A Wish Upon A Star

A Wish Upon A Star

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In 1958 the Lackey W. Moody Family of Batesville, Arkansas, heard about the beautiful Tennessee Walking Horse. Enchanted with the idea of owning one of these horses, they visited Middle Tennessee with the sole purpose of obtaining one. This horse became a local attraction in their small Ozark town where registered Tennessee Walking Horses were scarce.

That same year, Mr. Moody took his wife, Opal, and his two daughters, Wilsene and Martha Ann, to see their first Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville, Tennessee. This started a dream shared by the Moody Family. They wished upon a star for a big, black stallion that could win the World Grand Championship.

With their dream in mind, the family began a long history of riding Walking Horses. A horse whisperer, Al Rogers, and various trainers helped the family, including Wallace Brandon, Joe Webb, Richard Pate, Russell Pate, Richard Woods, Eddie Barclay, and Mitch Taylor. However, their last trainer, Jackie McConnell, would be the one to make their wish upon a star come true.

On Thursday, March 31, 2005, while at the National Trainers’ Show in Shelbyville, Tennessee, Jackie McConnell asked Wilsene Moody to go ride a horse at Carl Edwards and Sons Stables. The Edwards were stabled at Waterfall Farms for the show so it was a short trip and Wilsene agreed. On Friday, April 1, 2005, which was Lackey W. and Opal Moody’s wedding anniversary, Wilsene, her mother, and her sister went to see the horse with Jackie. They had no intention of buying another horse. However, Wilsene took one look at Star and fell in love. She states, “In the cross-ties was the most gorgeous horse I had ever seen besides my Blues. He was tall, with long legs, a long neck, a high head, a satin black color, a perfect star in his forehead, and a tiny snip of a diamond on his nose, like the diamond on the nose of my Blues. I tried my best to find something wrong with him, but could not.”

Wilsene describes that first ride in her own words. “The Edwards rode the horse outside on the gravel road. He was perfect with the wind blowing in his face. We then moved to the inside large arena. They rode the horse again, and then Jackie rode him. He was perfect with long legs flying out in front, fluid motion, speed, and a high head shaking with every step.”
Next came Wilsene’s chance to ride the horse. She relates, “I knew that he was something special. I had only ridden that type of horse one time before. I had the same feeling when I bought Blues. The horse had a special feel about him that cannot be described. I could feel legs reaching to the sky while his high head was shaking off. I went too fast just to see how fast he could go. Jackie fussed at me about my speed. However, the horse just gave me more and more without ever tiring. It was one special ride that I will never forget.”

Star was foaled by Richard and Linda Garnes of Hurricane, West Virginia, on June 18, 2002. He was a black stallion with markings of off hind coronet, star, and snip. They named him Nashville Star after the television program with this name. Star’s sire is WGC Generator’s Santana and his dam is Pusher’s Early Dawn by WGC The Pusher C.G.
When Star was 16 months old, the Edwards looked at him as a colt. Liking the way he moved, they bought him and started bringing him along slowly. They did not want to show him too early.

During the Fall of 2004 at the Southern Championships in Perry, Georgia, a group of trainers went to Carl Edwards & Sons Stables to watch the Edwards work some colts. That was the first time Jackie saw Star and he was immediately impressed. Over the winter Jackie kept thinking about Star. He told the Edwards, “I just could not get that colt out of my head.”
That’s why the Edwards brought Star to Shelbyville during the Trainers’ Show. After the Moodys rode Star on April 1, Jackie and the Edwards convinced the Moodys to take a second look at the horse. So they went back to Waterfall Farms the next day and rode him again. All they really knew about the horse was that he was a son of Santana. They didn’t even know his name. They priced him but thought that he was too high.
Although, when the Moodys left Shelbyville, something about the black stallion stuck with them. Wilsene, Opal, and Martha Ann all felt like he could be the replacement for Wilsene’s beloved world champion Blues that had recently been retired to stud.

Later in the month, the Moodys went on to show at Jackson, Mississippi, and Panama City, Florida. Without their knowledge, Jackie had decided that Star would indeed become Wilsene’s next show horse. He called Larry Edwards and asked him to bring the horse to Panama City. He rode the horse everyday while in Florida. However, he did not tell the Moodys about his plans until Wednesday, April 20, 2005. Wilsene and Martha Ann watched the horse work again. The next day, Opal came out as well, along with a large group of spectators. April 21, 2005, turned out to be the day O & W Moody Ltd. bought future world grand champion Star.

So the horse with no name from Georgia was bought by three women from Arkansas and moved to Collierville, Tennessee, to Whitter Stables. The Moodys started back from Florida in their RV and made it to Whitter Stables where they parked for the night. Wilsene was able to play with her new horse on Sunday, April 24 and on Monday, April 25, before heading to Arkansas.

Later, the Moodys learned that their horse was registered as Nashville Star. They felt that this was a very inappropriate name for a horse that was owned by women from Arkansas. Wilsene changed his name to Moody Star in memory of her father who had died in 1989. She and Opal decided that the horse would be called Star from that point on.

A few weeks later, the Moodys made one of their road trips with their RV to Whitter Stables to ride and show their horses. Wilsene pictured herself riding Star and learning how to ride him perfectly. The Moodys watched Jackie ride Star three days in a row. They were amazed at what they saw. Opal and Martha Ann decided that Jackie should ride and show Star. They told Jackie of their decision and Jackie agreed with them. Forever, this would be known as the famous board meeting where Wilsene was outvoted by Opal, Martha Ann, and Jackie. Thus began the career of Star and Jackie McConnell.

In 2005, Jackie and Star showed six times and claimed five blues. Their first place ties came at Walking To Make A Difference, Germantown, Bethesda, and the Celebration where they garnered a Three-Year-Old Stallions World Championship. Their one and only second place tie came when they were named Three-Year-Old Reserve World Grand Champions. Their crowd pleasing performances and quality ties earned Star several year-end awards including the Walking Horse Owners’ Association Third Place High Point Stallion, Walking Horse Trainers’ Association Three-Year-Old Horse of the Year, Walking Horse Report Reader’s Choice Three-Year-Old, Scoop Selection Three-Year-Old Stallion, and the People’s Voice Reserve Three-Year-Old Stallion.

2006 started with Star mastering the rocking chair canter. Equipped with a full arsenal of skills, Jackie and Star began the season with a National Trainers’ Show blue ribbon. They went on to first place ties at the Spring Fun Show and Bethesda before returning to shine brightly on the big oval. In no way discouraged by a second place finish in the Four-Year-Old Stallions preliminary, they put together a flawless performance and earned that spotlight ride as 2006 Four-Year-Old World Grand Champions.
Nearly 50 years after purchasing their first Tennessee Walking Horse, the Moodys had their first world grand championship. It was a feeling like no other for the ladies from Arkansas; their wish upon a star had come true. Now one dream remains – the ultimate title. Could 2007 be the year for this talented stallion, his accomplished trainer, and devoted owners? Is it written in the stars? We’ll just have to wait and see...

–Sarah Gee
Wilsene Moody
Don Wills