"The Story of Street Fair +"

Street Fair was born in 1981.  Ray and Linda Chapman first saw him when he was a yearling. He was standing in a dark, dirty stall that was covered with cobwebs. His owner brought him out of the stall and turned him loose in the aisle.  The steel grey colt turned into a moving locomotive, snorting and blowing as he trotted up and down the hall.  His owner said he was barely halter broke and hadn’t been out of the stall for one month. Ray and Linda were impressed with the colt and inquired about purchasing him.  The colt did not have registration papers at the time and his purchase price was $50,000. They left the colt in the barn but his memory haunted them for the next two years...

They returned to the farm two years later. The farm was literally abandoned now with only a few horses remaining. As they turned around a corner of the barn, a tall grey ghost of horse weighing barely 600 lbs. stood looking at them from a dry, dirt lot. His tail and mane were so matted with cockleburs that not a single hair was recognizable. 

Every bone in his body was visible. The horse snorted, turned and charged away with a trot that took Linda's breath away. He turned to look at them and they instantly knew who that horse was. Ray and Linda had both agreed that they never wanted to own or stand a stallion due to the cost and work involved. But Linda found herself turning to Ray and saying, “I don’t care what it takes, I want that horse!” Ray’s response was “If you can catch him, we’ll buy him”. The horse was wild but within 5 minutes, Linda caught him and was petting him.  A deal is a deal. They returned one week later to try to buy the horse, but the horse was no longer on the farm.  The owner said that the horse was transferred to a different farm. They made a fast trip across the state to the other farm. 

The farm personnel and owners denied knowing the whereabouts of the grey horse. Ray and Linda began searching the farm, pen by pen, barn by barn.  In the back corner of the farm in a pen termed as the “Kill Pen” (for dog food) stood the grey horse. He looked even worse than he had before.  After two hours of threats and negotiations with the owners, the horse finally belonged to the Chapmans.

They later discovered that his name was Street Fair.   He was a Back Street son out of a Bask granddaughter, and that his granddam was Spring Baskette, dam of Aladdins Fire.     It took another 2 ½ hours to get the frightened horse into the trailer.  The long road to recovery and health began --- along with a brand new life in the show ring.

Today, Street Fair+ has earned his Legion of Honor and is a National Top Ten Pleasure Driving horse as well as having 7 Regional titles in English, Pleasure Driving, and Informal Combination and a Scottsdale Top Ten in Costume. He has also won many halter championships and is undefeated in Most Classic.

Ray and Linda live in the house that Linda's great grandparents built in 1910.  The farm that they live on has been in their family for almost 100 years they hope will be named a Century Farm soon.  They have restored most of the house.   Street Fair+ passed away in August 2007. The Chapmans will forever cherish this very special horse and his daughters, granddaughters, and sons.”

    They continue to breed Arabian, Half Arabian, and Saddlebred horses and LOVE horses that trot.     If you also are a lover of the Arabian take a minute to check out their "Horses For Sale" page.    Maybe, you too, will find another diamond waiting to be polished ...... just as they did.