SCHWENKSVILLE, PA.

r'

JOHNA.SEAVERNS

3 9090 014 666 297

,*..^«r Pma^ Ubrary of Vetennary Medicine

CunwwHie Tufio UP «ers»ty
200 Westbofo Road
Nortt^Grafton MA 01536

American Horses

HORSE BREEDINO.

3. Complete ijistorjj

HORSE FROM THE REMOTEST PERIOD IN HIS
HISTORY TO DATE.

The Horseman's Encyclopedia and Standard
Authority on Horses,

EMBRACING

BREEDS, FAMILIES, BREEDING. TRAINING, SHOEING, AND
GENERAL MANAGEMENT.

THE MODEM AND PRACTICAL HORSE DOCTOR

ON THE

CAUSE, NATURE, SYMPTOMS, AND TREATMENT

OP

Diseases of All Kinds.

Profusely Illustrated.

JOHN DIMOlSr

HARTFORD, CONN.:

publlsbeD bg 5obn 35)imon.

1895.

PROPEm OF SHHWENKSmil
COMMUNITY LIBRARY, INC.

SCHWE.NKSVILLE, PA.

636. I

Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1895,

By JOHN DIMON,

In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

All Eights Reserved.

D CO,, HARTFOHD, CONN.

dedication.

To Mr. ROBERT BONNER,

THE GKEAT LOVER OF GOOD AND FAST HOKSES, AND WHO, BY HIS LIBER-
ALITY IN PURCHASING AT HIGH PRICES, HAS DONE MORE FOR THE EN-
COURAGEMENT OF BREEDING THE "AMERICAN TROTTER" THAN
ANY OTHER MAN LIVING, THIS VOLUME (WITH HIS CONSENT
AND APPROVAL) IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, AS
A SLIGHT TOKEN OF RESPECT, BY THE AUTHOR,

JOHN DIMON.

(3)

CONTENTS.

Preface 17

Introduction, 19

Author's Remarks, 21

Plan op the Book, 23

CHAPTER I.
THE HORSE.

Embracing his birthplace — Earliest history — Advent into America —
Climatic influence and food — Greek mythology claiming immortal-
ity — The first horse-dealer of the world 25

WILD HORSES OF AMERICA.

Their origin, habits in a wild state — Males have frequent contests for su-
premacy — Their modes of warfare — Origin of the Indian Pony and
Mustang — Breeds and what constitutes a breed — Skill required in
forming new breeds — Names of eleven distinct breeds in America, . 31

CHAPTER II.
THE ARABIAN HORSE.

Mahomet its founder and the first breeder of blood-horses of the world —
Foundation mares for Mahomet's stud — Beautiful points of the Ara-
bian— The Arabian, the foundation of the English thoroughbred —
Arabian blood in the Perclieron, Morgan, and Narragansett Pacer.
Six distinct breeds in Arabia — History of the Liudsey's Arabian —
Importation of Grand Bashaw in 1820. Importation of Ishmael Pacha
in 1872 — A. Keen Richards' views on breeding the Arabian in Ken-
tucky — Difficulty of obtaining good specimens in Arabia, . . .35

CHAPTER III.
THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE.

The oldest and best established breed of America and Europe — Breed
built up on an Arabian and Barb foundation — The Darley Arabian
— Definition of Thm-ouglibred — Imported Messenger — Imported
Diomed — Imported Trustee — America's greatest sire, Lexington —
Value of thoroughbred stallions — Influence of the thoroughbred in
American-bred horses 44

(5)

6 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IV.
THE NARRAGANSETT PACER.

The origin, rise, and progress of the breed — Daniel Pearce and his Stal-
lion Rambler — Imported Rambler — Rambler as a Stock-horse —
Great durability of the Narragansetts — Demand for export — Narra-
gansett blood in the Morgans — "Little-neck Beach," Narragansett,
R. I., as a race-course for the pacer in 1720 — Mary Langworthy
Southcote of York, England, as connected with the history of the
Pacer .52

CHAPTER V.

THE FRENCH CANADIAN HORSE.

Early Imported into Canada from France — Climatic influence on the
early horses of Canada — Hardiness and utility of the Canadian horse

— Canadian blood in the American trotter and pacer — Noted Canada
horses brought to the United States — Surry, the dam of Henry Clay,
was a Canadian 56

CHAPTER VI.
THE MORGAN HORSE.

The Morgans strictly an American breed — Beauty and power of endur-
ance— Justin Morgan the founder — Pedigree of Justin Morgan —
Description of Justin Morgan — Sherman Morgan — Pedigree of Sher-
man Morgan — Vermont Black Hawk, pedigree and history — Ethan
Allen, his pedigree and history — Daniel Lambert, the great sire of
beautiful roadsters and gentlemen's driving-horses — Daniel Lam-
bert's table of honor as a sire of speed, 60

CHAPTER VII.

MORGAN HORSES -Continued.

Woodbury Morgan — Royal Morgan — Morgan Ctesar — Green Mountain
Morgan — Morgans for stage purposes — Morgan horses for cavalry
service — Morgans adapted to rough and hilly roads of New England

— Morgans as trotters — Ripton — Last Message of Ethan Allen, . 12

CHAPTER VIII.
RYSDYK'S HAMBLETONIAN.

History and pedigree — The Charles Kent Mare — Imp. Belfounder —
Abdallah the sire of Hambletonian — Hambletonian's Stud Career —
Great Value of Horses sired by Hambletonian — Hambletonian's sons
of renown 82

CHAPTER IX.
ALEXANDER'S ABDALLAH.

Pedigree and early history — Potency in speed for generations — Sprague's
Hambletonian one of his best sons — Sprague's Hambletonian sire of
Gov. Sprague — Alexander's Abdallah in motion 90

CONTENTS. 7

CHAPTER X.
THE ELECTIONEERS.

Electioneer, the greatest trotting sire of the world — Superior to his sire in
beauty of form and style of movement — Fully developed and natural
trotter — Put to severe test by crossing on thoroughbreds — Marvin's
description of Electioneer — Ability to get early and extreme speed —
Electioneer's list of performers and dams of performers, . . .93

CHAPTER XL
THE BASHAWS AND CLAYS.

Grand Bashaw, an Imp. Arabian, the founder of the families — Young
Bashaw, the founder of the Bashaw family of American trotters — An-
drew Jackson, founder of the Clay family — Green's Bashaw — The
Patchens, 106

THE BLUE BULLS.

Wilson's Blue Bull — His great success in the stud — Great progenitor of
harness speed — List of trotters and dams of trotters sired by Blue
Bull, 106

CHAPTER XII.
THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE.

As a breed — Component parts constituting the breed — Establish the
American thoroughbred trotter — The American trotter as he should
be bred — Breed for beauty, brains, and business — Breeding the trot-
ter a progressive science — The American Trotter an American pro-
duction — Chance trotters — Racing in early days — Connecticut the
first State to produce the trotter — The trotting horse Yankee — The
two-minute horses, 117

CHAPTER XHL
CLEVELAND BAY.

Their origin and especial merits — As now bred — The demand in this
country, 125

FRENCH COACH HORSE.

The Government studs of France — The wonderful knee action of the
French Coach horse — Color, 128

CHAPTER XIV.
THE PERCHERON HORSE.

Breed divided into three classes — Percheron, son of the Arabian — As a

draft horse — Road qualities of the Percheron 135

ENGLISH DRAFT OR SHIRE HORSE.

Origin and history — Disposition — Importers, 137

THE CLYDESDALE HORSE.

Introduced into Scotland in the 13th century— Clydesdale Society of

America — Importers 139

8 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XV.
SHETLAND PONIES.

The Shetland Isles — Sustained bj the survival of the fittest — The purest
of all breeds of ponies, 141

CHAPTER XVI.
HORSE BREEDING.

Principles of Breeding — Breeding a scientific study — Nature's great law

— Breed for a purpose — Selection of the breed — Choice of the sire

— Breed best mares only — Intelligence, beauty, and disposition very
essential elements, 145

CHAPTER XVII.
SELECTING BREEDING STOCK.

Importance of starting right — Selecting the stallion — Influence of the
dam on the foal — Stallion for stock purposes should be out of the
best mares of the breed — Best age for stallions, 151

SELECTING THE BROOD MARE.

Dams usually have more influence on foals than the sires — Unsound

mares for breeders, 155

CHAPTER XVIII.
CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE STALLION.

Box Stall — Paddock — Treat kindly — Avoid undue familiarity — Feed
regularly — Exercise — Avoid pampering — Grassing — AVinter ca-re

— Carrots as food — Keep clear of worms — Controlling when in use, 159

CHAPTER XIX.
CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF BROOD MARES.

Getting doubtful mares in foal — Eternal vigilance price of success — The
productive period — Period of gestation — Marking their foals — Use
the brood mare — Stabling pregnant mares — Wheat middlings as
food — Enlargement of the abdomen — Attention at foaling time —
Jealous mothers, 164

CHAPTER XX.
MANAGEMENT OF THE FOAL.

Care of young foals — Getting to nurse — Evacuation of the bowels — In-
jections— Feeding the foal — Injured by heated milk from the dam

— Raising by hand — Weaning — Scant feeding deplored — Caring for
weanlings — Halter breaking — Oats as food — Handling — Breaking
Foals — Naming the Colt, 171

CHAPTER XXI.
BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER.

Speed one of the most attractive features — Only a small portion trot fast

— Breed for beauty, size, style, and action — Demand for fir.st-class
roadsters and gentlemen's drivers always in advance of supply —

CONTENTS. 9

Easier to breed beauty than speed — The standard craze — The French
ahead of Americans as regards general horse breeding — Selecting
breeding stock — American Trotter the most modern breed — Color

— Rysdyk's Hambletonian and his best sons — Mambrino Chief —
Blue Bull — Early foals preferable — Good care important, . 177

CHAPTER XXII.
OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

Topgallant — Ripton — Lady Suffolk — Flora Temple — Ethan Allen —
Geo. M. Patchen — Geo. Wilkes — Goldsmith Maid — American Girl

— Betting on races — Dutchman — Americus — Columbus — Lady
Suffolk, In Memoriam 189

CHAPTER XXIII.
FLORA TEMPLE.

Pedigree and place of breeding — Sale to Wra. H. Congdon for $13 at 4
years old — Her sale to Jonathan Vielee — Sale to Geo. E. Perrin of
New York city — Her first race (in 1850) — Her peculiar race against
Whitehall, Delaware Maid, Napoleon, and Hiram — Her races in 1852

— Her sale in 1852 for $1,000 — Her 21 races in 1853 — Flora's great
race against Lancet for $3,000 — Flora's sale in 1858 for $8,000 — Her
best race of her life was in 1860 against Geo. M. Patchen when she
won three straight heats by a throatlatch — Flora's last race was in
1861 — Flora was confiscated to the U. S. government in 1861 — Sold

in 1864 for $8,000 when 19 years old 199

CHAPTER XXIV.
ETHAN ALLEN.

Color and description — Breeding — A natural-born trotter — Eighteen
years on the trotting turf — His great race against Dexter in 1867 —
Crowned King of the Morgans — King of all trotting stallions of his
day — His success in the stud — His death in 1876 — Ethan Allen,
In Memoriam, 209

GOLDSMITH MAID.

Her breeding and pedigree — Sold at 8 years for $350 — Her purchase by
Alden Goldsmith — Sold in 1870, when 13 years old, for $35,000 —
Her races in 1871 — In 1874 she lowered the trotting record of the
world to 2:14— Trotted in 2:14 at 20 years old — Retired to the
breeding stud in 1870 — Goldsmith Maid, //i Jlfcmmam, , . . 211

CHAPTER XXV.
GEORGE M. PATCHEN.

Foaled 1849 — Pedigree — Distanced by Ethan Allen 1858 — Unfinished
race with Flora Temple in 1859 — Defeated Ethan Allen in 1860 —
His last race 1860 with Flora Temple — Died in 1864 — Sire of the
campaigners Geo. M. Patchen, Jr., and Lucy, 215

10 CONTENTS.

GEORGE WILKES.

Founder of the Wilkes family — Pedigree — Raised by hand — First
trotted under name of Robt. Fullingham — Defeated Ethan Allen,
1862, winning $10,000 — Defeated Lady Thorne in 1868 — His record
2:22 made 1868— Died in Kentucky in 1882, aged 26 years — Roll of
honor, 216

CHAPTER XXVI.
DEXTER.

Place of breeding and pedigree — Recognized "king of the trotting turf"

— Commenced turf career in 1864 and ended in 1867 — Timed a sep-
arate mile in 2:16 in his great race with Ethan Allen — Gen. Grant's
ride after Dexter — Died in 1888 at 30 years, 221

AMERICAN GIRL.

Pedigree and birth — Her sale for $3,500 — Won many thousand dollars in

races — Died in harness — Monument erected to her memory, . . 223

CHAPTER XXVn.
THE FIVE GREAT TROTTING BROOD MARES OF THE WORLD.

Green Mountain Maid : Dam of nine in 2:30 list — Two in 2:20 —
One in 2:20| — Dam of the great Electioneer, with 155 trotters in the
list — Pedigree, 226

Beautiful Bells : Pedigree — Dam of seven in 2:30 list — Dam of six-
teen foals, 227

Miss Russell: Pedigree — Dam of nineteen foals — Dam of Maud S.,
2:08|, etc. — Canadian blood mingled with thoroughbred in ped-
igree 227

Dolly : Pedigree — Dam of three great sires — Dam of Czarina — Object

lesson for breeders, 228

Alma Mater : Pedigree — Dam of eight 2:30 trotters — Dam of Alcan-
tara — Threw trotters to six different stallions 228

CHAPTER XXVni.
BREAKING AND TRAINING COLTS.

Educate m. breaking — First lessons to teach — Bitting — Teach "whoa "

— Give short lessons — Reward good behavior — Hitching double —
Patience required — Kicking — Shying — Confidence — Training for
draft — Train in line, .229

CHAPTER XXIX.
TRAINING FOR SPEED.

High-bred and high-mettled most easily educated — Give lessons on track,
street, or road — Early development of speed — Watch temper and
disposition — Short brushes recommended — Don't overwork — Skel-
eton wagon — The mouth — Pulling — The check 236

CONTENTS. 11

CHAPTER XXX.
TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES.

Old English method — Biting, kicking, and balking — Patience and firm-
naes required — Causes of balking — The cord — Isolation for balkers

— Kicking in harness — Checking — Biting, Rarey's method of curing

— War Bridle — Pulling on the halter — Shying — Pawing in stall, . 24S

CHAPTER XXXI.
TRAINING CIRCUS HORSES.

Height of perfection in training — Skillful education — Mild treatment
best — Sensible to applauds of the audience — High prices of well-
trained ring-horses, 253

CHAPTER XXXII.
FEEDING AND STABLE MANAGEMENT.

Value of different foods — Neatness and cleanness — Change of food nec-
essary— Treat kindly — Indian corn — Watering — Overfeeding —
Corn meal — Flax seed — Roots — Light and ventilation •— Blankets, 356

CHAPTER XXXIII.
MANAGEMENT OF TEAMS ON THE FARM AND ON THE ROAD.

Don't rush in the morning — Good vs. poor teamsters — Don't yell —

Don't swear — Noon feed — Groom properly — Food — Blankets, etc , 262

CHAPTER XXXIV.
MANAGEMENT OF ROAD AND DRIVING HORSES.

Start out moderate — Long distance driving — Water frequently — Check-
ing — Hitching to buggy — Whip — Feeding on the road — Short dis-
tance driving — Have reins well in hand, 266

CHAPTER XXXV.
HANDLING AND MANAGING TROTTERS.

Author as a judge in races — The trainer — The driver — The swipe —
Big-head — Early vs. Late Training — Toe weights — Jogging — The
Mouth — Stabling — Treating a warm horse — Time to succeed, . 271

CHAPTER XXXVI.
BUYING AND SELLING HORSES.

Requisite qualification — Location — Suavity — Expert on horses — Buy-
ing for the market — Showing sale horses — The coachman, . . 281

CHAPTER XXXVII.
SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS.

Author's experience in trade — Brighton Market — Swapping with a
minister — Putting off for slight faults — My neighbor's horse-trade

— Getting a fitty one . . 289

12 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.
DENTITION AND AGE AS SHOWN BY THE TEETH.

Description of teeth at different ages — Number of a full set — Classes —
Bishoping — Explanatory cuts — Shedding — Full mouth — General
signs of old age — Comparative age of man and horse — Great age of
horses — Zoologists' claim, . 300

CHAPTER XXXIX.
THE LANGUAGE AND SAGACITY OF THE HORSE.

Author's experiences — Old Dobbin — Nellie Bly — Lady Barebones —
Fanny Fern — Cora Linn — Fanny Kenyon — Maggie Dimon — Bel-
mont Maid — Golden Rule — Rufus Molburn's Mare, . . . 308

CHAPTER XL.
GRAY HORSES.

The White Turk — Places White Turk — Imported Messenger — Harris'
Hambletonian — Gray Eagle — Crack regiment of the British army —
On the American turf — Kitty Bayard — Emma B. — Joe Brown —
Miss Russell — Pilot Medium, 316

EXHIBITION OF HORSES.

The first National in Springfield, Mass., in 1853, 319

CHAPTER XLI.
THE HORSE'S FOOT.

The Wall — The Sole — The Frog — The Bars — Coffin-bone — Pedal
bone 330

SHOEING HORSES.

First introduced into England, A.D. 1060 — Public shoers should be re-
quired by law to understand the business — Injuries by bad shoeing
numerous — Leveling and balancing — No foot, no horse — Never
pare the sole or frog — Fit the shoe to the foot — The clip — Use of
the rasp in shoeing — Fiber shoes, 324

CHAPTER XLII.
THE CHECK REIN.

Taut checking injurious — The Over-draw check — Study the natural

beauty of the horse — Stumbling, 332

CHAPTER XLIII.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE.

Necessity the mother of invention — First veterinary school of the world,

Lyons, France, 1761— First in England, 1795 336

QUACK MEDICINES.

Generally well advertised — Opinionated grooms — Veterinary quacks, . 340

CONTENTS. 13

CHAPTER XLIV.
GIVING MEDICINE.

Medicine best in balls — Dimou's Spavin Cure — Dimon's Colic Remedy

— Dimon's Black Oil — Liniments — Ointment — Salve — Dimon's
Liniments — Dimon's Condition powders — Dimon's Leg-wash, . . 345

SYMPTOMS OF DISEASES.

The Pulse — The Ears — Membrane of the nose — Eyes — Mouth —
Breathing — Skin — Flanks — Drooping of the head — Lying down

— Pointing with nose and foot 348

CHAPTER XLV.

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

Bone Spavin — Bronchitis — Brittle Hoof — Blindness — Blistering —

Bots — Cataracts — Contraction of Hoof — Colic — Capped Hock —

Curbs — Cough — Corns — Distemper — Diarrhoea — Drying the

Sweat — Fever — Fistula — Founder — Fits — Galls — Glanders, . 351

CHAPTER XLVI.
HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM- Continued.

Heaves — Inflammations — Indigestion — Lameness — Lampas — Lung
Fever — Lice — Locked Jaw — Mange — Proud Flesh — Pleuro
Pneumonia — Poll Evil — Quitor — Roaring — Ringbone — Scratches —
Stumbling — Shoe Boil — Slavering — Seatons — Strains — Sprains

— Surfeit — Splint — Stocking — String Halt — Sweeney — Thrush —
Tumors — Tail Rubbing — Thick Water — Thoroughpin — Thumps

— Wind Galls — Worms, 375

CHAPTER XLVII.
MISCELLANEOUS.

Gentlemen horsemen — To become famous — Castration — Conditioning

— To administer chloroform — Significance of the Bay color — Dock-
ing — Warranty — Runaway to stop — Trotting standard — Pacing
standard — Rules for laying out tracks — Rules of admission, . . 400

CHAPTER XLVIII.

The World's Fastest Records — Fastest Records, All ways of going —
Breeding of the fastest horses — Tables of fastest records, . .411

APPENDIX.

Giving names, description, characteristics, etc., of upwards of one hun-
dred of the author's most noted horses — Author's concluding re-
marks, etc., 425

IISTDEX TO ILLUSTRATION'S.

Age as shown by Teeth,

Agricola,

American Trotter,

Arabian Horse,

Author, .

Bayard, .

Black Hawk,

Blue Bull,

Canadian Horse, .

Check Reins, .

Clamps for Castration,

Cleveland Bay Horse,

Clydesdale Stallion, .

Contracted Foot,

Corn Illustrated,

Daniel Lambert, .

Dentition and Age Illustrated,

DiMON, John,

Disease [Illustrated Cuts),

Docking {Three Cuts),

English Shire Horse, .

Ethan Allen,

Flora Temple,

Foot Contracted,

Foot Showing Corn, .

Foot ready for Shoe,

French Coach Horse,

General,

Green Mountain Morgan,

Green Mountain Maid,

Group op Shetland Ponies,

Goldsmith Maid, .

Hambletonian,

Horse Illustrated,

Hocks Illustrated,

Imported Messenger,

Intact, .

Ishmael Pacha,

Justin Morgan,

301-304
137
265

35

Frontispiece.

236

117

108

55
332-334, 40B
403
125
139
323
3(i4
177
301-304
Frontisoiere.
352, 344, 368
4n6
137
209
199
3-3
364
3>5
128
281
145
225
171
211

81

336, 368

362

43
128

35

59

(15)

16

INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS.

La Canadienne, .

La Ferte, ....

Lady Suffolk,

Leg, Showing Arteries, etc..

Leg, Showing Pastern, etc.,

Marmion, ....

Messenger, ....

Motion,

Overdraw Check,

Pasterns, etc

Percheron, ....
Percheron Stallion, Imp. La
Prince Rudolph, . .
Profile op head and face,
RoBT. McGregor, .
Romulus, ....
Rysdyk's Hambletonian,

Satellite

Sherman Morgan,
Shetland Ponies, .
Shetland Stallion,
Skeleton of the Horse,
Spavin [Illustrated),
Sound Foot ready for Shoe,
Stockton King, . .
Teeth showing Age, .
The Author, ....
The Check-rein, .
Typical Morgan Horse,
Under Surface of Foot,
Victoria, ....
Vermont Black Hawk,

Ferte

332-

55
135
195
353

354

125

43

271

-334, 406

354
256
135
139
305
141

25

81
151, 265

72
171
141
336
351
325

93
301-304
Frontispiece.
332-334, 406
145
323
163
117

PEEFACE

IN presenting this book to the public, I wish to say that I
have no hobby or pet theory to advertise, but have striven
.to give, in a condensed form, all that I know of this noble and
useful animal, the horse, after having made him a study for
more than half a century ; embracing what I have learned of
him from history, both verbal and written, and from observa-
tion and experience, as well.

This said experience embraces a period of nearly sixty
years ; during which time I have ridden, driven, worked, bred,
handled, trained, bought, sold, traded, castrated, and doctored,
perhaps no less than five thousand animals. I have owned and
handled for stock purposes some quite good stallions, and in all
cases of a quality to materially improve the horse stock of the
section in which they stood for service.

I have been personally acquainted with many of the most
noted horsemen of America for the last forty years, and knew
most of the old time notable trotters; but after all, as my
friend, the late Dr. Levi Herr, once said : " The practical and
experienced, as well as the aged horsemen and breeders, are

under the tuition of professional lawyers, such as ,"

naming several of that time, — "who have learned more by
studying law on horsemanship, breeding, training, etc., than
we who have made a life study of the same. They have sud-
denly jumped their professions and are now professors of breed-
ing, training, and horsemanship in full."

My own experience with horses, in both the United States
and Canada, embraces castration, conditioning, and many years
of general veterinary practice which has proven very success-
ful, and I believe in all cases satisfactory to my patrons. Still,
I am not a professional veterinary surgeon, sporting a diploma;
neither am I a professional driver in races. I have bred many
2 (17)

18 PREFACE.

good and fast roadsters with breeding good enough for fast
records, yet I have never entered a horse in a trotting race for
money or bet on the results of a horse race in my life.

We measure genius not merely by a man's social status but
by the "empire of his ideas," the results which they enforce
and the benefits which inure through them to the world. I
have had a long-cherished wish to be in some way a benefactor
to my country, and believe by giving to the breeding public
my views founded on so many years of stud}^ observation, and
practical experience, I can best accomplish that end.

I virtually commenced this book in 1866 (some 28 years
ago). I have been greatly assisted in this work, as to inform-
ation, etc., and especially as to the true pedigree of Justin
Morgan, by such gentlemen as the Messrs. McClellan of Wood-
stock, Conn, (father, uncle, and cousins of the late Gen. Geo.
B. McClellan), and other gentlemen of Connecticut and Massa-
chusetts.

Should I attempt to narrate one-half of what has been told
me by such venerable horsemen, or to produce one-quarter of
my correspondence with such persons, that matter would of
itself make a book double the size of this ; consequently, I con-
fine myself to the facts gathered as being of more importance
to my readers than to oblige them to wade through tlie waters
that I have passed through in order to gather them.

As to the illustrations contained herein, I have endeavored
to give the true likeness of a few of the most noted horses
mentioned, and that of myself, the author, thinking that these
may be both interesting and instructive to my readers; but
have refrained from filling up the book with illustrations for-
eign to the object of the work for the sake of making an
unnecessarily large and high-priced book.

I have been too much of an investigator and too liberal in
my views to get rich in this world, but have endeavored to so
live that after my death my children might feel proud of being
the sons and daughters of

JOHN DIMON.

INTRODUCTION.

OXE of the first questions natural^ asked by the would-
be purchaser and reader of this book will be : " Who
is Dimon, and what does he know about horses? Is he a prac-
tical horseman, or a mere theorist like so many others, who, in
their eagerness to teach, have so long attempted to teach that
of which they knew so little?"

This country, for years past, has been literally flooded with
" horse literature," some of which has been of a character that
will require years of careful teaching to unteach what it has
taught.

"Well, who is Dimon, the author of this book?" It is
John Dimon, born on Mount Hope Farm, Bristol, R. I., near
the spot where that great Indian warrior, the chief of the Nar-
ragansetts, — King Philip, — was captured. Born in 1828; his
ancestors were natural horsemen, one of whom was the founder
of a breed of horses in this country, known as the Narragan-
sett Pacer. This ancestor was an Englishman, and belonged
to one of the oldest horse-breeding and horse-loving families of
England at the time of the improvement of the English horse
by the introduction of the Arabian and Barb blood in the days
of the reign of Queen Anne.

'' Well, is John Dimon, the author of this book, capable of
teaching the world as regards the horse?" From his earliest
recollection the author was an ardent admirer of live stock in
general, and the horse m particular. Memory recalls the time
when but five years old his favorite child's playthings were
feathers of fowls and birds, which he, in his childish imagina-
tion, designated as horses and cattle of different classes, accord-
ing to their shape, etc. For picture books, those containing

(19)

20 INTRODUCTION.

the pictures of horses and other animals were the ones most
desirable.

From that time on he has ever been a keen observer, a deep
thinker, a practical caretaker, handler, breeder, dealer, trainer,
and doctor, of this, to him, the most favorite animal of the
world, the horse ; and in giving to others this life-long experi-
ence, it seems clearly evident that he Tnust be capable of teach-
ing, and that his teachings, as presented in this book, cannot
be otherwise than instructive and profitable.

AUTHOR^S REMARKS.

AS acknowledgments received of my knowledge of horses
and my ability to judge, care for, and give instructions
relative to, at different periods, I will mention a few, as perhaps
not being out of place here.

In 1855, when a young man of twenty-seven years, I was
unanimously appointed a judge of horses in the stallion class
at the United States Agricultural Society's Fair, held in Bos-
ton, Mass., and where Ethan Allen and many other noted stal-
lions of that day were exhibited.

At the outbreak of the civil war in America, in 1861", I was
offered a lieutenant's commission to go out with the First
Rhode Island Cavalry, as general superintendent of horses of
that cavalry.

In 1870, on the occasion of acting as mounted escort to the
President of the United States, Gen. Grant, on his memorable
Fourth of July visit to Woodstock, Conn., as the guest of
Henry C. Bowen, of the Neic York Independent, at a halt on
our line of march from Putnam to Woodstock, I was intro-
duced to President Grant by Mr. Bowen, as being one of the
enterprising young men of Windham county. The President
remarked that I was mounted on a good animal which he
would wager was a Morgan. Mr. Bowen's reply was: "Mr.
Dimon is considered one of the best horsemen in this State,
and if he rides a poor horse it is not for want of judgment in
selecting."

In 1872, during the time of the great wide-spread epidemic
among horses called "epizootic," which for a time prostrated
nearly all the horses in the country, and which proved fatal to
so many, I had under my charge no less than twenty good ones,

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22 author's remarks.

representing at that time not less than ten thousand dollars,
among which was the imported thoroughbred stallion, Hamp-
ton Court, and other notables of that period, which were all
more or less affected by the disease. I was my own doctor
and saved them all; and, what is more, they all recovered
sound, while so many throughout the land that survived at
all were more or less worthless ever after.

In 1880 I servetl on committee of stallions at the State Fair
of Kentucky, going from Connecticut for the purpose, and at
the greatest stallion exhibition Kentucky had ever made up to
that time.

In 1881 I served the I^ew England Agricultural Society as
chairman of committee on mares and colts, and all geldings
and fillies, at their greatest fair ever held in Worcester, Mass.

Another great compliment of my life was to be told in
writing by the President of a Farmer's Institute, in Canada, on
the occasion of being invited by the Institute to read a paper
on horses before them at their winter meeting of 1886, in the
city of Hamilton, Ontario : " But few men in Canada are com-
petent to handle this subject at all, and perhaps no man in
Ontario as capable as yourself ; and all the executive commit-
tee would esteem it a personal favor if you could kindly grant
our request."

Again, on the occasion of my reading a well-received paper
before the Indiana Horse Breeder's Convention in the city of
Indianapolis, in 1893, the "horse papers" spoke of me as a
" venerable horseman, well versed in ancient horse history."

If not as well versed in modern as ancient horse history, it
is not for lack of study, observation, and a desire to keep up
with the times. I know that proffered knowledge is often of-
fensive, and in horses and horse breeding particularly so ; and
the man who dares advocate what he knows to be true, but
unknown to others, must have strong moral courage with
actual knowledge.

AUTHOR S REMARKS. 23

THE PLAN OF THE BOOK.

The object of the author in planning this book was to have
it so arranged tliat the breeder, farmer, teamster, liveryman,
horse student, and, in fact, anyone desirous of obtaining inform-
ation of any kind concerning the horse, whether in relation
to his breeding and the different breeds, or to feeding, training,
shoeing, doctoring, use, and general management, can readily
find the information desired so arranged under its proper head-
ings as to be easily come-at-able.

In treating of diseases and their remedies, the author has
endeavored to use the English language voitl of technicalities,
and made as plain and easily understood as possible. Perhaps
not so plain that "he who runs may read; and the wayfaring-
man, though a fool, may not err therein," but so plain that the
average farmer and the average farmer's son may find and
readily understand the desired information sought in relation
to any subject connected with the horse from long before his
advent into the world on to the time of his death, A horse
text-book, in fact, relating to all subjects connected with the
horse, from his earliest history down through all ages to the
present time.

The horseman's everyday book, which may be profitably
consulted every day in the year. The standard authority on
horses, embracing all knowledge necessary for the instruction
of the breeder, owner, and student, but not entering into
racing and race records, except in individual cases, as connected
with breeding, and to give the world's fastest records in all
ways of going and the fastest trotting and pacing of animals
of all ages from one to five years to January 1, 1895.

liiiiiiiiiiiliii'i:^'

CHAPTER I.

THE HORSE.

Embracing his birthplace — Earliest history — Advent into America — Cli-
matic influence and food — Greek mythology claiming immortality —
First horse dealer — Wild hor.ses of America — Origin, liabits, etc. —
Origin of the Indian pony, bronco, and mustang — Breeds — Skill re-
quired in breeding — Classification of breeds.

TO write a history of the horse is like writing the history
of kings, and in many instances the history of kings
and rulers, in both ancient and modern times, is closely inter-
woven with that of the horse.

As to the special country that can, by right, claim the
proud honor of being the birthplace of this noble animal, we
must accept some indirect — though quite reasonable — testi-
mony, fixing Africa as his original home, Africa, alone, being
the parent country of the Zebra and Quagga, in many respects
his kin ; although Egypt is the country in which mention is
first made of him some 3,600 years ago.

The earliest monumental records of Egypt which give any
clue to the use of the horse are about 1900 years B. C, where
he is pictured as drawing chariots used in war. From the
writings of early Greek historians it is evident that horses
have been used in Greece since about that time, so that we
have quite a connected history of the horse for about 3,800
years.

