By Mitzi Oxford
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Those words from poet Maya Angelou could have been written about the McWaters family. LaRue, Ann and their family have contributed to the Tennessee Walking Horse industry for years with compassion and hard work.
Angelou’s words are a powerful reminder that even though we can’t always control what happens to us in or out of the show ring, win or lose, we can choose how we respond to those events. The McWaters have responded with integrity, which has earned them deep respect from their trainers, competitors and fellow horse lovers
they’ve met in the past 50+ years in the walking horse industry.
LaRue built a business on integrity and it served his family well. It was a niche business in Ashford, Alabama, providing laundry service for the nuclear power industry. He would eventually build and design a mobile laundry business that catered to cleaning nuclear power lab coats and jumpsuits. He provided that service to companies across the southeast and even to a company in Germany.
“Our integrity and the good Lord made our business successful,” said LaRue. Ann says that her husband is a Jack of all trades. It’s a common trait among successful inventors, architects, and designers, who embrace doing more with less and believe that “Integrity is the essence of everything successful.” LaRue McWaters did that.
SIMPLE BEGINNINGS
“I’ve been riding all my life. My daddy was a sharecropper, and he would set me up on a mule that was plowing our fields,” said LaRue.
He showed his first walking horse at the age of 14. LaRue is now 81. Ann’s love for the breed came later. “I knew nothing about walking horses when LaRue and I got married in 1983,” Ann said.
She and the family were soon creating their own memories when LaRue and their son Bart began showing in 1990.
“We went to all the one-night shows, mostly across Alabama and Georgia. I would make us sandwiches and it was also my job to make sure everyone looked decent in the show ring,” explained Ann.
Bart remembers helping his mom and dad with the daily chores including feeding horses and cleaning stalls. When it was show time, looking decent in the ring wasn’t always easy.
“We were the ‘little man’ at most of those shows. I remember my first show at Columbia. Me and Daddy took two horses to show, but only had one riding suit between us,” said Bart.
Those simple beginnings would eventually lead to the big time and the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. As spectators, one of the McWaters favorite World’s Grand Champions was He’s Puttin’ On The Ritz with Sammy Day in 1996.
“He was 110%. He was all natural. It’s changed over the years since we began showing, but the horses are doing more and looking better every year,” LaRue said.
TRIPLE M FARMS
Under the Triple M banner, the McWaters have owned a string of winning horses.
LaRue and Bionic Superstar had a stellar Celebration in 1996 winning three world championships and the World Grand Championship. Ann remembers finding a seat on the west side of the Big Oval to watch the class and seeing Alan Jackson and a group of his friends enjoying the show. Bionic Superstar was trained by the late Ray Baldwin, a great friend to the McWaters.
Bart’s first world championship was on Sloe Gen Jose in 2019. Tim Smith trained Sloe Gin and has trained several horses for the McWaters over the years.
Another Celebration victory came in 2012 when the Triple M trained entry of Stemwinder carried the McWaters grandson, Koston to the O/A Novice Youth World Championship.
Other winners include C’est La Vie, a mare that was shown by Scotty Brooks and Carol Lackey, among others, before LaRue and Bart took the reins in 2014. C’est La Vie retired from showing as of 2025. ‘That’s life’ following a successful show career.
Other entries from the McWaters include Huntress, Your Wish Is My Command and The Great Satchmo. Then came Jose Cold Chills. He was a family and a fan favorite.
Jimmy McConnell has won four world grand championships. He trained Jose’ Cold Chills and thought of him as a winner.
“The McWaters loved him for good reason. He had a big motor. I thought he could win the big stake,” according to McConnell.
There was every reason to believe that would happen. His dam was Crystal Lites Sunshine MM who had three other babies by his sire Jose’ Jose’ including All About Jose, I Am Biscayne Bay and Hashtag. They were all world grand champions. There was no reason to believe that Jose’ Cold Chills wouldn’t be the fourth.
It was not to be. After winning rides at the Spring Fun Show and a reserve world championship at the 2020 Celebration, Jose’ Cold Chills suffered a career ending injury. While it was the ending of one chapter, it became the beginning of another.
Jose’ Cold Chills now stands at stud at Precious Memories in Shelbyville, Tennessee. He is producing winners including I’m Just Chillin’ and He’s Chillin’ Out. Bart enjoyed a winning ride at the Mar-
shall County Horseman’s show with He’s Chillin’ Out last season.
Jimmy’s Thornridge South has also trained Switchblade FSS for the McWaters who sold half interest to the Jacobs family. In the past two years, Ally Jo Jacobs has enjoyed many winning rides on him.
On learning of the McWaters YIWH Owners dedication, Jimmy said, “Well deserved. They’ve been involved for a long time. They are so easy to work with and such an asset to the walking horse business.”
FOR HONORS
For Ann and LaRue, the YIWH dedication is a blessing. “We feel good about being recognized and we are thankful.”
In the beginning, Ann and LaRue got to know Larry and Gary Edwards from all those one-night shows in Georgia and Alabama. They trained Jose’ Cold Chills at one point. As a trainer for 2016 World Grand Champion Honors, Larry knows a winner when he sees one.
“Jose’ Cold Chills was a great horse and the horse sales they partnered with Wiser Farms were also good for the walking horse business. They are good people,” said Larry.
His brother Gary seconded that.“The horse business has been good to us and it’s because of people like Ann and LaRue.
”For Bart, the honor is hard to talk about. “This dedication means so much to me. It created a great work ethic and I saw the people who respected my parents. It’s been a wonderful life.” For the McWaters,
now it’s time to feed and shovel stalls and write the next chapter of their part in the walking horse history because “Each man’s life touches many others.”- from It’s a Wonderful Life.
"We are grateful and honored to be in the Walking Horse Industry, but most of all we are blessed to be a part of the Walking Horse Family."