Mexico weekly ledger., 1904-06-16
CHESTER DARE.
Interesting Facts About the Noted
Horse.

Ine noted sire OF saddle horses
Chester Dare, No. 10, Vol. 1, America,
Saddle Horse Register, died at tn,
home OF bis owner, e. w. Mccormack
Hempridge, Shelby county, KY, Ma,
! 10th. This great stallion is wei
: known all over the West and his re
putation as a sire Of show horses ha,
spread TO the East as we'll. He ha.
sired SO many Of the noted show rinl
winners of the past decade that hil
get have been sought by those who
had the wealth to reach SO high.
Among the high-priced ones may be
mentioned Gypsy Queen, 50, 900; Dandy
Dare, $1,000; Viola King, 81, 500; Cleo.
patra, $1,000; King Chester, o., 900, and
hundreds Of Others ranging from 5000
to 81, 500.
On the 23d day Of April, 1882, a bay
colt was foaled In Woodford county,
Ky, the property Of Mr.. ]. w. Garrett,
but was sold to Mr.. ]. G. Graves.
While he was q very promising colt,
do not know that he attracted
especial attention until 1885, when as
a three-year-old he was a winner In the
show rings at Lexington, and. other
fairs In the state. 1t was that fall or
winter that a colored boy wa leading
Chester Dare to water when the colt
in a playful mood nipped him on the
arm. The boy turned and striking
the colt over the face the end Of the
halter ring went in the near eye caus-
ing the loss of the sight in that eye
and later the loss of many blue ties In
the show ring.
In 1886, the following year, Chester
Dare, then four years old, was a
winner at the Kentucky fairs and
closed the season by winning the grand
prize at st. LOUIS over a large ring Of
competitors from all over the country.
1t was when Mr.. Graves was on his
way home from this fair that | &C.
cldentally met with him ON a train
coming out Of Louisville, and it was
the first | knew Of Mr.. Graves or Ches-
ter Dare. The owner of the horse wa
well pleased with his recent victory at
st. Louis, and while we were strangers
to each other, we were soon discussing
the big show. About two months
later MI. J. III. Fullenwider and |
went to Woodford county and bought
Chester Dare in partnership, paying
5000 for him. This looked a little high
to us at the time for a horse with only
one good eye, but we were nevertheless
satisfied with the trade. About this
time "boom prices' were being paid
for trotting horses and but little in
terest was manifested In saddle horses
in Shelby county. Chester Dare had
only been In Mr.. Fullenwider's stable
a few weeks when two gentlemen from
southern Kentucky, who saw him
shown at st. Louis, went to Woodford
county and finding the horse had been
sold came on to Shelby county, and If
| remember right, offered us 81, 900 for
him, which was refused.
Mr.. Fullenwider kept Chester Dare
for four years; he then came to my
stable and ] made the next season, !
lS91-with him. In July Of that year
| bought out Mr.. Fullenwider's inter-
est, paying him 81, 100 for his one-half
interst. About this time the first |
volume Of the Saddle Horse Registry |
was taking shape, aud when the secre-
tary, Col. /. B. Nall, asked me during
the Shelby fair what number / wanted
In the register for Chester Dare | told
him No. 10, as / would like for Ches-
ter Dare to be to the saddle horse
what Hambletonian 10 had been to
the trotting horse family.
The following winter / sold a half
interest In Chester Dare to Messrs.
Joe Bales and ]. G. McChord, OF Rich
mond, KY, for 81, 300. Under our con-
tract they were to keep the horse two
years. At the expiration Of that time
we entered and sold him In the Rue &
Faulconer sale at Danvllle to close
the partnership. At this time it look
ed as il the ''bottom had dropped en-
tirely out'' of the horse business,
prices were very low and the country
was full of good horses. Chester Dare
was sold for 81, 100 and for the second
time l became his sole owner. MI.
Joe Mcdowell, of Danville, KY, kept
him that spring--1894-but at the
close of the season l brought him home
where he remained until his death
last week.
The history of Chester Dare since
he was brought back to Shelby county
is well known to the public A horse
endowed with a wonderful degree of
intelligence, a perfect disposition
and when in his prime-with the
bloom of youth beaming forth from
his every movement, he was regarded
by many as the most beautiful Of
horses. Many times / have heard the
expressions from the most competent
judges in the county, such as "Ches-
ter Dare is the handsomest horse |
ever saw t'he is absolutely In a class
to himself, y etc. So forcibly and uni
( ormly did he impress his get with
his characteristics that. almost with
out an exception, could n pick his
colts In any show ring. To-day more
OF his sons are In the stud than the
get OF any other saddle horse.
Chester Dare proved a pleasant and
and profitable investment to his own
ers. He brought thousands Of dollars
into Shelby county, made 1t a leading
saddle horse county and has been OF
inestimable value to the saddle horse
interests throughout the country.
We buried him In q blue grass pad
dock near his stable, where a marble
slab marks his last resting place.
E . 4