Grey John's Touch (whose name was later shortened to The Touch) was bred and raised by Joe C. Martin, a close and dear friend to Nancy and Hoil Walker from Murfreesboro.  Martin owned both his sire, Another Grey John, and his dam, Spirit's Ebby.  Another Grey John was sired by Pride's John Grey who was by Pride Of Midnight The first opportunity for the Walkers to see The Touch was on their television.  On a visit, friends Peggy and Joe C. Martin brought along tapes of their two-year-old prospect.  Nancy Walker liked what she saw and she liked the idea of getting back into the horse business, an industry she and Hoil had been associated with for 35 years.  She had been trying to find something for Hoil to do besides working all the time and this seemed to be the answer.  Nancy was ready to buy Martin's horse; Martin insisted she wait until the horse was showing more of his potential.  In the mean-time the Walkers acquired a most promising stallion, Pride's Pattern.

As a colt, The Touch was started by trainer, Billy Brantley. Then in 1991 he was moved to Ramsey Bullington in hopes a world champion was in the making. It wasn't long until offers to buy Martin's horse surfaced. In July Martin kept his promise and offered the Walkers The Touch.

Hampered by an onset of health problems, Pattern was put on the back burner and The Touch was called upon to feel out the competition in the Spring Fun Show. Following a popular reserve, Chad Way and The Touch were rumored to be capable of bringing much interest to the '93 Celebration. With Pattern's career on hold, it was decided in June to go forward, in full force, with Way and The Touch as contenders for the world grand championship. After wins at Bethesda and Belfast, prior to his popular reserve tie in the Celebration's aged stallion preliminary, The Touch was on his way!

Owners Nancy and Hoil Walker could see and feel a victory, not only in Way and The Touch, but in the crowd of 29,131. Considered by many as a non-contender during the early 1993 season, The Touch had enjoyed a mediocre success during his three and four-year-old seasons with his biggest win being a reserve title awarded in four-year-old stallion ranks at the 1992 Celebration.  It was a season of surprises which progressed with The Touch turning in prized winning performances in Aged ranks at Manchester, Bethesda and Belfast and with a crowd pleasing reserve at the Spring Fun Show. By the time the 1993 Celebration was here, the young stallion and his equally young trainer had developed quite a following.

Some may describe it as a fairy tale come to life, for a young trainer and his virtually unknown horse, riding in their first world championship, ending with the spotlight and the roses. And if it is, let the moral of this tale hold true for the dream of having a world grand champion by owners, trainers and breeders, alike, no matter how big or small, can come true.

----- Original Message -----
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2005 10:40 PM
Subject: The Touch


Mary Ellen Areaux,

First, I would like to say how much I enjoy your website. I refer many newcomers to it that really want to know the history of the Walking Horse.

As I stand The Touch; previously at Twin Hills, through the stay at Black Hawk and now at Rising Star, I am building a new webpage for The Touch and your history of him is so accurate and detailed that I feel anything I would try to write as comments for him for his new page would either be sub-par to what you have written or bordering on plagiarism by trying to describe the same events of his life.

I would like your permission to reprint your description of his life on his new webpage giving you full and total credit for the comments.

If you can, I thank you in advance and if you cannot I understand fully.

We do love the Walkers West website. It is indeed a treasure for our breed.

Sincerely,

David W. Williams
Rising Star Ranch

----- Original Message -----

From: K.C.M.P
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 12:18 AM
Subject: The Touch

Hello,

I was there the night The Touch won the Championship in Shelbyville. I had never seen this horse before but the minute he stepped out into the rink he stole my heart. He was #1 and he KNEW IT! I still think of The Touch every now and again. It used to be my life dream to have a descendant of The Touch. Years later as I have grown up, started a family and pretty much gotten out of show horse circuit there is still one horse and one horse only that has my heart and that is The Touch.
Sincerely

Kelly Phillips

<==1992   1994==>

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