Horse of the Year Show! #14

Of the many books and articles that have been written about The Horse of the Year Show over the years, the best one is probably Horse of the Year, The Story of a Unique Horse Show by Dorian Williams. Beginning with the show’s first season in 1949, Williams was part of the team that planned and ran it. (He also served as its chief announcer for many years.) In addition to recounting the show’s early history and how it evolved into a gala sporting event, he also devotes several pages to describing how he worked with the musical directors to come up with the music used for special presentations such as the “Musical Drive of the Heavy Horses,” “Pony Club Mounted Games,” “Horse Personalities Parade,” etc. (Some of this music became so traditional that it had to be played year after year by popular demand.)