The Bible, being the most ancient, and perhaps the most
authentic, of all existing ancient histories, fails to mention the
horse until the reign of Pharaoh as King of Egypt. Although
in the history of Abraham we find frequent mention of the
ass, the camel, of flocks and herds, of oxen and sheep, yet no
allusion to the horse is made until the time of Joseph, the

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26 THE HORSE.

Syrian, who, as Pharaoh's manager in the time of the great
Egyptian famine 1707 years B. C, exchanged bread-stuff for
horses with the Egyptian cultivators and stock breeders, thus
placing himself on record as the lirst horse dealer in history.
At the death of Joseph's father, Jacob, we read that his
funeral was attended by both chariots and horsemen. Job's
description of the equine monarch upwards of 3,400 years ago
is familiar to most of us.

Although man was given " dominion over all beasts of the
field" it was only after long acquaintance and trial that the
horse was subdued to his will. At first he was only driven
before the war chariot; later, he was ridden in battle and ap-
pears to have been speedily adopted for use in battle, and since
which time, during all these 3,385 years, the war horse has
been the right arm of a mighty power on hard contested bat-
tle fields of nearly all nations and in nearly all climes. The
first account we have of horses being used in Avar was by one
of the Pharaohs, King of Egypt, when he pursued the children
of Israel in their escape from Egyptian bondage, with

" A thousand horse and men to ride,
With flowing tail and tiyiug mane ;
A tliousand horse, the wild, the free,
All buried in the deep, Red Sea."

This chariot cavalry goes ,on record as the first in history
and with very disastrous results, 1,491 years B. C, or 3,385
years ago.

The shepherd kings of Egypt, whose origin is unknown,
introduced him into Lower Egypt, which afterwards became
his principal breeding district, from whence he gradually be-
came introduced into Arabia and other Asiatic countries.

The first we know of his advent into the New World, and
the first importation into America for stock purposes was by
Columbus in 1493 — some four hundred years ago — thus plac-
ing Columbus on record as the first importer of this animal
into this country.

The first horses ever landed in the United States were im-

THE HORSE. 27

ported to Florida in 1527 by Cabeza de Yaca, but of this im-
portation — 42 in number — none survived.

The next importation was by De Soto from Spain, and to
which importation is doubtless attributed the origin of the
wild horse of Texas and the prairies, — a race of horse which
are to this day strongly marked with the characteristics of the
Spanish blood.

In 1608 the French introduced horses into Canada, where
the present race of Canadian horses, though degenerated in
size owing to climatic influences, still show sufficiently distinct
the blood of the Norman and Brittain breeds.

In 1G09 there was a small importation of six horses and one
stallion from England to Jamestown, Va., where in 1657 the
importance of increasing the stock of this valuable animal
became of such recognized importance that an act was passed
prohibiting its exportation.

New York received its first importation of horses in 1625^
imported from Holland by the Dutch West India Company.
They were of the Flanders breed, from which descended the
Conestoga horse of Pennsylvania.

In 1629 the plantations of Massachusetts Bay received its
first importation of horses from England.

The wild horses of the plains of South America and of the
great prairies of North America are undoubtedly descendants
of parents turned loose by the Spanish at the abandonment of ■
Buenos Ay res in 1775.

Another opportunity for such an origin was furnished in the
"bloody wars" of Mexico and Peru, the issues of which, in
many cases, were disastrous to the Spaniards. Consequently,
the war horses whose riders were slain could have made a
break for liberty, and rapidly propagated their species on the
vast, luxuriant plains, so well provided by Nature with food,
water, genial climate, and the absence of beasts of prey with
power to contend with so formidable an enemy.

De Soto also had a large cavalry in his expedition in which
he discovered the Mississippi River and found a grave in

28 THE HORSE.

its bosom; and when his men returned home in frail boats
built by themselves, they undoubtedly left their horses behind
them ; thus they too probably became a factor in the produc-
tion of these once great and mighty herds of wild horses of the
plains.

In a state of nature the same uniformity that now charac-
terizes the buffalo, the elk, and the deer families belonged to
the horse.

The ponderous English cart horse, the fleet runner, the fast
trotter, and the diminutive pony are all descended from the
same original type. Climatic influence and food have worked
wonders in making the vast difference at present between the
Shetland pony, occupying the bleak, barren, and tempestuous
isles — lying in the latitude of 59 and 60 degrees — north of
Scotland, scanty herbage, and long, cold winters have dwarfed
the horses of that country to the most diminutive of all ponies,
while from the same originals reared for centuries on the rich
and nutritious herbage and grains of, and in the mild climate
ten degrees further south on tlie European coast, we find the
immense draft horses of Flanders and Normandy.

While climatic and other influences have done so much
to cause the divergence which now exists in races once uniform,
selections by man have also been at work, in some cases co-op-
erating with the influences of climate, thereby hastening the
transformation in some cases and counteracting it in others.

We have an illustration of this in the horses of Canada. It
is quite evident that if the causes that have given us the little,
tough pony of the Province of Quebec were continued without
interruption for a succession of generations, hastened on by
selections of breeding stock with that object constantly in
view, we would, in due course of time, have created a race as
diminutive in size as the pony of the Shetland Isles.

As has been said : " We find a very striking illustration of
divergences from a type singularly uniform in the case of the
domestic pigeon, of which there are nearly three hundred

THE HORSE. 29

varieties, all more or less distinct, and all descended from one
common ancestry, the common Avild pigeon,"

As my friend Agassiz once remarked at a meeting in 1864 :

" There is a tendency in all animal life to adapt itself to the
conditions under which it must live, but a change may be so
abrupt and complete as to overcome this tendency, and under
such condition the race would speedily become extinct, or
gradually die out with a few generations of feeble descend-
ants ; but under circumstances less sudden and unfavorable
a few might survive, being those individuals that from peculi-
arity of organism suffered less from the change. These, in
their turn, would produce the peculiarities of their race modi-
fied by the new surrounding conditions. These, again, would
produce animals still better adapted to the new order of things,
untd, in course of time, we should have a race widely differing
from the original type created — or evolved — by a ' survival
of the fittest,' and remodeled and refashioned by these changed
conditions of life.'"

There is no class of domestic animals in which the effects of
climate and food are more apparent than in the horse. Na-
ture's law in the history of the world tlemonstrates that when-
ever the horse has existed for centuries on rich and fertile
plains and in temperate climates, he becomes distinguished for
size and strength ; whenever he has been the inhabitant of cold
and mountainous regions he becomes diminutive and hardy, if
left largely to care for himself. Man may do much by supply-
ing warm stables and abundant food, as well as by selection, to
counteract the influence of climate ; but in spite of his inter-
ference, the tendency will constantly be to adhere to Nature's
great law in this respect.

Mountainous regions and rigorous climate will produce the
toughest and hardiest races of horses, as has been demonstrated
in the New England Morgans and Canadian horses of our own
country ; while our fertile prairies and luxuriant bottom lands
and valleys are by Nature adapted as the home of the heavy
draft horse.

30 THE HORSE.

The lesson taught by these illustrations is obvious : none of
our improved breeds of horses, or other animals, are adapted
to all climates or all conditions of life. To be at their best
they must each be kept and cared for as nearly as possible
under the same conditions, as to food and climate, as when
they attained their greatest excellence.

According to Greek mythology, the horse was the gift
of gods to men when Neptune struck the earth with his tri-
dent ; and he was made immortal that he might bear his
master company to that land beyond the dividing river.

Congressman John E. Russell of Massachusetts, Avhen Sec-
retary of the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture in
1886, in a lecture before that bod}^, goes on record as saying
that the horse is the only beast that goes to Heaven.

No other animal is, or can be so thoroughly adapted to the
wants of man as the horse. For work or for pleasure he is the
quick, ready, willing, intelligent, and capable servant of the
human race. He enters with cheerfulness into the hardest of
labor, carries man's heaviest burdens, hauls his huge loads,
breaks up his tough lands, cultivates his crops, markets his
produce, etc. ; or in administering to our pleasures he is the
same unfailing friend.

The business man, the sporting man, and the man of leisure
alike go to the horse for their recreation. Entering with the
keenest zest into the excitement of the speed ring, he furnishes
by far the most popular sport of the age. In the shafts, at
the pole, or under the saddle, he gladly rests and refreshes
the worried brain-worker, the imprisoned merchant, and the
wearied farmer. He is alike subservient to the child and the
adult, to the gentler or to the sterner sex, refusing no service
which his herculean strength will enable him to perform.

The horse stock of the United States has continued to
increase in numbers and value, until now, according to the
government tax returns for 1893, the}^ amount to $769,224,799,
which, no doubt, means to represent a purchasing power of not
less than a cool $1,000,000,000.

WILD HORSES OF AMERICA. 31

WILD HORSES OF AMERICA.

The Wild Horses of America have probably no earlier an-
cestry in this country than the dates of the Spanish explorers.
There seems to have been no horses here before the discovery
of Columbus in 1492. There is no evidence that the horse
existed in America before Columbus's time, although fossil
remains of some early animal of the horse species have been
found, but concerning which little appears to have been known.
According to generally received authority, Columbus, on his
second vo^^age to this country, brought over a number of
horses in order that they might be bred here.

The Spaniards in their later incursions brought over a num-
ber of war horses, and De Soto, in his exploits, wherein he
discovered the Mississippi River, had a heavy force of cavalry,
that, after their leader was drowned and wlien his followers
returned home, were set loose and abandoned to their fate;
many of which doubtless survived and were the origin of the
Wild Horse of Texas and the Prairies.

Horses thus abandoned by the early discoverers and settlers
were, in time, used by the Indians, and to such may be traced
the Mustang of to-day, whose habits, in the wild state, were
well worth studying, for in some particulars they possessed
almost human intelligence.

They chose their own chief, which ruled and governed them
in an intelligent manner, giving the signal for change of
pasture and of danger from any source. When they find a
pasture dried up they take up a line of march for " greener
fields and pastures new," the chief taking the lead of the
column, and who is the first to throw himself into a ravine, a
river, or an unknown wood. If any extraordinary object
appears, the chief commands a halt. Pie then goes to discover
what it is, and on his return gives by neigh the signal of confi-
dence, of flight, or of combat. If a fierce enemy presents itself,
that cannot be escaped by flight, the herd unite themselves into
a circular cluster, all heads turned towards the center where
the young animals take refuge. It is seldom that such a

32 WILD HORSES OF AMERICA.

maneuver does not force the bears, tigers, or mountain lions to
make a precipitate retreat.

The large herds generally composed of several thousand
individuals, divide themselves into many families, each of
which is formed of a male and a certain number of mares and
foals that follow and obey the male with docility. The chief
horse is exclusive sultan, all the mares belong to him by right
of force, and woe to the foolhardy one that disputes with him
his seraglio and authority ; he defies him, fights him, makes
him retire, and sometimes makes him pay for his audacity by
the loss of his life.

Often the conqueror pardons his foe but might not be so
generous could he foresee that his vanquished enemy was only
going to wait until age had given him greater force and
courage to renew the combat.

Males frequently have fierce contest for the supremacy, and
males that have contended unsuccessfully are often driven off
to a solitary life. On the appearance of danger, the chief
stallion of a small herd seems to direct the movements of all,
and even the larger herds — numbering in some instances thou-
sands— seem instinctively to move in concert, so that when
they are assailed the stronger animals oppose the enemy and
protect the younger and weaker. Even hungry wolves when
in packs attack with success only weakened stragglers, and
even the jaguar is repelled.

In fic>:htino:, horses either raise themselves on their hind feet
and bring down their fore feet with great force on the enemy,
or, wheeling about, kick violently with the hind feet. The
teeth are also used as powerful weapons of warfare.

"When the chief becomes old and loses his vigor he then
.succumbs under the kicks and blows of his rival or dies from
misery and shame; and thus, "the survival of the fittest" is.
continually perpetuated.

Those American Wild Horses known by the name of Mus-
tangs, Bronchos, and Indian Ponies, as has been stated, are
direct descendants of the Spanish breed of horses and, un-

BREEDS. 33

doubtedly, of tljie best horses of Spain at the time of their
importation. They have been perpetuated until recently
without the intermixture of foreio^n or new blood. Beinsr left
wholly to themselves in a state of nature without the inter-
ference of man, they have, despite of all enemies and hardships,
held their own as a breed or race, relying wholly on nature's
great law of "the survival of the fittest"; and to this day
they still retain the color, style, and general character-
istics of the Spanish horse, as found in Spain at the present
time ; although, perhaps, in some instances, and especially so
with those occupying the more northern and colder portions of
our great West, they are, as a whole, somewhat smaller than
the original type of the Spanish horse.

These ponies, as we call them, are, when taken in tlieir wild
state, and especially when somewhat up in 3"ears, rather hard
to break or train for the uses of man, but when properly
broken, are, as a rule, willing and faithful servants, and are
generally as tough as whitleather.

These ponies have occasionally been crossed with the im-
proved breeds of our American horses with quite satisfactory
results.

BREEDS.

What constitutes a breed ? A family of animals having a
general resemblance in form, size, color or colors, a close affinity
in quality of products, a similarity of disposition and habits,
and the power to transmit all these so as to reduce the varia-
tions to a very narrow minimum.

In the successive steps required to produce a breed the gra-
dations toward perfection are slow and very gradual ; there
will be many instances of the peculiar qualities of the element-
ary materials cropping out that are objectionable, and only
after the most labored and painstaking selection of the fittest
material for further production will the ideal be obtained.
Consequently, the work of originating a useful breed is one of
time, requiring more patience than most men are willing to
bestow upon it ; but when they succeed in giving to the world
3

34 BREEDS.

a new breed in any line that is useful, they are worthy of im-
perishable remembrance, as large numbers of mankind partici-
pate in the advantages derived from their painstaking efforts.

When a fixity of type is obtained, with the corresponding
peculiarities, the breed may be said to be established. There
are stages when the promoters of a breed are liable to be
assailed owing to the incompleteness of their work, and yet
they may be on the highway to completion and success.

It requires skill almost amounting to genius to build up any
new breed of animals that shall have only the characteristics
that are desired. It was said of Bakewell, one of the first
great improvers of live stock in Great Britain, that he regarded
the animals under his care as wax in his hands, out of which,
in due time, he could mould any form he desired to create.

Utility is the grand ultimatum by which the general public
will judge of the merits of a breed. The science of horse
breeding has developed special horses for special work, and no
one breed or class can fill the requirement of the market de-
mands for draft horses, coachers, saddlers, and racing or
sporting horses. Hence, all breeds have their own special
adaptation of usefulness.

The different breeds of horses recognized and treated of in
this book are as follows: Arabian, Thoroughbred, Narragan-
sett Pacer, French Canadian, the American Trotter (composed
of several families), — Morgans, Hambletonians, Bashaws,
Clays, etc., — French, Coach, Cleveland Bay, Shetland Pony.

Of draft breeds : Percheron, English Draft, and Clydes-
dale. Making eleven distinct breeds in all.

■< bo

Pi W

- 5

< "6

CHAPTER II.

THE ARABIAN HORSE.

Mahomet its founder — Foundation mares for Mahomet's stud — Beautiful
points of the Arabian — The Arabian the foundation of the Thorough-
bred horse — Arabian blood in the Percheron, Morgan, and Narragan-
sett pacer — Six distinct breeds in Arabia — History of the Lindsey's
Arabian — Imported Grand Bashaw — Imported Ishmael Pasha — The
Arabian in Kentucky — Difficulty of obtaining good specimens in
Arabia.

THE greater portion of Arabia is illy adapted to the rais-
ing of good horses, and previous to the days of Mahomet
horses were scarcely recognized as a part of the possessions of
the Arab, their riches consisting chiefly in camels, oxen, sheep,
and goats ; but Mahomet was an enthusiastic lover of the
horse, and it appears a thorough horseman, and while he
succeeded in engrafting upon so large a portion of the Eastern
world his own peculiar religious tenets, he also imbued his fol-
lowers in a great degree with his enthusiastic admiration of the
horse. Kindness to and love for this noble animal was made
a part of the religious duty of all true followers of this great
Oriental prophet.

Mahomet, it appears, was not onl}'- a sanguine lover, but a
great improver as well, of the horse, thus placing himself
on record as the first successful breeder of blood horses in
history. From the days of Mahomet down to the present
time the Arab has held his stud, and especially his mares, in a
sort of superstitious reverence. Mahomet, during his life, had
accumulated for himself, by careful selection and breeding, the
most magnificent stud in the whole known world ; and to this
day his followers seek^ trace the genealogy of their choicest
stock to the mares that were his favorites. There is a tradition

(35)

36 THE ARABIAN HORSE.

that the prophet, being desirous of selecting mares as a founda-
tion for his stud, had a number of the best of them, which had
been used as chargers in battle, kept two days without water.
At the end of that time, when mad with thirst, they were set
at liberty, and at the moment when they were close to the
coveted water his trumpets sounded a war charge, which had
such an effect on five of them that they abandoned the water
and galloped to the spot where they expected to meet with the
still greater excitement of war. These live were therefore
selected to form the foundation of his stud, and from them
sprang the race called "Kochlani".

The Arabian horse of to-day is endowed with beautiful
points and with an accomplished figure and superlative action,
surpassing in graceful movement the finest specimens of the
equine race. His broad head and massive brain implies intelli-
gence ; the eye is full and mild, yet sparkling with excitement
when aroused to action. The great hereditary excellence of
this fleet and wir}^ horse is sound feet and legs and the won-
derful claims of ability to withstand rest and hunger which
surpass the accredited limit of animal endurance. This enables
him to endure long journeys across the sandy deserts, where
food and water are scarce, sustained alone by his invincible
courage.

History points to the Arabian horse as the foundation of
the English Thoroughbred race horse, which traces to the
Darley Arabian, Godolphin Arabian, etc. To the Arabian
horse is also justly accredited the foundation of that most valu-
able of all breeds for draft purposes where activity and speed
in its work is valued, the Percheron. We also find his blood
at the fountain-head of what is destined to become the most
popular of all breeds of the world — for light harness purposes
— the trotting horse of America, which is descended from
three great sources or families, and divided and subdivided
into several other different families, all branches of which
point to the Arabian as their fountain-head ; and now when
we visit the most noted and celebrated stock farms of the

THE ARABIAN HORSE. 37

Western States, and in some sections of Canada, as well, and
they have led out for our inspection their beautiful gray
Percheron stallions, with their good hard feet and sinewy legs,
their broad and intelligent heads, their fine ears and beautiful
flowing tails and wavy manes, can we for a moment doubt
that they trace their origin directly to this beautiful horse of
the desert ?

We also find a trace of his blood in the French Canadian
horse of to-day, transmitted through his son, the Percheron
horse of France. The Arabian horse also stood at the very
head of the original pacing family of America, the ISTarra-
gansett Pacer. (See Narragansett Pacer, Chapter TV.)

It has been proven and established for ages in the old world
that the best results have been obtained from Arabian ancestry.
The great stronghold of the Arabian stallion is to improve any
race or breed of horses with which he comes in contact ; and
yet we have a breed of runners descended from him that can
surpass him in speed over our courses and in our climate. We
also have a breed of trotters whose qualities descend from the
Arabian, that, with our American breeding and training, can
far surpass him in speed at that gait ; and, also, the Percherons
can out-draw him, yet, I claim that the best qualities of all of
these came directly from the Arabian horse.

The first Arabian stallion that gave the oriental character
to the English horse was the Darley Arabian, so called from
the fact of his having been purchased at Aleppo by an English
merchant by the name of Darley. Pie was said to be of the
desert breed although his precise lineage was never determined.
He sired Flying Childers, a celebrated race horse so far superior
to anything that had appeared in England that he created a
great sensation and his exploits passed into history and gained a
world renown and crowned his sire as monarch of the stud,
by his wonderful speed and endurance.

The pure Arabian is celebrated less for unrivalled swiftness
than for extraordinary powers of endurance. Its usual paces,
as used in Arabia, are but two — a quick walk, often averaging

38 THE ARABIAN HORSE.

four or five miles an hour, and a half running canter ; for only
when pursued does a Bedouin put his horse to full speed. It is
the distance they will travel in emergency, the weight they
will carry, and the comparative trifle of food they require,
which renders the Arabian horse so valuable, especially so to the
Arabs, in their land of stony mountains and sandy deserts.

The rocky mountains and sunny valleys that temper the
dry air of the deserts are supposed to have an influence upon
the quality of bone and muscle, giving sound feet and legs to
stand great speed and endurance. The Arabian horse, as im-
proved and perfected by this first great artist in that line, Ma-
homet, at the time of liis death, was justly considered the primi-
tive blood horse and the type horse of the world. There are in
Arabia to-day, according to Ali Bey (an Arabian writer, who
has had opportunities beyond the reach of ordinary writers), six
distinct breeds of Arabs.

" The first," he says, " named the Dgelfe, is found in Arabia
Felix ; they are rare in Damascus but pretty common in the
neighborhood of Anaze. They are remarkable for speed and
fire, yet mild as lambs ; they support hunger and thirst for a
long time, and are of lofty stature, etc. A colt of this breed, at
two years old, will cost in his own country 2,000 piasters.

" The second breed, called ' Seclaoni,' comes from the eastern
part of the desert and resembles the Dgelfe of Anaze in
appearance, but is not quite so highly valued.

" Next comes the ' Mefki,' handsome, but not so swift as the
two former-named breeds, and more resembling the Andalusian
in figure. They are very common about Damascus.

"Then the ' Sabi' resembles the Mefki ; and the fifth breed,
called ' Fridi,' is very common but it is necessary to try them
well for they are often vicious and do not possess the excellent
qualities of the other breeds.

"Sixth, comes 'Nejdi,' from the neighborhood of Bussorah,
and if they do not surpass they at least equal the Dgelfe of
Anaze and Seclaoni. Horses of this breed are little known at

THE ARABIAN HORSE. 39

Damascus, and connoisseurs assert that they are incomparable ;
thus, their value is arbitrary and always exceeds 2,000 piasters."

This writer fails to make mention of " Kochlani," descended
from the stud of Mahomet, who laid the foundation of Ara-
bian pedigrees, but he undoubtedly used Seclaoni instead of
Kochlani in his description of the different families of this
breed.

It is asserted by oriental travelers that pedigrees exist that
can be traced 500 years back and in the highest breeds there is
no doubt of that; at present great care is taken and many
ceremonies are performed at the covering of the mare. After
the birth of the foal a certificate is always made out by the
local authority and this must be done within seven days of its
being dropped.

The Arabian horse-breeder estimates the value of a horse
by its breeding, and is very particular in his choice of a stallion,
preferring to leave his mares unproductive rather than breed
them to a common horse, and often travels many miles to find
his ideal of a stallion; the owners of the best stallions, on
the other hand, being quite as particular regarding the quality
of' the mare presented for service.

It is said that the Bedouins, when a horse is born, never
allow it to drop to the ground, but receive and keep it for
several hours upon their arms, washing it, stretching and
strengthening its limbs, and hugging it like a baby.

One of the most important of the earlier importations of
the Arabian to America was that of the Lindsey Arabian im-
ported to Connecticut about 1768. He has a remarkable
history, as follows:

In about 1767, for some important service rendered by the
commander of a British frigate to a son of the Emperor of
Morocco, the emperor presented this horse (the most valuable
of his stud), to this captain, who shi])ped him on board the frigate
with the sanguine expectation of obtaining a great price for him
if safely landed in England ; but on the return voyage the frigate
called at one of the West India Islands, where, beinff oblio^edto

40 THE ARABIAN HORSE.

remain some time, the captain, in compassion to the horse,
landed him for the purpose of exercise. No convenient,
securely enclosed place could be found but a large lumber yard,
into \vhich the horse was turned loose ; but, being young and
as playful as a kitten, he clambered to the top of a huge pile
of lumber, from which, and with it, he fell, breaking three of
his legs.

At this time, in the same port, the English' captain met an
old acquaintance from New London, Conn., U. S. A. To him
he offered the horse as an animal of estimable value could he
but be cured. This Connecticut captain gladly accepted the
horse and knowing that he must be detained for some time at
the Island before he could dispose of his assorted cargo, got
the horse on board his vessel, secured him in a sling, very care-
fully set and bound up his broken legs, and, when he landed at
his Connecticut port, the horse was able to walk from New
London to Pomfret, Conn., which place became his home for
several years ; and such was the character and value of his
colts that his service became in great demand, and during the
War of the Revolution the Connecticut cavalry of beautiful,
active horses attracted the attention of Generals Washington
and Lee to such an extent that they enquired into their breed-
ing, and found them to be the sons and daughters of this Ara-
bian horse " Ranger," as he was called.

After the close of the War, of the Revolution, and about the
year 1TS4 or 1785, Generals Washington and Lee sent Captain
Linsley to Pomfret, Conn., to see this wonderful sire of cavalry
horses, and, if as represented (and if he could be purchased), to
bring him back with him to Virginia. Captain Linsley found
this horse in Pomfret to be owned by a man named Sabin, who
consented to sell him for $1,(»00 ; consequently he was taken to
Virginia and his name chano-ed from ''Rano:er'" to "Linslev's
Arabian." He was then about twenty years old. He stood
for several years in A^ii'ginia, covering mares at high prices and
sired some very good ones there, among which were Tulip and
many other noted runners of that day.

THE ARABIAN HORSE. 41

I have dwelt more on the history of this Arabian horse
than I should have done did I not feel assured beyond a doubt
that he was the maternal grandsire of that most celebrated of
all American horses of his day, Justin Morgan.

When news came to General Putnam of Pomfret, Conn.,
that the British had fired upon Concord and that his immedi-
ate presence was needed at Boston, the messenger found the
"old hero" plowing with an ox team, but in his barn was
stabled a beautiful daughter of this great sire of cavalry horses,
which "old Put" saddled and rode to Boston that same after-
noon, some 65 miles, and which rendered him such signal ser-
vice during that great and memorable battle of Bunker Hill
on the 17th day of June, 1775,

An important importation to America of an Arabian sire
was in 1820, when "Grand Bashaw" was imported from Trip-
oli by Joseph C. Morgan, of Philadelphia. Some of our fastest
trotters have descended from him, and much in the improve-
ment and merit of our American-bred horses of the present
time may, perhaps, be justly attributed to him, as he was in
stud service here for more than twenty years. He was the
founder of the Bashaw family and the fountain head of the
Clay branch of the Bashaw family of the American trotter of
to-day.

One of the most beautiful horses I ever saw was an Ara-
bian stallion imported from Egypt by Col. Wm. II. Jenifer, in
1872, "Ishmael Pacha," but more generally known as the
" Jenifer Arabian."

I saw several of his half-blood colts and fillies, which were
all very thrifty and large for their age. In color, this horse
was a beautiful gray and stood rather less than fifteen hands
high, but his progeny, as I saw them, were mostly chestnuts
and some of the two-year-olds were taller than their sire.

I had much correspondence with the importer concerning
this horse, and traveled from Connecticut to Pennsylvania to
see him ; and after the death of Col. Jenifer I came ver}^ near

42 THE ARABIAN HORSE.

purchasing him of his administrator, for my stock farm, at that
time in Pomfret, Conn., for $1,000.

All who have raised colts from common mares sired by
Arabian stallions, are, I believe, unanimous in opinion that
their get is generally even tempered, of a mild, willing, and
quiet disposition, easily and cheaply raised, early maturing and
fit for service at three years old.

The prevailing color of the best-bred families of Arabian
horses is gray.

I know of but one attempt to breed the Arabian horse in
its purity in this country, as Arabians, and that was made by
A. Keen Richards of Kentucky, who visited the Arabian
deserts himself several times for the purpose of stud3ing the
Arabian horse at home, and brought out to Kentucky, at
different times, several of as good specimens as was possible for
him to secure in Arabia. The Arabs are very loth to part
with their best ones, and especially so of their mares. War
and misfortune interfered with Mr. Richards' plans to that ex-
tent that he could not or did not accomplish his long-cherished
and desired object.

In a personal interview with Mr. Richards on this subject
at Lexington, Ky., in 1880, I found him still sanguine in the
belief that the Arabs could not only be bred in central Ken-
tucky without deteriorating in any particular from those bred
in Arabia, but that in many points, with generous food and
good care, they would improve. And he also believed that
the thoroughbred race horse of that time could be improved by
judiciously crossing with the Arabs ; and the trotting bred
horses of Kentucky as well. His faith in the Arabian horse as
the improver of other breeds was stronger than that of any
other gentleman ^vith whom I have ever conversed on this
subject ; in fact, he knew more about them than any one else I
ever met. He had been there.

In this interview with Mr, Richards, in speaking of General
Grant's then late present of the two stallions — Lepold and
Linden Tree — presented by the Sultan of Turkey, Mr, Rich-

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ards said he considered them both inferior specimens, coming-
far short in style and quality of the best specimens of this
breed as he found them at home.

It is exceedingly difficult and expensive to obtain good
specimens ; it is with great difficulty that the Sultan, even^
obtains pure Arabs of the best families.

In 1891, Thomas W. Palmer, a Detroit, Mich., capitalist,
conceived the idea of importing Arabian horses for the purpose
of infusing new blood in his Percheron stud ; consequently he
sent a trusted agent to Damascus for the purpose of obtaining
some of the best specimens of that country for this purpose,
but the difficulty, amounting, it is said, to impossibility of ob-
taining what he desired, compelled him to abandon his project.

And now, when it is announced through our daily papers
that the Ajab horses shown at the Midway Plaisance, con-
nected with the World's Fair of 1893, were an exhibit of the
Turkish government, and by that government permitted to be
sold by the sheriff, it is too ridiculous ; yet it may be believed
by the masses, "because in the papers." In after years some
of the descendants of this motley collection may lay claim to
royalty.

CHAPTER III.

THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE.

The oldest and best established breed in America and Europe — Breed built
on an Arabian and Barb foundation — The Darlej Arabian — Imported
Messenger — Imported Diomed — Imported Trustee — Lexington — In-
fluence of the blood in America.

THIS is the oldest and best established of all the breeds of
America and Europe. The Thoroughbred horse is
peculiarly a British production. At a very early period the
attention of the rulers of Great Britain was earnestly directed
to the work of improving the breeds of horses in that
kingdom.

It appears from history that their foundation stock was
notoriously deficient in size, and that their earliest efforts were
directed to remedy this defect by the importation of heavy
horses from Normandy, Flanders, and Germany. Then, to
give gracefulness of motion and beauty of form, they intro-
duced what was known as Oriental blood, that of the Arab,
the Turk, and the Barb.

For several years preceding the reign of Charles II, horse-
racing appears to have been rapidly gaining in favor as an
amusement and recreation among the English people, and from
that time until the present, contests for supremacy upon the
turf have stirred the British heart as no other amusement has
ever done. To the constant growth and great popularity
of this sport, which for nearly 200 years has been regarded as
the national amusement of that country, are we indebted for
a persistence in a course of breeding that has given us the
thoroughbred race horse of to-day, so prominently distinguished
throughout the world for speed and endurance upon the race-
course ; and which, on account of the great care in breeding,

(44)

THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE. 45

and its consequent purity of lineage, were the first race of ani-
mals to which the term " thoroughbred " was applied.

In the later years of the reign of Queen Anne an Arabian
horse was brought to England, purchased at Aleppo by a
Yorkshire merchant named Darley, and was supposed to be of
the Kochlani breed, although his precise lineage was never
established. He was called The Darley Arabian. He sired
Flying Childers in 1714, who proved to be the fastest horse
that had ever been on the English turf, and was of noble form
and matchless courage.

Another descendant of The Darley Arabian was Eclipse,
foaled 1T64, during the eclipse of that year, hence his name.
He was thick-winded and a blower, but never met his match
on the turf, and after racing seventeen months and winning
£25,000, was retired to the stud, as no horse in the known
world dared race with him. He sired 334 winners that won in
races £160,000, besides numerous cups and plates. He died in
1789, aged twenty-five years, and was buried at AVhitechurch,
between HarroAv-on-the-Hill and Ware, in Hertfordshire, and
it is added that at his interment ale and cakes were given to
those present.

Another great factor in the improvement of the English
blood-horse was the Godolphin Arabian, foaled about the year
1724. He was presented to Lord Godolphin, from whom he
took his name. He sired Laih, who proved to be the fastest
horse (Childers excepted) ever on the English turf at that
time. The Godolphin was one of the sources of great im-
provement to the English race-horse of that period.

The " Royal " mares of that time Avere mostly imported
Barbs.

Of all Oriental sires it is generally admitted that the
Godolphin Arabian — imported 110 years ago — is the last
importation of foreign blood that has proven of an}'" benefit to
the thoroughbred horse of England, and while this blending of
the Oriental blood with the old races of England furnished the
foundation, there can be no doubt that the care and skill of the

46 THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE.

English breeder in selecting and coupling with the best and
fastest for generations on generations, have accomplished more
in establishing this breed as it now exists, than could possibly
have been done by continuing the out-crosses of foreign blood,
and that the time is long since past when the intermingling of
any other blood would not prove a detriment.

