The Horse With No Name Is Life-size Replica on the Island
by Candice C. Dunnigan

There is a wonderful example of an American Quarter Horse that was not able to participate in last week's show of horses at Turtle Park. The gelding could not make it because he cannot trot, and for that matter, can't walk or canter, either. He also does not eat hay, drink water, or produce manure. What a horse! I have dubbed him "No Name" because no matter who I ask in town, no one seems to really know what he is called.

No Name is a life-size fake and has been around the Island for more than 20 years. He has spent the last decade or so living at the top of Bogan Lane, in the front yard of Dr. Bill and Sue Chambers. For several winters, No Name was even all dressed up in a fine harness and hitched to an antique sleigh. I know that one Christmas, Sue Chambers and Dr. Bill had the whole complex aglow and twinkling with festive Christmas lights, No Name having center stage.

Horsemen refer to horses that people buy and never seem to use as "yard ornaments." In the case of Dr. Bill, who is a horseman, No Name has lived up to the phrase in a tongueand cheek fashion.

The life-size replica currently resides at Dr. Bill and Sue Chambers on Bogan Lane.

In the late 1970s, Dr. Bill spotted a carriage at an antique mall outside Traverse City. There was a display of paraphernalia there, and the horse mannequin was part of it. To get the carriage and out-bid someone, Dr. Bill said he would take the whole thing, No Name included.

That was the time Mackinac Island Carriage Tours renovated their old taxi barn on the corner of Market Street and Cadotte Avenue. There, the early form of the Surrey Hills carriage museum first was housed, and it was No Name's first home. He later was moved for a time "up the hill" to Surrey Hills, but Bill and his cohort, Danny Mitchell, have had fun moving him around.

No Name also has lived in Bill's corral on Bogan Lane, where people taking the steps to the East Bluff were often fooled by the horse that never moved.

Today, however, No Name stands firm and proudly in Sue's attractive garden.

Upcoming Events

The Mackinac Horsemen's Tack Sale will be Saturday, July 28, in the old Chambers stable and paddock area on Cadotte Avenue near Market Street.

This is a great chance to own a bit of gently-used Island "horsewear." Maybe someone's old Island bridle or halter will be that perfect souvenir or Christmas gift.

The MHA Annual Hoof Beats and Hors d'oeuvres is scheduled from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Mission Barn on Mission Hill. There will be stable tours and a lemonade sale all afternoon prior to the event.

Friday, August 3, the 5th Annual Hunter Pace will take place. This is the first year the event will be held on a weekday. Teams up to four members will begin and end at Turtle Park. Registration forms are available at the Mission Barn or at the State Park Visitors' Center.

Reduced prices for early registration is good through Thursday, August 2. Mail entry forms to: MHA, Hunter Pace, c/o P.O. Box 910, Mackinac Island, MI 49757. Registry is available at Turtle Park. The pace and entry begin at 11:30 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. sharp, no exceptions.

A hard hat and proper footwear is required, and riders are welcome to use Western or English tack.

For more information, call 847-6397.

Candice Dunnigan is an active member of the American Equestrian Association, the Waterloo Hunt, and the Mackinac Horsemen's Association. Seasonally she resides at Easterly Cottage.