Lenore Schumacher and Be Boppin’ Bobby
By Anne Chunko

While Lenore Schumacher comes from a family of good road horse trainers, her favorite road horse carries only the distinction of his own accomplishments.

Schumacher is the daughter of Emerson Wallingford, a name well known in the road horse world for training champions. Her favorite roadster, on the other hand, is from an obscure pedigree, by Darvie and out the Karen Momentum, and has the ignominy of still being registered with the name "Unnamed."

At the time Schumacher first saw Be Boppin’ Bobby, as he was dubbed, her brother "Lucky" Wallingford was showing the petite trotting gelding
in a road horse class at a Kentucky fair.

Though the trotter was a "1984 model," Schumacher said he had the enthusiasm and energy of a youngster. "He acts and looks as young and brisk as my 5-year-old, Lucky Larry T, (being shown) as Scoobie Doo." Besides his energy, she also liked the looks of the flashy bay with star and strip and two white hind legs.

At that time, she was looking into buying a sleigh for winter driving, and "I had three Quarter Horses and I wanted a good Standardbred to pull the sleigh."

Before she bought the sleigh, Schumacher took Be Boppin Bobby for a test ride. "That was it!" she said. "I sold my Quarter Horses and fell back in love with Standardbreds!"  Schumacher and her husband Glenn bought the horse for showing under saddle in roadster classes.

"Although Bobby is small, we never backed off from any show big or small, and everyone admired the little horse with the big heart," she said.

That big heart earned Bobby and Schumacher many blue ribbons last year over the past three years. Besides ribbons, they won the title of "Central Kentucky Horse Show Association Horse of the Year" in 2000 and were named the CKHSA Roadster Under Saddle Champion for the past two years.

Though showing Bobby sidetracked Schumacher from her original intent, sleigh driving, Schumacher said they still have plans to pursue it.

"Well, you’ve heard of getting the cart before the horse—we got the horse before the sleigh," she joked. "I still have that dream to conquer next with Bobby. I can’t wait ‘till Glenn and I and Bobby can take a sleigh ride around our farm here in Maysville, Kentucky."

Schumacher also plans to continue showing the petite trotter, including competing him the amateur and ladies’ division of roadster-to-bike classes around Kentucky and Ohio in the next few years.

"He is family treasure and a great competitor," she said. Schumacher invited others to visit her website devoted to Bobby at www.roadhorse.net.