The thoroughbred horse, as now bred, is generally consid-
ered far superior to any branch of the Oriental horse of to-day
in speed, size, and substance. Our American horses are
largely composed of the blood of the thoroughbred ; many
of the best stallions and mares of England have been imported
to this country, and their influence is seen on every hand. It
enters largely into the groundwork of all our trotting ^Kti*ains,
and it is doubtful if a single great road horse or trotter has
been produced in this country that did not possess a share
of this ro3^al blood (or its source, the Arabian) as a foundation
upon which the trotting superstructure has been built. There
exists great ignorance, even among many who are considered
intelligent and well-informed horsemen, as to what constitutes
a thoroughbred horse.

The compiler of the " Thoroughbred Stud Book " in this
country admits to registry as thoroughbred all animals that
show an unmixed descent of five generations of pure blood.

Among the most noted early importations of thoroughbred
horses from England to this country, and contributing mostly
to the quality and speed of American horses, may be found the
names of Janus, foaled in 1746, a grandson of the Godolphin,
the good qualities of whose stock are said to be perpetuated to
this day.

Imported Traveler, foaled in 1747, and tracing in an un-
broken line to the White Turk aad to Layton's Barb mare,
was also considered second to none in his time. He belongs to
the earlier importations, and is still one of the most valuable
landmarks in old pedigrees, and especially so as the founder of
that once most popular of all breeds in America for all pur-
poses,— the Morgan.

THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE, 47

Wild Air, foaled in 1753, imported to New York by Mr.
DeLancy, and on account of the great value of his stock was
taken back to England, Avas undoubtedly a great improver of
American horses, and one of the paternal ancestors of Justin
Morgan, founder of that greatest of American general purpose
horse, the Morgan. (See Morgan Horses, Chapter VI.)

Fearnaught, imported in 1764, a great-grandson of the
Darley Arabian, stood for service in this country for twelve
years and left a numerous progeny of highly distinguished
horses of that time.

Messenger, foaled in 1785, was imported to Pennsylvania
in 1792, and died in New York State in 1808. He distin-
guished himself as being the progenitor of horses from half-
bred and cold-blooded mares of good trotting action and stay-
ing qualities, and whose influence in the trotting horse of
America is still highh^ recognized, and from whose loins on the
paternal side, descended Rysdyk's Hambletonian.

We find an old advertisement of this horse, — the last, —
dated April, 1807 (eighty-eight years ago and one year before
his death), which reads as follows :

"THE CELEBRATED HORSE MESSENGER.

" Old Messenger (commonly so called) is allowed by the best judges to be
in as good order, feel as well, and to retain his faculties in as much vigor as
at any time since he was imported.

" Messenger is a full-blood racer, fifteen hands three inches high, and well
proportioned. He was bred by John Pratt, Esq., of Newmarket, and was
got by Mambrino, who covered at twenty-six guineas a mare in the year 1784.
Mambrino was got by Engineer, who was got by Sampson, who was the sire
of Bay Moulton and several other capital racers ; his dam by Turf, his grand-
dam by Regulus.

" The mare was sister to Figurante and was dam of. Leviathan, an excel-
lent racer. He is a sure foal-getter and his stock equal, if not superior, to that
of any horse in the States, some of whom are selling from $500 to $3,000 each.

" The horse will stand at Bishop Underhill's in the County of West Chester,
fifteen miles from Harlem on the White Plains Road, to cover the ensuing
season at $15 the season and $10 single service ; the season to commence on
the first day of April, and to continue not longer than the first day of August
following ; the money to be paid at the time of taking away the mare.

" Warranted foals by agreement.

48 THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE.

" PERFORMANCES.

"Messenger won the following sums in the years 1783, 1784, and 1785, as
may be seen by the racing calendars. In September he beat, at Newmarket,
Mr. Potter's Colchester, by Shark, for 100 guineas. October 30, 1783, he
beat Mr. Napier's horse Specter across the Flat for 300 guineas, and Mr. Fox's
horse Pyuhus across the New Flat for 150 guineas.

" In May, 1784, he beat Lord Barrington's Tiger for twenty-five guineas ;
in July, 1784, he beat Mr. Windham's horse Apothecary for 200 guineas ;
Lord Foley's Rodney, Mr. Westell's Snowdrop, and Mr. Clark's Flower for
sixty guineas, and Lord Foley's Ulysses for 100 guineas. In March, 1785, he
beat His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales' Ulysses for 200 guineas, and
Mr. Windham's horse Fortitude for 300 guineas.

"In April, 1785, he beat Lord Sherburn's horse Taylor for fifty guineas.

In addition to the above he has won the King's plate, and4s-febe-X)nly horse on

the continent said to have done the same.

(Signed)

"BISHOP UNDERHILL."

Florizal, imported into Maryland in 1794, was a good stock
horse and some of the best of our Southern horses of to-day
trace to him.

Diomed, foaled in 1777 in England, and imported into Vir-
ginia in 1799, when twent3^-two years old, was a most remark-
able stock horse, and his influence as such is felt in America
to-day. He was the sire — in America — of the great Sir
Archy, a very distinguished horse of his day and justl}^ called
the Godolphin Arabian of America. He was a brown horse,
sixteeen and one-half hands high, of great substance, and left
an exceeding numerous and very valuable progeny at his death
when twenty-eight years old.

Trustee, foaled in 1829, contributed his full share, probably,
in the improvement of the American horses of his time, both
as regards speed and quality.

Priam was also among the best ; so of many of the later
importations, among which may be recounted Glencoe, the
great horse of the two continents, brought from England to
Alabama in 1836, and considered one of the best the world
had then produced, and his descendants are not to be despised
to-day.

THE VALUE OP THOROUGHBRED STALLIONS. 49

America, herself, has contributed to the breeding ranks of
thoroughbred sires some very noted animals, among which
may be found a Boston c. h., deriving his name from a popular
game of cards at that time, who was a great race horse
himself and a sire of the great Lexington, foaled in 1850,
bred by Dr. Warfield of Lexington, Ky. He first ran on
the turf under the name of Darley and was a winner; was
then purchased by Mr. Eichard Ten Broeck, who changed his
name to Lexington. He ran many successful races, winning
for his owner many thousand dollars; and after breaking down
as a racer was purchased by Mr. Robert A. Alexander of Ken-
tucky, proprietor of Woodburn, for stock purposes, for $15,000.

Mr. Alexander's friends ridiculed his paying such a price for
a broken-down stallion, useless for the race course and untried
in the stud; the far-seeing Kentuckian replied that the day
would come when he would sell one of the produce of the
horse they then despised for more money than he had })aid for
the sire.

That day did come, for after his son, Norfolk, had won the
two three-year-old stakes at St. Louis in 1864-, on Mr. Theodore
Winter asking Mr. Alexander to name the price for the colt,
he replied "$15,001." That sum was immediately given and
Mr. Alexander's prophecy verified.

Lexington proved himself America's greatest sire and was
the sire of Idle wild, Kentucky, Asteroid, Harry of the West,
Jack Malone, Lightnmg, Lancaster, Daniel Boone, Bayonet,
Vauxhall, Judge Curtis, Stonewall Jackson, Kingfisher, Harry
Bassett, Tom Bowling, and others of note both on the race
course and in the stud.

THE VALUE OF THOROUGHBRED STALLIONS.
As regards the estimate in which the race-loving English-
man holds his best bred racing stallions may be approximated
from the following table of prices for which a number of
prominent thoroughbred stallions have been sold :

50

THE VALUE OF THOROUGHBRED STALLIONS.

Orniondc,

$150,000

Galore,

$30,000

St. Blaise, .

100.000

Bonnie Scotland, .

30,000

Don Castor, .

70,000

Don Alonzo,

30,000

Blair Athol, .

63,000

Kingston,

30,000

Kentucky, .

40,000

Dew Drop, .

29,500

Vern, .

39,000

Potomac,

25,000

King Thomas,

38,000

Dobbins,

22,000

Gladiator,

35,000

Cantineer, .

20,500

Iroquois,

34,000

Luke Blackburn,

20,000

Tournament,

33,000

Duke of Magenta,

20,000

Rayon de Orr,

33,000

Mortimer,

20,000

The Earl, .

30,500

Ban Fox,

. 20,000

G. W. Johnson, .

30,000

Louisburg, .

20,000

San Domingo,

30,000

The yearling colt, King Thomas, sold at auction in the city
of New York in 1887 for the magnihcent sum of $38,000 cash.

Mr. Saville refused $75,000 for Cremona, and the Marquis
of Westminster refused $17,500 for Touchstone, accompanying
his refusal with the remark that he would not exchange him
for a German principality.

A party of Americans visiting England several years since,
after looking over the Eton stud, requested an interview with
the owner. Lord Westminster. The s})okesman began by say-
ing that he and his friends had seen the horses and that they
fancied Touchstone very much, very much indeed. Lord
Westminster was highly pleased to hear him say so.

The American, in continuation, informed his Lordship that
they had made up their minds to buy him.

" Oh, indeed ! "

" Yes, my Lord, that's our determination ; what's his
price ? "

" The American Domains," was the reply.

Priam, imported into Virginia in 1837 at a cost of $17,500,
which was the largest price ever paid for a horse to that date
in England, after the appearance of his daughter. Crucifix, in
1840, when she won the 1,000 guineas, the 2,000 guineas and
the Oaks, $50,000 was offered and refused for him to return to
England.

The English breeder is always ready to pay more for the

THE VALUE OF THOROUGHBRED STALLIONS. 51

use of a highly bred animal than any other in the world, and,
as a consequence, the civilized world is still tributary in a meas-
ure to that little Island for improved live stock.

This is especially so in horses. The service fee paid for
thoroughbred stallions of the first rank would scare an Ameri-
can breeder.

Hermit, regarded as the most successful thoroughbred sire
of his day, was held at 250 guineas, nearly $1,300.

Isonomy's fee, 200 guineas, Galopin's 100 guineas.

Undoubtedly a large number of the foals sired by these
horses are never worth the service fees ; but when a winner is
struck he makes amends for all former losses.

CHAPTER TV.

THE NARRAGANSETT PACER.

The origin, rise, and progress of the breed — Daniel Pearce and his stallion
Rambler — Imp. Rambler — Narragansett blood in the Morgans — Lit-
tle Neck Beach, R I. — Mary Lang worthy Southcote.

THE origin, rise, progress, and we might almost say exter-
mination of this once most noted family of the equine
race in this country seems to be somewhat shrouded in mys-
tery ,by the horse oracles of the present day ; yet to me, its
history having been verbally handed down from father to son
as an heirloom of our family for the past 175 years or so, is
very clear. Its origin is as follows:

In the reign of Queen Anne, A. D. 1707, a young man of
the county of York, East Riding District, England, by the
name of Daniel Pearce — the son of a well-to-do tenant farmer
— a natural born horseman and the possessor in his own right
of a beautiful young chestnut stallion, a grandson of the great
imported Arabian horse, the "Darley Arabian," then owned
and kept by the Lord of the Manor — Lord Darley — (very
foolishly it was thought) fell desperately in love with a charm-
ing young lady by the name of Mary Langworthy Southcote,
who belonged to an old and wealthy family living in Hull.

As a matter of course in that age of aristocracy, such a
thing as a tenant farmer's son (however worthy he might be)
to think of marrying into an old family like the Southcotes,
was preposterous. Consequently this young man, Daniel
Pearce, in order to become weaned from his Mary, decided to
bid England a long farewell, givihg up the comforts of home,
the endearing scenes of childhood, the companions of youth,
and all — no, he could not give up his beautiful colt, his own
"Rambler." He would leave merry England and all else, save

(52)

THE NARRAGANSETT PACER. 53

Rambler, behind; with him he would take. the first vessel sail-
ing from Hull to America, Rambler should bear him company
to the New Eldorado, or they would both share one common
grave in the bosom of the Atlantic.

The result of this degision was that after a somewhat long,
dreary, and perilous voyage in a sail vessel of those times, our
hero, with his companion, was landed in Newport, R. I. His
final destination being Kingstown, a country bordering on the
west shore of Narragansett bay, he took passage in a sail boat
from Newport to the Narragansett country, still accompanied
by his horse Rambler. During the voyage, and somewhere
about midway, it is said, between Beavertail, on Canonicot
Island, and Narragansett Beach (now Narragansett Pier), the
boat capsized and the horse swam for the shore, some three
miles, and several days afterwards was found in the woods on
what is now called Boston Neck. Hence the legend by some
that the paternal ancestor of this race of horses was found
swimming at sea; and by others that he was found running
wild in the woods in the Narragansett country.

Upon arriving in this new and wild country our young
Englishman found, to his mortification and annoyance, that,
although possessed of one of the finest and best "galloping
saddlers" in England, the new country aff'orded no roads suita-
ble to ride upon ; instead of roads were to be found but Indian
trails and bridle paths and even these w^ere handicapped with
rocks and stones. These circumstances compelled Daniel to
change the gait of Rambler from a gallop to a pace or "rack"
as it was then called, which he easily acquired.

This stallion was kept as a stock horse for many years by
his owner and importer, and was, for those times, very gener-
ally patronized, especially throughout the southern and south-
western counties of Rhode Island and the district of Stoning-
ton, Conn.

He became the paternal progenitor of a race of pacers ; it
is said that his colts all paced from the start, and that his sons
begat pacers, and when his daughters were bred to pacing sires

54 THE NARRAGANSETT PACER.

their progeny invariablj^ paced, but when bred to trotting or
running sires they either trotted or ran, as the case might be.

The Narragansett Pacer soon became an established breed
in Ehode Island, and as the people of those times had neither
carriage roads or carriages, or steam cars, what traveling was
done was either accomplished on foot or on horseback, and
men frequently rode from fifty to sixty miles per day on one
of those beautiful, easy-going saddlers, over hills and through
dales, following the rough and stony bridle paths of New Eng-
land at that period of its history.

These horses were said to be remarkably sure footed. The
pure bloods (as they were called) could not be made to trot at
all. They used them in races as long ago as 1720. Little
Neck Beach, on the Narragansett shore in South Kingston, one
mile in length, was used as a race-course.

In about the year 1725 they came to be looked upon as
an established breed, and from that time until 1760 were in
active demand for export to Cuba as saddlers, and were sent
for at much trouble and expense by some breeders who were
choice in their selections.

A chestnut mare of this breed having been taken to Ver-
mont, U. S., in 1807, and bred to that most wonderful horse,
Justin Morgan, the result was his most celebrated son, Sherman
Morgan, foaled in 1809, who took the trotting gait of his sire
and the color and beauty of his dam.

Such finally became the demand for these horses for export
that the breeders ''killed the goose that laid the golden egg''
by disposing of not only their surplus but most of their breed-
ing stock, as w^ell.

By this time, however, the country having been supplied
with better roads and the people wdth carriages, the saddle
horse was less sought for at home, and horses that could trot
became more popular and in better demand than those of the
pacing gait, and horses of this breed were then trained to trot
in harness and pace under the saddle. I can well remember
descendants of this breed of horses, crossed, with other l^reeds,

p^

^

C3

"^

S?

s

o

<

^

'rt

<f1

c3

Iw*

c3

<i

o

THE NARRAGANSETT PACER. 55

perhaps, that would pace all day under the saddle, and others
that would both trot and pace, frequently changing from one
gait to the other.

This breed of horses goes into history as the only one
founded on the results of a single importation and becoming in
demand for export within twenty years after the importation
of its founder.

I still recollect descendants of this breed that were great
roadsters and tough as leather. I recall to mind two black
mares, both raised and owned in Kingston, Rhode Island, — one
by George Allen and the other by Nathaniel Reynolds — that
would go from Quidnessett, near Wickford, R. I., to Brighton,
Mass., about sixty miles, in a half day without stopping on the
the road for feeding.

I once owned a sorrel gelding, a descendant of this breed,
that paced and would not trot at all, but would pace, if put to
it, I think nearly, or quite, one hundred miles in a day on a
good road.

In conclusion of this scrap of history, allow me to state
that Daniel's Mary "forsook father and mother, brothers and
sisters," home, luxuries, society, and all the pleasures that
wealth and civilization could bestow, and followed her lover to
America, where they were married and became the founder of
a family by the name of Pearce in America (one member of
which has served the people of the United States one term as
its President), besides figuring largely in other prominent
American families by intermarriage. Mary was disinherited,
however, and when her father made his will she was " not in it."

CHAPTEK Y.

THE FRENCH CANADIAN HORSE.

Early imported into Canada from France — Climatic influence on Canadian
horses — Hardiness and utility — Canadian blood in the American
trotter and pacer — Noted Canada horses imporS ed to the United States
— Surry, dam of Henry Clay, a Canadian.

THE early settlers of Canada came from France, bringing
their horses with them, France, like England, contains
several breeds of horses, of which the most desirable are from
Normandy ; at least that was the case years ago before the
advent of the Percheron.

As the first settlers of this country needed horses and the
horses must be brought from France, their mother country,
and as the distance was too long and freights too high to
attempt importing any but the best, it is presumed that of
such were their early importations.

It may safely be inferred that in those days the Norman or
Percheron horse of France was far inferior in all respects to
the Percheron horse of that country to-day, after having been
improved with the blood of the Arabian,

These French horses were brought over into lower Canada
in the early settlement of the colony, and for many years
formed the principal horse stock of Canada, The rigor of the
climate and the scarcity of fare materially reduced their size
from that of their French ancestors ; still, they retain to this
day the same strong make-up and general characteristics that
render them distinguishable from any and all otlier breeds.
They constitute a race of easy -keeping,' sound-constitutioned,
and long-lived horses. From their strong, compact form they
can command their strength to great advantage, and there is
nothing in the shape of horseflesh to-day that can stand the

(56)

THE FRENCH CANADIAN HORSE. 57

wear and tear of the French Canadian pony, except it be an
old-time Morgan of about the same size and mucli the same
style.

The French Canadians have but few equals in all the im-
proved breeds of horses as a general purpose horse. Nothing
really excels a pair of these Canadians as a team for all pur-
poses of general use for Canadian farming, when cost of keep
is taken into account.

They have also done more to establish the trotting horse of
America than they have ever received credit for. The cross-
ing of this breed with others in the United States, on account
of their hardiness and sound constitution, has in many in-
stances been of material advantage.

For instance : One of the French Canadians — a pacer —
called Pilot was the sire of Alexander's Pilot, Jr., the founder
of a family of trotters and the sire of the dam of Maud S., one
of the fastest and gamest trotters of the world, and who for
so long held the world's record as such. He was also the sire
of many noted trotters. This old Canadian horse. Pilot, went
from Canada to Kentucky and numbers among his descend-
ants Bonesetter, Pilot Temple, Tattler, and Tackey, wiio owed
much of their great speed and staying qualities to him.

Alexander's Norman was also sired by a half-bred French
horse, the Morse horse. He was the sire of Lulu, 2.15. Red
Jim, the fastest three-year-old of his time, inherited the blood
of Norman ; and Blackwood, the fastest three-year-old of his
day, was a son of Norman.

Davy Crockett, another French pacer, Avas the progenitor
of Legal Tender, Red Cloud, Red Cross, and other good ones
of their day. Copper Bottom, also a French pacer, did much
to improve the trotting stock of Kentuck}^

Columbus was a pacer taken from Canada to the United
States and converted into a trotter ; he was the sire of Smith's
Young Columbus, that crossed so well with the Morgans and
other New England horses.

A black mare called Kate, bred in Canada and sired by a

58 THE FRENCH CANADIAN HORSE.

French Canadian stallion, dropped five colts to Hambletonian,
all of whom trotted better than 2.30, and three of which are
on record.

Surry, dam of the world-renowned Henry Clay, the founder
of the Clay family, and the maternal ancestor of those old-time
whalebone trotters, George M. Patchen, Lucy, and American
Girl, was a Canadian. George M. Patchen was the founder of
the Patchen branch of the Clay family of American trotters.

Gift, one of the most promising colts of Mambrino Pilot,
was out of a French pacing mare. Mambrino Gift had a
French cross, as did his grandsire and his dam's grandsire ; he
also had the o-ift of trotting' in 2.20.

Corbeau, St. Lawrence, Gray Eagle, Canada Chief, Whirl-
wind', Snow Storm, and Coeur de Leon were all French trot-
ting or pacing stallions, and all crossed the border to the
United States for stock purposes ; but we do not claim as much
for the French Canadian horse as a fast trotter as we do in the
way of being a most useful animal to all classes of men having
use for horses adapted to all purposes for which horses are
wanted. Their sound body, wind, and limb is a constitutional
inheritance that is propagated from generation to generation,
thus giving them advantage for hard service over other breeds
of less constitutional vigor.

Their feet and legs are almost exceptionally good, and they
are usually free from all kinds of disease to w^hich horseflesh is
heir. They are short-coupled from the knees and hocks down,
which gives great purchase power. Their strong, muscular
thighs and forearms complete the limbs and make them strong
enough to support the body under heavy loads, over hills and
through dales, without tiring out or breaking down.

In horse-dealing, years ago, I have handled these animals
by the carload with usually satisfactory results to myself and
to my customers ; but now I expect it would be as difficult to
purchase a carload of French Canadian horses in Canada as it
w^ould be to procure a like number of Morgans in Vermont or
'New Hampshire, as the breeders of these horses have, perhaps

-i «s

GO <;5 ^

-: O ^

THE FRENCH CANADIAN HORSE. 59

unwisely, crossed and re-crossed with other breeds or families
until but few of the original types of either can be found.

They are emphatically the farmer's horse for Canada, and
good specimens of this breed should weigh from 1,000 to 1,200
pounds, which is usually heavy enough for general farm work,
and more economical for the farmer for all purposes, especially
taking into account the cost of keep, than are the heavy draft
horses of from 1,400 to 1,800 pounds.

CHAPTER VI.

THE MORGAN HORSE.

The Morgans an American breed — Beauty and power of endurance — Justin
Morgan the founder — Pedigree of Justin Morgan — Description of
Justin Morgan — Sherman Morgan and his pedigree — Black Hawk,
pedigree and history — Ethan Allen, pedigree and history — Daniel
Lambert.

THIS is strictly an American breed of horses and a New
England production, the distinguishing characteristics
of which are neatness and compactness of form, hardiness of
constitution, soundness of wind and limb, strong digestive
organs, enabling them to live on little food, the best of feet
and limbs, good action, and a high degree of intelligence and
spirit.

For beauty of form and power of endurance, added to gen-
tleness and graceful activity, probably no breed of horses in
the world surpasses the Morgans. They are unsually kind and
show a surprising degree of intelligence ; they are strong, com-
pact, and sure footed. As roadsters and stage horses and for
the general purpose horse, they have never been excelled by
any other breed or class of American horses.

We have from reliable authority the history of a Morgan
horse — of. the old family of 'New England Morgans — that
was frequently driven from Brattleboro, Vt,, to Hartford,
Conn., SO miles, over very hilly roads, in a day, attached to a
chaise containing two adults, and that he continued to do this
service handsomely after he was twenty-four years old.

The founder of this breed was Justin Morgan, foaled in
1793 at Springfield, Mass. Of the origin and breeding of this
horse — the founder of a mightj^ race — there was for many
years much doubt ; but as time and perseverance of investiga-

( fio )

THE MORGAN HORSE. 61

tion has unraveled the snarl, we are now, and have been for
many years, ready to accept the following as his breeding:

His sire, without doubt, was a bay horse called True Briton
or Beautiful Bay — he was known by both names — a son of
Imported Traveler, his dam a chestnut mare sired by Banger
of Bomfret, Conn., an imported Arabian horse from Morocco,
who was afterwards taken to Virginia and his name changed to
Linsley's Arabian. (See Linsley's. Arabian, in Arabian Horses,
Chaptei II.)

His grand dam was a close, compact, medium-sized, light
bay mare of the AVild Air breed ; a very smooth, handsome
traveler. Her sire was Diamond, who was bv "Wild Air or
Church horse, by imported Wild Air, imported by DeLaney of •
Long Island and afterwards taken back to England.

The third dam of Justin Morgan was a Dutch mare brought
to this country (either she or her dam), by Dutch emigrant
settlers of the Mohawk valley.

Of Imported Traveler, the grandsire of Justin Morgan, the
Stud Book says : " This horse was second to no other of the
early importations," etc. His pedigree traces in a direct and
unbroken line to the White Turk and Baton's Barb mare.

Wild Air, the g. g. g. sire of Justin Morgan, the Stud Book
tells us also traces in an unbroken line to the White Turk and
Baton Barb mare, and was so well thought of in England that
he was purchased in America and re-shipped to England.

Thus we find that history proves this most wonderful horse,
Justin Morgan, that some called a scrub and some a
Canadian, to be a very high-bred animal ; he was, without
doubt, sired by a high-bred horse and out of a well-bred dam.
Indeed, he was no come-by-chance horse.

As to his true breeding, probably no horse of note that ever
lived had as many different versions as to pedigree, or found
more people (forty of fifty years after his death), willing to
file affidavits as to his breeding ; but, strange to say, no
two of them were alike, so far as I can learn.

According to Lmdsey in his work " The Morgan Horse,"

62 THE MORGAN HORSE.

some filed their affidavits swearing that he was a Frencli Cana-
dian, while others were ready and did swear to many other
versions of his pedigree. This investigation, in which I have
been engaged for many years, gives me the above, I think cor-
rect, conclusions.

As to his individual appearance, as described by Lindsey :

"He was about fourteen hands high and weighed about 950
pounds ; color, a dark bay with black points ; he had no white
hairs on him. His head was good; not extremely small but
lean and bony ; the face straight, the forehead broad, ears
small, very fine and set rather wide apart, eyes medium size,
very dark and prominent with a spirited but pleasant expression,
and showed no white around the edge of the lid. His nostrils
were very large, the muzzle small and the lips close and firm.
His back was very short, the shoulder blades and hip bones
being very long and oblique and the loin exceedingly broad
and muscular. His body was rather long, round, deep, close,
ribbed up ; chest deep and wide with the breast bone projecting
a good deal in front.

" His legs were short, close jointed, thin but very wide and
flat, hard and free from meat with muscles that were remarka-
bly large for a horse of his size, and this superabundance of
muscle exhibited itself at every step. His coat was short, very
bright and glossy. He had a little long hair about the fetlocks
on the back side of the legs, the rest of limbs being entirely
free from it."

His feet were rather small but well shaped, tough as iron;
and he was, in fact, in every respect perfectly sound and free
from all blemishes to the day of his death, which was caused
by an accident when twenty-nine years old.

He was a very fast walker ; in trotting his step was short
and nervous, displaying considerable knee action. He was sure
footed and his bold, fearless style of movement, and vigorous,
untiring action, have, perhaps, never been surpassed in any
horse.

He was a natural parade horse, and was perfectly kind and

THE MOKGAN HORSE. 63

pleasant in all harness, and one of the best saddle horses of his
day. He could out-draw any horse of his own weight, and at
short distances was a fast runner.

I have been explicit in my description of this horse, both in
appearance and disposition, as he was the most remarkble ani-
mal, perhaps, in the entire history of American horses, and the
founder of a race inheriting his characteristics to a remarkable
degree.

Perhaps no horse in America, living or dead, ever stamped
upon his descendants even to the eighth and ninth generations,
his own striking, valuable characteristics, equal to him ; and
now after a lapse of upwards of seventy years after his death,
we find some of his descendants possessed of his prevailing char-
acteristics enough to convince the horse connoisseurs that they
are indeed Morgans.

Justin Morgan died in the winter of 1821, the property of
Levi Bean, near Chelsea Village, Yt., aged twenty-nine years.
It was supposed that a kick received from another horse, and
want of proper care, hastened his death, perhaps by several
years, as he was as sound as a colt up to the time of the acci-
dent causing the same.

As to the color, weight, and height of the Morgans ,as a
family, from their foundation as such, the bays, chestnuts,
browns, and blacks predominate, with an occasional gray.
The bays, as a rule, have black points with but little, if any,
white. The chestnuts are mostly dark chestnuts — not sorrels
— many having the tail and mane of a lighter hue than the
body, and some have a white stripe in the face, with an occa-
sional white foot or two.

A particular shade of brown seems peculiar to this breed,
hence the name " Morgan brown." As to the weight of the
old New England stock of Morgans, we find it to range from
about 875 pounds up to 1,000 pounds ; but when of the larger
weight we usually find the outcross on a larger type of mares.
As to height, from thirteen and one-half to fifteen hands will
about cover the whole ground.

64 THE MORGAN HORSE.

I frequently meet, here in the "West, old farmers who say :
"Yes, I have seen the Morgan horse at such a place, at such a
time, and he was a large horse, some sixteen hands, and would
weigh, 1 should say, 1,400 pounds; possibly more, maybe 1,600
pounds." Now it is very evident that such men have con-
founded the name of Morgan with that of Norman, and that
explains the whole thing ; but it would require much argument
and some practical proof to disabuse their minds, so long
made up.

The most noted son of Justin Morgan was Sherman Mor-
gan, sired by the old horse when he was fifteen years old, and
was foaled in 1809. He was bred by James Sherman of Lyn-
don, Yt. Ilis dam, a chestnut mare — a pacer — belonged to
that once popular breed, the Narragansett Pacer. (See Narra-
gansett Pacer, Chapter lY.)

She was bred by Caleb Allen of North Kingston, R. I. ; was
used in Providence, P. I., for several years by John Brown as
a saddle mare, and was taken to Yermont expressly to be bred
to Justin Morgan — James Sherman being, formerly, a Rhode
Island man.

Sherman Morgan was a dark chestnut in color, with two
white hind feet and ankles, and a white stripe in the face, tak-
ing his color from his dam, while in other respects he was the
counterpart of his sire. In height he was thirteen and three-
quarters hands ; in weight, 975 pounds.

This was a most remarkable horse for durability, for, per-
haps, no stock horse ever worked so hard as he did (unless it
may have been his sire).

Linsley said : " Most of the year he was kept constantly at
work on the farm, much of which he helped to clear up ; and
in the winter worked steadily in a team consisting of this stal-
lion and his half brother, by Justin Morgan. This team, run-
ning from Lyndon, Yt., to Portland, Me., became famous at
every inn from Lyndon to Portland, and, after a time, no
teamster dared match his team — however heavy — against it.

THE MORGAN HORSE. 65

.either in pulling or for speed, and at a dead pull at a log he
never in his day found a match."

Continuing, the same historian says : " Sherman was a hard
master, and it is said used his team very roughly at times, and
always worked this horse very hard from four years old until
he was ten, when he sold him to Stephen C Gibbs of Littleton,
N. H." But the Yermonters, after having seen his stock devel-
oped, could not afford to let New Hampshire retain him, and
he was brought back to Vermont ; and when the New Hamp-
shire people saw his stock somewhat developed, they outbid the
Yermonters and got him back there again, and in 1831 he made
the season in Charlestown, Mass., and was, perhaps, the most
popular stallion in New England, if not the United States, of
that time.

He finally died in Lancaster, N. H., in 1855, at the age of
twenty-six and one-half years, as sound as he was on the day
he was foaled, and the cause of his death is to this day un-
known, as he was left at ten o'clock in the morning, apparently
perfectly well, and at one o'clock in the afternoon was found
dead.

The most noted son of Sherman Morgan was Black Hawk,
later known as Hill's Yermont Black Hawk, and recorded in
the " Trotting Kegister " Black Hawk (5). This horse was
sired by Sherman Morgan when he was twenty-four years old,
and was foaled the property of Wingate Trombley of Durham
(now Greenland), N. H., in 1833.

His dam was a half thoroughbred — perhaps more — black
mare from New Brunswick, and not a Narragansett Pacer as
erroneously claimed by Wallace. He, evidently, got the dam
of this horse mixed up with the dam of his sire.

This Yermont Black Hawk was the founder of the Black
Hawk branch of the Morgan family. He was said to be the
handsomest horse of his day, and the most stylish carriage
horse. Black Hawk was a coal black in color, about fifteen
hands high, and Aveighed 950 to 1,000 pounds. He was used as
a gentleman's roadster and family carriage horse until eleven

66 THE MORGAN HORSE.

years of age, before being used as a stock horse ; after which
he earned for his owner, David Hill, of Bridgeport, Vt., the sum
of $34,000, commencing at $10 per mare and ending at $100,
cash before service. He was a great sire and his colts were
much sought after and sold for high prices, and now, forty
years after his death, it is not considered a detriment to our
best bred trotters to have their pedigrees trace to him.

Black Hawk was very handsome, stylish, and fast. In
color, the descendants of this horse were usually black, bay, or
chestnut. His stock was generally larger than himself, being
mostly from larger mares. This horse also died, at the age of
twenty-one years, as sound as a " Spanish Mill dollar."

