Horsing around

Raising and training Tennessee Walking Horse Champions is a tradition for the Dotsons

In this season of thanksgiving, Jaron Dotson says he’s grateful for many things.

About 20 of those blessings are grazing in a pasture the MTE member can see from the window of his Thompson’s Station home. They are the current residents at Dotson Brothers Farm and Stable, one of the Tennessee Walking Horse world’s most honored breeders and exhibitors.

“These horses give me peace and comfort so that I’m a better person when I deal with human beings,” Jaron said. He spends his days assisting fellow MTE members as a co-op member support specialist. 

The Dotson family has farmed the same Williamson County land since 1889. Once a general agricultural operation that 
included mules and horses, the enterprise eventually evolved into solely a walking horse breeding and training operation. 

The most recent generations carrying on the family legacy are Jesse Dotson Jr. and his sons, Jesse III and Jaron. 

Jesse Jr.’s love affair with horses began early. His mother bought him his first horse at age 5. While in college, he 
learned how to train foals from a local veterinarian and then began raising and exhibiting his own in 1977. His passion 
for horses influenced his decision to earn a degree in animal science from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) before his 46-year career as an MTE meter reader. Now retired, he’s concentrating fully on the Dotson Brothers Farm horses.

Jesse III and Jaron work off-farm jobs, pitching in at night and on weekends and handling all the exhibiting duties to keep the family operation moving forward. Both began training and exhibiting walking horses about the time they entered elementary school. 

“I head straight to the barn as I finish my MTE job every day. Both jobs require similar skill sets,” Jaron said. “Showing colts requires patience because you’re teaching them. Each is a blank canvas that we mold to have desirable equine qualities. Patience and teaching are also an important part of providing the level of service our MTE members expect and deserve.”

Consistent contenders

As evidenced by the huge collection of ribbons, trophies and championship floral horseshoes on display at the farm, breeding and exhibiting horses is something the Dotsons do exceptionally well.

Even more impressive is that many of those show ring victories have occurred at Shelbyville’s annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, revered as the industry’s Super Bowl of equine excellence. At the 2026 show, the Dotsons walked an entry into the ring 23 times and exited with a placing for every outing. 

Winning has been happening for decades. Jesse Jr.’s first big Celebration victory came in 1989, leading a yearling to reserve world grand champion honors. The Dotson Brothers Farm also raised Cash In My Stock, the 2001 world grand champion in the 15.2 and under class. 

That same year, Jesse III became the first African American to win, own and train a weanling (a foal that has been weaned from its mother) world champion in the youth division. Jaron was still in college when he claimed his first world championship and reserve world grand championship with Luchador, a weanling trained on the Dotson farm.

Despite all the accolades, the Dotsons aren’t finished yet. The ultimate dream is to raise and own a horse that takes the final floral horseshoe and a turn under the Celebration spotlight as the breed’s world grand champion.

“We know it’s possible and achievable, so we’re still chasing that title,” Jaron said.

Horses and horizons

In the meantime, the Dotsons are readying another generation to carry on the family legacy. Extended family members Zyaire Trazie, who lives in New York, and Sam Coleman, a Michigan resident, spend their summers in Tennessee working at the Dotson farm. They’re learning animal training skills and showmanship techniques to exhibit entries alongside Jaron and Jesse. Sam is also following in Jesse Jr.’s footsteps as an animal science major at MTSU. 

The future is always very much on the minds of the Dotsons. They’re eagerly awaiting spring 2027, when several foals are expected to be born at the farm.

As Jaron muses, one of those gangly legged newborns could grow up to be THE one — a future Tennessee Walking Horse world grand champion bred, born, raised, trained and owned by the Dotsons.