Walkers West Main Page

Translate this Site into French, German, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese

 

1964 World Grand Champion

If you wish to print off this pedigree, click HERE to load a black and white copy.

GLL’s Carbon Copy was sired by the 1959 World Grand Champion, Rodgers’ Perfection, and was out of Midnight Doll, a daughter of Midnight Sun.  Midnight Mack K., the sire of Rodgers’ Perfection was also by Midnight Sun, giving Carbon Copy Grand Champion parentage on both sides of his pedigree.  The breeder of Carbon Copy was Dr. Porter R. Rodgers of Searcy, Arkansas.  He was part owner with Howard Binns of Little Rock, Arkansas at the 1962 Celebration when this great horse was tied first in the event for Two-Year-Olds.  Ownership shares in this champion were sold following his two-year-old championship to Pete Raney and Dr. T. J. Raney of Little Rock, and to his trainer, Joe Webb of Searcy.  These five were the owners in 1963 when this handsome son of Rodgers’ Perfection was tied second in the event for junior Stallions, and was named Reserve Junior Champion Walking Horse over some of the best competition ever exhibited at a Celebration showing.   

Carbon Copy was undoubtedly one of the most popular World Grand Champions of all time.  This black stallion had, in addition to his beautiful conformation, the three distinct gaits of the true Walking horse.  He was a perfect model for the breed in both looks and manners as well as in action.  In addition, Joe Webb trained him to obey voice and whistle signals while unmounted.  Carbon Copy would entertain the continuing crowd of visitors at his training stable with a brisk performance of all his gaits without a rider. 

 At the onset of his training both Dr. Rodgers and Joe Webb declared him to be a better walking horse than his sire was at the same age.  Each account of Carbon Copy’s progress held this statement to be true.  These two men had known both horses from the day they were foaled until each won the World Grand Championship.  

Carbon Copy was the winner of the Stallion Class of 1964,  defeating 44 other top stallions.  He continued his success that Celebration, by defeating 13 other finalists in the Stakes Class on Saturday night, by unanimous vote of all the judges.  

In November of 1964, George Lee Lenox of Memphis, Tennessee purchased Carbon Copy and the champion was retired from the show ring at the Southern Championship Horse Show in Montgomery.  He went on to sire two World Grand Champions - Shades of Carbon in  1976 and Mark of Carbon in 1978.  

Subject: I remember Mr. & Mrs. Lennox on Holmes Rd. Germantown TN...

When I was 24 years old my aunt Billie Dale took me to visit Mrs.  Lennox, who  was her neighbor.  Mrs.  Lennox was very receptive and extremely nice.  We  walked to Carbon Copy's stall.  I distinctly remember the glass wall in his  stall afforded an overnight guest the opportunity to look at him as though he  were an object to be viewed through a  picture window.   It was the 60's and  Carbon Copy's stall was far superior to many houses of the era.  

We then walked to the large barn area where a groom was walking a young colt of about  12 months and he said to me, "Do you know how much this horse cost?"  I  glanced and quickly replied, $10,000..That's right he said!  That colt looked  just like Carbon Copy.  

I was in awe as we walked outside towards our car,  when here came Mr. Lennox riding Carbon Copy up the driveway and I remember  the white fence as we walked and I stared at horse and rider.  He was a  beautiful animal and it was obvious that Mr. Lennox was very fond of him. The Lennoxes were very happy together and enjoyed their beautiful home and the horses.  My aunt Billie thought the world of Mrs. Lennox.  

Today aunt Billie lives in Florida and she will be 91 this year.  And I am no longer in my 20's as I will shortly be 60.   Germantown, Tennessee was a beautiful place and the  Home of Carbon Copy only made it more attractive...thank you.  

Judy  Konos
New  Orleans

Comments: I want to take this opportunity to say a great big THANK YOU to you and your wonderful site. 

I was raised riding and showing TW Horses.  As a child, I loved them and then when I got into my teenage years, it was just a job that had to be done. Then in my 20's and 30's I got to the point that if I never saw another horse, it would be way to soon. But then when I hit my 40's, and my daddy got so sick with cancer and before his death, I went back to my roots, and again fell in love with the breed. 

