Robert Wehle, Owner of Many Stallion Shares, Dies

Robert Wehle, well known in Thoroughbred breeding circles for his ownership interest in stallions, died July 12. He was 82.

Wehle raced horses and owned broodmares for many years, but dispersed in 1982 and later in life focused primarily on stallion shares. At the time of his death, he owned an interest in 30 different stallions and seven broodmares.

Wehle's family formerly owned and operated the Genesee Brewing Co. in upstate New York. He was the second of three generations of his family to lead the company, which was sold in 2000.

Wehle was the owner of Elhew Kennels, the most prestigious English pointer kennels in the country, located near his homes in Midway, Ala., and Stony Point, Henderson, N.Y. His homebred dogs won numerous national championships including two National Quail Shooting Dog Championships.

"He is the premier breeder of English pointers in this country, if indeed not the world," Thomas H. Bradley III, chairman of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show, said.

Wehle was also a staunch conservationist. He sold a 1,066-acre parcel of land at Stony Point in northern New York to the state Department of Environmental Conservation in 1990. His wife, Gatra, said the property will eventually be named the Robert G. Wehle State Park. Similar arrangements were made for his property in Alabama.

He was also a prominent sculptor of animals, his works exhibited at the William Secord Gallery in New York City in 1995.

Besides his wife, he is survived by three daughters, a stepson, and two stepdaughters.