In handling colts from many different sires I have ever
found his among the very best for general use. The most
noted of all the sons and daughters of Black Hawk was Ethan
Allen, sired when he was fifteen years old.

Ethan Allen was one of the most noted horses in America
or the world in his day. In color he was a bright bay with
black legs, mane, and tail, had three Avhite feet, a star, and a
white snip. He was bred by J. W. Holcomb of Ticonderoga,
N, Y., and foaled in 1819. His dam was a medium-sized gray
mare, sired by a Morgan horse called Bobbin. When at ma-
turity Ethan Allen was fifteen hands high, and weighed 900
pounds. He was the fastest trotting stallion living in his day,
a very reliable trotter, and the greatestr campaigner of his time,
and undoubtedly the greatest campaigning stallion of the world
to date.

He had an excellent temper and gait for either the road or
track, and was a natural trotter from his colthood. His train-
ing commenced at an early age, appearing in public on the turf
every year from two to twenty years of age. He was a perfect-
gaited horse, never needing any of the artificial appliances so
much in vogue at the present time. He was beautiful to look
upon, and came as near perfection as the American trotter as
any horse that ever lived.

Ethan Allen was the sire of many good and fast horses, but

THE MORGAN HORSE.

67

his crowning effort in the stud was the producing of that most
noted of all Morgans — as the sire of speed — Daniel Lambert,
who was foaled in 1868, bred by W. C. Clark of Ticonderoga,
N. Y., and was one of the most beautiful all-around horses
that ever lived. In trotting action he was simply perfect, and
in his prime was called the most beautiful horse in America.

In color he was a beautiful shade of chestnut, with one
white hind foot and a star, with mane and tail of a lighter
color — flaxen — of extraordinary fineness and beauty. He had
very fine limbs, neck, and head. He sired many fine speed-
producing stallions, among which are Motion, Ben Franklin,
Abraham, Aristos, and others of note.

DANIEL LAMBERT 102, SIRE OF

Comee,
Lambert B.,
Ella Doe, .
Jim,
Nancy,
Wild Lily, .
George R., .
Lady Foxie,
Jimmy Stewart,
John Hall, .
Oeorge A. , .
Jubilee Lambert,
Dickard,

Maggie Lambert,
Dan Miller, .
Nonesuch, ,
Blanchard, .
Billy D.,

Addison Lambert
Annie Page,
Ben Lambert,
Baby Lambert,
Aristos,
Annie Laurie,
Boston,
Col. Moulton,
Cobden,
M. Y. D. Colt,
Ben Franklin,

2.193:^

3.211^4

3.231^

2.231^

2.231^

2.24

2.24

2.241^

2.241^

2.24I4

2.241^

2.25

2.25^4

2.251^

2.251^

2.25}4

3.25^

2.26

2.27

2.271^

2.27

2.2714^

2.273^

2.273^

2.273^

2.281^

2.283^

2.285^

2.29

]\Iotion,

Pauline Lambert,
Clara Morris,
Green Mab, .
Flora Huff, .
Annie Lou, .
Joe S.,
May Morning,

and dams of
Pamlico,
Altar, .
Dandy Jim,
Ruth Wilkes,
Minerva,
Overholt,
Virginius,
Wyandot,
Gilmore,
Sea King,
Silver Lace,
Rose Filkins,
Miss Foxie, .
Revenue,
Exarch,
Madge Wilkes,
Charles Reade,
Lotta, .
Claudius,
Sister Barefoot,

2.29
2.29

2.29i^

2.29}^

2.291^

2.30

2.30

2.30

2.10K

3.161^

3.161^

3.171^

3.18

3.19

2.191^

2.191^

2.211^

2.311^

2.211^

2.22

2.221^

2.22ic^

2.231^

2.231^

2M}i

2M%

3.35

3.25

68

THE MORGAN HORSE.

Katie M., .

. 2.251^

Juno Wilkes, 3, .

2.29

Massasoit, .

. 2 253^

Malachi,

2.29

Callisto,

. 2.26

Busby,

2.291^

Baroa Browne, 3,

. 2.261^

Golden,

2.291^

Howell, 3, .

. 2.261^

Olivia,

2.29I4

EmmaB., .

. 2. 26^4

Mambrino Lambert, .

2.2914

Haldane,

. 2.261^

Early Bloom,

2.293^

California Lambert,

. 2.27

Five Points,

2.293^

Anna Knowlton,

. 2.2714:

Fox wood.

2.30

Duane,

. 2.273^

Nyanza, 2, .

2.30

Crete, .

. 2.273^

Prima Donna, p..

2.0914

Duellon,

. 2 28

Nightingale, p., .

2.rs}4

Red Lambert,

. 2.281^

Louie M., p ,

2.191^

Jingles,

. 2.283^

Snowbird, p..

2.22

Capt. Bowman, .

. 2.283^

PRODUC

ING SONS OF DANIEL LAMBERT.

Air Line.

Essex,

229

Sired dam

of

Tamerlane, 3, .

2.29

Robert M. Taylor,

. 2.23i<

Frank Dana,

2.29^

Abraham, 353.

Lexington Chief (p. 2.2OI4), 2.30

Frank,

. 2,191^

G. H. K.,p, .

2.243^

Bessie H.,

. 2.253^

and dams of

Kitty Cook,

. 2.26

Rustic,

2 27

Jeannie, .

. 2.27M

Toney,

2.27

Belle Shackett,

. 2.271^

Arnutta, .

2.271^

Alice,

. 2.28 "

Maid of the Wilderness,

2.271^

Belle of Albany,

. 2.291^

Arpansa, .

2.30

Bright wood, p.,

. 2.l9i|

Allmyown, p , .

2.24M

and dams (

)f

Sons have sired

Ketch,

. 2.183^

Aristos, Jr., 2848.

Hustler, .

. 2.2S)%

Treadaway, .

2 241^

Addison Lambert, 743.

Don Aristos,

2.293^

Susie,

. 2.26

Lady Vivian, p., .

217M

Shadow, .

. 2.2914

GiLMG, 14258.

Aristos, 771.

Rupert Gillig,

2.213^

H. B. Winship,
Warren, .

. 2.201^
. 2.203^

Sue Gillig, 3,
C. W. Mitchell, 2120.

2.2514

R. D. F., .

. 2.211^
. 2.231^
. 2.233^

Maggie Mitchell, .

2.214

Gillig, . .
Aristotle, .

Jno. Mitchell,
Billy Mitchell,

2.264
2.283^

Col. Kip, .

. 2.2414

and dam of

Carlotta, .

. 226

Rapid Transit,

2.294

Levi Aristos, .

. 2.261^

H. B. WiNSiiiP, 3874.

Jno. I, .

. 2.261^

Lady Winship,

2.231^

Aristomont,

. 2 2734:

and dams of

Clegg Wright,

. 2.29

Leicester,

. 2 171^

THE MORGAN HORSE.

69

Sprague Winship,

. 2.291^

Sherman Aristos.

Maid of the Wilderness, 2.2634

Aurora, 1884-

Constance,

. 2.211:^

Maud,

. 2.27

Daniel Lambert,

. 2.28

Bay Lambert, 11839.

Miss Fanny Jackson,

. 2 30

and dams of

Jacksonian,

. 2.281^

Bessie,

. 2.29%

Bay Star, 11267.

Amy Lee,

. 2.14

Roxy Lee,

. 2.263:^

St. Lambert, .

. 2.2914^

Ben Franklin, 753.

Dynamite,

. 2.20?^

Hiilda B.,

. 2.2134'

May Be, .

. 2.24

Orwell, .

. 2 24

Althea, .

. 2.241^

Rare Ben,

. 2.26 '

Peerless Ben, .

. 2.261^

Nimbus, .

. 2.2634

Katisha, .

. 2 26,34:

California Lambert,

. 2.27

Frank H.,

• 2 27i|

Dennis H.,

. 2.28 '

Belle Franklin,

. 2. 28 14

George C,

. 2.28}^

Cambridge Girl,

. 2.281,^

Belle Girl,

. 2.283^

Charley Ray, .

. 2.29

Little Witch, .

. 2.29

R. W. S.,

. 2.291^

Surprise Franklin, .

. 2.291^

Bessie,

. 2.293^

Cassie B.,

. 2.2934

Helene,

. 2 2934^

McMyatt,

. 2.30

N. 0. D.,

. 2 30

Buck Franklyn, p., 2,

. 2.173^

Henry C, p., .

. 3.24

and dam of

Cap. Thorne, p., 3, .

. 2.183^

Sons have sired
California Lambert,
Aaron S., 2, .
Maj. Lambert, p , 3 (
Glen Allen.

B. F. Solon, .
Rare Ben.
Rare John, .
Charlie Wicker, 3844.
Myrtle S.,
Josie D., .
Champlain, 1041-
Chamois, p.,
Happy Girl, p.,

Cobden, IO48.
Helen M.,
Cobden, Jr., p.,
Cobdela, p.,

Dick Preble.

Lady M., .
Escort, 4497.

Hermie, p.,
Firefy, 8953.

Delmoute,
Col. Harry Lambert.

Ethel Lambert,
liar rest cr.

J. Y. G., .
Island Chief, 3899.

Pliil. Dwyer, .
Jack Lambert, 6190.

Miss Cawley, .
Jesse Lambert.

Flora O., .
Jim Lambert.

Eunice,
Jolin Lambert, 1809.

Goldfinder,
Jubilee Lambert, 518.

Jubilee Lambert, Jr

Jubilee De Jarnette,
Lambert Chief, 3432.

Minnie Moulton,

Fanny B.,

10936.

. 2.29
r), 2.193^

. 2.2434

. 2.293i

. 2.26
. 2.30

. 2,1614
. 2.2334

. 2.27
. 215

. 2.2134

. 2.24
• 2.243.^
. 2.2134
. 2.293^
. 2.25
2.2934
2.233^
2.25
2.261^
2.2334

2.271^
2.2934

2.273^
2.293^

70

THE MORGAN HORSE.

LamberUiS, 22Q3.

Sylvester K.,

Sir Thomas,
Motion, 15Jf4-

Whist,

Daisy Lambert

Hattie L.,

Crome,
Moimtaiii Boy, 4~

Daisy C, .

Mcintosh,

Bessie Braddocii,
Premier.

Bloudin, .
Roi/((l Lambert, 7012.

Golden,

'50.

2.20}4
2.2614

2.185^
2.23i|
2.251^
2.26

2.221^
2.271^
2.30

2.283^

2.291^

Star Ethan, 18727.

Little Dan,

Pearl,

Swanton Boy, .

Split Ears,

U. Tell, .

Allan,

Ben H

and dam of

Bessie W.,
Thought, 16820.

Archie B.,

Mac,

2.191^

2.253^

2.271^

2.291^

2.293^

2.30

2.30

2.28

2.181^
2.201^

SIRES WHOSE DAMS ARE BY DANIEL LAMBERT.

Altar, 2648,

Grover C,
Aristos, Jr.

Treadway,

Don Aristos,

Lady Vivian, p..
Revenue, 1976.

Rena Rolfe,

Mendicant,

Reve So, .

Renown, .

2.30

2.241^
2.293^

2.17M

2.18?^
2.281,^
2. 28 14
2.29I0'

California Lambert, 10936.
Aaron S., . . .2.29

Maj. Lambert, p. (r), . 2. 191^4

FoxwooD, 3406.
Fox Hunter, . . . 2.30

Haldane, 4548.

Hustler 2.203^

Howell, 3, . . . 2.261^

Halo, . . . .2.27

Pamlico, 7156.
Little Tobe, 3, . . . 2.293^

PERFORMERS WHOSE

SECOND DAMS
BERT.

ARE BY DANIEL LAM-

Butterfly, .... 2.19^4
Pure W'ilkes, . . . 2.1^%
Bessie Wilkeswood, . .2.20
Eagle Bird, .... 2.21

Banquet, .... 2.24

Nimbus, .... '2.263^

Castalia, .... 2.29i^

Capt. Thorne, p., . . 2.19)^

OTHER DESCENDANTS.

Monbars, 3, .

2.11%

American Jay,

. 2.243^

Galileo Rex,

2.123^

Knoxie Walker, .

. 2.281^

Purity Wilkes,

2.153^

Rapid Transit,

. 2.2914

Leicester,

2.171^

Sprague Wiuship,

. 2.29}jC

Alamito,

2.19

Hustler, p..

. 2.153^

Prue, ....

2.211^^

Amy L., p..

. 2.21

Robert M. Taylor,

2.231^

Eagle Princess, p.,

. 2.21M

THE MORGAN HORSE. 71

RECAPITULATION.

Standard performers, 36

Sons (29) with, 101

Daughters have produced, 49

Grandsons (8) with 13

Mares by sons have produced, 12

Sires out of daughters (7) with, 15

Daughters have produced the dams of, 8

Other descendants, 17

Total, 2ol

" Nothing succeeds like success," and that opportunity has
very much to do with success none can deny; if Daniel Lambert
had been taken to Kentucky in his prime and bred to a class
of mares belonging to Kentucky alone at that time, there is no
doubt that he would now, instead of being credited with
thirty-eight trotters in the list, have stood much nearer the
head of all trotting sires of the world.

"While Daniel Lambert has wonderfully distinguished him-
self as a sire of trotters, he has even still greater distinction as
a progenitor of handsome, stylish, spirited roadsters, with
speed enough for gentlemen's road driving, and in this respect
he has never been equaled.

There were scores of his sons and daughters used as road-
sters, which were never trained for speed nor stepped upon
a race-track, that could beat 2.30 on the road with ease, and
that had beauty and style enough to win the admiration of
any horseman, and that sold for very high prices.

CHAPTER YII.

MORGAN HORSES.— Continued.

Woodbury Morgan — Royal Morgan — Morgan Caesar — Green Mountain
Morgan — Morgans for stage purposes — Morgans for cavalry service
— Adaptation to rough and hilly roads — As trotters — Ripton — Last
message of Ethan Allen.

AMONG other individual members who have contributed
to establish and perpetuate this great and mighty
family may be mentioned Woodbury Morgan, foaled in 1816,
the jn'opert}^ of Lyman Wright of Tunbridge, Vt. He was a
dark, rich chestnut, with one white hind foot and a stripe in
his face. He was fourteen and three-quarters hands high and
weighed 990 pounds. He was a very handsome, bold, and
stylish horse, with great resolution and nervous temperament.
He was a good driver and appeared well in harness, but
showed to the best advantage under the saddle and was the
best parade horse of his day. He was sired by Justin Morgan,
dam untraced. He finally died in Alabama in 1838 from
exposure in a long and stormy sea voyage, at twelve and one-
half years old, perfectly sound.

Mr. Lindsley, in '^ Morgan Horses," says :

"Royal Morgan was foaled in 1821, the property of Mr.
Aldrich of St. Johnsbury, Vt., sired by Sherman ; dam known
as the Aldrich mare, and sired by Justin Morgan. She was a
dark bay of remarkably compact form, with great powers of
endurance, having produced and nursed a colt when twenty-
nine years old. Royal Morgan was thirteen and three-quarters
hands high and weighed 975 pounds; color, dark bay with full
black points and a small star in forehead. This horse was
taken to Maine and had much to do with establishing the
noted roadsters and gentlemen's driving horses of that State,

(72)

THE MORGAN HORSE. 73

and was brought back again to Vermont and was owned hy a
Mr. Crane, and by some known to this day as the Crane horse.
Mr. Crane became so much attached to this horse that a short
time previous to his death he directed that a likeness of the
horse should be carved on his tombstone, which, I believe, has
been done. When I last heard of this horse he was thirty-five
years old and as sound and limber as a colt."

From the same source of information I gather the fol-
lowing :

'* Morgan Caesar was foaled in 1828, the property of H.
Smith of Hartland, Yt. ; sired by Woodburj^, dam by Quick-
silver. He was fifteen hands high and weighed 1,100 pounds,
was a fast driver — could go a mile in those times in three
minutes, and was driven twelve miles with two men in a sleigh
in forty-four minutes.

'' This horse stood several seasons in the State of Maine,
and was really the founder of that family, or class, of roadsters
for which Maine has become quite famous. But the Yermont-
ers were too shrewd to allow him to always remain in the Old
Pine Tree State and got him back again to that of the Green
Mountains, where he died in 1818, aged twenty years, and he
also died sound in limb. His stock was among the best-selling
stock in Yermont, and geldings of his get brought from $300
to $500 each."

Again: "Green Mountain Morgan — Hale's, — was foaled
in 1831; sire, Gilford Morgan; g. s. AVoodbury ; g. g. s. Justin
Morgan and dam sired by Woodbury, a dark bay mare of
beauty and action.

" Green Mountain was fourteen and one-half hands hisrh
and weighed 1,100 pounds; color, a deep bay. He w^as a great
show horse ; was taken West in 1853 and exhibited at several
fairs and took first premium at State fairs at Kentucky, Ohio,
and Michigan. In 1854: he received first premium at the Yer-
mont State Fair. He was a horse of great muscular develop-
ment and remarkably nervous and spirited action.

" A boldness in his style, a fire in his eye, and an unceasing

74 THE MORGAN HORSE.

play to every muscle, once seen by an}^ person having a taste
foi- a iine horse coukl never be forgotten. In boldness and
gracefulness of style he was considered inconiparal)le in his
day, and when he appeared on the show-grounds at Louisville,
Ky., at the State Fair in 1853, he met with a cordial welcome
and was greeted on entering the exhibition ring with such
eagerness and npphiuse that told full plaiidy that his form and
style of action were new to the Iventuckians, and was, never-
theless, appreciated by the thousands of strangers before whom
he was moving.

" It may be ]>roper to state here that this horse was taken
from Vermont to Dayton, Ohio, in a box car, without any stop
for rest. The fair being over he went directly to Detroit, ar-
riving there after the commencement of their fair. From
Detroit he went directly to Louisville, where he arrived late at
night previous to the last day of their fair. When brought
into th(^ ring of stallions the next morning, the blue ribbon —
the highest prize — had just been tied on a beautiful dapple
gray of the Gray Eagle stock, but when Green Mountain,
then nineteen years old, pranced by the grand stand, the mul-
titude immediately shouted, ' Take it off ! Take it off.' It was,
accordinglv, transferred to Green Mountain."

As before stated, tlie Morgans are a general purpose breed.
This is most emphatically true. In New England we find
them doing tlie work on the farms, doing livery business, used
as famil}^ horses, and they are mucli sought after as roadsters
and irt^ntlemen's drivers. Before the advent of railroads, when
traveling was all done by horse power, we find some of the
best and most durable horse teams in the land composed of
these sanu5 little Morgans.

Mr. Lindsley says: "Foi- stage purposes their equal for
hilly countries has never been fouiul. As a case in point I will
state an old-tinu^ incident, occurring some fifty years since. A
party of gentlemen made a trip to the White INIountains.
After having made the customary examinations they arrived
late one night at the Franconia ' Notch House.' Here they

THE MOKOAN HORSE. ' 7.'>

learned that a stage would leave for St. Jolinshnry the next
morning on its last trip for the season, it being then late in the
month of September. This being the route our party preferred
taking they engaged passage at once. Consecpiently the next
morninir, six o-ood-si/.ed individuals, besides the driver, with
about an ordinary horse-load of baggage were stowed away in
the rugged looking stage-wagon to which was attached a pair
of medium-sized horses, as follows : The near one, a gelding of
a dark chestnut color, about fourteen and one-half hands high^
very closely and compactly built, with a clean, small head
and exceedingly small ears set wide apart and v(>ry lively and
active. The other was a gray mare somewhat heavier and
considerably taller. She had a tine, long hip, well-sha])ed
shoulders, and was, on the whole, a very line animal.

"The party all objected to starting out wilh so small a-
team which they deemed (piite unable for such a load to be
drawn over such a mountainous and hilly road; but as re-
monstrances prevailed nothing the passengers fell to discussing'
the chances of getting on with tiieir infant team, as they fa-
cetiously called it, and, from this, to discussing the relative
merits of their two nags.

"One of the party Avhose fancy had been taken by the
brilliant but pleasant eye that stood out larger and free, the
ever restless ears, and the strong, muscular loins and quarters
of the chestnut, pro[)osed to back the horse, much to the
amusement of most of the party.

" When, at length, the driver gathered up the ribbons and
gave the word, the mare dashed ahead as if determined to drag
the driver otf the seat. The horse struck a short, nervous trot,
without fretting, and kept steady at it. Tlie n\are took the
whole thing for the first half mile almost entirely l)y the bit,,
and the travelers had a hearty laugh at the judgment of my
Rhode Island friend who had 'back(Ml' the chestnut horse.

"A half hour passed and with it a, good live miles of the
road; by this time 'bets were not so freely oU'eriHl on the
mare;' she had commenced to slacken her ])ace, pei's|)ired freely.

76 • THE MORGAN HORSE.

moved unsteadily, with an occasional toss of the head that
plainly told that she was beginning to lose her interest in the
trip.

"As to the horse, not a muscle moved save those of the
ears. Thus they kept on for fourteen miles, which was the end
of the first stage ; the mare much fatigued with panting and
exhaustion. Here they were to have a fresh team, but owing
to a horse being very lame from a recent severe sprain, the
driver changed but one and drove the chestnut gelding through
to St. Johnsbury, some fourteen miles further. This seemed
to the party rather hard, but the horse did not seem to mind it
in the least, and up the long hill leading into St. Johnsbury he
pressed on at the same short, nervous trot which he had main-
tained all the way. On leaving the stage at St. Johnsbury,
the party took a good look at the little horse that had achieved
such a "wonderful task, and ^vere told by an old horseman that
knew, that the little chestnut was a son of old Sherman Mor-
gan, that he was eighteen years old, and that he had been run-
ning constantly on a stage team for eleven years."

Endurance is pre-eminently the heirloom of the Morgan
famil}^

As regards the adaptability of Morgans as stage horses, Mr.
Lindsley says : " I will here give the statement of an old
^ stager ' by the name of Milo June, who, by the way, was con-
sidered one of the best judges of his day. When asked to give his
views respecting Morgans as stagers, he said : ' I have spent the
greater portion of my life in staging, formerly in Vermont,
now in Missouri. I take pleasure in bearing testimony to the
decided superiority of the Morgan horses for coach service over
any others that I have ever used. I have bought many horses
in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri, and al-
though an occasional good roadster may be found, they are not
common. Many of the horses of these States have fine forms
and good carriage, yet lack the high, free spirit, unflincliing
courage, and iron constitutions the Vermont Morgans so gener-
ally possess.

THE MORGAN HORSE. 77

" ' Very many of the Western horses are too large. Large
horses may be the best for draft, but I have always found
horses of medium size, ranging, say, from 1,000 to 1,050 pounds,
the most serviceable and enduring by far when used before a
coach.' "

D. C. Lindsley, Esq., the author of " Morgan Horses," also
says that Mr. O. Walker, one of the most successful stage
owners of our country in his time, and who was well known
both in the East and the West (and the great fortune which he
secured by his own exertions sufficiently attests his practical
wisdom and sound judgment), in a letter dated Chicago, April
21, 1856, says:

" Being a Vermonter, I have known Morgan horses as long
as I have known any. I have resided in Chicago the last
seventeen j^ears, during which time I have been largely en-
gaged in the business of staging, which business affords con-
stant employment for about 1,500 horses, and have thus had
opportunities for observing and attesting the capacity and en-
durance of horses. I have no hesitation in saying I consider
the Morgan horse far superior to any other breed or blood I
have ever known for the road or farm ; in fact, I would prefer
them over all others for any kind of service on the American
continent. They are invariably good feeders and easily kept,
and will not only perform and do more service in a year, but
will give more years of service than any other breed of horses I
have ever known.

" Of the horses hitherto raised in the Western States, and
particularly west of the Lakes (although much improved within
a few years, and many fine horses may now be found among
them), it is undeniably true that a Morgan horse from New
England will outlast two horses raised in the West.

" It is also true that but few Morgan horses have as yet
been brought from New England, west of the Lakes, and gen-
erally true that their services are very much sought by intelli-
gent breeders throughout the country. Any number of inferior
horses may be found in the West which are claimed to be of

78 THE MORGAN HORSE.

Morgan blood. This attempt to palm off counterfeits is the
highest evidence of the value of the genuine blood.

'' The ready and general objection in the West with those
who are not familiar with the Morgans, is want of size, forget-
ting that their size should be judged by their weight and not by
the length of their legs, and that the same bodies upon long
legs would look much larger."

During the War of the Rebellion in the United States, there
was a great demand for medium-sized horses for the cavalry
service, and not only the States, but Canada as well, was
drained of this class, especially geldings, to supply the demand.

Of all the mounted troops passing under the review at
Washington of the late lamented Gen. Grant — a great lover
of fine horses — none were so pleasing to his practiced eye as
the Vermont Cavalry whose mount consisted principally of
Morgans.

The Morgan producing States, viz., Vermont and New
Hampshire, were during this war so completely drained of
their stock that in order to supply their customers, who by this
time had become quite numerous, they — some of them —
bought up light horses from the West and from Maine and
Canada and after acclimating them among the inountains, were
ready to sell to inexperienced buyers as Morgans.

I don't accuse the breeders or farmers of practicing this
fraud, but charge it to the ' dealers and jockeys. There have
been so many horses, first and last, sold for Morgans, that were
but little, if any, akin to them, and that were so lacking in the
general requisites of the true Morgan, that many have been
sadly disappointed as to the expectations they had formed of
their abilit}^ to perform all that was claimed for them.

A well-bred horse of the old stock of New England Mor-
gans has never yet, to my knowledge, deceived the purchaser,
but of course they should not be held responsible for the class
of horses sold for New England Morgans, whose veins contain,
perhaps, not one drop of the blood of old Justin Morgan. This
style of horse-jockey dicker has done more injury to the Mor-

THE MORGAN HORSE. 79

gan family of horses than any and all things else that has
been done to their detriment.

The Morgans seem especially adapted to the rough and
hilly country roads of New England from the fact that they
are sure-footed ; they are almost iron hoofed ; they are aljle to
descend the steepest hills on a round trot, and their adaptability
to ascend or climb those same hills, even with a load, would
put to shame many much larger horses.

As to the success of the Morgans in the trotting circuit we
find by the records that no less than 100 Morgan stallions
have sired trotters with well-earned records of 2.30 or less, and
that such Morgan trotters number more than 200.

Of the nine stallions of all the trotting stallions in the
world up to 1887, who had sired individual trotters whose win-
nings on the trotting turf had amounted to $10,000 and
upwards, we find that tliree out of the nine were Morgans, viz.,
Black Hawk, Ethan Allen, and Daniel Lambert — father, son,
and grandson.

The Morgans were among the earlier trotters of the United
States and figured on the trotting turf long before it had any
such race-tracks as we now find all through our land. (The race
tracks of those days were usually half-mile tracks and at the
present day would be considered but mere apologies for the
development of speed.) And long before America's best hick-
ory wood and the best manufactured steel had done so much
towards producing light and suitable vehicles such as we now
have, saying nothing about the bike which has — it is claimed
— reduced the records from the best and liofhtest hiffh-wheel
sulky, very materially.

Among the recorded trotting performances in races of from
forty to sixty years ago, may be found the following :

RiPTON, tlie fastest trotting son of Sherman Morgan, made his debut on
the trotting tracks of New York and Phihxdelphia in 1835. He successfully
competed with the best trotters of his day and scored a record of 2.38 (one
mile in harness) and 5.15 — two miles in harness. (See Ripton in " Old Time
Trotters," Chap. XXII.)

80 THE MORGAN HORSE.

About 52 years ago Black Hawk won a race by trotting-
five miles in fifteen minutes, and in 1843 he won a race of two
miles with ease in 5.43 and single mile heats in about 2.40.

" In 1853, his daughter. Black Hawk Maid, won a race of
two mile heats in 5.23, in 1861 his son, Lancet, made a record
of 2.27i. Lady Sutton, by Morgan Eagle, won a mile race in
5.17. Beppo, by Gifford Morgan, won a race in 2.31^, and
Pizarro, by Morgan Caesar, also won a race in 2.35,"

I mention these few instances of old-time fast trotting of
Morgan horses, not to call the attention of my readers to their
records as being fast as compared to the best records of the
present day, but merely to show that the Morgans of " ye
olden tyme " were possessed of some speed at the trot ; and now,,
when we compare those records Avith the best of the present
day, considering all the contingencies of the case, those old-
time Morgan trotters, with but little development and minus,
track advantages and speed-producing vehicles and appliances
of our time, were not so far behind the modern trotter as
would seem at the first glance at the records.

The Morgans are our oldest trotting family, and if they
have not produced our very fastest trotters, their produce de-
serves to stand at the very head of all, as good tempered, hardy,,
and pleasant roadsters.

Of all the Morgan horses ever bred perhaps no individual
among them has attracted the attention of the American peo-
ple equal to Ethan Allen eighteen years before the public as a
show horse and a trotter. His great race with Dexter in 1867,
June 21st, and which crowned him as King of the Morgans, is
still remembered by man}^

This horse was finally pui-chased by the Messrs. Sprague
and Aikers for stock purposes, and died on their Kansas stock
farm in 1876, aged twenty-seven years.

The following soliloquy from the "American Horse
Breeder" may not be out of place here, as the

THE MORGAN HORSE. 81

LAST MESSAGE OF ETHAN ALLEN.

" I stand and gaze to the eastward,
O'er prairies rolling and low ;
Seeking in vain for the mountains
And the friends of long ago.

And I long for the evergreen forests,

For the sound of the brooklet's rill;
And a draught of the sparkling water

From the spring at the foot of the hill.

Time is fleeting, years are passing,

Tears are dropping; I'm alone;
Quite forgotten, thinking, longing.

For my loved Green Mountain home,

When my form was lithe and youthful.

Like the Indian's supple bow;
When my flight was like the eagle's,

Or the lightning's vivid glow.

Days of triumph, days of victory,

Dexter beaten, 'spite the taunt:
' lie is nothing but a Morgan

Who is fighting for Vermont.'

I can hear the joyous shouting,

I can see the flowers they bring
To deck their own, loved Ethan Allen,

Crowned that day ' The Morgan King.'

Tell me, have they quite forgotten

All the deeds that I have done ?
Do they think of Ethan Allen

At the setting of the sun ? "

CHAPTER VIII.

RYSDYKE'S HAMBLETONIAK

History and pedigree — The Charles Kent mare — Imported Belfounder —
Abdallah, sire of Harabletonian — Stud career — Great value of the get
of Hambletonian — Hambletonian's sons of renown.

THE history of this world-renowned sire of speed and that
of his ancestors is an interesting topic to all, and espe-
cially to those who are just entering the breeding ranks ; but
it is- already so familiar to the practical breeder and to many
lovers of the American trotting horse that they know it by
heart.

In the summer of 1848 Mr. Joseph Seeley of Sugar Loaf,
Orange County, ]^. Y., bred an animal known as the Charles
Kent mare to Abdallah, by Mambrino, a son of Imported
Messenger. The result of this service was a bay colt with two
white feet and ankles and a small star, which was afterwards
known as Rysdyke's Hambletonian ; which, when a weanling
in 1849, was sold with its dam to a Dutch farmer of the same
county named William Rysdyke — the price of both being
$125.

This Charles Kent mare was bred by J. S. Jackson of
Oxford, N. Y., and foaled in 1834; hence was fifteen years
old when she produced this noted son.

This mare was a daughter of Imported Belfounder, a beau-
tiful and powerful although not large horse, bred in Norfolk
County, England, foaled in 1816, and imported to Boston,
Mass., in the ship Jiasselas, arriving there July 11, 1822.

He was imported by James Boot, who paid £700 sterling,
or about $3,500, for him in England ; he was a natural trotter
and fast. Extracts from his service card for 1823 read as
follows :

(83)

rysdyke's hambletonian. 83

" Belfounder was got by that well-known, fast, and high-
formed trotter. Old Belfounder, out of Velocity, by Haphazard,
by Sir Peter, out of Miss Hewey, by Eclipse ; grand-dam was
of good IS'orth Country blood, but not thoroughbred. Velocity
trotted on the Norwich road in 1806 ten miles in one hour, and
though she broke fifteen times into a gallop and as often
turned around, she won the match. In 1803 she trotted
twenty-eight miles in one hour and forty -seven minutes, and
has also done many other great performances against time.

" Belfounder, at five years old, trotted two miles in six
minutes and in the following year was matched to trot nine
miles in thirty minutes, which he won easily by twenty-two
seconds. His owner afterwards challenged to perform with
him seventeen and one half miles in one hour, but it was not
accepted ; he has since never been saddled nor matched.

" Old Belfounder was a true descendant from the oris^inal
blood of the Fireaways, which breed of horses stand unrivaled
for the saddle, either in this or any other nation."

