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WC Pride’s Bold Spirit
was laid to rest on Christmas Day at the age of
28. Purchased from Danny
Hughes in 1986, Pride became a member of the Johnnie
Zeller family first as an amateur mount for Jo Anne
and then a juvenile mount for Jennifer. He was
definitely a “once in a lifetime” horse for the
Zeller family. He had a lion’s heart when it came to
winning stake and amateur classes but it was a
lamb’s heart that carried an 8 year old to a World
Championship. Workouts became Pride’s specialty with
his non-quitting and non-giving up spirit. The longer
the class, the more competitive he became. He left
many memorable stake wins in Kentucky along with an
unforgettable amateur win at Owingsville and
additional wins at the Kentucky Celebration. But it
was at the 1989 National Celebration when he finally
achieved the official title of being a World Champion.
It was the first Friday night in the first class that
Pride showed his true grit, big heart, and love of
showing. He beat an outstanding class of 11 &
under contenders with Jennifer, giving her endless
memories of that special night…and never imagining
that her first year showing Pride would give them a
World Championship title. However, it was not known
until reaching inspection that he injured both his
tendons. He gave no evidence of his injury while in
the show ring. His “Bold Spirit” shined the
brightest that night. He never once faltered or backed
down while in the big oval. Pride never made it to the
World Grand Championship class that Celebration due to
his injury but his family never looked back at the
“what could’ve been” because he did his job in
“Pride’s style”…never wanting to quit until
the job was done. He finished the rest of Jennifer’s
juvenile years until he was retired. Pride lived out
his life in leisure with the continuing care of the
Zeller family. But it was with very heavy hearts on
Christmas day 2006 that it was decided he should go
rest. Pride never seemed to go a day without his bold
spirit…even on his last one. He was laid to rest on
the Zeller’s farm where he will always remain a
special member of the family.
Pride gave the
Zellers a lifetime of memories that will never be
forgotten. And his welcoming nickers seem to still
echo through the barn at feeding time letting everyone
know that his un-dying spirit is still present. For
the ones that knew and loved him, Pride will always be
remembered as the one who would never give up.
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