By Sarah Gee
©Voice, December 2006

Bruce, Ethan Andrew, Linda, Claire Elizabeth, James, and DeeAnn Vaughn
at home in Ohio.

Always interested in everything equine, Bruce Vaughn bought his first horse when he was 16 years old. That horse just happened to be a Tennessee Walking Horse. Bruce explains, “I didn’t really know anything about breeds at that time. I was just looking for a horse in the classifieds and the one that caught my interest turned out to be a Tennessee Walking Horse. His name was Rebel.” Rebel must have been a pretty good representative for our breed because, since his purchase, the Vaughns have always had Tennessee Walking Horses.

Bruce Vaughn grew up in Richfield, Ohio. His wife, Linda, grew up in neighboring Bath, Ohio. The pair went to the same high school but didn’t get together until after graduation. They have one son, James, who teaches high school physics and coaches volleyball. His wife, DeeAnn, is a pharmacist. James and DeeAnn have two children, two-year-old Ethan Andrew and eight-month-old Claire Elizabeth. Ethan and Claire are the apples of their grandparent’s eyes. Bruce enjoyed a long career with his family’s chain of supermarkets and Linda has taught nursery school for 27 years. A big believer in giving back to the community, Bruce also volunteers as treasurer for the local Salvation Army Service Center. All in all, the Vaughns are your typical upstanding middle-American family.

After they were married, Bruce and Linda made their home in Berea, Ohio. Bruce continued to foster his Walking Horse habit and Linda quickly learned to appreciate the breed as well. Eventually, they relocated to Valley City, Ohio, and acquired enough land to build their own barn. Linda relates, “Bruce wanted to have a place where he could have a couple of horses. We bought the place, moved in August, built the barn in September, and bought a horse in October. The first word our son learned to say was that horse’s name, Glory. When Bruce would go out to ride, Jim would bang at the patio window and yell ‘Glory! Glory!’ because he wanted to ride too.” Several horses followed Glory to the barn in Valley City and the show ring soon beckoned.

It wasn’t long before Bruce and Linda began attending shows in Ohio. Bruce states, “We started showing some on the local circuit, mainly in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan. In addition to Walking Horse shows, we would also go to the mixed breed shows that had one or two classes for Walking Horses. There were quite a few of those up north. It’s a little different kind of show circuit than what people down here are accustomed to. Our towns, when they put on a show, didn’t put on a Tennessee Walking Horse show, they put on a mixed breed show because that kind of show would raise more money. That has tapered off a bit in the past two decades as big insurance liability claims have caused people to seek out better ways to fundraise.”

Always a regular at BWHA shows, here Bruce and Gold Star Jubilee
accept the spoils of a championship win at the 2004 Ohio Celebration.
Linda holds the horse head trophy and platter as the second of three presenters.

However, Tennessee Walking Horse shows continue to thrive in Ohio thanks to strong state organizations. For years, the Vaughns have been involved in one such organization, the Buckeye Walking Horse Association (BWHA). Currently, Bruce serves as its president. According to him, the mission of the BWHA is to support and promote all facets of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed. To that end, the BWHA stages three horse shows per year that include classes for every division within the Walking Horse industry. They also support a high point program and conduct an annual horse sale, the proceeds of which go into supporting their shows. Discussing the BWHA shows, Bruce explains, “Up north the state associations have to support the shows, no Lions Clubs or other civic organizations up there are going to put on a Tennessee Walking Horse show. So, we don’t have three one night shows every weekend during the summer. Instead, we have a few multi day shows and we have to be very inventive in our fundraising to support them. It’s a totally different environment. However, the BWHA shows and its membership are growing.”

In addition to serving as president of the BWHA, Bruce also serves as a director from Ohio on the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association board.

While Bruce and Linda do their utmost to support and promote all disciplines within the breed, Bruce’s foremost love will always be the padded performance horse. Addressing some of the difficulties in the industry, he asserts, “I’ve been told ‘Don’t take your padded horses where they’re not wanted.’ My feeling on that is let the public decide what they want. Expose them to it and if they choose to enjoy it that’s great. Our shows, which all offer performance classes, usually have quite an audience. We used to get criticism at the all breed shows, but once we hit the ring on our padded horses, everyone seemed to enjoy the show. I really think some of our difficulties boil down to a matter of exposure.” Elaborating further, he says, “One thing I’ve noticed is that in the old days people would try to move up the ladder. They’d get a flat-shod horse, then a show pleasure horse, and then they’d try to get a performance horse. Today, people tend to stay in their niche.”

