Why walking horses? Why now?

Hey guys,
     I've never done a blog before, so I don't really know where to begin. I guess I'll tell you who I am, and why I'm starting this blog. My name is Holly Hagan, and I'm on a mission to become a cowgirl.
     It all starting when I was doing a friend a favor and helping her clean out some storage space at her horse barn. (check it out. http://newhorizonstable.com/ For all your breeding needs!) I stumbled upon this old, beat up display case with a horse bit in it. It looked like at one point in time it was important, but now it doesn't look like much. I wasn't sure if I should organize with all the other bits (that were hanging on the wall, not in display cases) or what, so I asked. My friend, Christy, said that her dad inherited it years ago, and that even though she and her husband hadn't treated it like so, it is actually kind of a big deal. Apparently, it was used in the first ever Walking Horse Celebration by the first ever World Grand Champion, Strolling Jim. (She also told me to keep the bit, but trash the display case, because it was already pretty much trashed, but that's neither here nor there.)
     I didn't think much of it at the time, but now, three days later, when I'm wide awake and I can't sleep, it's occurred to me that I don't know anything about walking horses or the Celebration. This probably isn't a big deal to most people. But I am not most people. New Horizon Stables is like my own personal sanctuary. Christy and her husband, Mike, lead my small group at my church, and they are like my extra set of parents. Whenever I need something therapeutic, I go to the barn, complain about whatever my problem is, until someone puts me on a horse. Then, I ride in circles, until I'm relaxed and have to get off, because I'm about to fall asleep. After that, the world is a better place for me.
     I feel like if the best way for me to get peace when I need, it involves walking horses, then I should know something about walking horses. I know that they're big, furry, and have four legs, but that's about it. I mean, why are they such a big deal? What makes this breed different from other breeds? Why are they "celebrated"? Why do they have such weird names? (Really, that one bothers me. Haynes Peacock is a horrible pet name. I just Googled "Grand World Champion names" and that horse was the GWC of 1940 and 1941. His owner's last name was Haynes. Why would you name a pet after yourself? Fido is a good pet name. Not Strolling Jim. What kind of pet strolls?) What exactly do Mike and Christy do? I could go on with questions, but I'll spare you with just those.
     I really just don't know anything about something I spend so much time around. So I've decided to cowgirl up and learn about what I'm dealing with when I go to the barn. The point of this blog is for me to track my progress and what I've learned, and to share it all with you readers (assuming that there will be readers).
     Hopefully, by the end of this, I'll be a full blown cowgirl.