As to the Fireaways mentioned in the above advertisement,
we have an account of a great many performers of this family
in England ; among others of a mare called Nonpareil trotting
in a vehicle called a match cart 100 miles in nine hours and
fifty-seven seconds ; her sire was Fireaway, owned in the
county of Norfolk.

A son of this same Fireaway, called Norfolk Phenomenon,
out of a Shields mare, is spoken of by the London Sunday
Times of May, 1839, as " the fastest trotter that ever stepped.
He is known to have performed two miles in five minutes and
four seconds and is said to have trotted twenty -four miles in
an hour."

From the above it would seem that the Fireaways were a
remarkable trotting family, and from this it would seem that
the trotting instincts received by Rysdyke's Hambletonian
from Abdallah and Bishop's Hambletonian, through Imported
Messenger, were very materially strengthened by the Bel-
founder cross in his dam.

84 rysdyke's hambletonian.

Belfounder stood at Cbarlestown, Mass., about six years,
and was then leased to parties in ISTew York State for $500 per
year. He finally died on Long Island in 1843.

His blood mixed admirably with that of Abdallah and
Clay. The dam of Sayer's Harry Cla}'-, 2.29, was by Imported
Belfounder. Sayer's Harry Clay got the dams of twelve 2.30
trotters, and also the dam of the great Electioneer with 150
performers in the list with records ranging from 2.08J to 2,30.

The Charles Kent mare was naturally a very superior ani-
mal. When three years old she was purchased from her
breeder by a Mr. Seeley for $300. He sold her for $400 to a
Mr. Pray, who sold her to a New York butcher named Chivers
for $500, who, in turn, sold her to a banker for $600.

While owned by the New York banker she became so lame
as to be unfit for road work, and was sold to Charles Kent, Avho
bred her to Webber's Tom Thumb, the produce being a filly
which bred to Yernol's Black Hawk, son of Long Island Black
Hawk, brought the noted trotting sire. Green's Bashaw, whose
list of 2.30 performers outnumbers that of any other stallion
tracing in the male line to the noted stallion Andrew Jackson.

One Eye, dam of the Charles Kent mare, was by Bishop's
Hambletonian, out of Silver Tail by Imported Messenger.
Bishop's Hambletonian was by Imported Messenger, out of
Pheasant by Shark ; he by ,Marske, sire of the great English
race horse '' English Eclipse."

Abdallah, the sire of Hambletonian, was a bay horse, fifteen
and three-quarters hands high, bred on Long Island, N. Y., got
by Mambrino and foaled in 1823, hence was twenty -six years
of age when Hambletonian was foaled.

Abdallah was a coarse, homely horse, and w^as never well
patronized in the stud. J. W. Hunt of Lexington, Ky., pur-
chased him in the fall of 1839, and rode him from New York
city to Lexington, Ky., and made the season of 1840 with him
at Lexington. But he failed to be appreciated by the breeders
of the Blue Grass country, and his stud duties were said to be
very light.

rysdyke's hambletonian. 85

He afterwards stood in 'New Jersey, and in 1849 stood at
the "Bull's Head" at New York with fee reduced to $15, yet
still without much patronage.

His coarse, ungainly looks, together with his rather unpleas-
ant disposition, which, it is said, he transmitted, was greatly
against him. In appearance, Old Abdallah, as he was called,
was a brown bay, standing fifteen hands, three inches, with a
coarse, bony head, a gamey, resolute eye with considerable
white around the edge of the lid (such as is often seen on pie-
bald horses), prominent ears, short neck, high, sharp withers,
being higher forward than behind, strong but rather narrow
loin, straight croup, tail light and set very high, being on a line
with the backbone and having but little hair on it — being
what is called a rat-tail.

He was an all around homely horse, but with a good set of
legs and feet. He was never broken to the harness, but under
the saddle could show about a three-minute clip, and had a
clean, open gait, and good knee action, and his get were mostly
all trotters.

He w^as finally given to a farmer, who sold him to a Long
Island fisherman for $35, who, thinking he might utilize him in
delivering the products of the ocean to his customers, hitched
him to his cart. Abdallah, still having notions of his own,
considered the cart of more account for kindling wood, and
consequently kicked it into numerous fine pieces ; after which
the disgusted fisherman turned the horse loose upon the sands,
where he finally died of starvation, in November, 1854, at the
age of thirty-one years, as sound as a colt.

Rysdyke's Hambletonian stands to-day at the very head of
all horses ever foaled in America, or the world, as the great
progenitor of trotters. He was very successful in the stud, and
sired 1,333 living foals. He made his owner, the late William
Rysdyke, both rich and famous, and after his death, in March,
1876, strangers contributed to build him a lasting granite mon-
ument to perpetuate his memory.

86 hambletonian's stud career.

HamMetonian'' s Stud Career.

When Hambletonian was two years old he served four
mares and three foals resulted therefrom, Alexander's Abdallah
being one of them. When he was three years old he served
seventeen mares, getting thirteen foals — Lady Woodhull, the
dam of Hambletonian (1221) which horse made a record of
2.26^ in 1885, being one of them.

The same year Hambletonian was shown at the New York
State Fair, and defeated Roe's Abdallah Chief in two heats,
time 3.03 and 2.48. Some ignore this performance entirely,
but that something did give Hambletonian a boom the year
afterwards cannot be denied, for 101 mares were served by him,
which was something unheard-of for a four-year-old colt.

That year he sired seventy-eight living foals, and among
them Volunteer and Logan. In 1854, when but five years old,
his fee was raised from $25 to $35, and that year he sired the
famous George Wilkes, Edward Everett, and Billy Denton. In
1855 he sired Sacketfs Hambletonian. In 1856 he sired Lady
Augusta, 2.30i, and Belle Brandon, dam of Amy, 2,20^, and
Gov. Sprague, 2.20|. The next year, when eight years old, he
sired Dexter, 2.1Ti, and so on to the end.

To show his recognized merit at that time, in 1863 his service
fee was raised from $35 to $75, at which he received 150 mares,
and that year he sired Jay Gould, 2.20^, Harold, Peacemaker,
Kegulus, Hotspur, Lysander, Macedonian, Idol, and Belle, the
dam of Elmer, 2.22i. In 1864, when fifteen years old, his pat-
ronage was 217 mares, from which came 148 foals, a feat never
performed by any other noted horse, excepting, perhaps. Blue
Bull.

From this season's service came Hamperion, 2.19^, Gazelle,
2.21, Effie Deans, 2.25|, Messenger Durock, Walkill Chief,
Knickerbocker, Rysdyke, Milwaukee, Chosroes, Jack Shep-
herd, Virgo-Hambletonian, Reporter, Mape's Horse, Bucking-
ham, Bay Billy, Sampson, Ouida, dam of Trinket, 2.14, Miss
Brunette, dam of Black Prince, 2.25^, etc.

hambletonian's stud career.

87

So rapidly grew his reputation that in 1864 his fee was put
to $100 ; in 1865, to $300, and the next year at $500, and con-
tinued at that.

The blood of Seeley's American Star mingled kindly with
that of Hambletonian ; the union gave us great performances
on the track, such as Dexter, 2.17^, Nettie, 2.18, and Orange
Girl, 2.20.

Prominent among the Hambletonian-Star family stallions
are Dictator, sire of Jay Eye See, 2.10i, Phallas, 2.15^, and
Director, 2.17; Aberdeen, sire of Hattie Woodward, 2,15|, and
Modoc, 2.19i ; Jay Gould, sire of Adele Gould, 2.19; Startle,
sire of Majolica, 2.17; Walkill Chief, sire of Great Eastern,
2.18, and Dick Swiveller, 2.18.

Kobert McGregor, 2.17i, is by a grandson of Hamble-
tonian out of Nancy Whitman by Seeley's American Star ;
and Driver, 2.19^, is by Volunteer, out of Silver Tail by
Seeley's American Star.

Hambletonian was the sire of thirty-seven in the 2.30 list,
which thirty-seven animals (it is said) either sold for, or in their
palmy days would have sold for the magnificent sum of
$339,000, and has been figured out as follows :

Administrator,

. 2.291^

$5,000

Jay Gould,

2.21K

$30,000

Alma,

. 2.283:£

2,500

Jerome, .

2.27

3,000

Astoria, .

. 2.291^

2,500

Kisber, .

2.273^

7,000

Belle,

. 2.22

15,000

Lydia Augusta,

2.30

2,500

Breeze, .

. 2.24

6,000

Lady Banker, .

2.23

8,000

Bruno,

. 2.291^

15,000

Lottery, .

2.27

4,000

Chester, .

. 2.27

3,500

Lottie,

2.28

4,000

Deucalion,

. 2.22

10,000

Madeline,

2.23I4'

6,000

Dexter, .

. 2.17^4'

35,000

Margarite,

2.29

2,50o

Drift,

. 2.293^

5,000

Mattie, .

2.221^

15,000

Effie Deems, .

. 2.251^

4,000

Maud,

2.293^

3,000

Ella Madden, .

. 2.253^

4,000

Nettie, .

2.18

25,000

Enfield, .

. 2.29

10,000

Nutwood (to wagon)

2.23

4,000

Factory Girl, .

. 2.293^

3,000

Orange Girl, .

2.20

10,000

Gazelle, .

. 2.21

20,000

Scotland Maid,

2.281^

4,000

George Wilkes,

. 2.22

25,000

Sentinel, .

2.293^

10,000

Hamperion, .

. 2.291^

3,500

Small Hopes, .

2.261^

8,000

Harvest Queen,

. 2.291^

8,000

Young Bruno,

2.223^

8,000

James, Jr.,

. 2.24

8,000

COMMUNITY U-=^""p

88 HAMBLETONIAN S STUD CAREER.

The average price of the thirty-seven 2.30 performers being
a fraction over $9,162. Dictator was sold for $25,000 when
twenty years old.

The stallions in this list which have won renown in the
stud are Administrator, George Wilkes, Jay Gould, and Sen-
tinel. Their united progeny would have sold for a fabulous
amount of money.

The fastest of the get of the above performing sires are
as follows : Administrator, Catchfly, 2.18i ; George Wilkes,
Wilson, 2.16i; Jay Gould, Pixley, 2.16; and Sentinel, Von
Arnim, 2.19|.

Of the trotting stallions of the world having a total of
fifty or more in the list, arranged according to their respective
standing as measured by the total number of standard per-
formers, are Electioneer, with 150 ; Nutwood, with 106 ; Red
Wilkes, with 102 ; Happy Medium, with 88 ; George Wilkes,
with 78 ; Onward, with 77 ; Blue Bull, with 60 ; Egbert, with
60 ; and Alcantara, with 51.

Of these nine greatest sires in the world, four are the sons
of Hambletonian, three are his grandsons, and one is his great-
grandson.

As to the source from which Hambletonian derived his
marvelous speed-producing qualities with the power to per-
petuate the same to his descendants, I claim, and always have
claimed, that there should be as much credit given his dam as
to his sire, and that this great Norfolk born-trotter. Imported
Belfounder, a direct descendant of the great Fireaway family
of England, should receive as much credit as Imported Mes-
senger,

I know that Wallace laid great stress on the fact that
Hambletonian was " inbred to Messenger " ; yes, he was, but
all the Messenger strains in Hambletonian combined made
him but one-fourth Messenger. He was also one-fourth Bel-
founder ; just as much Belfounder as Messenger.

We find the potency of the Belfounder blood in the Clay
family, as more trotters trace to Sayer's Harry Clay than all

hambletonian's stud career. 89

other Clays put together (excepting, of course, his ancestors),
and his clam was by Imported Belfounder.

Then there is in Hambletonian's greatest son, Electioneer,
with 155 sons and daughters in the list, an additional strain of
Belfounder blood through his dam, whose sire was Sayer's
Harry Clay.

Then the gi'eatest sire of all the Bashaw family was Green's
Bashaw, whose grand-dam was the Charles Kent mare, dam
of Hambletonian, by Imported Belfounder.

CHAPTER IX.

ALEXANDER'S ABDALLAH.

Pedigree and early history — His speed potency — Sprague's Hambletonian
one of his best ones — Sprague's Hambletonian sire of Governor
Sprague — Abdallah in motion.

IT has for years been a disputed question among horsemen
as to which of the sons of Rsydyke's Hambletonian was
the most potent factor and deserving of the most credit in es-
tablishing the American trotter. Of course if we go by the
records, Electioneer leads all others ; but if we go by age and
opportunity, giving him full credit, I am disposed to favor Ab-
dallah (15) foaled in 1852, got by Hambletonian (10) — at the
age of two years — bred by L. J. Sutton of "Warwick, IST. Y.,
and sold to Major Edsall, a hotel-keeper of Goshen, Orange
County, IST. Y., and by him sold to Messrs. Love and Miller of
Cynthiana, Ky., in February, 1859, for $2,500. He was taken
to Kentucky and his name changed from Edsall's Hambletonian
to Love's Abdallah.

When the war came on, Mr. Love was afraid of losing his
horse and proposed selling him to Lord Robert A. Alexander,
proprietor of Woodburn Farm, believing him safe in the
hands of a British subject. Mr. Alexander at first declined tc>
purchase, but finally made Love an offer for him provided he
could be made to trot in 2.35 with a month's handling — 2.42
being his record. James Monroe, who was then working for
Mr. Alexander, took the horse and in two weeks' handling he
trotted a full mile in 2.30i, and the deal was completed, Mr.
Alexander paying $2,500 in cash and another good horse. His
name was then changed to Alexander's Abdallah. The histo-
ry of his being stolen by the guerrillas, re-captured by Union
troops, and ridden to death at the age of thirteen years is

familiar to all.

(90)

Alexander's abdallah. 91

■ The blood of Alexander's Abdallah is potent and speed giv-
ing generation after generation. Had he the opportunities of
George Wilkes, Electioneer, and many others of the sons of
Hambletonian, I have no hesitancy in going on record as say-
ing he was one of the very best of all the great sons of that
great progenitor of trotting speed. As it is, if we give him
credit for all that justly belongs to him, and thus placing him
as the grand-sire of Gov. Sprague, who was undoubtedly sired
by Sprague's Hambletonian, who, in turn, was unquestionably
one of Alexander's Abdallah's best sons; then, and not till
then, can we count on his true merits as one of our greatest
progenitors of trotting speed.

Sprague's Hambletonian was kept for stock purposes only
one season and not advertised at that, but was used as a road-
horse both in New York and Rhode Island, and with his mate,
Belle Brandon, was considered at one time the best road team
in New York city. He was then known by the name of New
York. He, with his mate, Belle Brandon, w^as purchased by
Col. Amasa Sprague of Rliode Island, and his name changed
to Sprague's Hambletonian. Col. Sprague used them as a road
team, and a good team it was — I remember them well — and
in 1870 they were mated together, the result of which union
was a black colt afterwards known as Governor Sprague, but
recorded as the son of a horse called Rhode Island.

He also sired Boston-Boy-Hambletonian, 2.25, Gov. Dimon,
Col. Sprague, Lady Sprague, and a few other good ones in
Connecticut and Rhode Island. The three last-named foals of
Sprague's Hambletonian were all bred by myself in 1875 —
foaled in 1876 — and could all trot ; the two former were great
roadsters and very fast although never trained for speed.

Sprague's Hambletonian died in Pomfret, Conn., in the
fall of 1876 of epizootic and the want of proper care. He was
a great horse, and I claim that with equal opportunities, the
peer of any of the sons of Abdallah.

Abdallah died at thirteen years of age, just as he was be-
ginning and had an opportunity to make for himself a noted

§2 ALEXANDER'S ABDALLAH.

name at the head of the Wooclburn trottmg stud. He sired
that greatest campaigner of her time, Goldsmith Maid, 2.14,
Eosalind, 2.21f, Thorndale, 2.21^, Major Edsall, 2.29, and St.
Ehno, 2.30. He also sired thirteen sons, who, altogether, sired
tvv^enty-four trotters and four pacers better than 2.30. He also
sired nineteen mares who have produced twenty trotters and
two pacers better than 2.30, besides being the legitimate grand-
sire of Gov. Sprague, the founder of the Sprague family.

Alexander's Abdallah in motion was one of the grandest
horses ever seen. His dam, Katy Darling, like the dams of
most great horses, was much more than an ordinary mare.
She was a noted road mare of her day and was undoubtedly
well-bred, although, unfortunately for the breeding student, her
breeding cannot be satisfactorily traced.

CHAPTEK X.

THE ELECTIONEERS.
Electioneer the greatest trotting sire of the world — Superior to his sire —
A natural trotter — Marvin's description of him — Ability to get early
and extreme speed — List of performers and dams of performers.

ELECTIOJS^'EER, the greatest trotting sire of the world,
was foaled in 1868. He was bred by Charles Backman
of Stony-Ford Stock Farm in Orange County, N. Y., at which
place his dam now lies under a monument raised to the memory
of this great mother of trotters, and not very far from where
the monument marking the resting place of his honored sire,
the Hero of Chester, points its finger of memory upwards and
onward, and where horsemen, in years to come, traveling in.
that region, will remember the great hero of trotting speed,
now lying under the " live oaks " at Palo Alto, Cal.

Electioneer, before going to California in 1876, at the age of
eight years, had no opportunity in the stud, so his achievements
and those of his family really date from 1878. And in esti-
mating his rank as a sire this fact should be considered, and
the records may be searched in vain to find another family line
that in the short space of twelve years (as he died in 1890) rose
to such an enviable position.

In color and general conformation Electioneer resembles his
sire, Hambletonian ; and being out of the greatest mare ever
embraced by Hambletonian, he may Safely be called his best-
bred son ; and his breeding was backed up by extraordinary
good individuality.

He was, however, in many respects superior to his sire in
beauty of form and style of movement. He was good and
stout at all points, denoting marvelous strength and symmetry
of structure, and he was a useful, common-sense appearing
horse from his brainy head to the very tip of his tail.

(93)

94 THE ELECTIONEERS.

In height he measured fifteen and one-half hands at the
withers and an inch higher behind, giving what I call the
Hambletonian pitch, a singular order of conformation which is
noticeable in a pronounced degree in many of his get, and nota-
bly so in Campaign and Sunol.

His broad forehead and general expression of intelligence
furnish the explanation of his power to control the mental
organizations of the thoroughbred, thereby making his crosses
on the thoroughbred the most successful and the most marvel-
ous of any stallion that ever lived. Probably the most striking
feature in the general make-up of Electioneer was the enor-
mous ]30wer and strength of his quarters ; in this respect the
stamp of his sire was most noticeable.

Although Electioneer was never trained for a record or ever
in a race, he was a fully developed and natural trotter, and in
his exercise on the Palo Alto track he could carry the speedy
Occident 2.16|^, right up to his speed ; and there is no question
in the minds of those who knew him best that in his prime he
could easily have beaten 2.20 if required.

Electioneer goes on record as the sire of more 2.30 trotters,
more 2.20 trotters, and more young record breakers, than any
other horse in the world.

The late Gov. Stanford often expressed the belief that
Electioneer never sired a colt but that with proper training was
capable of trotting in 2.30 or less, and a common expression
with him was : " The Electioneers all trot."

It is claimed that much of Electioneer's blood was frittered
away in experimental courses, and his power wsls used to de-
monstrate to the world that strictly thoroughbred mares may
be able to produce fast trotters. While he did demonstrate
beyond a doubt and to the most skeptical his ability to do this,
there can be no donbt that he would to-day have had many
more performers to his credit had his harem consisted of se-
lected trotting mares exclusively.

It is claimed that the ability to get fast trotters out of
thoroughbred mares is the severest test to which a stallion can

THE ELECTIONEERS. 95

be subjected in the transmittance of bis blood lines ; and the
simple fact that the dead Electioneer was so successful on this
class of mares, alone should stamp him as a horse of marvelous
prepotency.

Green Mountain Maid, the dam of Electioneer, was a most
wonderful mare, and perhaps, all things considered, has proved
herself to be the greatest trotting brood mare ever on earth.

She was sired by Harry Clay, 2.29, the great brood mare
sire, who sired in addition to Green Mountain Maid, the dams
of St. Julian, 2.11i; Bodine, 2.19i; Elaine, 2.20, and sixteen
others in the trotting list.

The dam of this most wonderful mare was Shanghai Mary,
a great natural trotter and a stayer.

Amono: Green Mountain Maid's famous children, besides the
great Electioneer, are Prospero, 2.20; Elaine, 2.20; Dame Trot,
2.22; Elista, 2.22| ; Mansfield, 2.26; Storm, 2.20| ; Antonio,
2.2SI ; and Marinda, 2.31.

Green Mountain Maid stands out in bold relief at the very
head of all brood mares of the world as being the dam of
more fast trotters than any mare that ever lived, — aside from
being the dam of Electioneer.

In 1881 Senator Leland Stanford offered Mr. Backman
$10,000 for the celebrated equine matron, then in her twentieth
year, and when Mr. Backman had already realized $46,330 from
the sale of her foals and had seven of her sons and daughters
left. The memory of this great mare will be kept green for
generations yet to come through the turf performances of her
progeny.

In most cases the get of Electioneer inherited his conforma-
tion, and in most cases measured rather higher behind than at
the withers. The brainy head of Electioneer accounts for the
heads and brains of his offspring ; " Beautiful in shape and
level in balance."

Marvin, in describing Electioneer, says : " He has a good
shoulder, splendid barrel, faultless back, and simply the best
quarters that I ever saw on a stallion."

96 THE ELECTIONEERS.

As a three-year-old he was broken to harness and driven
some in a wagon. In this way of going Mr. Charles Backman
timed him quarters in 38 seconds, with but little work.

Charles Marvin, in his excellent book, " Training the Trot-
ting Horse," says: "Electioneer is the most natural trotter I
have ever seen. He has free, abundant action ; it is a perfect
willing action both in front and behind, and he has not the
usual fault of the Hambletonians of going too wide behind."

He further says : " I have driven Electioneer a quarter
better than 35 seconds and although this may not be fast
enough to suit the critics of Electioneer, I call any horse that
can speed faster than a 2.20 gait a trotter."

Continuing, Marvin says : " He did this, too, hitched to a
125-pound wagon with a 220-pound man — and not a profes-
sional, either — in the seat. Without preparation you could
take out Electioneer in stud condition any day and drive him
an eighth of a mile at a 2.20 gait.

" He always had his speed with him, and this is a character-
istic of his sons, and, to my mind, one of great importance to
breeders. That Electioneer could have beaten 2.20 if given a
regular preparation is, with me, a conviction about which no
doubt exists."

His roll of honor consists of the following records as gath-
ered from the trotting statistics ; and this not only fully demon-
strates his ability to get extreme early speed, but the ability of
his get to train on :

Tearlings.

Hinda Rose, dam by The Moor, . 2.363^

Tiro- Tear Olds.

Sunol, dam by General Benton, 2.18

Wild Flower, dam by The Moor 2.21

Bonita, dam by St. Clair, 2.24i^

Fred Crocker, dam by St. Clair 2.25i^

Bell Boy, dam by The Moor, 2.26

Carrie C, dam by Henry Clay, 2.27i^

Pedlar, dam by Mohawk Chief 2.273^

Palo Alto Belle, dam by The Moor 2.28i^

Sphinx, dam by Belmont, 2.29}4

Del Mar, dam by Toronto Sontag. 2.30

THE ELECTIONEERS. 97

Three- Year Olds.

Sunol, dam by General Benton, S.lQi/^

Bell Boy, dam by The Moor, 2.19J4

Hinda Rose, dam by The Moor 2.mi

Palo Alto Belle, dam by The IMoor 2.22i^

Campbell's Electioneer, dam by Clark Chief, 2 22^/y

Maiden, dam by Alexander's Norman, 2.23

Manzanita, dam by St. Clair, 2.23}:^

Rexford, dam by General Benton, 2.24

Sphinx, dam by Belmont, 2.24^^

Hattie D., dam by Nutwood, 2.26X

Grace Lee, dam by Culver's Black Hawk, 2.29J4

Four-Tear Olds.

Manzanita, dam by St. Clair, 2.16

Benita, dam by St. Clair, 2.18?^

Antevola, dam by A. W. Richmond, 2.19i,^

Palo Alto, dam by Planet (thoroughbred) 2.20^^^

Albert W., dam by Son of Imported Trustee (thoroughbred), . . 2.22};^

Sphinx, dam by Belmont, 2.23

Albert W. (two miles), 4.51

Lot Slocum, dam by Mohawk Chief 2 23i^

Gov. Standford, dam by Hambletonian, 2.233^

Carrie C, dam by Henry Clay, 2.24

Clifton Bell, dam by Abdallah Star, 2.24i<

St. Bel, dam by The Moor, 2.24i^

Mortimer, dam by Hambletonian, 2.27

Egotist, dam by Belmont, 2.29

Ella, dam by Mambrino, 2 29

Azmoor, dam by Imported Hercules, 2.30

Five- Year Olds.

Lot Slocum, dam by Mohawk Chief 2 17

Gertrude Russell, dam by Planet, 2.23%

Clay, dam by Henry Clay 2.25

Emeline, dam by Woodburn, 2.27J^

Cubic, dam by Imported Australian, 2.283^

Six- Year Olds.

Anteo, dam by A. W. Richmond, 2.161:4'

Lot Slocum, dam by Mohawk Chief, 2.171^

Adair, dam by Culver's Black Hawk, 2.17J/^

Old Nick, dam by Chieftain, 2.23

Carrie C, dam by Henry Clay, 2.24}^

Azmoor, dam by Imported Hercules, 2.24^

Morca, dam by Mambrino Pilot, . 2.25

Express, dam by Express, 2.2^%

Arbutus, dam by Messenger Duroc, 2.30

7

98

THE ELECTIONEERS.

In the preceding table of early records of the sons and
daughters of the great Electioneer, especially when we take
into consideration the breeding of their dams, may be found an
object lesson worthy of stud}^ by the coming breeder of the
American Trotter, as in it we find the unmistakable ability of
this great sire to transmit his speed quality to his sons and
daughters through mares of different breeding and of different
breeds, and thoroughbreds as well as trotters and pacers.

As to the trotting action of the Electioneers, Charles Mar-
vin says : " They are mostly prompt, round-gaited horses, and
straight-lined trotters. They do not have to square away or
strike a position to get up speed.

" As a rule they are close gaited. The majority of them do
not throw the hind foot outside of the fore foot in trotting, but
go under the line trotting principle. They do not have to go a
mile or so to get untangled ; they trot low, have no waste ac-
tion, and gather speed quickl}?^ and smoothly."

Electioneer sired the following list of performers, and sires
and dams of performers, as per the latest official reports :

ELECTIONEER, 125, SIRE OF

Arion, 4,

Sunol, .

Palo Alto,

Truman, 4,

Expressive,

Belleflower,

Nerval,

Advertiser,

Expedition,

Starlight,

Manzanita,

Anteeo,

Ladywell,

Amigo,

Del Mar,

Bernal,

Adair. .

Lot Slocum

Electioneer

Electricity,

. 2.07%

. 2.08}i

. 2.083^

. 2.12 ^

3, . . . 2.121^

4, . . . 2.12?.^

. 2.143^

. 2.151^

. 2.153^

. 2.153^

4, . . . 2.16

. 2.161^

. 2.161^

. 2.16M

. 2.163^

. 2.17

. 2.171^

. . . 2.m4

(Campbell's), . 2.173^:

. . . . 2.17%

Mont Rose, 3,
Ah There, .
Electric Coin,
Conductor,
Altivo, 4,
Bonita,
Coral, .
Suisun,
Rustique,
Regina,
Bell Boy, 3,
Bow Bells,
Antevolo,
Hinda Rose,
Monaco,
Albert W.,
Ansel, .
May King,
Azmoor,
Sphinx,

3,

18

181^
181^
181^

mi

mi
18}4
181^
18K

1914

mi
m4

20
20
20

201^
mi

THE ELECTIONEERS.

99

Utility,

. 2.203^

Monterey, .

2.253^

Express,

. 2.21

Paola, .

2.251^

Gov. Stanford, .

. 2.21

Quality,

2.251^

Helena, 3, .

. 2.21

Sweet Rose, 1,

2.253^

Wildflower, 2, .

. 2.21

Fowler Boy,

2.36

Elector,

. 2.2114

Ivo,

2.26

Laura R., .

. 2.214

Dan, .

. 2.264

Elleneer,

. 2.211^

Veda, .

2.264

Bell Bird, 3,

. 2.22 '

Arbutus,

2.261^

Cecilian, 2, .

. 2.22

Candidate, .

2.261^

Junio, .

. 2 23

Lent, .

2.261^

Belle Monte,

. 2.224

Loraneer, 3,

2.26>i

Egotist,

. 2.221^

Hattie D., .

2.26%

Palo Alto Belle, 3,

. 2. 221. J

Electant,

2.37

Advance, 3,

. 2.221^

Electuary, .

3.37

Brilliant,

. 2.33

Lucyneer, 3,

3.37

Fallis, . . . .

. 2.83

Mortimer,

2.27

Maiden, 3, .

. 2.23

Don Felix, .

2.27%

Old Nick, .

. 2.23

Elwina, 2, .

2.274

Grover Clay,

. 2.234

Jim,

2.274

Susette,

. 2.23i|

Re-Election,

2.274

Gertrude Russell,

. 2.231^

Emaline,

2.271^

Addie Lee, 2d,

. 2.233^

Hugo, .

2.27^

Kerneer,

. 2.2334-

Idle May, .

2.271^

Marvin,

. 2.233^

Minet, ,

2.273^

Pedlar,

. 2.23%

Whips,

2.271^

Arol, .

. 2.24

Election,

2.28

Carrie C, .

. 2.24

Outcross,

2.38

Electric King,

. 3.24

Sonoma,

3.38

Rexford, 3, .

. 2.24

Liska, 3,

2.284

Peko, 3,

. 2.24

Pomona,

2.281^

Electrician, .

. 2.244

Tiny, 2,

2.28^

Morea,

. 2.244

Alma, .

2.281^

Clifton Bell,

. 2.34K

Antinous,

2.281^

St. Bel,

. 2.24i|

Cubic, .

2.28K

Electro Benton, 3,

. 2.241^

Electrix,

2.281^

Aleck B

. 2.243^

Slight, .

2.281^

Electryon, .

. 2.2434

El Benton, .

2.28%

Aldeana,

. 2.25

Emma R., .

2.28%

Clay, . . . .

. 2.25

Alaska,"

2.29

Fay, . . . .

. 2.35

Electro,

2.29

Elector,

. 3.25

Ella, .

2.39

Young Wildidle,

. 3.35

Elma Sontag, 2,

2.29

Colma,

. 3.254

Grace Lee, 3,

2.294

Fred Crocker, 2, .

. 3.351^

Herman,

2.294

Memento,

. 3.354

Laura C,

2.294

Athena, 2, .

. 2.251^

Belle Electric,

2.29%

Caution,

. 2.253^

Cara Mia,

2.2»K

100

THE ELECTIONEERS,

Coquette,

. 2.293^

Millard,

. 2.23

Eros, .

. 2.291^

Noya,

. 2.24

Ivy E..

. 2.291^

Newflower, .

. 2.24

Linnet, 3, '.

. . 2.291^

Maralia,

. . 2.241^

Miss Naude,

, 2.293^

Nita Pancoast,

. 2.243^

Rockefeller,

. 2.29J^

Del Paso, .

. . 2.24K

Don Monteith,

. 2.2934

Newport,

. 2.241^

Legal Test, .

. 2.293^

Bion, .

. 2.2434:

Commotion,

. 2.30

Comrade,

. 2.2434:

Electress,

. 2.30

Covey,

. 2.25

Electwood, .

. 2.30

Greenway, .

. 2.25

Gen Wellington,

. 2.30

Miss Albert,

. 2.251^

Golden Slippers,

. 2.30

Waldstein, .

. 2.251^

Idelia, .

. 2.30

Daghestan, 2,

. 2.251^

Rusenole,

. 2.30

Sweetwater, 2,

. 2.28

Stella, .

. 2.30

Election, 3, .

. 2.261^

Pacitica,

. 2.30

Daylight,

. 2.263^

Wild May, .

. 2.30

Rosita,

. 2.271^

Peruvian Bitters,

p., . . 2.231^

Wildmont, .

. 2271^

and d

ams of

Wavelet, .

. 2.28

Daly, .

. 2.15

Raola, .

. 2.281^

Limoneia, 3,

. . 2.153^

Bentoneer, .

. 2.281^

The Seer, .

. . 2.1534:

Lord Stanley,

. 2.283^

Lee Russell,

. 2.I6I4

Wild Bee. .

. 2 29

Robert Lee, .

. . 2.181^

Elect Cossack.

. 2.291^

Eskimo,

. 2.183^

Esparto Rex, 3, .

. 2.291^

Elden, 3, .

. 2.191;

Hilarita,

. 2.291^

Marston C, 3,

. 2.191;

Steineer,

. 2.291^

Charles Derby,

. 2.20

]\Iinnie B.. .

