| Dark Spirit's Rebel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Breed | Tennessee Walking Horse |
| Discipline | Show horse |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1984 |
| Color | Bay |
| Breeder | Harlinsdale Farm |
| Owner | Frank and Shirley Neal |
| Trainer | Bud Dunn |
| Major wins | |
| World Grand Championship in 1992 | |
Dark Spirit's Rebel was a Tennessee Walking Horse who won a World Grand Championship in 1992. Nicknamed Rebel, the horse was trained by Alabama resident Bud Dunn. After his show career was over, Rebel sired the 1999 World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horse, RPM.
Dark Spirit's Rebel was a bay stallion foaled in 1984, sired by Pride's Dark Spirit and out of Bridle-Vale Penny. [1] He was bred by Harlinsdale Farm of Franklin, Tennessee, the former home of the notable sire and show horse Midnight Sun. He was sold to Frank and Shirley Neal at Harlinsdale's 13th annual production sale. [2]
Dark Spirit's Rebel was initially trained by Ramsey Bullington, who had previously won one World Grand Championship. [3] In 1990 he was moved to Dunn and Son Stables in Florence, Alabama. The Neals initially planned to have Steve Dunn train and show Rebel, but he was concentrating on another horse and Rebel was paired with Steve's father, Bud Dunn. [2] Dunn entered Rebel in the 1992 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, where the pair won the preliminary class before entering the World Grand Championship. Dark Spirit's Rebel was the favorite in a class of 13 horses, and when he won the record crowd of 28,000 began screaming his name. [4] The win was the first World Grand Championship for 74-year-old Dunn, who had been training horses for over 40 years. [2] In an interview after the win, Frank Neal noted that, while he was proud of owning a World Grand Champion, "We are even prouder of the fact that our horse finally enabled Bud Dunn to accomplish this." [2] The owners also commented that 13 was a lucky number for Dark Spirit's Rebel; he was the 13th horse purchased at Harlinsdale Farm's 13th production sale, had the 13th stall in Dunn's stable, and arrived in Shelbyville, Tennessee (location of the Celebration) 13 days before the World Grand Championship, among other examples. [2] After his show career, Dark Spirit's Rebel sired a limited number of foals. Among them was RPM, who won the 1999 World Grand Championship, ridden by Bud Dunn. [5]
Midnight Sun (1940–65) was one of the leading sires of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed, and a two-time World Grand Champion in 1945 and 1946. He was trained by Fred Walker and lived almost all his life at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, Tennessee.
The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration (TWHNC), sometimes known as the Celebration, is the largest horse show for the Tennessee Walking Horse breed, and has been held annually in or near Shelbyville, Tennessee since its inception in 1939. The Celebration was conceived by Henry Davis, a horse trainer who along with several other horsemen, felt the Shelbyville area should have a festival or annual event. Although the Celebration was originally held in Wartrace, Tennessee, it moved to Shelbyville, the seat of Bedford County, a few years later. The Celebration spans 11 days and nights in late August and early September annually, and finishes with the crowning of the World Grand Champion Tennessee Walker on the Saturday night before Labor Day. The TWHNC draws an estimated 2,000 horses and 250,000 spectators to Shelbyville each year.
Strolling Jim (1936–1954) was the first Tennessee Walking Horse to become World Grand Champion of his breed. Since Strolling Jim's death, a restaurant, street, and an annual ultramarathon in his hometown of Wartrace, Tennessee have been named after him.
I Am Jose is a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion and three-time World Grand Champion. He is the first stallion and second horse to win the World Grand Championship three times. I Am Jose is black with a star on his forehead.
The Talk of the Town was the first Tennessee Walking Horse to win three World Grand Championships, and one of only two horses ever to do so.
Emerson "Bud" Dunn was a Tennessee Walking Horse trainer from Kentucky who spent most of his career in northern Alabama. He trained horses for over forty years and won his first Tennessee Walking Horse World Grand Championship at age 74 with Dark Spirit's Rebel; at the time, he was the oldest rider to win the honor. He was inducted into the Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame in 1987 and named trainer of the year in 1980 and 1991. In 1999 at age 81, Dunn surpassed his own record for the oldest winning rider by winning his second World Grand Championship, riding RPM. He died of a heart attack in January 2001.
Ebony Masterpiece was a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion who won a World Grand Championship in 1962. After his show career he retired to stud, where he sired over 3,500 foals, six of which also became World Grand Champions.
RPM was a Tennessee Walking Horse who won a World Grand Championship in 1999. As a four-year-old, RPM was sold for $1.25 million, estimated at the time to be the highest price ever paid for a Tennessee Walking Horse. RPM was trained by Bud Dunn, who also trained the horse's sire to a World Grand Championship in 1992.
Setting Sun was a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion who competed in his breed's World Grand Championship three times. On his first attempt, in 1956, he placed third; he won the Reserve World Grand Championship in 1957 and the World Grand Championship in 1958. He was trained by Sam Paschal. After his wins, Setting Sun made nationwide television appearances. He died in 1976 and is buried near Newport, Tennessee.
Merry Walker was a Tennessee Walking Horse mare. She gave birth to the show horses Go Boy's Shadow and Rodger's Perfection, who won three World Grand Championships between them.
The horse industry in Tennessee is the 6th largest in the United States, and over 3 million acres of Tennessee farmland are used for horse-related activities. The most popular breed in the state is the Tennessee Walking Horse - developed by crossing Thoroughbred, Morgan, Saddlebred, and Standardbred horses in the 19th and 20th centuries - and it became an official state symbol in 2000.
White Star was a Tennessee Walking Horse mare who won her breed's World Grand Championship in 1954. After her Championship win, she was exhibited in multiple shows across the United States.
William Earl Bobo is a Tennessee Walking Horse trainer. He won the World Grand Championship at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in 2003 with the stallion The Whole Nine Yards. Bobo also showed the notable horse Rowdy Rev, who competed in the World Grand Championship several times but never won. Bobo has been named Trainer of the Year by the Walking Horse Trainers Association.
Rowdy Rev is a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion who won the Reserve World Grand Championship in the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. Although he repeatedly competed in the World Grand Championship, he never won, despite wins in other large shows.
The Coach (2004-2017) was a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion who won the World Grand Championship in 2010.
Walk Time Charlie is a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion who won his breed's World Grand Championship in 2012.
Pride's Generator (1975–2001) was a Tennessee Walking Horse who won three World Championships before being retired to breeding. Standing at stud first at S. W. Beech Stables and later at Waterfall Farms, he sired over 2,000 foals, of which two became World Grand Champions and over 100 became World Champions.
Watch It Now is a Tennessee Walking Horse who won the World Grand Championship in the 2009 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.
Main Power is a Tennessee Walking Horse who won the World Grand Championship in the 2005 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. He had previously been the Three-Year-Old World Champion in two categories, Four-Year-Old World Champion and Reserve World Grand Champion.
Out On Parole (1997–2018) was a Tennessee Walking Horse who won the World Grand Championship in the 2002 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.