Now, I look back at the memories of my childhood, and can finally appreciate, how lucky I was to have had the honor of riding some the best TW horses ever born.  You see, by the age of fifteen, I had ridden, Carbon Copy, Mark of Carbon and the Entertainer, just to name a few of the great horses that I had the privilege of being around.  My father, Bob Pyland, worked for Joe Webb, at Searcy, AR.  Being the tomboy I am, I was with daddy every chance I could, which meant I was at the barn all the time.  I wish I could take you'll back in my memory, and that you'll could see some of the wonderful memories that I have of being at this barn. 

After a time, my family moved here to MO and daddy continued to train and show horses.  About this time in my life, I got the job of helping daddy in the barn.  I got so that I dreaded the very idea of a horse.  You know, I was going through my idiot years.  I then married and got completely away from horses. 

Then daddy got sick and the more I was around him and the more I got to listening to him talk, I realized that the love of the TWH had never left me, I had just left it. 

After nearly 20 years of not attending any horse shows, I attended my first one again in September of 2000, 8 months after daddy's death.  It was the most wonderful, heart rendering and touching show I can remember.   I cried through most of it.  For the loss of my father, for the loss of my childhood and mostly, for the great honor of being around the most beautiful breed of horse that will ever be. 

Again, thank you for the wonderful site, the beautiful photos, and especially, for the old photos, which brought back so many wonderful memories. 

Sincerely, 
Becky Pyland Davis 
Marshfield, MO 

----- Original Message -----
From: "Becky Pyland Davis" 
To: "Mary Areaux" 
Subject: Thank You

Mary Ellen,
Thank you so very much for the kind words. ......One of the things I will never forget, is how Joe could make Copy and the Entertainer, both go through all gaits, both ways of the ring, without a rider being on the horse.  He would use voice commands.  It was wild.  One time when I was old enough to understand what was going on, Joe had some visitors at the barn, there were always visitors.  Anyway, he had it fixed up inside the barn, where you could go into the lounge, set on the back of the couch and look out a great big huge glass window and watch a horse being worked. 

Well the lounge was full and Joe had sent me after Copy.  Okay, no big deal, but Joe could tell Copy to do anything and Copy would do it.  He had Copy trained, so that when you walked into his stall, that Copy would go to the corner of the stall and turn and face you.  No big deal, but, I was scared of Copy for I had fallen off of him the day before while riding him.  The poor old horse done everything he could to keep me from falling.  But fall I did.  Then he stopped, right there in his tracks, and turned around and was looking at me.  Here I was, not even 9 years old yet, and laying on the ground flat of my back, trying to get my breath and here comes this big horse who I felt had just tried to kill me.  He walked up to me and kept reaching down with his nose and nudging me.  When you are laying a flat of your back and looking up at a horse and all you can see is legs, and I mean a lot of legs that just went on forever.  All I could do was scream.  Every time I screamed, it would scare Copy and he would jump back.   But he kept trying to nudge me with his nose and I kept screaming.  Daddy and Joe got to me and I remember how Copy was just standing there quivering all over.  I decided I was going to live after all, and daddy made me get back on him.  I screamed louder.  Didn't do any good, for Joe looked at me in that tone of voice and told me if I ever wanted to come back to that barn, I had to get back on the horse.  I got back on.

 Anyway, when I walked in Copy's stall, he started quivering again, and there we stood.  Bean-O, a colored man that worked for Joe, and my daddy's best friend, told me I had better get hold of that horse and bring him out of the stall before daddy got upset with it taking me so long.  Well, I lead him out and they got him all saddled up.  For some reason, Joe decided to take Copy to the ring outside.  He rode him and put him through all of his gaits.  He then got off of him, tied the reins up and proceeded to put him through his gaits with no one on him.  Things went great, the first way of the ring.  But the right of the ring, Joe had shut him down to a flat walk and then asked him to canter.  Well he cantered.  No big deal. 

