Mexico weekly ledger., 1920-11-18

NV. once the center of the saddle
brse country of the United States,
the ownership of the I'M
brpasscd champion Of them all, Rex
EcDonald, is watching with eager
E@tention the come back of its fav-
bite steed
|Co down the street and ask Ben
Eddleton, owner of Rex Mcdonald,
goes wish the saddle horse,
Il Ben's eye will light up and he
bl tell you that the day of the
Iddle horse is dawning again, and
lat this Missouri country-Audrain,
|laway and Boone co~unties-once
Erc will he in the limelight as pro-
beers Of the ~prancing steed.
Meet Tom Bass, noted negro
linor Of horses on the street, and
Tr. S eloquent tongue viii
looscd in . moment, and he'll
hinge into the glories of the days
are gone. lat which are return
Ask hHH whether this country
enough good horses left to enable
H. take the lead again in the indust-
.ga he'll tell you that it has the
sbras in pl~entitude, but that sires
lave to lie developed. Missouri,
s|wcvcr, Tom is sure, win lead Ken
cky again, when the glad day
smcs.
aa old horsemcn, dethroned
n he automobile superseded the
b.. in high society, are planning
u ,ap Renaissance Of the horse, The
kmohlIo has become so nearly IN
hat distinction does not at
it. Society folks are going
horse for show and for
-, You cant love
Kan love q horse that
M IN jrc eye and be q
n gges fer riding horses al
rim. Fashionables are
" esh again. There never
exercises, any horse
ca and there's another
/. crytpdy will begin to
gTout Rex Mcdonald. Gen.
Pcadcrs, meet this famous horse;
10Y Bon Middleton, once a poor
Mo hoy, whose lifelong ambition
n.a #ielI when he became owner
h Rex Mcdonald when the horse was
\ on'y years old.
REX Mcdonald has been dead for
j ven years. His body lies buried in
4 old fair ground her right in
4 1ut Of the Frandstand at the point
u aro he won his first honors. Some
j y q monument is to be erected
ID n. fer the people Of Mexico never
ucct 70 sec such a horse again. IT
q words of one profane old Kentuck'
b, who loved a horse as he'd love
i'd: Huh, Rex Mcdonald WASH
hess, he was a pattern sent down
u God for saddle horses" And a
u at the old Kentuckian wasn't reall!
f%ofane, It was reverence.
To know Rex Mcdonald. n reall.
build have to listen to Ben Middle
en; to sit down in the back office o
EMS livery stable, now a hybrid gar
b., and hear Ben tell about it. 70,
ould have to go back for more tina,
fifty years and know that this por
the country and Kentucky we're i,
De- keenest sort Of rivalry for sup
kNcy in the saddle horse world
eSaA they bought back and fortf
keeping the competition keen, an
that the result was some might
noble animals.
Ian Morris, forty years ago wen
down to Kentucky and bought Blac
Squirrel, a dashing colt with pros
poets and fwho developed into n Q
the fnesk horses Of the time, JAG
VarrisqK went from here to the blue
fass country and bought Rex Nj
a horse that showed remark
~ Stamina and proportion. Jc
Donald went to Kentucky an
ought Lucy Mack, a mare that we
htstanding.
All the horsemen gave thought
breeding, and all knew each other
snimals. One day Joe Mcdonald al
bounced that the was going to mai
lucy Mack with Black Squirrel; the
II the offspring was a filly, he wou'
bnate her with Rex Denmark al
that the result would be the fine
ever bred. Joe Mcdonald was
prophet: Rex Mcdonald was the r
suit. Rex was foaled within eigl
miles of Mexico, a rangy sort of co
was disappointment, ar
M was sold as a yearling for 81
R + Freeman. But Rex develops
Tong with the years, his price goir
up and up until at 4 years old he w
sold to Col. John Hughes of LexinI
ton. KY, for $3,05O. For perhaps
half dozen years the horse grew be
ter, having every chance in the worl
for Col. Hughes was a good hors
man. Then Col. Blees, he of the not
military school at Macon. Mo-, bong
the horse for $4,000. Two or thr
aa3tr ~ DJao, ell AVN,