Danny GeorgeMidgett, 71, reining horse trainer of Coldwater, Mississippi, passed away Friday, Sept. 16, 2011, in Senatobia, MS.
Survivors are his son, Paul Speer of Benetta, Oklahoma; daughter, Danna Straw of Benetta; sisters, Peggy Currington of Ponce De Leon, Florida, and Bernice Shan of Wynne; and five grandchildren. Services celebrating his life held at C3 Farms, 1079 Hwy. 305, Senatobia, MS.
Address info: Palestine Rd., Coldwater, MS; 662-233-2247
Remembering George Midgett: Don’t Just Ride – Slide!
By Nancy Brannon, with contributions from Kelly Crabtree
People who were close to George Midgett know him as a man who loved horses, who cared deeply about them and if he had to choose, would put the welfare of the horse above all else.
He grew up in the hills of Crowley’s Ridge on the family farm near Wynne, Arkansas. The family always had horses – working horses. As a teenager, George had a mare that was his favorite in the whole world. One day a tornado came through, destroyed their barn, and killed his mare. George was just devastated. But life went on.
In high school George played basketball. Tall, with long legs, it is rumored George was very good at the game!
Later on, George drove a dump truck. Stories abound about the near misses and near-mishaps driving that truck on the curvy roads around Crowley’s Ridge.
George’s true vocation as a horse trainer flourished when he moved to Mississippi “with $400 in my pocket and the will to work,” he said. He first trained in Nesbit, then moved to Coldwater where he did the majority of his training. He trained halter and Western pleasure show horses, all around performance horses, and then began to specialize in reining horses – where he found his true niche.
Over the years, George won several Congress honors; NRHA honors; he placed high in the derby finals every year; he hauled youth and non pro riders to World Championship titles. He won titles in several breed competitions: he won the Paint World Championship, the Buckskin World Championship. He won several state championships in MS and AR, and too-numerous-to-count small futurities and derbies.
As he got older, he concentrated more on training and spreading his knowledge about training. He helped people train their own horses, coached non pros, and coached a lot of folks, including trainers, who went on the win World titles.
His successful training philosophy was to wait for the horse to tell him when they were ready to move to the next step. This was also the secret to his ability to train young horses quickly, to let them decide when to move up. [A famous dressage trainer once advised: “To arrive quickly, proceed slowly.”]
George worked at building a solid relationship with the horse, which he considered most important. In fact, he was very particular about always feeding his own horses, never letting other folks feed his horses. Others could water his horses, but not feed them. He wanted his horses to associate the goodness of feed with him. This was all part of building that bond with his horses.
He was never brutal with a horse, and he didn’t believe in artificially trying to shape the horse using a lot of contraptions. “If you can’t do it in the show pen, don’t do it outside the show pen” is what he advised and practiced. He preferred a natural look on his horses, and wanted to develop their natural talent. He didn’t want to try to make the horse into something that he wasn’t.
George learned from some “mighty fine” trainers himself: Dale Wilkerson, Bill Horn, and Larry Rose. These are some of the men he rode with.
He also had preferences for particular bloodlines in horses, like Topsail Cody, Hollywood Gold, and Shining Spark.
George was hands-on about every aspect of his horse business, as well as about training and taking care of his horses. He had a good work ethic: up at 6 a.m. every day and worked until the job was finished. He developed a work ethic in his horses, too. He had a routine and developed a routine for each of his horses. He worked his horses at the same time every day, so they knew what to expect. He worked his show horses first in the mornings, then worked the greener horses he was bringing along in the afternoon.
Seemingly tough on the outside, George was a soft-hearted and caring person. He was friendly with everyone, yet hard to get to know deeply. But once you did – look out! George had a joke for everybody and every situation. If you played a joke on George, it wouldn’t be long before he’d reciprocate with a joke on you! He had a really dry wit, and lots of charisma.
All in all, George truly loved horses and he gave every horse a chance. He believed that every horse has a calling, and is good for something even if it isn’t reining. George’s death leaves a deep gap in the mid-south reining horse world. But he also leaves a legacy of sound training and living ethics.
