I
Trainer Bets
On His Horses
Horses are the most im
portant thing in life for Jeff
Matthews, a young rancher
in Dunlin Countv.
"I could never be happy
doing anything else," the
27-year-old trainer and
breeder said. He tried col
lege, but Matthews dis
covered early his interests
were in the out-of-doors with
horses and cattle.
"In 1975 1 went to work for
a horse trainer in Illinois.
Then I spent two years on a
ranch in California learning
to rope and herd cattle. I
have worked with the best
trainers in the country and
have had good experience in
breaking and training."
Going into business with
his brother Jim on a 1,000
acre family farm near
Warsaw, Matthews has es
tablished a business called
Jeff Matthews Quarter
Horses. Last winter they
moved a barn and a small
house from three miles away.
Matthews now lives in the
house, close to the barn and
paddock and his IS horses.
"I like to live near the
horses. If I hear a barn door
banging at night I am right
there to investigate, he
said.
Matthews spent several
months enlarging and re
modeling the old barn. Sky
lights in the roof now
brighten the barn's interior.
Fenced paddocks adjoin the
stalls. A neat tack room has
rows of hooks holding reins
and gear and several western
saddles. Four dogs and five
cats roam the premises.
"1 am particular about
when the horses eat, so I do
the feeding myself, along
with Raeford Best, my helper
on the farm. We feed a lot of
oats and coastal bermuda
hay, staying away from
sweet feed," Matthews said.
Completing the fencing of
a 20-acre pasture is the
current project so five mares
anH fnalc "in ll?_ Li
???IV IV/MIJ vail uc uiuugni
home from a Georgia breed
ing farm before cold weath
er. The ultimate-filan for the
fenced pasture is a 150-by
300 foot arena for training
hourses to round up cattle.
Quarter horses are a beau
tiful and versatile breed,
Matthews said. "They can
be trained for jumping, as
polo ponies, to rope cattle
and to run a quarter mile.
They have wonderful
temperament and are good
with children."
Quarter horses are1 stocky
with big chests and muscular
hind quarters, and while
most are sorrel color, there
are a lew gray and buckskin
coats in the paddock.
"My business is to raise
top quality horses to show
and sell," Matthews said. "I
believe in taking good care of
my horses, and 1 want to
train them well. I also love
performing in horse shows."
Matthews and his sister.
Carroll, a student at the
University of North Carolina
at Wilmington, rode in
competition at the Virginia
State Fair in Richmond last
week. Miss Matthews parti
cipated in the pleasure class,
demonstrating rider ability
and smooth movement of the
horse. Matthews competed
in the reigning class, putting
his horse through intracate
paces of stops and turns.
Dressed in denim jeans,
boots and cowboy hat, Mat
thews brushed the long flow
ing tail of Okan Leo, the
handsome buckskin gelding
that is his working cow
horse. The two have won
prizes in shows in Arizona.
Reno and San Francisco.
"1 never trim tails or
maines," he said. "I like
long tails dragging the
ground, even if they do have
to be washed, wrapped and
oiled. This horse had a leg
injury and had to rest for a
year, but he is now Tit and
ready to go again.''
One of Matthews' newest
acquisitions is a 3-year-old
st all it) n from California. "I'm
getting him ready for a show
in Texas,"- Matthews said.
He plans to take two horses
to the Quarter Horse Con
gress in Columbus, Ohio,
this month. Matthews called
it ?he largest horse show in
the world.
He admitted he has taken
some falls, but he hasn't
broken any bones. His
scrapbook of rodeo pictures
is filled with photographs of
him and his horses in action
at various shows.
"I have ridden horses all
my life because my grand
father, O.S. Carroll, was a
horse lover, and he provided
us with ponies," Matthews
said. "My grandmother.
Gladys Carroll, now a resi
dent at Cornelia Nixon Davis
Nursing Home, still has a
love of horses, and when 1
have my horse van in Wil
mington I go by the nursing
home and bring her out to
the trailer so she can greet
the horses."
