Ebony Masterpiece
{{Infobox named horse
| horsename = Ebony Masterpiece
|breed= Tennessee Walking Horse
|discipline= Show horse
|sire= Skipper's Son of Midnight
|grandsire= Midnight Sun
|dam= Lady Lee
|damsire= Merry Boy
|sex= Stallion
|color= Black
|foaled=
| owner=
|breeder= Solitude Stock Farm
|trainer=Bud Seaton
Sam Paschal
| wins= World Grand Championship in 1962
}}
Ebony Masterpiece was a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion who won a World Grand Championship in 1962. After his show career he retired to stud, where he sired over 3,500 foals, six of which also became World Grand Champions.
Life
Ebony Masterpiece was a black stallion sired by Skipper's Son of Midnight and out of Lady Lee. His grandsire was World Grand Champion Midnight Sun, and his damsire was Merry Boy.{{cite web|url=http://www.walkerswest.com/Champs/EbonyMasterpiece.htm|title=Ebony Masterpiece #560586 home page by Walkers West|publisher=|accessdate=30 April 2016}} He was bred and raised on Solitude Stock Farm near Goodlettsville, Tennessee. Bud Seaton, the manager of the farm, began Ebony Masterpiece's training when he was a two-year-old in 1957. Seaton showed Ebony Masterpiece at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration as a two-year-old and the horse won his age division's championship. However, he had a bowed tendon and had to be turned out to pasture to recover. In the spring of 1958 Ebony Masterpiece was sold to Clay Simpson of Bowling Green, Kentucky.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1697&dat=19620715&id=bSUqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EkcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5308,1052151&hl=en|title=Park City Daily News - Google News Archive Search|publisher=|accessdate=30 April 2016}} In 1962, Simpson then sold him to Mr. and Mrs. Billy Hale, of Gallatin, Tennessee, for $17,000. Simpson had paid $2,500 when he bought Ebony Masterpiece.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1697&dat=19630421&id=l-UcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_pYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6008,4119836&hl=en|title=Park City Daily News - Google News Archive Search|publisher=|accessdate=30 April 2016}}
After the sale, Ebony Masterpiece was trained by Sam Paschal and shown in the fall of 1961.
Ebony Masterpiece won the World Grand Championship in the 1962 Celebration, making him Paschal's second stake winner.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A-Y1wnzRiDsC&dq=ebony+Masterpiece+horse&pg=PA35|title=Around Gallatin and Sumner County|publisher=Arcadia|isbn=9780738568898|accessdate=30 April 2016|last1=Lester|first1=Deegee|last2=Thomson|first2=Kenneth Calvin Jr.|last3=Kenneth Calvin Thomson|first3=Jr.|date=October 1998}}
Ebony Masterpiece lived to be 33 years old.{{Cite web |url=http://www.horse-previews.com/695articles/695bookrev.html |title=Book Review: The Echo of Hoofbeats |access-date=2016-05-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510094029/http://www.horse-previews.com/695articles/695bookrev.html |archive-date=2017-05-10 |url-status=dead }}
Influence
Ebony Masterpiece was retired to stud following the 1962 Celebration, where he sired 3,555 foals. As of 2016, he remains the highest-producing stallion listed on the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association records. Five of his sons themselves became World Grand Champions in the Tennessee Walking Horse industry; Ebony's Senator in 1969,{{cite web|url=http://www.walkerswest.com/Champs/EbonysSenator.htm|title=Tennessee Walking horse - Ebony's Senator #641156 home page by Walkers West|publisher=|accessdate=30 April 2016}} Another Masterpiece in 1974,{{cite web|url=http://www.walkerswest.com/Champs/AnotherMasterpiece.htm|title=Tennessee Walking horse - Another Masterpiece #681363 home page by Walkers West|publisher=|accessdate=30 April 2016}} Ebony's True Grit in 1975,{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19750908&id=rS8dAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4J0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3120,861023&hl=en|title=The Tuscaloosa News - Google News Archive Search|publisher=|accessdate=30 April 2016}} Ebony's Mountain Man in 1980,{{cite web|url=http://www.walkerswest.com/Champs/EbonyMountainMan.htm|title=Ebony Mountain Man #670069, home page by Walkers West|publisher=|accessdate=30 April 2016}} and Ebony's Bold Courier in 1983.{{cite web|url=http://www.walkerswest.com/Champs/EbonysBoldCourier.htm|title=Tennessee Walking horse - Ebony's Bold Courier #752371 home page by Walkers West|publisher=|accessdate=30 April 2016}} One of his sons, Bourbon Street Bum II, was registered as a Racking Horse and won the World Grand Championship in the 1984 Racking Horse World Celebration.https://rackinghorse.org/19841.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}
Ebony Masterpiece was still siring foals in 1986, at the age of 30.{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=892&dat=19860530&id=USocAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BlwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7104,6684471&hl=en|title=The Courier - Google News Archive Search|publisher=|accessdate=30 April 2016}}
Sire line tree
{{tree list}}
- Ebony Masterpiece{{Cite web|url=https://www.walkerswest.com/Champs/EbonyMasterpiece.htm|title=Ebony Masterpiece #560586 home page by Walkers West|website=www.walkerswest.com}}
- Ebony's Senator{{Cite web|url=https://www.walkerswest.com/Champs/EbonysSenator.htm|title=Tennessee Walking horse - Ebony's Senator #641156 home page by Walkers West|website=www.walkerswest.com}}
- Ebony Mountain Man{{Cite web|url=https://www.walkerswest.com/Champs/EbonyMountainMan.htm|title=Ebony Mountain Man #670069, home page by Walkers West|website=www.walkerswest.com}}
- Ebony's True Grit{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19750908&id=rS8dAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4J0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3120,861023&hl=en|title=The Tuscaloosa News - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}
- Another Masterpiece{{Cite web|url=https://www.walkerswest.com/Champs/AnotherMasterpiece.htm|title=Tennessee Walking horse - Another Masterpiece #681363 home page by Walkers West|website=www.walkerswest.com}}
- Ebony's Bold Courier{{Cite web|url=https://www.walkerswest.com/Champs/EbonysBoldCourier.htm|title=Tennessee Walking horse - Ebony's Bold Courier #752371 home page by Walkers West|website=www.walkerswest.com}}
- Dr Elmer
- Doc's High Tribute[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19940714&id=wQMiAAAAIBAJ&pg=2542,1846218&hl=en Kiwanis Club hosting annual event]
- Black Charger
- Masquerading[https://www.walkerswest.com/Champs/Masquerading.htm In Memory of Masquerading]
{{tree list/end}}