For several years, Bruce worked his own horses and the Vaughns traveled the Midwest show circuit. Job constraints just would not allow Bruce to fulfill his dream of showing on the major Southeastern circuit. Then, about five years ago, somebody came along and bought the family’s supermarkets. A no-compete clause in the purchase contract prevented Bruce from having anything to do with retail business for three years. The Vaughns quickly found that their horse hobby could fill the void rather nicely and before they knew it, the hobby had expanded into a lifestyle.

With horses in training with Jamie Hankins for about five years prior to the sale of the supermarkets, the Vaughns were primed and ready to try their skill at the major shows in our industry. In addition to showing at all of the BWHA shows in Ohio, they are now regulars at the top shows throughout the Southeast. They count among their favorites, Panama City, the Southern Championships, Tunica, Wartrace, and, of course, the Celebration.

Talking about having horses with Jamie, Bruce relates, “It’s nice being in a barn that size because you really get to ride your horses a lot more. All that saddle time is a big advantage.” Linda further expounds, “Bruce is in it because he likes to ride. He’s not in it to sit on the sidelines and watch the trainer show his horse, he wants to be the one in the ring. Jamie’s the perfect trainer for us.”

Bruce made his Celebration debut eight or nine years ago aboard what he refers to as his first good horse, Country Club. They showed in a novice class with 35 entries and placed eighth. About that tie, Bruce asserts, “ You couldn’t take that ribbon away from me if you tried. I’d much rather have the eighth place ribbon from a class of 35 than the first place ribbon from a class of one. That’s one of the main reasons I’ve always wanted to show down here.”

Since that big oval debut, the Vaughns have seen their share of success. Horses such as Coin’s Star Flight, Gold Star Jubilee, and I’m First In Command laid the foundation for their very competitive show string. Most recently the Vaugnhs have saddled well-known contenders Dumas Little Darlin, I’m Mr. Threat, Rythmic Jazz, MD, Pushover’s Jazzy Lady, and I’m Clark Kent. Each of these horses have excelled in their respective division both in Ohio and in the Southeast. Since 2003 they have garnered 48 top three ties including 22 firsts.

During the 2006 season, the Vaughns fielded a show string that included I’m Mr. Threat, Rythmic Jazz, Pushover’s Jazzy Lady, and I’m Clark Kent. I’m Mr. Threat, actually owned by Linda, enjoyed a remarkable year in amateur competition with Bruce claiming four blue ribbons and putting together two strong performances at the Celebration to walk away with a reserve tie in the Novice Gentlemen on Novice Stallions class and a third place tie in the Novice World Grand Championship.
Building on strong two and three-year-old seasons, Rythmic Jazz, with Bruce in the irons, found the winner’s circle at the BWHA Spring Fling, Pulaski and the Ohio Celebration. She also captured fourth and sixth place ties at the Celebration. Three-year-old Pushover’s Jazzy Lady, also with Bruce up, placed second at the BWHA Spring Fling, first at Woodbury, and third at Pulaski before finishing in the top ten at the Celebration. Finally, amateur contender I’m Clark Kent posted three ladies amateur wins with Kathy Fisher up. He also did quite well in men’s competition with Bruce taking a sixth place ribbon at the Celebration.

Besides their show string, the Vaughns have two trail horses and one broodmare and colt at home in Ohio. While they don’t trail ride themselves, a neighbor thoroughly enjoys the trial horses, taking them to shows on the local saddle club circuit.

From that one horse he found in the classifieds all those years ago, Bruce Vaughn’s love for the Tennessee Walking Horse has spanned a lifetime. While Linda Vaughn’s love for the breed blossomed a bit later and as a result of her love for Bruce, it is every bit as strong. The Vaughns are truly dedicated to the Tennessee Walking Horse in all its wonderful forms. For them, the Tennessee Walking Horse has become more than a hobby. For them, the Tennessee Walking Horse is a way of life.