. 2.293^

Greeulander Girl,

. 2.21

King Piedmont .

. 2.30

Greenlander Boy,

. 2.21?^

Lady Juno, .

. 2.30

Langton,

. 2.213^

Crafty, p., .

. 2.131-^

Navarro,

. 2.23

Alcinta, p., .

. 2.16M

Wanda,

. 2 221^

PRC

>DUCmG SONS 0]

^ ELECTIONEER, 125

Advertiser, 2 153^.

Neernut, 3,

. 2.263^

Adbell, 1,

. 223

Pansy Blossom, 3,

. 2.281^

Alaska, 1U29.

Flowing Tide, p.,

. 2.1434:

Lena H., .

. 2.291^

Hightide, p., .

. 2.173^

Albert W., 11333.

Amelia, p., 3, .

. 2.213^

Little Albert,

. 2.10

Ansel, 7093.

Dudley Olcott,

. 2.\^}i

Answer, .

. 2.141^

Albert T.,

. 2.191^

Nettie B.,

. 2.20^

William Albert

. 2.201^

Norris,

. 2.223i

Arthur Dodge,

. 2.203^

Marie Ansel, 2.

. 2.25

Miss Albert, 3,

. 2.251^

Clarion,

. 2.253^

1

THE ELECTIONEERS.

101

Ariana,

. 2.26

Anterose, .

. 2.25

Antella, 2,

. 2.26K

Nellie F., .

. 2.25

Anselma, ,

. 2.29K

Don Anteros,

. 2.30

and dam o

f

Nelly F., p.,

. 2.131^

Seylax,

. 2.2i]i

Dudley, p..

. 2.1434

A}iteeo, 7868.

Doc Christie, p

. 2.21

Eoline, 3, .

. 2.UX

Cairn, p., .

. 2.231^

Abanteeo,

■ 2.171^

and t

am of

James Madison,

. 2.1734

Luella Shawhan, p., 2, . 2.23

Anthelia, 4,

. 2.18

Antevolo, 7648.

Tietam, .

. 2.19

Maud Merrill,

. 2.18

Myrtle, 3,

. 2.191^

Antioch, 3,

. 2.21M

Alfred G.,

. 2.19;?^

Gray Belle,

. 2.27

Maud M.,

. 2.20K

Berceto, .

. 2.29

Redwood,

. 2.211^

Consolation, p.

. 2.20

Maud Fowler, .

. 2.2V4

Leta May, p ,

. . . 2.23K

Mountain Maid,

. 2.22>i

J ' f '

Rex,

. 2.221^

Antinuous, 4778.

Anteeoyne, 3, .

. 2.23

Hillsdale, .

. . . 2.173^

Anteeo Richmond,

. 2.24'.^

John Bury — ,

. 2.22

Dan Brown,

. 2.24?4:

Azmoor, 13467.

Ethel Mac.

. 2.25

Rowena, 2,

. 2.17

Anteeo, Jr.,

. 2.25K

Bonnibel, .

. . . 2.173^

Fanny D.,

. 2.26

Azraon, .

. 2.231^

Grey Belle,

. 2.27

A. A. A., 3.,

. . . 2.271^

Reyanetta, 8, .

. 2.27

Bell Boy, 5350.

Antarees, .

. 2.271^

Bridal Bells, 3,

. 2.221^

Maudee, .

. 2.28}!^

Corner Bell, 3,

. 2.23

Electeo, .

. 2.291,-

Liberty Bell, 3

. 2.243^

G. and M.,

. 2.291^

Princess Belle,

. 2.243^

Sunset,

. 2.29%

Beauty Bells,

. 2.29K

and dam c

)f

Anderson Bell,

p., 3, . 2.20i|

W. Wood, p., .

. 2.07

Sons have si

red

Bernal, 13468.

Alfred G., 12452.

Aria, 3, .

. 2.163^

Queen Alfred, 3,

. 2.18}^

Bote Bells, 2.19J^.

Nelly Alfred,

. 2.271^

Boreal, 2, .

. . . 2.171^

Anteeo, Jr.

Alarm Bells, 3,

. 2.293^

Hailstorm, 3,

. 2.30

Candidate, 13113.

James Madison, 17i

W9.

Elfrida, 4,

. 2.131^

Bet Madison, 2,

. 2.30

Catherine,

. 2.24

Leila C, p., .

. . 2.20>^

Chimes, 5348.

Redwood, 11814.

Fantasy, 4,

. 2.06

Red Oak,

. 2.21

Sixty Six,

. . . 2.15K

T. 0. M.

Midnight Chimes, 3, . 2.16^

LadyO.,

. 2.24

Chimes Boy,

. . . 2.17M

Anteros, 6020.

Charming Chimes, 3, . 2.18i^

Maj. Ross,

0 041/

Princess Royal

, 2, . . 2.20

102

THE ELECTIONEERS.

Beautiful Chimes, .

2.321^

Gilford Dudley, 2,

. 2.30

Blue Bell,

2.2234'

Elect.

Electmont,

2 22?4

Elect Moore, .

. 2.27

Curfew, .

2.241/^

Re-Elect, .

. 2.28

Chimes Girl, 2,

2.26

Chide, 3, .

2.26ii'

Electioneer {CamphelVs),

2.1734.

Carillon, .

2.2714

Bowman's Electioneer, . 2.263^

Bessie Chimes,

2271^

Symboleer, p., 2,

. 2.11

Chimesbrino, .

2 281^

Elector, 2170.

Josie Chimes, .

2 29,^1

Flora M., .

. 2.16

June Bug,

2.291:^

L\Z7Ae F.,

. 2.I614

Boy Blue.

2.291^

Electra, .

. 2.183^

Merry Chimes, p., .

2081^

CoraS, .

. 2.19^

Ed Easton, p., 4,

2m%

Electrina,

. 2.20

Palo Alto Chimes, p ,

2.n%

J. R..

. 2.20

Tanny Bug, p., 2, .

2.171^

Acclamation, .

. 2.243^

Erie Chimes, p.,

2.19M

Morning Glory,

. 2.27

Electress, 3,

. 2.2714

Clay, 4779.

Alley Sloper, 3,

. 2 28

Parkside, .

2.2234

Nettie C,

. 2.28

Nemo,

. 2 2634

EllaM., .

. 2.283^

Clayone, 2,

. 2.273^

Leek,

. 2.29

Hazel,

. 2 28

Desperado,

. 2.291^

Lilac, 3, . . .

. 2.2914

Pleasanton,

. 2.291^

Stanford, .

. 2.2914

Elector, Jr.,

. 2.2934

Spinaway, 3, .

. 2.291^

Eric, p., .

. 2.17

Miss Clay,

. 2.2934

L. A. Dick, p..

. 2.25

Claytina, p., .

. 2.14i£

and dams (

3f

J. R, p

. 2.20

Parthenia, 3, .

. 2.2714

Olgetta, p., 3, .

. 2.243^

Cleopatra,

. 2.291^

and dam of

Elector, 10830.

Otalgia, .

. 2.24K

Edwin C, p., .

. 2.15

Conductor, 12S56.

Molly McCauley, p.

. 2.16K

Lilly Dale,

. 2.27K

Electricity, 53U.

Don Felix, 2.21}^.

Welbeck, 3,

. 2.24K

Nelly R., 3, .

. 2.26^^

Fly, . .

. 2.2914

Egotist, 5018.

Electro, 5382.

The Conqueror, 4, .

. 2.151^

Belle Electro, 3,

. 2.30

Lovelace, 3,

. 2.20

Betsy Britton, .

. 2.203^

Electrotype, 9006.
Pauline, .

. 2.26

Elton,

, 2 21

Electro Bell, .

. 2.2734

Bishop Dudley, 3, .

. 2.27

Stonewall, 3, .

, 2.27i|

Eugeneer.

Birdie,

. 2.2734

Genevieve, 2, .

. 2.30

Zenith, 3, .

. 2 2834

Eros, 5326.

Dramatist,

. 2.291^

Wanda,

. . 2.1434

Genevieve,

. 2.2934

Rinconado,

. 2.17

Mildred, .

. 2.293i{

Oro Fino,

. 2.18

THE ELECTIONEERS.

103

Mount Hood, .

. 2.223^

Marvin, 2.233^.

My My, .

. 2.25%:

Bramblette, 3, .

.. . 2.241^

Willema, 3,

. 2.26

Norval, 5335.

Heros,

. 2.26J4'

Lakeside Norval,

. 2.15

Solita,

2.27

Norhawk,

. 2.151^

Daylight, .

2.273^

Orphina, .

. 2.1731

Douzella, 3,

2.293^

John G. Carlisle,

. 2.20

Electroid,

2.30

Norvin G., 3, .

. 2 203^

Maraquita,

2.30

Norvardine, 3, .

. 2.251^

Sons have sired

Interval, .

. 2.263^

Iris.

Novelist, 2,

. 2.27

Visalia, 3,

2.20

Villiers, 3,

. 2.273^

. 2,283-^

Cecilia, p., 2,

2.231^

Novalson,

Wakd B.

Novelette, 3, .

. 2.291-1

Letter B., 3, .

2.271^

Palo Alto, 5353.

Fallis, 47S1.

Rio Alto, 3,

. . 2.163^

Fallacy, . . . .

2.173^

Palatine, 3,

. 2.18

Don Marvin,

2.221^

Avena, 2, .

. 2.191.^

Lustre,

2.223^

Fillmore, 3,

. 2.21^^

Bradtmore,

2 261^

Parkville, G050.

Falman

2.27

Sub Rosa, p., 3,

. 2.23^

Menlo Fallis, .

2.273^

Re-Election, 2.27}4.
La Haute, 3, .
Nelly Clark, 2,

Fal Rose, p., .

and dam of

2.19

. . 2.241^
. 2.30

Donchka, 3, . . .

2.25

Sons have sired

Rockefeller, 6121.

Don Marvin, 2.223o.

Granieta, .

. 2.253^

Don Lowell, .

2.141^

2.273^

Nana, 3, .

. 2.293^

Boneset, 2, .

Leola,

. 2.30

/ £1

St. Bel, 5336.

Fordstan, 22129.

Allibel, 3,

. 2.491^

Melvar

2 22

Honeywood,

. 2.193.^

Gaviota, 75G7.

Silver Ore,

. . 2.193^

Maud Alameda, 2, .

2.24

Beltown, ,

. 2.201^

Dynamite,

2.291^

Election Bell, .

. 2.223^

Bel Onward, 2,

. 2.23

Gov. Stanford, 2.21.

Santa Bel, 3, .

. 2.23

Clito, p

2.241^

Favora,

. 2.23I4'

Hummer, Gill.

Tempter, ,

. 2.243^

Bouncer, 3, . . .

2.18K

Free,

. 2.25

Hustler, 3, , . .

2.203^

St. Felix, 3. .

. 2.253^

Stately, p., 2, .

2.18

Amorel, .

. 2.26

Junio, 14957.

Katrina Bd, 2,

. 2.263^

Bruno, . . . .

2.19

MissZura Belle. 8,

. 2.263<

Athanio, 2, . . .

2.193^

St. Minx, 2,

. 2 261^

St. Joe

2.26

♦ La Bel, .

. 2.27

Gilpatrick,

2.291^

Lynne Bel, 3, .

. 2 273i

Salinas Maid, .

2.30

Comet,

. 2.283^

104

THE ELECTIONEERS.

First Bell,

. 2.28I4

Valley Queen, 3,

2.281^

St. Aubin,.

. 2.281^

Gen. Sphinx, 3,

2.283^

St. Croix,

. 2.281^

Magna Sphinx, 3,

2.29

Bellman, ,

. . 2.283^

Peru, 3, . . .

2.2932^

Flora Bel,

. . 2291^

Sibyl,

2.2934

Honey Dew,

. . 2.291^

Sylvia C, 2, .

2.2934

La Petite Bel, 3,

. 2.291^

Sphinxeta, p., 3,

2.1414

Bessie Bell, 2, .

. . 2293^

Syrena, p.,

2.141^

Gold Point,

. 2 29?^

Cantab, p..

2.1434

Belzoni, 2,

. 2.30

Como, p.,

2.171^

Legacy, .
Robert Bel, 2, .

. 2.30
. 2.30

Sxinolo, 9900.

Baron Bel, p., .
Notion, p,

. . 2.111^
. . 2161^

Sunolto, .
Baptism, .

2.261^
2.30

Fail Not, p., .

. . 2.161^

Whips, 13407.

Almabel, p.,

. 2.171^

Azote,

2.081^

Monabel, p., 3,

. 2.18

Cob Webs,

2.12

St. Jmt, 47S0.

Navidad, .

2.221^

Lanier,

. 2.20

Warlock, .

2.24

Mary,

. 2 2414^

Manille, .

2.29K

St. Justin,

. 2.293^

Will Crocker, 5333.

Adjutant,

. 2.30

Irene Crocker, 3,

2.20

Sphinx, 53Ji3.

Little Crocker,

2.30

Uncle Tom,

. 2.18K

and dam of

Baker,

. 2. 1914:

St. Croix, 3, .

2.281^

Water Lily,

. 2.193^

WooUey, 5337.

Gift o' Neer, .

. 2.-20

Nelly W., 3, .

2.1714:

Borneo,

. 2.23

Princess, .

2.193^

Cervus, 2,

. . 2231^

Wehina, .

2.261^

Baltullo, .

. 2 241^

Sir Gird, 3,

2.26K

Altoneer, 2,

. 2.25 ~

Loyaleer, . . . .

2.30

Islam, 3, .

. 2 26

Abeto, p.,.

2.213^

SIRES W

^HOSE DAMS A

RE BY ELECTIONEER.

Charles Derby, 49(

)7.

The Seer, 5367.

Derby Princess, 2,

. 2.25

Seersucker,

2.30

Diablo, p., 4, .

. 2.091^

Waldstein, 12597.

Cibolo, p., 4, .

. . 2.131^

Humboldt Maid,

2.27

Daly, 5341.

Native Son,

2.291^

Bonner N. B., .

. 2.17

Wild Boy, 5394.

Julia G., .

. 2.231^

Donchka, . . . .

2.25

Clatawa, .

. 2.271^

WiLDNUT, 13472.

Princeer, 9114.

Bedworth, 2, . . ,

2.27

Warren Guy, 2,

. 2.25

Ariel, . . . .

2.273^

Ida A., .

. 2.25

El Rami, 3, . . .

2.29

Freda C, 3, .

. 2 30

THE ELECTIONEERS.
OTHER DESCENDANTS.

105

Sable Nut, 2, 2.22)^

RECAPITULATION.

Standard performers,

Sons (46) with,

Daughters have produced,

Grandsons (8) with,

Mares by sons have produced,

Sires out of daughters (7) with.

Other descendants.

Total,

155

281

47

12

8

16

1

520

CHAPTER XI.

THE BASHAWS AND CLAYS.

Grand Bashaw, Imported Arabian, the founder — Young Bashaw — Andrew
Jackson — Green's Bashaw — The Patchens.

THE BLUE BULLS.

Wilson's Blue Bull — His great success in the stud — Great progenitor of
speed — List of trotters and dams of trotters by Blue Bull.

THE progenitor of the Bashaw family was Grand Bashaw,
an Arabian horse foaled in 1816 and imported from
Tripoli in 1825 by Joseph C. Morgan. He stood near Phila-
delphia, Pa., for stock purposes for twenty years, and many of
our fast trotters are descended from him.

His most distinguished son was Young Bashaw, a gray
horse foaled in 1822, whose dam was Pearl by the thorough-
bred horse First Consul ; dam by Imported Messenger.

He was the founder of what is known as the Bashaw
family of American trotters, and whose most noted son was
Andrew Jackson, a black horse foaled in 1828, and whose
dam was a good mare, pedigree unknown.

This Andrew Jackson was the founder of the Clay family.
His most noted son was Henry Clay, foaled in 1837, and
whose dam was a Canadian mare called Surry, pedigree un-
traced, but a good one and a fast trotter.

Henry Clay's best son, by the records, was Cassius M.
Clay, foaled in 1843, and whose dam's pedigree was unknown.

Cassius M. Clay was the sire of three Cassius M. Clay,
Jr.'s, with eight in the list, and George M. Patchen, the
founder of the Patchen branch, with four in the 2.30 list.

The greatest sire of all the Bashaw family, by the records,
was Green's Bashaw, five removes from the old imported

(106)

THE BASHAWS AND CLAYS. 107

Arabian, and whose grand-dam was the Charles Kent mare,
the dam of Rysdyk's Hambletonian and daughter of Imported
Belfounder. So here we find another strong argument of the
speed-transmitting power of the great IS^orfolk trotter, Im-
ported Belfounder.

The Bashaw family embraces the Clays, Patchens, and
Bashaws of the present day and includes many good and fast
horses ; also the blood of the Bashaw family is commingled,
more or less, in the pedigrees of the following animals, form-
ing the nucleus of that destined to be the greatest of all'
families, or breeds, of horses in the world, — the American
trotter.

These animals are as follows, taken alphabetically :
American Clay, sire of twenty-four brood mares, with twent}'"-

five trotters with records from 2. 10 to 2.30, among

which was Maggie Briggs, who sold for $10,000.
Andy Johnson, sire of three 2.30 trotters, two sires, and three

producing dams.
Bashaw (Green's) No. 50, sire of seventeen trotters with

records from 2.21^ to 2.30 ; fifteen sires of thirty-four

trotters and two pacers, and twenty-two dams of

twenty -four trotters and two pacers.
Black Bashaw, sire of Cozette, 2.19, and John H., 2.20.
Cassius M. Clay, sire of eight producing sires with sixteen

trotters in the list.
Cassius M. Clay, Jr. (Neave, 20), sire of four trotters in the

list, and of the sires Clay Pilot, Harry Clay, and

"Wilgus Clay.
Cassius M. Clay, Jr. (Straders, 22), sire of three trotters, three

sires and twenty-two dams of twenty-three trotters and

one pacer.
Electioneer, the greatest son of Hambletonian, with 155 in the

trotting list; through his dam. Green Mountain Maid —

dam of nine in the list — by Harry Clay, whose dam

was by Imported Belfounder.
George M. Patchen, sire of four trotters, twelve sires of forty-

108 THE BASHAWS AND CLAYS.

eight trotters and one pacer, and the sire of five dams
with six trotters.

Oeorge M. Patchen, Jr., sire of ten trotters, ten sires of nine-
teen trotters and one pacer, and eleven dams of twelve
trotters and two pacers.

Godfrey's Patchen, sire of nine trotters, two sires and three
producing dams.

Harry Clay (Sayer's, 45), by C. M. Clay, Jr., dam by Imported
Belfounder, sire of four trotters, eight sires of nine
trotters, and fifteen dams of twenty- six trotters; dams
including the great brood mare of the world. Green
Mountain Maid, dam of Electioneer, with 155 trotters
in the list with records from 2.08J to 2.30.

Henry B. Patchen, sire of seven trotters, four dams of ten
trotters, including the great brood mare Emeline. dam
of Adele Gould, 2.19, and six others in the trotting
list.

Idol, by Hambletonian (Packman's), sire of six trotters, etc.

Knickerbocker, sire of seven trotters, etc., by Hambletonian.

Louis Napoleon, sire of fourteen trotters and one pacer, seven
sires with thirteen trotters and five pacers, and eight
dams of nine trotters and two pacers.

St. Gothard, 2.27, by George Wilkes, sire of nine trotters and
one pacer.

Stamboul, by Sultan, record 2.07^, sire of five trotters.

Yictor Bismarck, by Hambletonian, sire of nineteen trotters
and two pacers.

Waspie, sire of eight trotters, one pacer, etc.

"Windsor, sire of six trotters, two pacers, etc.

Thus it will be seen that the speed-producing influence of

that grand old Arabian, Grand Bashaw, who has been dead

upwards of fifty years, is stili felt in oui' land.

a>

>M

td

'"'

o

c

W

L^

,

THE BLUE BULLS. 109

THE BLUE BULLS.

Blue Bull, like Harabletonian, is a subject, or rather an ob-
ject, that loses none of its charm by the lapse of years.

Wilson's Blue Bull, whose breeding is acknowledged by the
best horsemen of the present day to be somewhat shrouded in
mystery, was a horse of great individual excellence. In color
he was a chestnut with an elongated star and nigh hind foot
white ; he stood about fifteen hands high and was of the Mor-
gan type (see illustration); in fact, in general conformation
and appearance he would pass for a Morgan the world over.
As his breeding is surrounded in mystery the question natu-
rally arises : " Was he a Morgan?"

He had a clean cut head and bright, intelligent eyes, to-
gether with the clean, cordy legs and flinty feet for which
succeeding generations of Blue Bulls are noted. His appear-
ance was that of durability, strength, and speed.

No stallion ever began life under more unfavorable circum-
stances and finished his career under such a brilliant crown of
well-earned glory.

We will not go over the disputed ground of his pedigree,,
for while we do not believe in that promulgated pedigree given
him by that great recorder of many false ones, we will not
assault that which we cannot disprove, nor advance that which
we might not be able to prove to the satisfaction of all ; yet,
in my own mind, and to my long-practiced eye in the compar-
ison of families, if Wilson's Blue Bull was not a direct
descendant of the Narragansett Pacer, infused with the blood
of Ranger, — afterwards the Darley Arabian — the maternal
founder of the Morgan, then I am mistaken.

Blue Bull's days in the stud were very nearly contempora-
neous with those of Hambletonian, there being, according to
accepted data, only about five years' difference in the dates of
their foaling.

Hambletonian was foaled in 1849, in a community contain-
ing the very best trotting blood of that day, and from his own

110 THE BLUE BULLS.

good breeding became popular as a stock horse as soon as old
enough for service.

Commencing at two years of age and during his twenty-two
years of service in the stud, he sired more colts than any other
trotting sire ever has up to date, and has, all told, forty-one
trotters in the 2.30 list.

Blue Bull was foaled in 1854, in a community where trotting
bred mares were unknown and with the accredited parentage
that always disgraced him. His road to a decent patronage
was steep, rugged, and slowly ascended ; yet, with all these
drawbacks he forged himself to tlie front, solely on his merits.

In the year that Hambletonian died, 1876, Blue Bull had
seven in the 2.30 list and Hambletonian had thirty-two; but at
the close of 1890 Blue Bull had fifty-five trotters and eight
pacers in the 2.30 list, while Hambletonian had only forty-one
trotters and no pacers. Opportunities considered, there is no
room for conjecture as to which had the greatest power to pro-
duce 2.30 performers.

As before stated, the accepted pedigree of Blue Bull is not
well established, and to many — a very great many — the re-
corded pedigree is absurd.

As for myself, I lay claim to a better knowledge of horse
history than to believe for a single moment that this great
horse (one of the greatest sires of speed that ever lived), de-
scended from the plebeian ancestry accorded to him by Wallace.

Blue Bull was the first horse to sire fifty with harness
records of 2.30 or better. Blue Bull was the only sire of thir-
teen race winners with twenty heats in 2.30 or better, at the
close of 1891.

He IS the only horse that ever lived that had over one hun-
dred descendants in the first generation, who carries no blood
of Hambletonian or Mambrino Chief. He has put more mares,
not trotting bred, in the great brood mare list, than any horse
that ever lived.

Blue Bull, by the records, is the most potent progenitor of
harness speed that has ever lived. As other great sires have

THE BLUE BULLS. Ill

depended upon the nicks with American Star, Plambletonian,
Morgan, Clay, and Mambrino Patchen mares; but Bkie Bull
from the farm mares of Indiana was the first sire of his day
to put fifty or more into the list.

Blue Bull has been neglected, slandered, and lied about as
but few, if any, sires ever were ; but he will yet live on, be
better known and appreciated in his later descendants, as one
of the great speed elements of the American trotter.

All things considered, this doubtfully bred and wonderful
horse must be set down as one of the greatest of trotting pro-
genitors. He was foaled in 1866 and lived almost his entire
life in Rush County, Indiana, at James Wilson's " Flat Rock
Stock Farm," from which he derived the title of " The Hero of
Flat Rock." He died on the 11th day of July, 1880.

Many versions of his breeding have been given, but, in the
opinion of the author, none are correct. Despite his plebeian
blood lines, as recorded, a knee broken from the kick of a
mule, an eye knocked out by a drunken groom, and one or
more seasons spent as a teaser for a Jack, he has founded a
family of trotters of quality and numbers more than equal to
any stallion with the same opportunities.

Another peculiar fact is that while he was a fast pacer
himself and was bred to pacing bred mares, he almost invariably
got square trotters, and has now fifty-four trotters in the 2.30
list with records from 2.17i up.

He has twentj^-six producing sons that have begotten stand-
ard performers and thirty-six daughters that are the dams of
2.30 performers.

Succeeding generations also show material gains, giving
ample proof of the breeding-on capacity of the blood of the
plebeian pacer.

Blue Bull sired the dam of Roy Wilkes, 2,08i ; Fred Ar-
thur, 2.14i; Puritan, 2.16 ; Yitello, 2.16|; Lowland Girl, 2.19^;
Luella, 2.19f ; Elgin Girl, 2.20^, and the Rhodenkiel mare, dam
of Blanche Wayne, etc. Below will be found a complete ofiicial

112

THE BLUE BULLS.

statement of the descendants of this great sire in the speed
ranks of the American trotter.

BLUE BULL, 75, SIRE OF

Zoe B.,
Bessie,

Lena Swallow,
Royal Bounce,
Will Cody, .
Dick Stauffer,
Silverton,
Chance,
Lucy Fry,
Richard,
Mamie,
Florence M.,
Gladiator,
Elsie Good,
Bulwer,
Ethel, .
Kate McCall
May Bird,
Bertha,
St Denis,
Belle Wilson
Lena Guffin
Otto K.,
Ina G.,
Kate Hall,
True Blue,
Hoosier Gir
Russell,
Blanche H.,
Blue Bell, .
Blue Bull (Grove
Commander,
Edward B.,
Mila C,
Dom Pedro,
Alice Peyton,
MattieH., .
Molly Kistler,
Beauty,
Bullion,
Myrtella G.,
Rocket,
Stewart Mac,

's).

2.1714

Daisy Blackwood,

. 2.291.^

2.171^

Dr. Sheppard,

. 2.29M

2.19

Gen. Russ, ,

. 2.2914

2 19

James Halfpenny,

. 2.2914

2.191^

Joseph,

. 2.2914

2.29i2

Kate Bennett,

. 2.2914

2 2014'

Texas Jack,

. 2.291^

2.203^

Dayton Belle,

. 2.293^

2.203^

Ella Wilson,

. 2.30

2.21

Ira M , . .

. 2.30

2.21 1^

Little Wonder,

. 2.30

2.22I4"

Purity,

. 2.30

2.22K

Georgetown, p., .

. 2.I614

2.221^

Tony Boy, p.,

. 2.201^

2.23

Jenny K., p.,

. 2.2214

2.23

Dandy Boy, p., ,

. 2.221^

2.23

Hattie Shawhan, p.,

. 2.241^

2.23

and dams (

)f

2.231^

Mark Sirius,

. 2.13

2.2314^

Leta C,

. 2.163^

2.231^

Lowland Girl,

. 2.191^

2.23K

Redmont,

. 2.21

2.241'^

Champion Wilkes, s. t.

b , . 2.2214

2.241^

Charles H. Hoyt,

. 2.2214

2.241^

Ora, . . . .

. 2.231^

2.25 '

lima Cossack,

. 2.243^

2.253^

Maj. Ross, .

. 2.25

2.26

Lady Elgin,

. 22514

2.261^

Flossy,

. 2.251^

2.261^

Big Mack, .

. 2.253^

2.261^

Violin, s. t. b.,

. 2.2534

2 261^

Highland Mary, .

. 2.26

2.261^

0 ^K , .

. 2.261^

2.261^

Pilot W., .

. 2.261^

2.27

Charley Burch, .

. 2.263^

2.271^

Turk, s. t. b.,

. 2.27

2.271^

Billy Worthington,

. 2.2714

2.271^

Harry W., .

. 2.27>^

2.28

Merlin,

. 2.2714

2.28

Joe Jefferson,

. 2.273^

2.28

Hero, .

. 2.28

2.28

Delia McGee,

. 2.28

2.28

Polka Dot, .

. 2.28

THE BLUE BULLS.

113

Agitator,

. 2.281^

Bee Jax, p..

. 2.1414

Bandoline, .

. 2.283^

Fred Arthur, p., .

. 2.1414

Brunswiclt,

. 2.28)^

Ada, p..

. 2.151.4

Alcavala,

. 2.29

Leverone, p..

. 2.16

Highland Maid, .

. 2.2914

Maj. Wilkes, p., .

. 2.I614

Black Wilkes,

. 2.2914

Lucy Pan, p., 3, .

. 2.17

David R., .

. 2.2914

Bas Bleu Wilkes, p..

. 2.18^4

Flode Holden,

. 2.2914

Princess, p.,

. 2.19'>4

Harry Laird,

. 2.2914

Elgin Girl, p..

. 2.20H'

Anna Mace,

. 2.291^

Nelly B., p.,

. 2.21

Little Nell, .

. 2.291^

Arctic, p., .

. 2.2114

Fannette,

. 2.293^

Pharos, p., .

. 2.2114

Addie C, .

. 2.30

Dick Wright, p ,

. 2.2314

Belle Untrue,

. 2 30

Joe Rowell, p., .

. 2.231.^

Roscoe Conklin, .

. 2.30

Lex, p.,

. 2 231^

Atlantic King, p.,

. 2.09%

Euphony, p..

. 2.23-?i

Vitello, p., .

. 2.1114

Strath wayne, p., .

. 2.2414

Mary Centlivre, p.,

. 2.12

Big Wonder, p., .

. 2.25

Strathso, p..

. 2.13

Trevor, p., s. t. b..

. 2.25

Alhambra, p.,

• 2,1414

PRODUCING SONS OF BLUE BULL.

Billy Davis.

Blue Vein, 5466.

Sunset, p.,

2.1634

Country Girl, p.,

. 2.15-X

Billy Ilinsley.

Osceola, p.,

. 2.18

M. W., .

2.2014

and dams of

Billy Wilson.

Jesse Hanson, .

. 2.163^

Sir Gay, .

2.261^^

Pearl Winship,

. 2.2314

Blue Bull, 15660.

Bonnie Boon, 532S.

Jennie B.,

2.293^

Cuba,

. 2.253^

Blue Bull, Jr., S878.

Nettie,

2.19

Bru.tsels, IIOj^^.

Lottie P., p., .

2 1714

Allen B., .

. 2.2014

Lottie K., p., .

. 2.25

Frazer,

. 2.293^

and dam of

Spurrior Boy, .

. 2.30

Belle Acton, p., 1, .

2 20X

Bullion, 6030.

Blue Bull (Hunt's).

Barbarine,

. 2.271.^

DickH., .

2.2914

NedB.,p,

. 2.323^

Nellie Turner, p., .

2.233<4

and dam of

Blue Bull (Phillips').

Lady Bullion, .

. 2.1634

Alti, p., .

. 2.1914

Capt. Bogardus, 4246.

Blue Bull (Scott's).

Surprise, .

. 2.241^

Sire of dam of

Paddy Collins, .

. 22914

Ida

. 2.293^

Sunrise, p.,

. 2.203^

BluenUn, 3931.

Col. Howe, 14130.

Bullmont, p., .

. 2.16

Mascot Bob,

. 2.2914

114:

THE BLUE BULLS.

Commander, 2041.

Nelly S., . . . 2.23

Sorrel Dan, p., . . 2.181^

Henry F., p., . . . 2.20i^

Annie C.,p 2.23}^

George Hall, 2391.
Dr. Frank, . . . 3.27i^

and dam of
EmmaNoland, p., . . 2.243^

Gloster.

Dick C, p., . . . 2.183^

Addie C, p., . . . 2.20

Greenback, 3884.

JolmM., .... 2.271^

Fred Ager, p., . . . 2.24i^

Harry B., 4309.

Morning Glory, . .2.30

Headlight, 2908.

Billy Golden, p , . . 2.21

Jim Wilson, 12088.

Belle Wilson, . . . 2.20

Boone Wilson (p 2.13), . 2.201^

Pawnee 2.21%

Irma C. (p. 2.18), . . 2.23^4

Ironwood, . . . 2.231^

Johnny Bull, . . . 2.27

Daisys., p., . . . 2.17'-5^

Emerick Wilson, p , . 2.23}^

Jim Blaine, p., . . 2.25

John Black.

Sire of dam of

Eura 2.191^

Jot C.

Montephister, . . .2.29

HyDy, p., . . . 2 23i^
Judge Craven, 16887.

Carrie L 2.29

Little Henry, 3883.

Susie G.,p 2.151^

Little Wonder, 1304.

