Earl Teater (1905/06-1972) was an

American Saddlebred The American Saddlebred is a horse breed from the United States. This breed is referred to as the "Horse America Made". Descended from riding-type horses bred at the time of the American Revolution, the American Saddlebred includes the Nar ...

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

. He was best known for showing the stallion

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

to six World's Grand Championships, although he later won another World's Grand Championship on Dream Waltz.

Life and career

Teater was born in

Harrodsburg, Kentucky Harrodsburg is a home rule-class city in Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 9,064 at the 2020 census. Although Harrodsburg was formally established by the House of Burgesses after Boonesbo ...

in 1905/1906. In 1943 Teater moved to

Brentwood, Tennessee Brentwood is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 45,373 as of the 2020 United States census.Castleton Farm Castleton Lyons near Lexington, Kentucky, is an American horse-racing stable and breeding business best known by the name Castleton Farm. History The farm was established in 1793 when Virginian John Breckinridge, a future U.S. senator and attorne ...

. Teater was best known for training the chestnut stallion

. In 1948 he entered Wing Commander in the

World's Championship Horse Show The World's Championship Horse Show, held at the Kentucky Exposition Center, Kentucky State Fairgrounds in Louisville, Kentucky, in Freedom Hall, is a large horse show that includes the American Saddlebred, Hackney pony, Dutch Harness Horse, and ...

for the first time. The two won the

five-gaited Five-gaited horses are notable for their ability to perform five distinct horse gaits instead of simply the three gaits, walk, trot and canter or gallop common to most horses. Individual animals with this ability are often seen in the American Sa ...

World's Grand Championship that year and every year through 1953, making them the first six-time winners. Teater also trained the five-gaited horse Waltz Dream, who won the World's Grand Championship in 1956. Teater's son Ed ran the Tattersall Sale, an auction for all ages and disciplines of Saddlebreds, and was later the president of Teater American Saddlebred Enterprises. Earl Teater died May 19, 1972, of cancer. He was 67 years old and his obituary ran in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. He was inducted into the United Professional Horsemens Association Hall of Fame.

References

{{Reflist American Saddlebred breeders and trainers