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Reference:
Magic's Golden Flash

Magic's Golden Flash was CHBOA 2005 Sire of the Year. Flash is a purebred Tennessee Walking Horse, but he's not registered with the TWHBEA. The reason for this is a common one. There was some dispute between the owners of his sire and dam, and Flash's dam was not put on the stallion report. Later, the TWHBEA contacted Vonda and offered to allow Flash to be registered if she would pay the registration fees and the $100 fee to add his dam to his sire's stallion report, but she declined. DNA testing had confirmed his parentage already and Vonda's personal beliefs about the abuses in the TWH industry dictated that she keep to other registries. He IS registered with the IPWHR, Champagne Horse Breeders' & Owners' Association, National Spotted Saddle Horse Association, Spotted Saddle Horse Breeder's and Exhibitor's Association and the Spotted Mountain Horse Association (a division of the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association).

Flash is an amazing animal - massive, powerful, but every inch the gentleman. The first time I met him Vonda let me climb on him bareback and he treated me to quite an experience...almost earth-moving! Vonda and I have been talking about crossing daughters of Flash and Gambler for quite a while...now I've got my Flash daughter - Flash's Virginia Desire HS!

Vonda's mother purchased Flash as a "spotted palomino" before the champagne gene was documented. Later, it became clear that Flash was no ordinary palomino. His foals were often born with bright pink skin and baby blue eyes. It was then that Vonda heard of the champagne gene. She got in touch with the Champagne Horse Association (now defunct) and discovered that her "palomino" was actually a "champagne." [NOTE: Vonda and I were both volunteers at the CHA, and through it we became friends.] We later discovered that Flash was not a gold champagne, but an amber. His white markings masked what would have been dark points except for an inch-wide stripe in his mane. He was DNA tested by the UC Davis and found to be heterozygous black [Ee], heterozygous agouti [Aa], heterozygous Sabino 1 [N/Sb1], and Tobiano. How did this happen? Footie Footloose passed her champagne gene and (hidden) agouti and Magic Man's Flash passed a black gene and a sabino gene. Either could've passed tobiano.

Flash gets his beautiful champagne coloring from his dam, Footie Footloose. TWHBEA records have Footie (pictured at left) registered as a "yellow" mare with an "off fore fetlock." When Footie was foaled in 1984, the term "yellow" was used to encompass many different colors - gold champagne, amber champagne, palomino, buckskin and sometimes the occasional golden chestnut. As to Footie's surprising lack of recorded markings, there are two possible explanations. One - perhaps her owners did not want to take the time to write in her many spots and markings OR perhaps it was an intentional omission. When Footie was registered, spotted horses were generally frowned upon in the walking horse breed. Regardless, Footie went on to produce some excellent quality foals.

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Westwood Farms
Locust Dale, Virginia 22948
westwood_farms@yahoo.com