MARKINGS: STAR, SNIP. |
DRAKE'S
ALLEN
TWHBEA #400252
COLOR: BAY
MARKINGS:
STAR |
MARY
DELBRIDGE
TWHBEA #992373
COLOR: BAY |
NOTABLE OFFSPRING
Westwood Farms - Locust Dale, Virginia 22948
- stephanie@westwoodfarms.net - 540-825-1300
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