Lady Wonder, . . . 2.25

Everett M., p.,
Lockerbie, 9255.

Maud Muller, ,

AUie L., p..
Prompter, 2305.

Apex,

Transit, 3,

Lucky B.,

Creole, p..

Walker, p..
Redwood, 2.34I4.

Sire of dam of

Capt. Wilkes, .

Redwood Wilkes,
RocJcet, 12033.

True, p , .
Eushville, 3303.

Gipsey Queen,

Dusty Heels,

Bluclier, .
St. Nicholas, 4070.

St. Lewis,
St. Omar, 4557.

Johnnie B.,

Chapman, p.,

and d;

Lula,

Atlantic Gift,

Sankey, p.,

Tobe, Jr., 16674-

Franklin, .

and dam of

Nelly McCrory, 3,
Wonder, 2697.

Susie Wonder, p.,

and dam of

Lulu McCurdy, p.
Zach Chandler, 2028.

Ellis,

ims of

2.19^

2.20M
2.153^

2.26

2.26>£

2.30

2.15

2.23K

2.2Q}4
2.30

Q.233^

2.193^

2.271^
2.291^

2.211^

2.2714
2.191^

2.271^

2.281^
2.25

2.191^

2.181^

2.191^

2.141^

2.261^

THE BLUE BULLS,

115

SIRES WHOSE DAMS ARE BY BLUE BULL.

Belden Boy, 3020,

Belton,
Decorate, 16b3L

Delegate, .
Elgin Boy, 4620.

Nelly Lloyd, .

Harry Jones, p.,

Edwin O., p., .

Pearl L., p.,

Lucille, p.,

Jim Monroe, Jr., 4583.

Bessie Polk, p.,
Kentucky Volunt::i:r

Harvey, .

Vera,

S. S.,

Benteer, .

Vollula, p.,

Maritana, p., .
Legal Note.

Jersey Girl, p.,

Blue Note, p., .
Lex, 8255.

Six Forty, p., .

2784.

2.251^

2.29I4

2.223^

2.18i:i

2.20

2.23

2.243^

2.25

2.21
2.25
2.291^
2 30

2.153^
2.20,4

2.201^
2.223^

2.25

Pharos, 3877.

Pharon,
Pocahontas Sam, 'J106.

Billy E., .

Touch-Me-Not, p., .

Zeigler, p.,

Pixley Boy, p.,

Poca Eagle, p.,
QuiLNA Chief, 3875.

David Copperfield, p.,

Dick Wright, p.,

Bay Leaf, p., .

Ben F., p..
Red Mont.

Lottie Rocket, p.,
Roscoe Conkling, 8035.

Senator Conkling, .

Judd's Baby, .

May Conkling,
Turk, 15213.

Crepe McNett, s. t b..

2.18

2.291^
2.13
2.133^
2.15

2.21i<

2.16
2. 23 4
2.24I4
2.241^

2.181^

2.123^
2.1914-
2.28

2.281^

PERFORMERS WHOSE SECOND DAMS ARE BY BLUE BULL.

Czar, 3,
Eura, .
Dancourt, .
VanBuren Wilkes, s. t
Lambert B., s. t. b.,
Roseinont, s. t. b.,
Gen. Alger,
Harold Chief,
Phallamont Boy,
Nelly F., .
Michigan Prince,
Sunlight,

2.123^

2.1914

2.213^

2.213^

2.224'

2.233.£

2.24 "

2.244

2.241^

3 25

2 263^

2.27

Amberlow, .
Golita,

Phallamont Girl,
Old Judge, s. t. b
Prince Brino,
Witch Hazel,
Henry F., p.,
Baron Bel, p.,
Lebbas, 1, p.,
Sadie H., p.,
Bacon, p., .

2.2734

2.2714

2.2734

2.2914

2.294

2.293^

2.133^

2.1734

2.18

2.204

2.23

Lambert B.,
Long John,

OTHER DESCENDANTS.

2.224
2.283^

Clairmont,
Ida, .

22334
2.293^

116 THE BLUE BULLS.

RECAPITULATION.

Standard performers, . 60

Sons (34) with •. 66

Daughters have produced 64

Mares by sons have produced, 14

Sires out of daughters (13) with, 32

Daughters have produced the dams of, 23

Other descendants, 4

Total, 263

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CHAPTER XII.

THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE.

As a breed — Component parts constituting the breed — Establish the
American thoroughbred Trotter — As he should be bred — Breed for
beauty, brains, and business — Breeding the trotter a progressive
science — An American product — Chance trotters — Racing in early
days — The two-minute horse.

THE American Trotting Horse as a breed, according to the
author's ideas of what constitutes a breed (see Breed,
Chapter I), may be said to be scarcely fairly established, and is
composed mainly of the following families, viz. : The Hamble-
tonian family, which is subdivided into many branches, em-
bracing the Electioneers, Abdallahs — descendants of Alex-
ander's Abdallah — Volunteers, Wilkes, Harolds, Dictators,
Egberts, Strathmores, etc. ; some of which are again subdivided,
as the Almonts, Belmonts, Nutwoods, Spragues, etc., yet all
grouped and classed as Hambletonians. And the Morgan fam-
ily, descendants of old Justin Morgan, and which are also
divided into other branches, embracing the Black Hawks,
Ethan Aliens, Lamberts, Morrells, Fearnaughts, Magna-
Chartas, Gold-Dusts, and Herods — all claimed as Morgans.

Also the Bashaw family, which are descendants of the im-
ported Arabian horse, Grand Bashaw, and are subdivided
into and embrace the Clays, Patchens, and BashaAVs of the
present day ; and the Blue Bulls, embracing all descendants of
that one of the most remarkable of all American-bred stallions,
as the sire of speed from common mares — Wilson's Blue Bull ;
together with the Mambrinos, also descended from Messenger
through Mambrino, who sired Mambrino Paymaster — the sire
of Mambrino Chief — (whose dam was a large, coarse. Western
mare, pedigree unknown) and who sired six trotters and

(117)

118 THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE.

twenty-three sires of eighty-seven trotters and seventeen dams
of twentv -three trotters, and to whom some of our best trotters
of the present day ti*ace mainly through their dams.

With occasional selections from the best thoroughbreds and
from the French Canadian horse, whose blood has commingled
through the above families, we have to-day a breed of Ameri-
can horses of a strictly American production, of which every
true American may justly feel proud.

And now the time is upon us when we, as breeders of the
American Trotter, can prosecute and advance our business
successfully, I think, by judicious selections in breeding from
our own acquired material without any further out-crosses.

In fact, to step outside in crossing for the production of the
American Trotter, is taking a backward step. I think we have
now reached — quite recently, perhaps ^ — the period in Ameri-
can trotting horse breeding when foreign blood is no longer
needed in the trotter, any more than by the thoroughbred
runner.

What we should now aim to establish is a national thor-
oughbred trotting horse. As American breeders, we should,
by wise selections and careful breeding, establish a breed of
American horses the most desirable and most valuable of any
breed of horses in the whole world. We certainly have the
foundation elements for such, a breed, and the results rest alone
with the skill of the American breeder.

Admitting that the American Trotter owes everything of
value — excepting the trotting gait — to the thoroughbred and
his ancestors, the Arabian and the Barb (for from these sources
are derived courage, speed, and endurance), the great question
of the day among horse breeders is whether we already have
enough of this in our American Trotter, or whether it is policy
to add more.

My own opinion, based upon observation and experience, is
that we should now stop experimenting with outside issues and
attend strictly to the business of prosecuting this great work of
thoroughly establishing this national horse, the American

THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE. 119

Trotter, and that we can no longer afford to experiment with
outside issues or outside breeds or families.

The trotting-bred horse is not an animal simply for racing
or for wealthy gentlemen to drive fast on the road, but he
raises the general standard of the horse for all work. I used
trotting-bred horses for heavy farm work on clay land in
Indiana with greater success than with heavier, cold-blooded
mongrels.

Their quick stride and great endurance is apparent to any
observer. They are capable of a greater amount of work, and
will do it quicker and much more intelligently than the horse
without breeding ; and, as a horse's capacities for work are in-
creased, his value is accordingly increased.

There are but two nations of the earth that possess a race of
animals known as the trotting horse. One of these nations is
Kussia, the other is America. In the first-named country we
find an animal proceeding from the Arabian, crossed, it is said,
upon the Flanders stock, and called the Orlof trotter. It is
certain that this animal is a Russian production, while the
American Trotter is surely an American production.

The American Trotter, as he should be bred, and what our
market demands, is a horse of good size, style, and action ; a
handsome horse, and, above all, of good disposition and sound
constitution.

Then, if he can be trained to trot in 2.20 or less, he may be
used for pleasure or for gambling purposes. Failing to be fast
enough for track purposes, he is still a useful and profitable
animal for the use of man, and his breedmg is not a failure.

But if we breed for speed alone, without the other consid-
erations, and get a little animal that is not a fast trotter, what
then ? Why, we have an animal that is of but little use to the
breeder and that no one wants to purchase at any price. The
breeders of such animals soon become overstocked, and the cry
goes forth that the bottom has fallen out of the breeding
business, whereas it is only the false bottom that has dropped
out.

120 THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE.

Breed horses for beauty, brains, and business. Beauty
always attracts customers who pay the highest prices. Brains,
exhibited in good " horse sense," is an important factor in a
horse for any purpose. A good pedigree is very vakiable pro-
vided you have an animal to match it. Standard bred horses,
eligible to registration as such, without an animal to correspond
to the pedigree (as often witnessed in combination sales when
highly bred animals sell for less than half enough to pay for
their siring), is a deplorable state of things and very discour-
aging to the breeder.

There are scores of horses in this country, which, from
their individual merits and breeding, are evidently equal to the
best, but which are reckoned '' no good " simply because they
were never trained for speed.

Great horses, like great men, live on for years after their
death ; and, like great men, often spring up from obscurity, as
was the case of Columbus, the founder of the Cokuiibus fam-
ily, of Pilot, the founder of the Pilot family, and Blue Bull,
the great Indiana progenitor of speed.

The ignorance of the American public — and of the world
— in not knowing the full breeding of these great horses, as
was the case with Justin Morgan, don't go to show that they
were not well bred, but that, like the Narragansett Pacer, their
breeding has not been handed down to us through history, but
lies locked up in the brains of those of their day, most of whom
are no longer with us.

The breeder who breeds for speed alone is as much a specu-
lator as he who plays the Board of Trade. Because Williams
raised an Allerton and an Axtell, hundreds of small breeders
imagine they are capable of obtaining the same results.

Speed is a valuable adjunct in the sale of any horse, and,
when added to beauty, size, and good disposition, makes the ani-
mal most desirable in the eyes of the purchasing public.

Breeding the American Trotter is a progressive science, the
limits of which are, as yet, by no means achieved.

Among the lovers, breeders, and patrons of the American

THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE. 121

Trotters that have during the past twenty-five years ridden
away from us by the side of the pale horseman, down into the
valley and through the shadow into the light beyond, memory
records so many that I will not attempt to individualize them
here.

Nearly 100 years of breeding for speed at the trot, guided
by close observation of actual performances, coupled with an
intelligent course of breeding from animals possessing speed at
that gait, has resulted in evolving an animal high in intelli-
gence, quick in action, and beautiful to look upon.

We still have much to do before we can justly claim to have
established a breed of universal trotting horses, and the closer
we confine ourselves to the judicious selections from such fam-
ilies as trot and produce trotters, the sooner we shall accom-
plish our object.

The American Trotter is an American production made up
of several breeds, but receiving his best blood from the Arab
and the thoroughbred, and through them we have the founda-
tion, by careful selection and breeding to the " fittest," of per-
fecting: a breed that will soon become famous over the whole
civilized world, and that will give us a national reputation as
well.

But the time is upon us when the breeder who introduces a
single out-cross from an inherent trotting gait, not only adds
his possibilities of failure, but postpones the day when we shall
be able to breed fast trotters with a degree of certainty.

The American trotting horse has grown out of the selections
made by breeders of the animals that could trot fast, and that
had intelligence, when taught, to stick to that gait. Such
as were, to use a horse expression, " level headed."

Chance trotters may occasionally be produced in the future
as in the past, but the careful breeder of trotters will select for
his harem mares not only of those possessing good trotting ac-
tion themselves, but of families where the trotting gait has
been successfully cultivated by selection and use until inherit-

122 THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE.

ance has commenced to lend its powerful aid in transmitting
what was originally a spontaneous effusion.

The rapid stride that trotting horse breeding has taken may
be imagined from the fact that thirty-five years ago Vermont
Black Hawk with three trotters in the 2.30 list was the cham-
pion trotting sire of the world. When nineteen years old,
Ethan Allen, with four in the list, was the champion trotting
sire, while now we have five-year-old stallions with more in
the list.

There can be no great national success in the breeding of
horses, beyond profitable home consumption, until such breed-
ing shall be demanded by other civilized people for stock and
breeding pui-poses ; consequently, we should aim to create and
establish a truly " American Trotting Horse " of value from its
blood qualities for export.

So universal is the fancy for fast driving horses that at
almost all our fairs and horse shows the roadster class will be
found to be more largely represented than any other, and
usually more so than all other classes combined. The time is
fast approaching when the American Trotting Horse will be
classed as a distinct l)reed, the creation of an American fancy,
just as the thoroughbred running horse was a creation of the
English.

To the student of breeding, Avho revels in tracing the in-
fluence of the fusion of blood elements, there is not a more
curious, amusing, antl instructive study than the history of the
American Trotting Horse of the period.

Being created out of vastly divergent blood elements,
bringing with them widely different characteristics and
talents, and also suffering under conflicting theories of
breeding, the American Trotter emerges to-day, an almost dis-
tinct breed, differing from all others, no matter what their
nationality, chiefly in the perpetuating of the (pialities and the
height of his development. The result is, indeed, wonderful,
considering the various sources that have been utilized, the
foundation stock of which was undoubtedly well advanced

THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE. 123

in progress before the advent of Messenger, although at present
the idea is ahnost universally held that the history of the
standard bred American Trotter begins with the advent of
Messenger in America.

But while I do not desire to belittle the influence of this
horse, Messenger, I believe we had already, in America, pre-
vious to his importation, a good foundation trotting stock,
especially in the ISTew England States, derived from the former
importations of the Arabian and thoroughbred stock, and also ,
from the Narragansett Pacer, which, as a breed, contributed
much to the early fusions that resulted in the trotter, which
completely supplanted them before the beginning of the present
century. (See jS^arragansett Pacer, Chapter IV.)

Racing of all kinds was common in those early days. Writ-
ing about Rhode Island in 1735, Rev. James McSparron
observes that he has seen some of these pacers " pace a mile in
a little more than two minutes and a little less than three."

It appears from this that the timers of those days were not
so particular as to split seconds or really to count them in a
horse race.

The first demand for trotters seems to have sprung up in
Connecticut, where horses advertised for sale in the newspapers
of seventy-five years ago sometimes had reference to their
trotting qualities ; and history points to a time when Connecti-
cut found a market for her fast trotters among the wealthy
planters of the "West Indies, who, it seems, were at that time
acquiring a taste for this kind of sport. But the fast trotters
of that period would hardly be reckoned as such at the present
time.

When the trotting horse "Yankee" made a record of 2.59,
he astonished the world, as well as the unlucky man that had
bet heavily that no horse could beat three minutes.

It was many years later when Topgallant brought the
record down to 2.40, and in 1843 Lady Suffolk lowered it to
2.28. Thirteen years later, in 1856, Flora Temple dropped it
to 2.24J and in^l859 to 2.19f. It then took seven years more

124 THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE,

to bring out a Dexter capable of reducing this fastest time
record only If seconds, placing it at 2.18, and one year more
to reach 2.17:|. It took four years more to get off that quar-
ter of a second, which was done by Goldsmith Maid, who
finally reduced it to 2.14. Eight years more of breeding and
training brought out Rarus, who reduced the record in 1878 to
2.13i. St. Julian, a year later, got off another half second
and Maud S. took off a few more, reducing the time to 2.08f ,
which record she held as Queen of the trotting turf from 1885
to 1891, when, with greatly improved tracks, sulkies, and trot-
ting appliances, she was compelled to lay down the crown ;
while to-day Alix holds the trotting record of 2.03|.

Seventy-live or eighty years ago no one could have been
made to believe for a moment that a horse could ever trot a
full mile inside of three minutes ; but now it is confidently ex-
pected that an American trotter will make a mile in two
minutes.

In 1813 there were but two horses in America that could trot
a mile in 2.30, while in 1881 there were over twelve hundred
that could do it. In this country, we, as American horse
breeders, have not been satisfied to raise horses that would
beat our neighbors' horses, but have been trying to beat " Old
Father Time " himself.

The time has passed when horses can command long prices
on breeding and performances alone ; they must combine with
speed and good breeding, good looks and symmetrical confor-
mation, coupled with size sufficient to enable them to become
useful servants to man, in case their owners, like myself, are not
sporting men ; and the market calls for fast road, carriage, and
business horses, instead of fast trotters for sport or gambling
purposes alone.

CHAPTER XIII.

CLEVELAND BAY.

Origin and especial merits — As now bred — Demand in this country — French
coach horses — The government stud of France — Wonderful knee
action — Color.

I]Sr conformation and general appearance these horses show a.
wonderful similarity, and this fact, added to their large
size, great style, and fine dispositions, made them at an early
day the carriage or park horse of the English aristocracy.
The larger and heavier ones were selected to pull the old-
fashioned English coaches across the country at the time when
railways were unknown.

The fertile district of Cleveland, from whence this breed
takes its name, became famous for their production, and for
years they were bred with the greatest care and discretion.
Later on, when coaching became a thing of the past, this breed
was neglected. The mares were bred to thoroughbred horses
to produce saddle horses, hunters, and cavalry mounts. They
gave greater size and more bone than the thoroughbred pos-
sessed, while their fine proportions and style made them easily
matched for carriage horses. Originally, it is said, the Cleve-
land Bay was a large and rather coarse horse compared to that
breed of the present day, as remodeled and reconstructed by
the mingling of thoroughbred blood.

The original Cleveland Bays were frequently seventeen
hands high and usually weighed from 1,500 to 1,700 pounds.
These large horses were fined down by judicious crossings, the
thoroughbred being used largely for the purpose, until in form
and general appearance they were models of elegant propor-
tion and symmetry.

The demand which has sprung up in this country within

(125)

126 CLEVELAND BAY.

the last fifteen or twenty years for well-matched and stylish
carriage teams, again directed attention to the Cleveland Bay
as most likely to supply such horses as were demanded. The
purchase of a number of them in the last few years by Ameri-
cans has led the English breeders to take steps to revive their
breeding in that country, and an association has been formed
issuing a stud book in which all horses of the breed deemed
worthy are to be registered.

The Cleveland Bay, as now bred, is a horse of sixteen to
sixteen and three-quarters hands high and weighs from 1,300
to 1,500 pounds. In color they are generally bay with black
points, but sometimes dappled bay with occasional browns and
dappled browns, always with black points. Originally they
were nearly universally bay in color, and were said to be as
near alike in color as Devon cattle ; but the use of the thor-
oughbred stallions has introduced somewhat of a change in
this respect. They should, however, be free from white mark-
ings, always with black points and of one of the colors men-
tioned above.

The head should be fine, the eyes large and prominent, the
«ars well apart and fine, the neck well arched and set on
strong, oblique shoulders ; the chest deep, rather than broad,
partaking more of the shape of the race-horse than of the
draft ; the back short, quarters long and well-rounded ; the legs
clean, strong, symmetrical ; and the feet always perfect.

Sanders, in his excellent work entitled "Horse Breeding,"
published in 1885, speaks of the Cleveland Bay of to-day as
being created anew, as was the breed when it was formerly
considered a breed, by the mingling of the blood of the
thoroughbred race-horse with that of the large bay mares
of Yorkshire ; and that the old Cleveland Bay has become ex-
tinct as a breed. Yet he says : " I am free to admit that there
is still much stock remaining in that region possessing the old
•Cleveland characteristics, and perhaps much of the blood that
formerlv belong-ed to this breed, and it is evident that the same
coulee of breedino* wliich orio-inallv formed the breed nn'oht

CLEVELAND BAY. 127

speedily restore it from the material now remaining in that
country as well as this, viz., the use of stout, strong, stylish
thoroughbred sires, upon large, active, and stylish bay mares,"

The " National Cyclopedia," in speaking of the Cleveland
Bay, says: "Since the beginning of the present century very
many modifications of this horse have been accomplished by
crossings and selections, which, while preserving all the good
points of the Cleveland Bay, have so modified them that to-
day, it is said, there is not an animal to be found — even in the
east riding district of Yorkshire — of the pure, unmixed, and
unimproved blood."

"The improvement has been brought about by crossing
staunch thoroughbreds upon the original stock, and by selec-
tion, so that they are now acknowledged to stand as a type of
all that is excellent in a horse of medium weight (1,200 to 1,400
pounds), from fifteen and one-half to sixteen and one-half
hands high, combining style, muscular activity, spirit, bottom
and good-form in an eminent degree."

They are constantly gaining favor, it is said, in England,
where they breed horses for light and medium hauling carriage
horses, and all work where style and muscle are especially re-
quired. The crest and withers are almost invariably good ; the
head bony, lean, and well set on. Ewe necks are probably
rarer in this horse than in any other family, unless it be the
English dray horse, in which it is never seen.

Messrs. George E. Brown & Co., of Aurora, 111., were
among the earliest importers in this country who recognized
the merits of the breed.

This breed of horses is popular in some sections of the
United States of America as a foundation upon which to build
coach and carriage horses of good color and style, by crossing
the mares of this breed upon the American trotting horse,
thereby adding speed to the size and beauty of the Clevelands.

128 THE GOVERNMENT STUDS OF FRANCE.

FRENCH COACH HORSE.

For the following information regarding the French coach
horse I am indebted to the kindness of the editor of their " Stud
Book^':

" The following history of the government studs of France,
and their effect upon the horses of that country will give a
person a fair idea of the quality of horses the scientific breeder
of later periods were provided with ; from which, by ming-
ling the blood of the Arab, Barb, and thoroughbred, they
formed that magnificent race of coach horses that so admirably
meets the demands of the fastidious purchasers of high-step-
ping, fine-styled, smooth-formed horses of sufficient weight to
draw the heavy European coaches of the present day.

" The liberal aid in supplying the finest stallions, the gener-
ous encouragement extended to the breeders of fine horses by
the government in France since the establishment of the Gov-
ernment Stud Book by Louis Phillip in 1833, has done much to
secure that combination of power, elegance, and endurance
that has placed the French coach horse in the front rank of
excellence among the carriage breeds of the world.

The need of this class of horses in America has been griev-
ously felt, and the demand for them is constantly increasing,
and their raising will undoubtedly prove a lucrative branch of
horse breeding. The eagerness that information is sought after
on the subject is the best evidence that we can have that the
introduction of French coachers into America will meet
with a favorable reception.

THE GOVERNMENT STUDS OF FRANCE.

" The French government has taken an interest in the im-
provement of horses never equaled by that of any other nation.

"That the French people have from the earliest periods
been ardent lovers of equme perfection is evinced in the early
superiority of the horses of that country, and the popularity of
every move made by the government tending towards their
improvement.

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THE GOVERNMENT STUDS OF FRANCE. 129

"As early as the middle ages the horse of France had a
recognized superiority over those of any other country, which
may be partially attributed to its peculiar system of govern-
ment.

" Upon the accession of Hugh Capet, in the tenth century,
France was divided mto about 70,000 fiefs, governed by nobles.
The constant dissensions among these petty lords made a mili-
tary education a necessity for self-protection. In those days of
chivalry, when the success of a battle depended chiefl}'^ upon
the ])rowess of mounted knights, the strength and endurance of
their horses was of more importance and more highly appre-
ciated than at any other period of the world's history. Under
these necessities a most powerful and intense impulse was
given to the development of horses suited to the requirements
of the period.

" We thus see in the feudal ages the improvement of horses
based upon individual necessity, but as this system disappeared
in the centralization of the government in the crown, the powers
of the state slowly absorbing feudal sovereignty, the govern-
ment itself became interested in all movements tending toward
the production of a superior class of horses, so necessary at that
time for a thorough military equipment, upon which its safety
depended.

" The most effective and energetic action in establishing
permanent government studs was taken under the administra-
tion of the great French minister, Colbert, in 1005, and was so
well managed that in 1090 statistics show the number of royal
and approved stallions, standing in France, to be 1,600. The
government stallions kept at the Haras were called the King's
stallions, and were selected from among the best and finest
breeds found in France, and many were brought from Barbary,
Turkey, Spain, and later from England. The approved stal-
lions were the produce of government stallions and the best
mares of the country.

" Two large government Haras were established by Louis V,
9

130 THE GOVERNMENT STUDS OF FRANCE.

that of Pin, 1714, located near the borders of La Perche, which
was the first and largest establishment of its kind ever estab-
lished, and where the finest stallions belono-ino^ to the ffovern-
ment have been kept u}) to the present day. It is to this
establishment that the Percherons owe much of their superior-
ity, as here was kept the Arab Gallipoli, from which is de-
scended the famous Jean le Blanc (739), the progenitor of
many of the finest Percherons of the present day. In 1775 the
Ilaras of Pompadour were established with twelve depots,
and placed under the superintendence of the administration of
the Haras.

" In 1789, there were in France 3,239 approved and govern-
ment stallions, which served, according to regulations, 115,000
mares, producing 55,000 living colts. From 1815 to 1833 the
government bought for service in their studs 1,902 stallions;
of these 223 came from Arabia and other foreign countries, 853
from the northern departments of France, principally from
Calvados and La Perche, and 826 were selected from the finest
of the improved breeds from government stallions. In 1831 a
most noticeable advance was made toward the improvement of
the light breeds suitable for coach and cavalry purposes, which
was followed, in 1833, by a royal decree establishing a Govern-
ment Stud Book for the preservation of pedigrees ; this was
placed under the supervisiori of the Minister of Agriculture.
After the establishment of this stud-book more critical judg-
ment was exercised in the selection of stallions for government
use tlian ever before, and large prizes Avere offered for colts
produced by the finest mares of the country. Since the estab-
lishment of this stud-book a very decided improvement has
taken place in the character of the horses of the entire country,
between 11,000 and 12,000 owned by the government having
been recorded. Xo animal is given a number unless belonging
to the government studs.

"May 5, 1870, the management of the government Haras
or studs was vested in the Department of Agriculture and
Commerce, under the immediate supervision of a director-

THE GOVERNMENT STUDS OF FRANCE. 131

general, eight inspectors, twenty-six sub-directors, ten superin-
tendents, and twenty-six veterinaries.

" In order to be eligible to an appointment to one of the
above offices, the candidate must be a graduate of the Ecole
de Haras du Pin, a school located at the Haras of Pin for the
education of men to whom shall be confided the future man-
agement of this department of the government.

" In 1874 the number of stallions owned by the government
throughout France was ordered increased 200 per year until
they should reach 2,500, and the credit necessary for prizes
awarded to breeding animals should reach 1,500.000 francs per
annum, and a special sum of 50,000 francs per year was granted
to make experiments with Arab and Anglo- Arab, and for this
purpose sixty finely bred mares were placed at the Haras of
Pompadour,

"In the organization by the government of the administra-
tion of the Haras, there has been one central object constantly
kept in view", that is the encouragement of the people by every
means possible to a higher standard of breeding, and at the
same time to furnish them with the means by which to accom-
plish this object, by the introduction into every locality of the
finest of the different breeds and types which are offered for
use to the mare-owners at a nominal fee of service. These
consist, first, of stallions owned by the government itself;
second, stallions belonging to private individuals inspected and
approved by the government, such approved stallions receiv-
ing from the government, as long as they are so kept, from 300
to 3,000 francs per annum, according to their breeding and
superior excellence; third, authorized stallions, animals by
government inspection are pronounced of good quality and
worthy of public patronage. To farther prevent the use of in-
ferior animals a decree w^as issued in 1885, excluding from pub-
lic service all stallions not authorized by the government.

"By a decree of December 9, 1860, a subsidy, or prize, of
from 100 to 600 francs each (according to breeding and quality)
was authorized to be given to approved mares wdth colts by

132 THE GOVERNMENT STUDS OF FRANCE.

government stallions. Besides this, large sums are given in
prizes at the annual regional exhibitions and races held under
the auspices of the government.

"We thus see the French government the most liberal
patron of the breeder and the stallioner, but farther yet than
this, it becomes an important factor in sustaining the prices of
the finest types of all breeds, as the hundreds of stallions of the
very highest order of merit that they are obliged to buy
annually to supply the Haras, creates a constant demand for
the best types at very high prices.

" The valuable qualities claimed for the French horses over
those of other coach breeds are based upon a system of breed-
ing not possessed by any other race.

" The breeding of all classes of domestic animals in every
country is conducted by individual enterprize antl the out-
growth of individual ideas. Therefore the fixity of type is
greatly affected or destroyed altogether by the variety of opin-
ions entertained by the large number of people of different
tastes engaged in the breeding ; hence, so general a lack of that
uniformity of character so highly esteemed and so necessary in
every successful breeding animal. The French Coach breed,
instead of being the product of a multiplicity of ideas, has been
developed under the exclusive guidance of the Director-General
of the National Studs of France ; and as these officials are
educated in the same school from generation to generation, are
taught to value the same form, seek for the same qualities, and
pursue the same system, we caii understand how it has been
possible for them to attain such high perfection and great uni-
formity in the horses of the country. The power exercised by
the Inspector-General is extraordinary, controlling, as he does,
the selection of the 2,500 stallions owned exclusively by the
government, and the thousands of others annually inspected,
which must obtain his approval before receiving their permits
and subsidy ; and, further, all breeders are confined exclusively
to the use of animals inspected and licensed by this department.

THE GOVERNMENT STUDS OF FRANCE. 133

This places horse-breeding entirel}^ under government control,
as far as the stallions, which so greatly control results, can do.

" The coach stallions used in France are the descendants and
possess a combination of the Arab and the French and English
thoroughbreds. The most famous trotting families of this breed
are the result of the ming'lino: of the blood of the Norfolk trot-
ters, a breed that, through Imported Belfounder, has given to
American trotters much of their renown, imported Phenome-
non in France corresponding to imported Belfounder in the
United States.

" The uniting of all of the valuable qualities of the various
breeds, and concentrating them through several generations
under the direction of a single mind, has developed a race of
such size and perfect symmetry, and a Avonderful endurance
that makes it possible for them to trot, as three and four-year-
olds, the three to seven mile races common to that country.
Although they do not attain the high speed of American Trot-
ters, when we consider the size of the animals, man}^ of them
attaining a weight of 1,300 to 1,400 pounds in trotting con-
dition, their cumbersome vehicles or heavy-weight riders and
inferior tracks, we cannot but recognize that they possess
qualities worthy of consideration.

" The National Studs are supplied with these stallions from
various parts of France where the breed has attained its highest
perfection. The mares are owned by the breeders of the
country, and tlie stallions are in use by the government, which
buys large numbers to keep up its supply.

"The finest of these horses are bred in the department of
Calvados, where, in the fall of every year, the government pur-
chases are made.

"The French Coach Horse of to-day stands from 16 to 16 J
hands high and weighs from 1,350 to 1,500 pounds; high on
withers, deep, sloping shoulders ; very long neck, well cut up in
throttle ; fine ears, well set ; broad forehead with large, intelligent
eyes, indicating good disposition and spirit ; short back ; well
sprung rib ; strong, full loin ; long, level quarter ; tail well set, a

134 THE GOVERNMENT SJUDS OF FRANCE.

striking characteristic of the breed being to carry the head and
the tail high ; broad in the stitie ; very strong, broad hock, stand-
ing on clean, flat, cordy legs ; very broad, strong joints in knee
as well as hock ; suflicient length of pasterns to give them
elasticity ; and, underneath all, feet formed to stand the road,

" The most striking characteristics and strong point of the
breed is their wonderful elasticity and uniformly high knee and
hock action, which peculiarly adapts them for use as gentle-
men's driving horses, over all other breeds of coach horses.

" A still further commendation for them to our people is the
certainty with which they transmit their own good qualities to
their offspring. For more than half a century they have been
bred under the strictest government supervision, so that their
pedigrees are beyond dispute. The government certificate of
breeding accompanies each animal, and they all trace directly
to the thoroughbred."

In color they are mostly bays and browns, with but little
white markings.

ilSiiiii, mm ' 111

r'Wi;!

CHAPTER XIV.

DRAFT HORSES.

The Percheron Horse — Breed divided into three classes — Percheron, son
of the Arabian — As a draft horse — Road qualities — English draft
or shire horse — Origin and history — Disposition — Importers — The
Clydesdale horse — Introduced into Scotland in thirteenth century —
Clydesdale Society of America — Importers.

