Sky Watch (horse)

Sky Watch was a five-gaited American Saddlebred show horse. He won four open World's Grand Championships and five stallion World's Grand Championships in the World's Championship Horse Show.

Sky Watch
BreedAmerican Saddlebred
DisciplineFive-gaited
SireFlight Time
GrandsireWing Commander
DamAries Golden Gift
SexStallion
FoaledJune 14, 1977
ColorChestnut
BreederDella Large
OwnerMichele McFarlane
Major wins
Five-Gaited World's Grand Championships 1982-84, 1988
Five-Gaited Stallion World's Grand Championships 1982-85, 1988
Awards
Five-gaited Horse of the Century

Life

Sky Watch was foaled June 14, 1977, sired by Flight Time and out of Aries Golden Gift. He was a chestnut stallion. His grandsire was Wing Commander, the first six-time five-gaited World Grand Champion. He was born on Earl Teater and Sons Farm near Lexington, Kentucky, bred by Della Large and owned by Michele MacFarlane. He retired to the Kentucky Horse Park in 1998, while he was still being bred.[1] He was euthanized due to age-related infirmities on April 22, 2001 at the Kentucky Horse Park and is buried there near his rival Imperator.[2][3]

Career

Sky Watch was originally supposed to be a fine harness show horse, but he didn't take to being driven and was soon switched to under-saddle showing instead. He was initially trained by Mitch Clark, who showed Sky Watch to a win in the two-year-old five-gaited World Championship in 1979. Michele McFarlane saw the horse as a two-year-old, bought him for $50,000 and shipped him to California where he was put in training with Rob Tanner.[1] Sky Watch won 4 five-gaited World Grand Championships, in the years 1982-84 and 1988. In 1983, he competed against another champion Saddlebred, Imperator, in a well-known duel that Sky Watch won.[4] He won the five-gaited stallion World Grand Championship in the years 1982, 1983, 1984 , 1985 and 1988.[1] He was named the five-gaited Horse of the Century by American Saddlebred magazine.[3]

References
  1. "Kentucky Horse Park :: CH Sky Watch Bio :: Lexington, KY". Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  2. "Rest In Peace--Horse Burials in the Park". Equisearch. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  3. "Kentucky Horse Park :: CH Sky Watch* :: Lexington, KY". Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  4. "Dinner with Mitch Clark at Windy Hill Farm : The Saddle Horse Report". Retrieved 27 March 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.