But, across the paved road from the barn and arena, was the old home place of Porter Rodgers and the OLD barn where Rodgers Perfection was trained.  Out in the big pasture there, was where the brood mares were.  Well, apparently one of them was in heat, for every time Copy was making the curve in the ring, he was turn his head and look over at the brood mares.  Well, when Joe called on him to canter the second way of the ring, ole Copy canters, but on the last pass, he cantered right on out the gait, that was open, across the the grass, across the paved road and cantered right up to the fence where the mares were.  Like to have tickled me to death.  All Joe could say was, "Great day in the morning!!! Great Day!!!!"  Great Day was Joe's 'cuss' word.  I was still laughing.  Joe looked down at me in that tone of voice again and all I could say was, "Well, Mister Joe, at least he didn't cross fire."  I got sent to the barn.  But Mary, it was so dang funny.  Joe squalled at Copy and he came right back to him immediately, and he did canter back to Joe, but Joe was plumb put out with that horse that day. 

When Joe got so bad sick with his cancer, he retired back to Lamar at the camp. Daddy and I went to see him.   He got up out of his bed and wanted to walk down to the barn.  Well, we did.
As we were passing by some brood mares, I got tickled.  Daddy knew why I was laughing, but Joe kept looking at me.  He asked what was so dang funny.  I told him it was a shame that ole Copy was gone, for I would love to see him one more time canter out to those mares.  Joe said, "Great Day' and then started laughing, himself.

Joe always felt that a great stud horse had to be left a little something of his own.  He told me that if you took everything always from a stud horse when you were breaking him, that you would also break his will.  So every good stud horse Joe had, he left the horse a little something of its own. Copy would do anything on voice command.  He was also a push button horse.  He would do the work and make the rider look good.  However, Copy had one habit.  Right before a show, that horse would go berserk.  There were not enough grooms in the world to hold that horse down.  When he was saddled, has his tail brace on, ribbons in his mane, and was being held for Joe to get there, it was a sight to behold.  He would kick, snort, stomp, blow and jump straight up in the air like a jack rabbit.  But as soon as Joe got on him, it was all over.  There have been times when folks would ask daddy why Copy always had one ear back while he was being shown.  Copy would always have the ear away from the judge, down.  Some asked if it was because he was mean or mad, or is he was going so fast that it made his ear lay down? But it wasn't any of these.  Copy was listening to Joe.  Daddy and Joe would talk to him as they were working him.  It was unreal. 

Then the Entertainer, he wasn't as good tempered as Copy.  But he would mind, did the voice commands, and most of the time was well behaved.  That was one tall horse.  He would get nervous before going into the show ring.  So I would stand there while one of the grooms was holding the reins waiting on Joe, and I would hold my hand out, palm up and flat, and the Entertainer would take his teeth and nip on the skin on the palm of your hand.  It seemed to calm him.  He never bit or took a hunk, just little nips that would never break the skin.

One time Joe took him to the college there in Searcy for a football game, Harding College, and Joe had just got back from winning his class on him at the Celebration.  Well, Joe and the Entertainer were to be the half time entertainment.  Joe was going to put him through the paces for the crowd. The announcer came on, Joe climbed up on Entertainer and then Joe took off.  The only problem was, that every time they came to the white marks on the grass where the yardage was marked, Entertainer would do a dog hop over the line.  Just like a horse jumping a small stream or over a log.  Every ten yards the Entertainer would do a double step and leap over the white mark.  I fell down laughing.  When they got to the 50 yard line, that horse done an Alley-Oop and jumped real high and pitched twice.  I then really lost it.  To finally get him to go through his paces, we had to have him work on the outside of the side lines.  That was the only place he would work like he was suppose to and not try and jump things.  It was a very quite ride back to the barn in the front of that truck that was pulling him home.

Mary Ellen, I am so sorry to have rambled on and on as I have, but I have my horse fever up tonight and got to remembering the good ole days.  You'll take care and if I am ever in your area I will pay you a visit.
Sincerely,
Becky Pyland Davis

Sent: Friday, December 28, 2001 5:57 PM
Subject: Carbon Copy memories

I have to share some very fond childhood memories with your about Carbon Copy.  Our Saddle Club would have dinners at the Lennox barn and I would get to look at this great guy and Ace's Sensation at times.  One time we were there for another Walking horse function and Mr. Webb was there doing and exhibition of Carbon Copy.  I went to Mr. Webb's wonderful camp when I was little.  Well, anyway one night I was actually allowed to sit and ride this great horse.  What a wonderful memory that I will never forget.  


If you have a story or photos of GLL's Carbon Copy that you would like added to this page,
please forward them to Walkers West.

<==1963   1965==>