Rodgers’ Perfection was sired by
Midnight Mack K, out of
Merry Walker, who was
also the dam of Go Boy’s Shadow.
The beautiful black foal was born on Dr. Porter Rodgers’
birthday, May 6th, 1955.
As he developed from a weanling into a big rangy yearling,
his loose way of going, and long sweeping strides continued to
confirm the opinions that he was a truly great prospect for a
champion.
In the winter that Perfection turned three
years old, his natural ability and style was perfected and many who
saw him said that he was the fastest, smoothest walking horse that
was ready for the show ring.
He had plenty of head motion, and kept his legs well up under
him with a fluid like motion to stay in form.
Rodgers’ Perfection won the Junior
Championship at the American Royal Show in Kansas City that year as
well as the Junior Stallion Championship at the Dixie Jubilee Horse
Show in Baton Rouge, and the Stallion Class and Junior Championship
at the Southern Championship Show in Montgomery, Alabama.
As a four-year-old, he won the Stallion Class
and the Championship at Little Rock, Arkansas, and ended his show
ring competition by winning the World Champion Stallion title and
the World Grand Championship at the 1959 Celebration. He was retired from the show ring after the Celebration and
went on to stud. He sired the 1955 and 1956 World Grand Champion,
GLL’s Carbon Copy.
Perfection was retired from active competition in the show ring
following the 1959 Celebration Horse Show.
The Porter Rodgers farm is the home of numerous champions of the
Walking Horse World for Rodgers' Perfection is the THIRD Grand
Champion Walking Horse of the World to come from there.
First of these was Old Glory's Big Man,
winner of the 1950 Celebration showing with Carl Edwards up for Mr.
and Mrs. J. T. Budd, Jr., of Quincy, Florida, followed in both 1955
and 1956 by Go Boy's Shadow with
Winston Wiser up for Padgett and Wiser.
Winning the Grand Champion Walking Horse of the World is the climax
of a great horse lover's dream! Dr. Rodgers has been
developing and promoting the Tennessee Walking Horse since 1933 and
has done as much for the breed and has probably developed more top
walking horses than any one man to date. Having Rodgers'
Perfection foaled on Dr. Rodgers' own birthday and watching him
develop into the great Grand Champion Walking Horse of the World was
one of the greatest thrills of the doctor's life.
The story of Rodgers' Perfection would not be complete without
mentioning Joe Webb who trained and exhibited Rodgers' Perfection
throughout his show career. From the first nod of
Perfection's head, (and incidentally Joe Webb named him Perfection)
Joe recognized the marks of a champion and set about making him just
that. Joe Webb built a training ring exactly the size of the
big ring on the Celebration grounds. Perfection was in great shape
and physically conditioned for the task at Celebration time.
