By Mitzi Oxford 

In 1959, Rodger’s Perfection was named the World’s Grand Champion at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. It was also the debut year of one of the longest-running and most beloved Western TV shows of all time, Bonanza.

Patriarch Ben Cartwright and his three sons, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe, rode across a field on Buck, Chub, Sport and Cochise for the show’s opening. You can’t be a rancher without the proper mode of transportation and there was no better way to get around the more than 2,000 acres of the Ponderosa than on horseback. The Cartwrights were beloved for their love of family and for helping their community.

Sound familiar? It isn’t Virginia City, Nevada, but Shelbyville, Tennessee, that is home to six generations of another beloved Cartwright family. They have been part of the walking horse business for all those years including Suzy Cartwright Johnson’s great-grandfather Moody Arnold, her great-uncle George Arnold and her father Bobby “Hoss” Cartwright. Suzy and Keith Johnson’s sons Adam and Joel and grandsons Tanner and Tucker have joined them in their love of horses and showing

“My family always went to the one night shows and The Celebration. We grew up trail riding and usually wound up having a picnic lunch along the way. I bought my first yearling at the Wiser Farm sale. Walking horses have always been a big part of our lives,” said Suzy.

When Keith and Suzy married in 1981 and the kids came along, Suzy became the head horse show cheerleader for her husband, their kids and later her grandchildren. Showing horses became an “every weekend” family hobby.

Champions among them 

When Keith wasn’t creating and selling ribbons for multiple horse breeds as the former owner of Royal Ribbons and Awards, he, Suzy and their sons Adam and Joel showed horses and won their own ribbons. Their show circuit winners over the years included Insomnia, I’m Cruella DeVil, Royal Enchanter, Doc Hollywood, Mr.
Kamikaze, Granted Parole, Janie B Good, Miss Lipstick, Olympic Encore, Movie Extra, Cut Thee Deck, Generator’s Top Dollar, Buford Pusher, Lightfoot’s Candy and Mr. Mega Bucks.

Keeping the riding all in the family, they bought ponies for their twin grandsons Tanner and Tucker, but boys will be boys. “They played ball and didn’t have time for riding or showing when they were growing up. As they got a little older, we started looking for a horse that was broke and one they could start showing.”

“Everything came together at the right time,” said Stonewall Farm trainer, Jessica Mast. “Kelly Watts was looking for a new horse to show. Keith had called and was looking for a horse to buy.”

She had one in mind. Jessica’s plan was to ride him for a few weeks and make sure he would be a good fit for the Johnson family.

“He was five-years-old and had a nice gait. He had lots of natural ability and shook his head off. His name was IB Smokin Joe.”
Bred and raised by Holly Thrasher Schroeder, IB Smokin Joe was out of Slews Blue Angel and by Indigo Blue. Perhaps with those strong bloodlines, it’s no surprise that he turned out to be a winner and that he was born black, but his coloring eventually faded to dappled grey with a white mane and tail.

The "It" Factor 

“Growing up on a farm and riding horses was a fun memory. Trail riding pleasure horses across our 200 acre family farm provided great fellowship,” said Joel.

When his dad told him he had bought a horse for his boys, Tanner and Tucker he didn’t think much about it at the time, but IB Smokin Joe turned out to be a winner.

“My first show with him was at the Columbia Spring Jubilee. He can be a little spooked at times so I wanted to show him before Tanner and Tucker took the reins. We won the All Day Pleasure class.”

Mast’s description of Smokin Joe goes a little deeper. “He doesn’t like things to change. He is very aware of his surroundings, but when he goes into the show ring, he has the ‘It’ factor,” she explained.

That he did. It was the beginning of another legacy for the Johnson family as IB Smokin Joe has been a winner with Keith, Joel, Tanner and Tucker all taking turns showing him. He has been a true “family horse”.

IB Smokin Joe and Tucker made the spotlight ride in the Owner-Amateur Youth All Day Pleasure World Grand Championship in 2024. It was the fourth world grand championship for IB Smokin Joe, but it was the first world grand championship win with Tucker in the saddle. IB Smokin Joe also has eight world championships titles. The other world grand championship rides were earned in Owner-Amateur All Day Pleasure competition in 2023, 2022 and 2021 with Joel aboard. IB Smokin Joe has amassed a career total of 75 blue ribbon wins.

The horses in Bonanza had to be easily recognized by viewers. Each had a distinct color and pattern, which reflected the personalities of the riders. IB Smokin Joe would have fit in perfectly.

Takin' It To The Cleaners 

A slang term in the 1900s was take or cheat one out of all of one’s money or possessions, as in “Her divorce lawyer took him to the cleaners,” or “That broker has taken a number of clients to the cleaners.”

In sports like baseball or football or even in a show ring, it means defeating the opponent. If a competitor makes a misstep against IB Smokin Joe, they may be taken to the cleaners, in other words, wind up with out the roses or the blue ribbon. He is a winner. Anyone who knows Suzy Cartwright Johnson can appreciate that analogy.

As far as the name, IB Smokin Joe? The IB stands for his sire, Indigo Blue. Mast says he was named for Holly Thrasher Schroeder’s friend at the time, Jazz musician Smokin’ Joe Kubek. The Johnson’s built advertisements for Smokin Joe around the legendary boxer Smokin Joe Frazier. Frazier fought for 16 years including some world-famous bouts against Muhammad Ali and George Frazier.

IB Smokin Joe was also recognized this Fall as the official Mascot of the new Cartwright Elementary School in Shelbyville. There is a life-sized mural painted in the hallway of the school, so Smokin Joe can keep a watchful eye over all the students.

The Cartwright and Johnson legacy will continue in 2025 because the fruit never falls far from the tree or in the words of Bonanza’s favorite character, Hoss Cartwright, “The best fruit is not what falls, but what you have to reach for.”

IB Smokin Joe and the Johnsons will be reaching for more in the coming year.