Shaker's Shocker was 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 ...

stallion who won his breed's World Grand Championship in 1966.

Life

Shaker's Shocker was foaled in 1962, by World Grand Champion Mack K's Handshaker and out of My Darling. He was bred by Tom Barham of

Lewisburg, Tennessee Lewisburg is a city in, and the county seat of Marshall County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 12,288 in 2020. Lewisburg is located in Middle Tennessee, fifty miles south of Nashville and fifty-two miles north of Huntsville, Alabam ...

. He was a black stallion standing high, and was originally registered as Handshaker's Nodder. He was sold to the Sain family in the fall of 1962 and his name was subsequently changed by Betty Sain. Shaker's Shocker sired 195 foals in his lifetime; after his retirement from showing, he was the lead sire at Sain Stables. He died October 13, 1981.

Career

Betty Sain trained Shaker's Shocker entirely by herself; the first time she rode him, her father was in the

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

. Sain began showing Shaker's Shocker as a two-year-old in 1964, and he had a fairly successful season. In 1966, Betty Sain entered Shaker's Shocker in the

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 won the four-year-old World Championship, referred to as the "junior stake" and was entered in the World Grand Championship, an open class for all ages of horses. Shaker's Shocker won, making Sain the first woman to win the class. Shaker's Shocker was the only Tennessee Walking Horse to have ever been given the ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' Award of Merit. Shaker's Shocker retired from showing in 1970 and was put to stud at Sain's stables. He was also used as a mascot for

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

football games. Shaker's Shocker and Betty Sain have been given a historic marker in Tennessee. There is a permanent exhibit on them in the Tennessee Walking Horse National Museum.

References

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