Cash for Keeps is a

Tennessee Walking Horse The Tennessee Walking Horse or Tennessee Walker is a breed of gaited horse known for its unique four-beat running-walk and flashy movement. It was originally developed as a riding horse on farms and plantations in the American South. It is a ...

who won the World Grand Championship in the 2000

Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration (TWHNC), sometimes known as the Celebration, is the largest horse show for the Tennessee Walking Horse breed, and has been held annually in or near Shelbyville, Tennessee since its inception in 19 ...

. He returned to competition 6 years later and won Plantation Lite-Shod World Championships with both Ray Gilmer and Dr. Jeanne Morrison.

Life and career

Cash for Keeps is a

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

stallion foaled in 1991. He was bred by Bonnie Cady, and was sired by the World Grand Champion Coin's Hard Cash, out of the mare Pride's Georgia Peach. His maternal grandsire was

Harlinsdale Farm Harlinsdale Farm is a historic district in Franklin, Tennessee that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. It dates from c.1900 and had other significant dates in 1935 and 1945. Its main horse stable, the centerpiece of ...

's notable sire

Pride of Midnight Pride of Midnight (1966-1979) was a Tennessee Walking Horse who had a short career as a show horse but became very notable as a sire in his breed. Life Pride of Midnight was foaled in 1966. He was a black stallion with a snip of white on his nose ...

. Cash for Keeps was purchased by the Harrell Brawner family of

Wynne, Arkansas Wynne is the county seat and largest city of Cross County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 8,367 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 Census. Nestled between the Arkansas Delta and Crowley's Ridge, Wynne is the closest city to the sec ...

in 1994 and initially trained by Sammy Day. Ridden by Day, he won the four-year-old preliminary class in the 1995

and followed up by winning the World Championship for that age division. In 1997 the Brawners moved Cash for Keeps to Ray Gilmer's West Tennessee stable so he would be closer to their home. By 2000 Cash for Keeps had made several bids for the World Grand Championship, and the Brawners had publicly announced that if he did not win that year, they would retire him. When Cash for Keeps won, Gilmer had been training for 28 years and had never thought he would actually win the World Grand Championship. Following the World Grand Championship, Gilmer and Cash for Keeps made appearances at multiple

horse show A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer fo ...

s across the Southeast and signed autographs at the Celebration Grounds. One year after his win, Cash for Keeps was formally retired in a ceremony at the 2001 Celebration. He wore his sire's

horse blanket A horse blanket or rug is a blanket or animal ''coat'' intended for keeping a horse or other equine warm or otherwise protected from wind or other elements. They are tailored to fit around a horse's body from chest to rump, with straps crossing ...

and was ridden by Gilmer to the song "Remember Me" from the '' Coyote Ugly'' movie soundtrack. At the end of the ceremony Gilmer dismounted, attached the reins to the

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...

so they could not drag or catch Cash for Keeps' feet, and allowed the horse to exit the arena by himself. Gilmer and Falcon Ridge Farm purchased Cash for Keeps and stood him at stud for a few years following his retirement from showing. In late 2004 Cash for Keeps was sold to Morrison Stables,

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County, Mississippi, Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County, Mississippi, Lamar County. The city popu ...

. In 2006, five years after being retired and at the age of 15, Cash for Keeps entered the Celebration again and, ridden by Gilmer, won the Plantation Lite-Shod World Championship. It was the first time in Celebration history a horse had won a flat-shod World Championship after winning the World Grand Championship. Gilmer said after the win, "A great horse should be able to excel at any level of show ring competition. All the pads and action devices should do is enhance a horse's natural gait." He also noted that he had wanted to show Cash for Keeps in a different division for several years to demonstrate the horse's ability.

References

{{Reflist World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horses Individual Tennessee Walking Horses