Wilson's Allen was
foaled in 1914 on Bud Messick's farm in Coffee County, Tennessee.
There was quite a buzz created among breeders when Roan Allen F-38 was
mated to his own half-sister, Birdie Messick F-86 to produce Wilson's
Allen. It was said to be the first act of linebreeding done on
purpose. Johnson Hill had arranged to have Bud's mare bred to Roan
Allen in hopes of producing a stud colt, which he had contracted to
buy for two hundred dollars. The resulting foal was a chestnut foal,
named Wilson's Allen.
When the colt was five
months old, it was brought to the farm of Johnson Hill and as was the
custom at that time, it was named for the owner, so this colt was
called the Johnson Hill Horse. His gaits were exceptional and
disposition the best. Steve Hill had said the colt could really walk,
"he'd walk and shake his head and slobber." The horse was used as a
farm horse pulling a heavy hillside plow.
Mr. Hill died in 1922
and the following spring the stallion was offered for sale. He was
purchased by Bibb Kirby of Bedford County, TN and by this time he had
lost an eye in an accident and came to be known as the "one-eyed Kirby
horse." Kirby believed the horse would develop into a great sire. He
rode him everywhere and used him to round up cattle near Petersburg.
The round trip was nearly 30 miles. Kirby offered the horse at stud
for ten dollars with a live foal guarantee. He had few takers and was
offered for sale in 1928 but not before he left behind two outstanding
colts, Haynes Peacock and Slippery Allen.
Mr.
Frank Wilson bought the horse and immediately offered him at public
stud. The easy gaits of the foals attracted attention from many
southern states. Pride of Memphis was born in 1932, one of Wilson's
Allen's foals, and in a few years he established his sire in the show
horse world. Most of the successful show horses sired by Wilson's
Allen were chestnut in color and inherited their sire's muscular build
and proud carriage. Frank Wilson had commented that Wilson's Allen was
one of the most gentle horses and easiest stallions to handle he had
ever seen. "I never saw a better natured horse," he declared, "I used
Wilson's Allen all the time; if I didn't have a bridle handy I'd use a
halter and ride him bareback. I rode him to get the mail, in the
field, driving cattle....in fact, for a long time he was the only
horse on the farm, and I rode him everywhere. He had a walk better
than any horse I'd ever ridden."
The old horse died in of
pneumonia on August 22, 1939, having sired many great horses. On the
video, "A Look Into The Past", Dr. Bob Womack commented that if horses
such as Haynes Peacock and Strolling Jim had been left stallions,
think of what the breed would be like today.
One of the Wilson's
Allen sons is Sir MauGray. Billy Taylor said Auburn Gray had sold
twenty thousand dollars worth of foals from Maude Gray, dam of Sir
MauGray, back in the 30's and 40's and that was big money back then.
He said Sir MauGray was sold in the 30's for eighteen hundred dollars.
WILSON'S ALLEN
TWHBEA #350075
FOALED: 1-1-1917
DIED: 8-22-1939
COLOR: CHESTNUT
MARKINGS: NEAR HIND SOCK.
SEX: STALLION |
ROAN
ALLEN
TWHBEA #F-38
COLOR: CHESTNUT SABINO
HEIGHT: 15.3H
 |
ALLAN
TWHBEA #F-1
COLOR: BLACK
|
ALLANDORF
TWHBEA #12205
COLOR: GREY |
MAGGIE
MARSHALL
TWHBEA #12206
COLOR: BLACK |
GERTRUDE
TWHBEA #84
COLOR: CHESTNUT SABINO
MARKINGS: FOUR STOCKINGS,
BALD, MIXED MANE AND TAIL. |
ROYAL DENMARK
TWHBEA #12284
COLOR: CHESTNUT |
BALL
II
TWHBEA
#12285
COLOR: CHESTNUT |
BIRDIE MESSICK
TWHBEA #F-86
COLOR: GRAY |
ALLAN
TWHBEA #F-1
COLOR: BLACK
|
ALLANDORF
TWHBEA #12205
COLOR: GREY |
MAGGIE
MARSHALL
TWHBEA #12206
COLOR: BLACK |
NELLIE
TWHBEA #10140
COLOR: CHESTNUT
|
HAL |
| UNKNOWN |
Wilson's Allen has 482 offspring registered with
the TWHBEA.
