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Show C. "Vic Mams, a Centerville horse trainer for many years, learned to ride and train horses early in life when he grew up on a family farm in Kansas. V. Horses at the Adams stables in Centerville are trained through a variety of methods. Here they are worked on the walking machine. Vic trains mostly American Saddlers, Arabians. Morgans and Thoroughbreds. Learned Hard Way By ROSELYN KIRK V.C. Vic Adams, 1056 the children had bronchial asthma, the family moved to Huntsville, Utah in 1939 and later to Centerville. HE BUILT the stables and moved to his present home in 1942. Vic says he has trained every kind of horse and learned how to do it the hard way by doing it. Horses must be trained by repeating the performance over and over again. Sometimes he rides, but other times he trains the horse by working them in harness. He has trained jumpers, three and five gaited horses, show horses and harness horses. He says it takes more time to train d horses. In addition to the three natural gaits, the walk, trot and canter-t- he horse must be taught to the slow gait and the pace. VIC, HIS children and grandchildren have won several thousand ribbons for North Main, Centerville, says he has been riding horses for so many years he isnt sure when he learned. began his horse training career working on his fathers farm near Hiawatha, Kansas, said of these early days, The corrals were filled with horses. I learned to ride almost as soon as I learned to walk. Vic still continues to board and train horses although he flies all over the United States to judge horse VIC, WHO five-gate- shows. He is in the training corrals at work early in the morning and works with the animals until 12 noon. Vic has been in the horse training business for 57 years. He began in 1920 but says he works nearly themselves and have closets and every day and trains about as many TM GOING to quit when Im 40, he says, but doesnVsmile at his own joke. He has taught kids in the neighborhood to help him in training horses and water and feed the animals that are boarded there while they are being trained. Vilma Adams, Vics wife, stays home and oversees the feeding and watering of the horses while Vic is on his numerous judging trips. She says the 41 horses that are currently being trained are too many when she has to supervise their care with the aid of four young trainers. ,. Saddlers, Arabians, Morgans and Thoroughbreds, both in saddle and in harness. He also has some experience training Tennessee Walking horses and Quarter Horses. Prior to a horse show the animals must be groomed. This involved polishing their hooves with black shoe polish, trimming their hair and correctly shoeing the animals. In many cases the owners of the horses, who are boarded in Vics stables and worked during the month are not ridden by their owners in horse shows. Many times they are shown by professional riders. ALL OF the six Adams children and two or three of the grandchildren have shown horses that have been trained by Vic. The trophy room in the Adams house in Centerville is filled with ribbons of trophies of every color and bearing the names of horse shows held in all parts of the United States. Paul Adams, 17, Vics grandson, began riding at 13. Now at 17 he rides in many horseshows and trains horses under the direction of his grandfather. VIC SAYS he uses very little whip to train horses. I try to teach a horse, not beat it in, he said. Vic learned to tram horses when he worked on his fathers farm in Kansas. We had every kind of horse and mule in.the corral. He began to train horses professionally in Falls City, Nebraska, but, since one of IN ADDITION to training horses, Vic is also in the business of training riders. Many people like to ride their own horses. I can teach 100 horses as fast as I can teach one person to ride, he said. Some people will never master the skill. They dont have the balance, touch and experience. I can tell before they get to the barn, whether theyll be able to ride. Vic says that horses are big business in Utah-t- he fifth largest in the country. Although he does not train western horses, he says that some of the finest nnr, - cup- boards full of ribbons. But for every one weve won for ourselves, weve won 20 for others. He pointed out that after so many years in the horse training business, winning a ribbon isnt all that exciting. Sometimes for us, its just another ride. VIC WORKS mostly with American horses as he always has. western horse trainers are located in Utah. VIC TEACHES English and Western riding, as well as jumping, harness and halter classes. One of the horses he owned and trained, Fleet Apple, became an. Olympic medalist in the Olympics in Germany in 1972. The Thoroughbred jumped 7 ft. 4 inches to win. Vic had trained Fleet Apple, but had sold him prior to the Olympics. The American Equestrian team borrowed the animal from the owner to win the event. Vic had bought and trained Fleet Apple. Originally a race horse, Vic trained the animal as a jumper. Jumpers are trained by placing a barrier for the animal and then slowing raising the barrier. HE SAYS that he usually starts by training a horse in harness. The animal is taught various commands before a rider mounts his back when the animal is about three years old. "I dont use whips, but talk a lot to the horses," Vic said. Vic has judged horse shows for 15 years in divisions: Saddle and Fine Horses, Tennessee Walking Horses, Western, Stock, Seat Equestrian, Jumper, and Saddle Seat Equestrian. He is a certified judge of Registered Morgans, Arabians, American Saddlers and Pony of America. breed of horse. OP VjpOMN a IN ORDER to qualify, a prospective judge must make application to the American Horse Show Association, located in New York City. The applications must also include references and list the judge's experience with horses. Two or three times a year a panel meets to select the judges. Since Vic has qualified as a judge he flies from coast to coast and will judge horses from Massachusetts to San Francisco this summer. Some shows last a week, while others are only two days. WHILE VIC is away, Vilma minds the stables. The two, who have been married over 50 years, met in Kansas. At that time Vic was training ponies and mules. Since then he has posed for many pictures with winning horses in his black English riding habit. But still the most familiar sight is Vic dressed in his levis or overalls training horses in the circular corral behind his home in Centerville. PHOTOS BY FRED WRIGHT ' III Vic says training a five gaited horse is time consuming since the horse must walk, trot and the canter, as well as the slow gait and the pace. gaits-t- he be taught the natural WM barn, shows Marlene Fairchild working with a Tennessee walking horse. The trophy room at the Adams house is filled with ribbons won while riding almost any A view from the interior of the Paul Adams, Vics grandson, is the third generation of the family to train and ride horses. Here Paul works with Little Audrey, training her for competition in horse shows. Here Evan Kagie. one of the boys that help Vic in training the horses, works with Little Audrey in harness. Little Audrey is also a jumper. - |