He said his mother. Joyce
Carroll Matthews of Warsaw
and Figure Eight Island, has
never taken to horses in spite
of lifelong exposure. "She
even rolls up the car window
if she sees me approaching
her on a horse," he said,
laughing.
"My grandfather really
started this business, but
most of his interest was for
the kids." Matthews said.
"He died last year and I miss
him. I'd like to have his
advice once in awhile."
,^2^ Along
* tha Way
?*- ?Imlly Kill. ft.
Visitors to the Duolin
County courthouse may
have viewed portraits of
several men painted during
the early 1900s. These men.
though unknown today, were
some of Duplin's leading
citizens.
Portraits of Thomas
Stephen Kenan. James
Menzies Sprunt. D.D.. Ben
jamin Franklin Grady. John
Miller Faison, Stephen
Miller. William Anderson
Allen, John Dickson Stan
ford. William James Houston
and John Nicholas Stalling.
D.D. were commissioned by
county officials from 1912 to
1937. Most of the portraits
were painted by Faison artist
Mary Lyde Hicks Williams.
During 1937, Duplin's
Register of Deeds A.T. Out
law released an article in the
September 16 edition of THE
DUPLIN TIMES listing a
brief biographical sketch of
each man's life. The portraits
were hanging side-by-side at
the time in the courtroom
Thomas Stephen Kenan
was born in Duplin County
February 12. 1838. He
opened a law practice in
Kenansvillc about I860 and
left the business to serve in
the Civil War. As a member
of the Confederate army.
Kenan served as Colonel of
the 43rd N.C. Regiment and
was captured at Gettysburg
after being wounded. Kenan
resumed his law practice at
the end of the war and served
Duplin in the House of
Commons during the 1865
and 1866 sessions. Leaving
Dttpi in. Kenan served
several years as Mayor of
Wilson City. Later he was
elected N.C. Attorney
General anrt cerveH fr.im
1877 to 1885. The following
year, 1886, Kenan became
Clerk of the State Supreme
Court and served until his
death on December 21, 1911.
James Mcnzies Sprunt
was born Jan. 14, 1818 in
Scotland. After receiving his
education. Sprunt came to
America where he settled in
Duplin County about 1840.
After teaching a few years,
Sprunt became headmaster
of the old Grove Academy in
Kcnansville. Sprunt served
as headmaster 15 years
before taking the position of
President of Kenansville
Seminary. Licensed into the
Presbyterian ministry in
1849, Sprunt was ordained
and installed as pastor of
Grove Church in Kenansville
during 1851. He served
Grove Church until 1861
when Sprunt received a call
to the 20th N.C. Regiment as
chaplain. Returning to
Duplin at the conclusion of
the Civil War, the Reverend
James Menzies Sprunt, D.D.
resumed his church work
until his death Dec. 6, 1884.
Sprunt's portrait now hangs
at James Sprunt Technical
College.
Benjamin Franklin Grady
was born near Sarecta in
Duplin County October 10,
1831. Grady grew up in
Duplin and attended the
State University. After
graduation Grady relocated
I,
*"? ? -
in Texas where he worked as
a professor of mathematics
and natural sciences at
Austin College in Huntsville.
Gradv enlisted in Confederal
Company K. 25th regiment
. of the Texas Cavalry at the
beginning of the Civil War.
Grady denied offers of pro
motion during the war pre
ferring to serve as a ser
geant. While riding with his
regiment in North Carolina.
Gradv contracted typhoid
fever and remained at Peace
Institute Hospital in Raleigh
until the close of the Civil
War. Grady chose ta return
to Duplin as a teacher and
later County Superintendent
of Schools. He served as
superintendent from 1881 to
1891, when he was elected
office as a member of Con
gress. He served in Congress
four years, then returned to
teach in Duplin until his
death March 6, 1914. The
B.F. Grady school outside
Kenansville bears the
educator's name.
Biographical sketches of
John Miller Faison. Stephen
Miller. William Anderson
Allen. John Dickson Stan
ford. William James Houston
and John Nicholas Stalling
will follow in the next two
editions of ALONG THE
WAY.
i iic jeweis in a jewel watcn
are usually rubies or
sapphires.
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