Steve Hill 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 ...

trainer. He is one of only three

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 ...

s to win the breed's World Grand Championship four times, and trained the first three-time winner.

Career

As a youth, Hill began his career by training the early Tennessee Walking Horse sire

Wilson's Allen Wilson's Allen (1914–1939) was an influential early Tennessee Walking Horse sire. Although he himself was not used as a show horse, he sired the first three World Grand Champions of his breed. Life Wilson's Allen was a Tennessee Walking Horse ...

, then a three-year-old, for his uncle Johnson Hill. Steve Hill said later, "The horse was small and so was I, and my uncle thought we'd match up pretty good." Hill made his show-ring debut at age 14 on Wilson's Allen at the Wartrace Horse Show. Hill won a total of 4 World Grand Championships at 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 ...

in his career, beginning with the red roan mare Midnight Merry in 1949. He followed up the first win with three more on the bay gelding The Talk of the Town in three consecutive years, 1951, 1952 and 1953. The Talk of the Town remains one of only two horses ever to win three World Grand Championships. Hill lived in

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...

but had his training stables in nearby Beech Grove, Coffee County. Besides the World Grand Champions, Hill trained several other horses to success. Hill remains one of the winningest stake trainers in Celebration history.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Steve People from Murfreesboro, Tennessee Tennessee Walking Horse breeders and trainers Year of birth missing Year of death missing