Dark Spirit's Rebel

Last updated
Dark Spirit's Rebel
Bud Dunn and Dark Spirit's Rebel.jpg
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.

Tennessee Walking Horse American horse breed noted for its running walk gait

The Tennessee Walking Horse or Tennessee Walker is a breed of gaited horse known for its unique four-beat running-walk and flashy movement. It was originally developed in the southern United States for use on farms and plantations. It is a popular riding horse due to its calm disposition, smooth gaits and sure-footedness. The Tennessee Walking Horse is often seen in the show ring, but is also popular as a pleasure and trail riding horse using both English and Western equipment. Tennessee Walkers are also seen in movies, television shows and other performances.

Alabama State of the United States of America

Alabama is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the 30th largest by area and the 24th-most populous of the U.S. states. With a total of 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of inland waterways, Alabama has among the most of any state.

Bud Dunn

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.

Contents

Life

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]

Bay (horse) hair coat color of horses

Bay is a hair coat color of horses, characterized by a brown body color with a black mane, tail, ear edges, and lower legs. Bay is one of the most common coat colors in many horse breeds.

Stallion Term for a male horse that has not been castrated

A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to female horses, known as mares, and castrated males, called geldings.

Harlinsdale Farm human settlement in United States of America

Harlinsdale Farm is a 198-acre (80 ha) historic district in Franklin, Tennessee that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. It dates from c.1900 and had other significant dates in 1935 and 1945.

Career

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]

Florence, Alabama City in Alabama, United States

Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwest corner.

Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Annual event in Shelbyville, 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.

Shelbyville, Tennessee City in Tennessee, United States

Shelbyville is a city in Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. It had a population of 20,335 residents at the 2010 census. Shelbyville, the county seat of Bedford County, was laid out in 1810 and incorporated in 1819. The town is a hub of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry and has been nicknamed "The Walking Horse Capital of the World".

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References

  1. ↑ "Dark Spirit's Rebel: Tennessee Walking Horse" . Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Felts, Jerry (13 September 1992). "Dunn finally has World Championship". Times Daily. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  3. ↑ "Tennessee Walking Horse - Dark Spirit's Rebel" . Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  4. ↑ Felts, Jerry (1 September 1993). "Dunn's number to be retired". Times Daily. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Tennessee Walking Horse - RPM" . Retrieved 13 May 2016.
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