Survivors are his son, Paul Speer of Benetta, Oklahoma; daughter, Danna Straw of Benetta; sisters, Peggy Currington of Ponce De Leon, Florida, and Bernice Shan of Wynne; and five grandchildren. Services celebrating his life held at C3 Farms, 1079 Hwy. 305, Senatobia, MS.
Address info: Palestine Rd., Coldwater, MS; 662-233-2247
Remembering George Midgett: Don’t Just Ride – Slide!
By Nancy Brannon, with contributions from Kelly Crabtree
People who were close to George Midgett know him as a man who loved horses, who cared deeply about them and if he had to choose, would put the welfare of the horse above all else.
He grew up in the hills of Crowley’s Ridge on the family farm near Wynne, Arkansas. The family always had horses – working horses. As a teenager, George had a mare that was his favorite in the whole world. One day a tornado came through, destroyed their barn, and killed his mare. George was just devastated. But life went on.
In high school George played basketball. Tall, with long legs, it is rumored George was very good at the game!
Later on, George drove a dump truck. Stories abound about the near misses and near-mishaps driving that truck on the curvy roads around Crowley’s Ridge.
George’s true vocation as a horse trainer flourished when he moved to Mississippi “with $400 in my pocket and the will to work,” he said. He first trained in Nesbit, then moved to Coldwater where he did the majority of his training. He trained halter and Western pleasure show horses, all around performance horses, and then began to specialize in reining horses – where he found his true niche.
Over the years, George won several Congress honors; NRHA honors; he placed high in the derby finals every year; he hauled youth and non pro riders to World Championship titles. He won titles in several breed competitions: he won the Paint World Championship, the Buckskin World Championship. He won several state championships in MS and AR, and too-numerous-to-count small futurities and derbies.
As he got older, he concentrated more on training and spreading his knowledge about training. He helped people train their own horses, coached non pros, and coached a lot of folks, including trainers, who went on the win World titles.
His successful training philosophy was to wait for the horse to tell him when they were ready to move to the next step. This was also the secret to his ability to train young horses quickly, to let them decide when to move up. [A famous dressage trainer once advised: “To arrive quickly, proceed slowly.”]
George worked at building a solid relationship with the horse, which he considered most important. In fact, he was very particular about always feeding his own horses, never letting other folks feed his horses. Others could water his horses, but not feed them. He wanted his horses to associate the goodness of feed with him. This was all part of building that bond with his horses.
He was never brutal with a horse, and he didn’t believe in artificially trying to shape the horse using a lot of contraptions. “If you can’t do it in the show pen, don’t do it outside the show pen” is what he advised and practiced. He preferred a natural look on his horses, and wanted to develop their natural talent. He didn’t want to try to make the horse into something that he wasn’t.
George learned from some “mighty fine” trainers himself: Dale Wilkerson, Bill Horn, and Larry Rose. These are some of the men he rode with.
He also had preferences for particular bloodlines in horses, like Topsail Cody, Hollywood Gold, and Shining Spark.
George was hands-on about every aspect of his horse business, as well as about training and taking care of his horses. He had a good work ethic: up at 6 a.m. every day and worked until the job was finished. He developed a work ethic in his horses, too. He had a routine and developed a routine for each of his horses. He worked his horses at the same time every day, so they knew what to expect. He worked his show horses first in the mornings, then worked the greener horses he was bringing along in the afternoon.
Seemingly tough on the outside, George was a soft-hearted and caring person. He was friendly with everyone, yet hard to get to know deeply. But once you did – look out! George had a joke for everybody and every situation. If you played a joke on George, it wouldn’t be long before he’d reciprocate with a joke on you! He had a really dry wit, and lots of charisma.
All in all, George truly loved horses and he gave every horse a chance. He believed that every horse has a calling, and is good for something even if it isn’t reining. George’s death leaves a deep gap in the mid-south reining horse world. But he also leaves a legacy of sound training and living ethics.
