# RPM (horse)

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.

## Life and career

RPM was a black stallion sired by Dark Spirit's Rebel, the 1992 World Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horse, and out of Ebony's Emmy Lou. As a yearling, RPM was sold to Pete Hammond and Bob Kilgore for $100,000 and put in training with Bud Dunn of Florence, Alabama, who had also trained Dark Spirit's Rebel. Dunn showed RPM to the three-year-old World Championship at the 1997 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration and the four-year-old World Championship in 1998. The same year, RPM was entered in the open World Grand Championship and won reserve. Dunn was aiming RPM at the World Grand Championship the next year. However, in May 1999, RPM was sold to TR & N Partners for $1.25 million, making him one of only 5 Tennessee Walking Horses to ever be sold for over one million dollars. At the time, it was estimated that RPM's price might be the highest ever paid for a Tennessee Walking Horse. The new owners moved him to Sammy Day's stable in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Shortly before the Celebration, Day was convicted of bribing a judge at a different show, fined and put on suspension. RPM was returned to Dunn's training and won the World Grand Championship. In 2000, RPM was retired to stud at Bridlewood Farm and then sold to Jaclyn Smith in 2005. Smith moved RPM to Rising Star Ranch near Shelbyville. RPM was found sick on the morning of July 20, 2005. He was being taken to the University of Tennessee veterinary hospital when he died of an obstructed bowel caused by colic complications.

## Pedigree

Pedigree of RPM :
| Sire Dark Spirit's Rebel | Pride's Dark Spirit | Pride of Midnight* | Midnight Sun* |
| Sire Dark Spirit's Rebel | Pride's Dark Spirit | Pride of Midnight* | Pride of Stanley* |
| Sire Dark Spirit's Rebel | Pride's Dark Spirit | Spirit of Merry Boy | Spirit of Midnight |
| Sire Dark Spirit's Rebel | Pride's Dark Spirit | Spirit of Merry Boy | Marilyn J |
| Sire Dark Spirit's Rebel | Bridle Vale Penny | Reyclif Merry Junior | Reyclif Merry Allen |
| Sire Dark Spirit's Rebel | Bridle Vale Penny | Reyclif Merry Junior | Baby Ray |
| Sire Dark Spirit's Rebel | Bridle Vale Penny | Bridle Vale Twinkle | Wilson's Atomic |
| Sire Dark Spirit's Rebel | Bridle Vale Penny | Bridle Vale Twinkle | First Chance Lady |
| Dam Ebony's Emmy Lou | Pride's Silver Gold | Pride of Midnight* | Midnight Sun* |
| Dam Ebony's Emmy Lou | Pride's Silver Gold | Pride of Midnight* | Pride of Stanley* |
| Dam Ebony's Emmy Lou | Pride's Silver Gold | Miss Ebony Bell | Ebony Masterpiece* |
| Dam Ebony's Emmy Lou | Pride's Silver Gold | Miss Ebony Bell | Bel Aire |
| Dam Ebony's Emmy Lou | Another Dimple | Another Masterpiece | Ebony Masterpiece* |
| Dam Ebony's Emmy Lou | Another Dimple | Another Masterpiece | Pride's Elegant Lady |
| Dam Ebony's Emmy Lou | Another Dimple | Ebony's Dimple Allen | Ebony Masterpiece* |
| Dam Ebony's Emmy Lou | Another Dimple | Ebony's Dimple Allen | Sheila |
* RPM is inbred 3S × 3D to the stallion Pride of Midnight, meaning that he appears third generation on the sire side of his pedigree and third generation on the dam side of his pedigree.
* RPM is inbred 4D × 4D x 4D to the stallion Ebony Masterpiece, meaning that he appears thirce in fourth generation on the dam side of his pedigree.