THE PERCHEROX HORSE.

THE Percheron horse in his own country, Perche, France,
is divided into three classes ; first, the light Percheron,
in which the sanguine tera])erament predominates ; second, the
draft Percheron, in which the lymphatic temperament is the
most fully developed ; and, third, the Percheron intermediately
between these two, partaking of the one by its lightness and
the other by its muscular force.

Breeders of Percherons in Perche preserve pure and with-
out intermixture the three types ; but the Percheron horse as
bred for export — chiefly to the United States of America — is
the second type, the draft breed, and is a horse from sixteen to
sixteen and one-half hands high, and weighing, when in full
flesh, some 1,600 to 1,800 pounds, and sometimes more ; Ara-
bian built, clean limbs, and the very best of feet, and usually
gray in color.

A French writer on the horse of Perche says : " We can-
not find in history the written positive proof that the Percheron
is an Arab, but we believe it easy."

It is well known that after the defeat of the Saracen Chief
Abderame by Charles Martel, on the plains of Vonille, the
magnificent cavalry of the foe fell into the hands of the vic-
tors, since more than 300,000 infidels were killed on that day,
and the horses which they rode were, like themselves, from
the East.

(135)

136 DRAFT HORSES.

Upon a division of the spoil a large number of these were
assigned to the men of La Perche, who composed a portion of
the French forces, and they must necessarily have left in their
progeny indelible traces of their blood. The Lord of Mont-
donblea, the Count Koger of Bellsraer, and others also imported
the Arabian horse into France. These Arabian stallions were
crossed upon the large black mares of Flanders, the prevailing
draft horse of France in those days, but as the gray has for
many generations been the prevailing color, and for other no-
ticeable variations, it is evident that this breed has but little in
common with the old parent stock except in size.

A horse of the type and style, and with the disposition,
foot, and leg of the Arabian, and the size of the heavier draft
horses, cannot but be the best in the category of draft horses.

The Percheron is especially distinguished for its capacity for
rapid locomotion with heavy load, and is peculiarly adapted for
drawing the heavy post and traveling carriages of that country
before the advent of the railways.

The most active and powerful of the heavy breeds of Orien-
tal origin, what the Darley Arabian was to the English thor-
oughbred and the gray Arabian Serctan to the Orlofs, the
gray Arabian Gallipoli, imported in 1820, has been to the
Percheron horse of France. In fact, this Oriental Arabian
blood, wherever introduced, in all nations and all climates, has
been a powerful factor of improvement in the equme race.

There is every reason to believe that this breed, like the
draft breeds of England and Scotland, derived its size, orig-
inally, from the large black horses of Flanders ; but the
Percheron horse, as now bred, shows a very great analogy by
his coat, conformation, character of race, mild disposition, and
endurance to tlie Arab, of which he seems to be the son, not-
withstanding certain differences, the result of time, climate, and
the region in which he is bred and in which he lives.

The Percheron of the primitive type has a gray coat like
the Arab, and, like him, an abundant and silky mane, a fine
skin, and a large, [)rominent, and expressive eye.

I

DRAFT HORSES. 137

They, as a breed, have become the wonder of the world for
their rapid draft — their ability to move a heavy load at a
rapid gait.

Road Qualities of the PercTieron Horse.

A gray mare of Oine, France, in 1845, performed the fol-
lowing match : Harnessed to a tillbury, she started from Ber-
nay at the same time as tlie mail courier from Rouen to Bor-
deaux, and arrived before it at Alencon, having made fifty -five
and three-fifths miles over a hilly and difiicult road in four
hours and twenty-four minutes.

In 18G4, a gray mare seven years old, harnessed to a till-
bury, traveled fifty-eight miles and back on two consecutive
days, going at a trot and Avithout being touched with a whip.
This was also over a hilly road from Lyons-la-Foret to Pont
Audemer and back, a difficult and hilly road.

The following time was made : First day, the distance,
fifty-eight miles, was trotted in four hours, one minute, and
thirty-five seconds ; the second day, in four hours, one minute,
and thirty seconds! The thirteen and three-quarters last miles
was made in one hour, although at about the forty -first mile the
mare was obliged to pass her stable to finish the distance.

When we take into consideration all the desirable qualities
in a heavy horse for draft purposes, and especially for moving
heavy loads at a rapid rate, and for agricultural purposes, where
weight and strength are indispensable, and to continuous work
in cities on pavements, so trying to the feet of all horses, and
especially so to those breeds disposed to be flat-footed, — then
in the Percheron we find so many desirable qualities as to
render him incomparable with all other breeds. Vive la
Percheron !

ENGLISH DRAFT OR SHIRE HORSE.

This most excellent breed of heavy draft horses are, unques-
tionably, direct descendants of the famous breed of large black
horses that Prof. Low — an English writer on horses — thinks
inhabited, in a wild state, the vast regions of marsh and forest

138 DRAFT HORSES.

which stretched all through Europe from the mouth of the
Rhine westward to the Euxine Sea. How or when this breed
originated we have no history ; but it appears to have been the
prevailing one through Normandy, Flanders, and Germany.
They were largely imported into England as early as the 11th
century and the large stallions were freely used to increase the
size of the then diminutive horses of that island.

History says that royalty encouraged their importation
and use, and that King John himself imported at one time one
hundred choice stallions from Flanders ; and Robert Bakewell,
the great pioneer of the world in the improvement of domes-
tic live stock, and who became the world's great teacher in the
principles of stock-breeding, went himself to Holland in about
1770, wdiere he selected several mares with which to mate
the best stallions of England at that time ; and with them
formed the nucleus of this breed of draft horses which are now
so famous throughout the civilized world.

As previously stated, the prevailing color of these large
horses was black, but the English draft horse of to-day as now
imported and bred in America, is variable in color : many of
them are still black w^hile others wear coats of different colors ;
some are brown and many are bay. We may, I think, safely
say that they run mostly in these three colors — black, brown,
and bay, with some white markings on the majority of them.

As a breed they are very stout and compactly built, " low
down," short coupled, and horses measuring from fifteen and
three-quarters to sixteen and one-half hands will usually weigh,
in good flesh, from 1,500 to 2,000 pounds.

Their legs are somewhat hairy, — considerably so ; rather
flat than round, and they, usually have pretty good feet, al-
though in some cases rather disposed to be a little too flat,

Thsir dispositions are usually good and they make excellent
draft horses, especially so for slow and heavy work ; Avhile
their crosses on the smaller stock of our country make excel-
lent teams for lighter hauling, and for agricultural purposes as
well.

DRAFT HORSES. 139

There have been within the past few years many choice-
specimens of this noble animal imported to America. Among
the importers of note may be recorded George E. Brown & Co.
of Aurora, 111., Blair Brothers, Aurora, 111., Gailbreth Brothers,
Janesville, Wis., etc. Besides those imported into the United
States there have been many brought into Canada.

The greatest objection to the original Shire or great cart
horse of England, except as a shaft horse to the heavy trucks
of London and Liverpool, was its abominable slowness, ren-
dering this breed unpopular with plowmen and teamsters ex-
cept those of the heaviest work ; but by judicious crossings on
breeds of more activity, the English draft horse, as we know
him here in America, is a different animal as regards activity^
from the original cart-horse of fifty years ago.

THE CLYDESDALE HORSE.

The Clydesdale breed now so extensively diffused through-
out the United States and Canada, derives its origin from the
same source as the English draft or Shire horse ; they, too,
originated from the great black horse breed of Flanders, Lan-
arkshire being the original home of the Clydes.

They were introduced into Scotland somewhere in the 13th
century, and many of the best of this breed in Scotland were
the descendants of a noted black mare formerly the property
of William, the Earl of Douglas, one of the ancestors of the
Duke of Hamilton, who, in later years, became a noted breeder
of Clydesdales of Scotland.

There can be no question but there has been an almost con-
stant mino-ling of the blood of the Shire and the cart horse of
England with that of the Clydesdales of Scotland, and at the
present day the difference between the two breeds is so very
slight that many intelligent breeders of both England and
Scotland recommend that they should be classed as a single
breed and that but one stud-book should be maintained for
them. Of late years, however, it is supposed that each breed

140 DRAFT HORSES.

has been bred separately and now both England and America
have stud-books wherein their breeding is duly recorded.

The Clydesdale Society of America was organized in 1877,
and the first volume of the American stud-book issued in 1882.

As regards size the Clydes may be classed with our heaviest
draft horses. They, like their competitors in strength, the
Shire and Percheron, frequently weigh a ton. As to build,
they are possessed of powerful limbs, heavy, hairy legs — long
hair extending from the knees down on the fore-legs and from
near the hocks down on the hind legs — and large, fiat feet;
too fiat, in many instances. They are naturally slow motioned
but powerful draft horses, and where the work for horses is
both slow and heavy, they are a valuable breed.

As to color, the modern Clydes are of various colors, but as
with their cousins, the Shires, their })revailing colors are black,
brown, and bay, with usually more or less white markings.

This breed has been quite extensively imported into the
United States and Canada, and have exercised a powerful in-
fluence on the draft horse stock of this country.

Among the importers in the United States may be men-
tioned Powell Brothers, Shadeland, Pa., John H. Bass, Fort
Wayne, Ind., Robert Ilolloway, Alexis, 111., etc.

Among the Canadian importers may l)e classed D. & O.
Sorby of Guelph, Ont.; H. H. Kurd, Hamilton, Ont.; C. M.
Acer, Montreal, Que.; 11. Beath & Co., Bowmanville, Ont., and
William Rennie of Toronto, Ont.

This breed has its staunch friends among the draft horse
breeders of America, and for years it has been a "tug of war"
among American breeders as to which of the three great draft
horse breeds — the Percheron, English Draft, and Clydesdale —
was the most popular and meritorious.

CHAPTER XY.

SHETLAND PONIES.

The Shetland Isles — Sustained by survival of the fittest — Purest of aii
breeds of ponies.

THE Shetland Islands, lying in the high latitude of 59 to 61
degrees, north of Scotland, once belonged to Denmark^
but since the year 1468 have belonged to and are a part of Scot-
land, being separated therefrom by nearly 200 miles of rough
and dangerous sea.

They consist of about 120 islands, the whole area of Avhich
is about 500 square miles. Of all these islands only about
fifteen or twenty are inhabited, chief among which is the Main-
land, containing the only towns or villages in the whole group.
Lerwick, with a population of about 5,000, is the capital, and
Scalloway, the former capital, has a population of about 700,
and is situated about seven miles west of Lerwich on the coast ;
all other places are very small and devoted almost entirely to
the fishing interests.

The other islands of this group of some account are Bres-
say, Whalsey, Fetlar, Yell, and Unst, the latter being the
most northern of the entire group, and on which is situated
Harolds wick, the most northern port and post-oiRce of Her
Majesty's domains.

To the west of the Mainland are Foula, Muckle Roe, Papa
Stow, and East and West Burra.

These islands are bleak, barren, and tempestuous, and in
winter are extremely cold and uncomfortable, owing their
severity of climate more to the cold, damp, sweeping winds
than to the actual degree of coldness as indicated by the ther-
mometer, which seldom registers below zero. A zero-day on
the Shetland Isles, with a stiff breeze full of sea dampness,.

(141)

143 SHETLAND PONIES.

means more suffering from cold and exposure than we can
realize — it is said — from the interior of our country with the
thermometer at 50 degrees below zero, as sometimes witnessed
in northern Montana and Manitoba.

While the temperature of these islands may be all that can
be desired for summer residence, and the coast scenery and sea
views therefrom most smgularly picturesque, yet we would
never think of selecting these hilly, rocky, rough, and almost
barren islands, located as they are, for a horse-breeding section
of our great world ; and yet horse-breeding on many of these
islands, with the cold North Sea on the one side and the stern
Atlantic on the other, is quite extensively (compared with all
the other business of these isles except fishing) carried on, and
the exportation of horses produced here is of considerable con-
sideration.

While the origin of the Shetland Ponies may be unknown,
they having been there as far back as we have any knowledge
of the country, j^et it is said that sometime in the 16th century
some ships of the Spanish Armada went ashore there, having
had on board some fine horses belonmnff to the admiral's stud.
This cross, it is claimed, imparted much of the beauty and
fleetness to the Shetlands ; and to-day it is not much of a trick
for the practiced horse-man, well versed in breeds of horses, to
detect in the little Shetland of forty inches in height the colors
and general characteristics of the Spanish horse, whose blood is
so profusely diffused through our native wild horses of
America, whose orig-in was derived from the same source.

Mr, Elliott of West Liberty, Iowa, an extensive importer of
the Shetland Pony to America, tells us that a titled lady of
Scotland, by the name of Nicholson, "has for years crossed
small Arabian stallions on Shetland mares, the produce being
a pony 46 to 48 inches high, and some of which are extremely
fine. These are known to the trade as Fetlar, or Nicholson
ponies."

These ponies are mostly confined to the Isle of Fetlar.
Iceland ponies have also been put on the island of Bressay, on

SHETLAND PONIES. 143

which Shetland stallions have been crossed. Larger ponies
from Scotland, the Galloways, and the Exmour have also been
crossed on the little Shetland mares in order to give them more
size, but so long as pony raising on the Shetkmd Isle is con
ducted as it has been for the past years, when the dear httle
creatures have been allowed to run at large on tlie hills and
live on the heather with what scant grass they could find, and
in the winter driven to the extremity of subsisting on sea-weed,
and sometimes driven by hunger to the necessity of eating dead
fish that have been washed up in the sea-weed, there is no
danger, I thmk, of their ever emerging into draft horses.

The Shetland Pony, as with the Wild Horse of America, is
to-day sustained in his own country and on his own soil by the
" survival of the fittest." It is said by those who know that
" they are seldom fed a handful of grain or hay during the long,
cold winters." Neither are they provided with shelter either
natural or artificial, but are obliged to stantl out of doors and
take the weather just as it comes, both summer and winter.

Nature has not on these islands })rovided trees to give them
shade in summer or protection fi^om the cold, sweeping winds
of winter. They often, it is said, get so weak and poor that
they are obliged to stand braced with their hind feet well apart
in order to keep on their feet at all ; and hence, in the opinion
of Mr. Elliott, many of them " become cow-hocked."

Mr. Elliott, who has often visited the islands, and who is,
perhaps, one of our largest importers of Shetlands to this
country, says : " The mares seldom breed oftener than every
alternate year, but keep at it to a great age, even to thirty
years or more." If the foal were not allowed to suck its dam
the first winter it is doubtful if many of them would survive.

In size, the pure Shetland Pony of to-day measures from 36
to 44 inches in height. When an imported pony measures
more than that his breeding may be considered somewhat doubt-
ful as to purity of blood, for, as has been said before, the quality
of blood has been somewhat tampered with by the introduction
of foreign blood carried to the islands.

PROPERTY OF SCWMSVILLE
COKMUHTY LIBRARY, INC,

/-\ /-» I i\ I, It— til ly r^\ II t I r" r^ A

144 SHETLAND PONIES.

The pure Shetland Pony I consider the purest in blood of
all ponies, and the only breed of ponies of which I shall treat
as a distinct breed in this work on " American Horses and
Horse Breeding."

In color they are variable, embracing all colors, I believe,
from black to white, while many of them are speckled and bear
the marks, in some instances, of what I believe to be their an-
cestors, in part, at least, the Spanish horse.

Their manes and tails are heavy and bushy, which is a
characteristic of horses raised in cold countries. The breeding
of these ponies as pets and playthings for children among the
wealthy and well-to-do classes of our country has already be-
come one of the American industries of importance, and is
largely on the increase.

The Shetland Pony of to-day, as we find him in America,
either imported or home bred, is a tough, rugged, usually sound
(with the best of feet), gentle, clever, good-dispositioned
animal, suitable for pets and very tractable, but too small for
general use. He is an animal loved by women and children,
and as salable to-day, perhaps, as any other breed of horses in
America. The American Shetland Club Book, Vol. I, was
issued in 1893 ; the Club contains 85 members and the Book
932 recorded animals.

O

CHAPTER XVI.

HORSE BREEDING — PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING.

Breeding a scientific study — Nature's great law — Breed for a purpose —
Selection of the breed — Choice of the sire — Breed best mares only
— Intelligence, beauty, and disposition essentials.

THE breeding of horses is a scientific study as practical in
its demands as is the science of chemistry or materia
inedica^ or surgery ; aye, and more ; so we must learn all the
mhiutim of the business.

The science of horse breeding has developed special horees
for special work, and no one breed or class will fill the market
demand for draft horses, coachers, gentlemen's drivers, saddlers,
and racers or sporting horses.

History gives all classes and breeds of horses one common
origin (see "■ The Horse," Chapter I), and the horse, as well as
all our domestic animals, has been, to a great degree, molded
and fashioned by the hand of man.

It is written that God made man a little lower than the
angels, and, by general assent, the horse is voted next highest
in the scale of created beings. The passage in the Decalogue
which declares that the iniquities of the parents are visited
upon the children unto the third and fourth generations, is at-
tended with a new and startling significance since it has become
generally understood that this declaration is a concise state-
ment of the operations of a physical law applicable alike to man
and beast.

The general principles that "like produces like" is true
throughout all animal and vegetable life. Everything brings
forth after its kind.

We sow pure seed and expect the produce to be of the same
kind. Rye will not produce wheat, nor oats barley ; " we
10 (145)

146 HORSE BREEDING.

cannot expect to gather grapes from thorns, nor figs from
thistles."

This rule is just as true in animal life as applied to horse-
breeding, inasmuch as no man would think of breeding to a
Shetland pony with the expectation of producing a draft horse,
nor to the Clydesdale with the expectation of producing a
winner on the race course.

Nature's great law is to transmit the general character of
the parents to the offspring, and in proportion as the breed is
firmly established and uniform in its characteristics, so will the
produce be uniform in its character. This great rule of nature
is applicable not only to horses, but it is an universal rule ap-
plicable alike to all animals.

One of the first steps in horse breeding is for the breeder to
fully decide in his own mind what sort of a horse he wishes to
produce.

BREED FOR A PURPOSE.

Horses of different breeds for different purposes are in de-
mand, and the breeder should know from the start what he
desires to breed for and how to treat them.

Raising horses, like raising grain or any other farm crop,
should be varied. If every farmer raised wheat to the exclu-
sion of all other grains, we >should very soon find the market
overstocked and the business a failure ; so of other crops and
stock, and of the different kinds of horses. If all breeders should
turn their attention to the breeding of race-horses for a few
years, the price of a draft horse would soon be double that of a
racer ; and so of other breeds.

As to the most desirable breed of horses, of all the breeds
presented in this book, for the beginner to engage in breeding,
I have nothing further to say than this :

Select your own breed from the many here given, first con-
sulting your own taste and ability ; but I will say right here
that to breed the blood horse, Avhether runner or trotter, requires
a much greater intelligence and skill than to breed the draft or
general purpose horse ; and unless a man has the peculiar skill

PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING. 147

and adaptation for the business of raising race-horses, I would
most earnestly advise him to stick to the more common breeds.
But when a breeder has the taste and ability for blood-horse
breeding, this style of breeding will afford him the most enjoy-
ment, for the breeding of fine and blooded horses as a business
has a tendency to elevate one much higher than the breeding
of any other class of horses, or sheep, or cattle, or swine, etc.

In breeding horses, as well as all other kinds of animals, do
not expect to get better animals than you breed from, for if
you do you will very likely be disappointed.

It has been said that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty ;
it may be said that eternal vigilance is the price of success in
the horse-breeding business.

Horse breeding of all kinds at this day and age of the world
does not mean any half-way business ; it is presumed that every
one who engages in the breeding business at all is in it for a
profit, and he should not expect a profit on producing some-
thing that other people do not want.

In horse raising, as in any other kinds of business, there are
certain rules that must be observed to make it profitable, the
first of which is to produce an article that is in demand and
that will command a fair price.

Whatever the breed decided upon by beginners, I would
earnestly advise breeding horses for beauty, brains, and busi-
ness. Beauty always attracts customers who pay the highest
prices ; brains, or good horse sense, is an important point for
the breeder's own use, and the business horse has a sphere of
usefulness unknown by the horse of speed alone, minus the
other qualities.

Breed on the principle that a colt will not be better than its
parents, although if you mate rightly there are many chances
that he may be. Do not depend ujjon luck, but go at the busi-
ness in a rational and well-defined way, and then good fortune
should crown your efforts.

Never under any circumstances breed any mare to a miserable,
ill-built, mongrel brute, the results of which would be fit only

148 HORSE BREEDING.

for a "swap horse." The one great lesson for all. breeders to
learn is to begin at the top, and then breed up. Life is too
short to begin at the bottom and breed up.

If you begin at the top, every generation that is added to
your stock is a step in advance ; but if you commence at the
other end you have to reach the standard of excellence as it
now exists, and by the time you have reached what is now re-
corded as the standard, this same standard has, in the mean-
time, advanced also, and you are as far away from the goal for
which you are striving as when you began.

To become a successful breeder a man must be able to know
a horse. This does not simply mean that he must be able to
tell a horse from a cow, or a draft horse from a thoroughbred,
but that he must be able to tell at once the degree of perfection
at all points that the animal has attained. He must know how
to select and couple his breeding stock of whatever breed or
class he decides upon ; how to handle his brood mares — how to
feed them and how to manage them — especially during foal-
ing time.

Whatever breed of horses you may decide to breed let me
entreat you to breed handsome horses of their class ; let them
be trotters, roadsters, or draft. You will always find a hand-
some colt or horse the first one to be sold, all other things be-
ing equal, and for the best price ; and surely, it costs no more
to raise a handsome, stylish, and attractive horse than it does
to raise an ugly or gawky one that nobody wants at any price
for any purpose.

Avoid breeding to any hereditary unsoundness, liable to be
transmitted. An unsound horse is a perpetual source of
annoyance to any owner and never a source of profit to the
breeder. There is no greater trouble in breeding what you
want m horses than in any other stock, providing you get the
type established, and then, by judicious in-breeding, retain it.

And right here I wish to remark that there is no part of
the business that requires more careful studying than this in-
breeding. Ignorantly or carelessly conducted, it is the cause of

PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING. 149

certain failure ; on the other hand, when judiciously practiced,
the results will usually be satisfactory.

When a blood is kept pure to its own type, in its own
family, possessed of the same blood instinct in both male and
female, then like begets like, and not until then. As an illus-
tration of this great truth I refer my readers to the buffalo,
the elk, and the deer of our country in their primitive states.
I might also mention the wild turkey, the wild goose, and birds
and wild fowls of different classes, which have undoubtedl}'-
bred in and in from time immemorial, and whose offspring
presents an uniform type and a degree of hardiness rarely at-
tainable by any of our domestic animals or birds.

Breed only your best mares, for it is now conceded by the
most talented students of breedmg that the dam transmits
sixty per cent, of her characteristics to her foal.

Intelligence and beauty are important market values for a
horse for our own use or to sell. If you have a crazy, ill-look-
ing mare I would not advise using her for breeding ])urposes ;
doing so would but propagate her uselessness and ugliness.
Disposition should bear great weight in the selection of found-
ation stock in forming a stud of whatever breed.

Upwards of twenty years ago when a resident of the State
of Connecticut and President of the "Woodstock Farmers' Club,
and knowing a man in the adjoining State of Massachusetts
who had achieved success far above his neighbors in stock rais-
ing and farming, I invited him to cross the dividing line (of
States) and tell the members of our club something of his
management. He, being flattered by the invitation, readily
assented and gave us much information in a few words.

"Gentlemen," said Deacon Dwight, "if I have been success-
ful above my neighbors I must attribute such success to strict
attention to business and constant hard work, lor I work hard
all summer getting ready for Avinter and all winter getting
ready for summer."

I introduce this incident in my life's history, not as being
particularly connected with the science of horse-breedmg, but

150 HORSE BREEDING.

yet as being closely connected with its ultimate success, inas-
much as no business as a rule — horse-breeding included — can
be made a crowning success without strict attention to business
and constant hard work.

One great reason why many breeders are unsuccessful in
the horse business is the fact of their not conforming to the
demands of the market ; if tliey happen to get started wrong
— -vyhich is a very easy matter — instead of closing out and
starting again, they keep on trying to convince themselves, and
everybody else, that they are right. This kind of business
rarely, if ever, leads to success. If one starts wrong the
cheapest way to get out is to sell out and begin anew.

CHAPTER XYII.

SELECTING BREEDING STOCK.

Importance of starting right — Selecting the stallion — Influence of dam of the
stallion on his progeny — Best age of service stallion — Selecting the
brood mare — Influence of the dam — Unsound mares as breeders.

THE selection of breeding stock as the foundation on which
to build up a stud of horses, whatever the breed may be,
is not only the first step to be taken in this great enterprise, but
should be regarded as one of the most important of all ; for un-
less we start right we cannot expect to meet with full success
in this business, and may be compelled, later on, to close out
our whole breeding harem and begin anew. "We cannot afford
to do this, as life is too short to be Avasted in follies of this kind,
to say nothing of the disappointments and expense attending
the same.

As previously stated, I would first advise the beginner in
the horse-breeding enterprise to weigh well the matter of
selecting the breed most desirable for him to ens^age in breed-
ing. After this is done let him next determine to be an im-
prover of the breed selected, going into the business with the
full determination of leaving that ]5articular breed in a somewhat
improved condition from that in which he found it. Such
breeders are an ornament to their profession, and like him Avho
" makes two blades of grass grow where only one grew before,"
a benefactor to his country.

Never use a poor stallion of whatever breed ; if you desire
good colts see that both the dam and sire are as good as you
wish the colt to be.

SELECTING THE STALLION.

It should ever be borne in mind that the stallion approxi-
mates to the one-half of the breeding stud composed of one

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152 SELECTING BREEDING STOCK.

mare or tifty, as every foal carries one-half of the blood of his
sire. Consequently, in order to make horse-breeding, of "what-
ever variety, a success, much depends on the selection of the
stallion. It should be remembered that the stallion carries one-
half of the blood of his dam ; some say more ; some breeders
assert that the foal carries 60 per cent, of the blood and
characteristics of his dam, but of this I will treat later on.
Admitting that your stallion carries 50 per cent, of the blood
of his dam, one of the first things to be looked after is to what
his dam was as to breeding and individual merits, and in
nowise overlooking her disposition.

Some of our most successful trotting sires are out of dams
whose breeding cannot be traced, but in all such cases they are
out of mares of great individual merit, and possessed of great
speed and endurance.

ISToticeably among such sires may be mentioned Alexander's
Abdallah, claimed to be the best son of Hambletonian, and the
sire of one of the greatest campaigners of the world, Goldsmith
Maid, 2.14, etc. Also another noted son of Hambletonian, the
great George Wilkes, with sixty-eight trotters and six pacers in
the list, out of that very gamy and enduring mare, Dolly
Spanker, whose pedigree could never be satisfactorily estab-
lished.

The greatest campaigning trotting stallion of the world,
Ethan Allen, by Black Hawk, and wdiose dam, although un-
doubtedly a Morgan, has not been clearly established. Wood's
Hambletonian, by Alexander's Abdallah, the sire of twenty
trotters, was out of a good mare said to be a Morgan, but of
whose breeding no one knows.

Hambletonian Mambrino, 2.21 i, with five in the list, whose
dam was Topsy, an untraced mare, is another example. Magna
Charta, the sire of five trotters in the list and the dams of
twenty trotters and one pacer whose dam w^as an Indiana
mare, pedigree untraced, is another good one. Smuggler, by
Blanco, and who once held the stallion trotting record of the
world, 2.15i, and who sired eight trotters and one pacer, was

SELECTING BREEDING STOCK. 153

out of a mare whose pedigree could never be traced. The
Moor, sire of Beautiful Bells and five others in the list, and of
the great Sultan with twenty-five in the list, was out of the
gamy trotting mare, Belle of Wabash, whose pedigree is also
untraced.

Warwick Boy, sire of eleven trotters and one pacer, and out
of the McWorther mare, dam of Kelsey, 2.23J, but whose pedi-
gree is still untraced, affords another instance. Western Fear-
naught, whose dam was not traced, is another, although he
sired five in the list from 2.18 to 2.29^; also the dams of
thirty-two in the list.

Again, we have the great and once popular sire, Edward
Everett, the sire of fourteen trotters, nine sires with twenty-
nine trotters and four pacers, and the sire of ten dams of twelve
trotters ; his dam was a " said to be," etc., but undoubtedly a
good one.

Clear Grit, the great Canadian sire of trotters, with seven in
the list, and who was sired by the Thoroughbred imported
Lapidist, and whose dam was a trotting mare witli an untraced
pedigree, is the last I will mention in this connection.

I give these instances of merit against established pedigree
for the purpose of more clearly illustrating my views regarding
the great importance of selecting stallions for breeding pur-
poses out of good, individual mares, whether they are standard
bred according to any set of rules of any breeding or registry
association or not.

But I do not wish to be misunderstood in this matter, for I
tlo not advise the discarding of pedigrees, for, as previously
stated, I like good pedigrees as well as any breeder can, and
would recommend breeding from both stallions and mares with
the best established pedigrees to be obtained, but not obtained
to the sacrifice of the animal sought.

By all means let the stallion selected as the nucleus of your
stud, of whatever breed you desire to engage in raising, be out
of one of the very best mares of that breed both as to pedigree
and individual merit. My experience of over forty years as a

154 SELECTING BREEDING STOCK.

breeder clearly demonstrates to me that the get of any sire,
whether equine or bovine, has a tendency to generally resemble
the characteristics of the dam of that sire more than that of
any other ancestor back of its own parents, and in many cases
ignorino^ all others. •

Consequently, in breeding dairy cows of different classes, I
have always endeavored to obtain a bull to head my herd from
the best milking or butter cow to be obtained, and generally
with the best results.

And now, after having been thoroughly convinced that your
stallion under consideration has a dam of the right stamp, then
the next consideration is to follow up the family of this sire ;
first taking for granted, of course, that the animal under con-
sideration is individually just what suits you and a rare speci-
men of the breed he represents.

Of whatever breed he represents he should be a perfect
specimen with no defalcation as to natural causes. He should
have good, bright, clear, and pleasant eyes, well set in a good-
shaped, fine-muzzled, and broad forehead, witli fine, tapering
ears ; the best of round, sound feet — not flat — connected to
the body by flat, sinewy legs, not too large in proportion to the
body of whatever breed. The fore legs should be well set
under the body, and not be stuck on the outside like the legs of
a bench. He should be short on the back, long on the belly,
well coupled, and ribbed up closely, a full, deep chest, a power-
ful forearm, and well muscled. He should be easy and trappy
in his movements, and of a color corresponding to the breed to
which he belongs. As to disposition he should be of the very
best, level-headed, kind, and pleasant under an 3^ and all circum-
stances ; and to general appearance, beauty, form, color, and
coat, he should be of a type to attract attention anywhere.

As to the age of a stallion to which to breed a mare, I say
any age from two years up to any age he can with any degree
of certainty sire a foal.

Rysdyk's Hambletonian sired Alexander's Abdallah when
two years old. Hambletonian also sired twenty-four foals

SELECTING BREEDING STOCK. 155

when twenty-five years old. The reprocUictiv'e powers of the
stallion depend more on condition than age. There has been
much speculation as to the comparative value of foids got by
certain stallions at different periods of life.

Boston was sired by Timoleon when eighteen years old,
who, in turn, sired the great Lexington at the age of sixteen
years.

Volunteer sired St. Julian when fourteen years old. Im-
ported Diomed sired the great Sir Archy (called the Godolphin
Arabian of America) at the advanced age of twenty-seven
years. The pair of the greatest combined ages at coupling
were George Wilkes 2^), Patsy 17 = 43, and the produce was
Brignoli Wilkes, 2,14|, while the next oldest were Abdallah 25,
Kent mare 15 = 40, and the result was the greatest horse of all,
Rysdyk's Hambletonian. The next oldest pair were Aberdeen
22, Kentucky Central 17 = 39, and the produce was Kentucky
Union, 2.11f, the best two-year-old of her year. On the other
hand, we find three couplings in which the combined ages of
sire and dam were six years each that produced respectively,
Jack, 2.11^, Elfrida, 2.13^, and Merman, 2.14i. As an ex-
ample of an old sire and young mare, we find that Hambletonian,
twentj^-five years, was cou])led with Camptown, three years,
and produced the great sire Egbert.

SELECTING THE BROOD MARE.

In selecting the brood mare it should ever be borne in mind
that the foal carries at least fifty per cent, of tlie blood of the
dam, and yet there is a great difference in mares as breeders,
as some breed after the horse while others breed after them-
selves; and, again, others divide their influence with the sire in
nearly equal proportions.

The first of this class, those who breed almost directly after
the horse, are, in breeding parlance, termed ])assive breeders;
those l)reeding after themselves are positive breeders, and
those who divide their influence with the sire are termed inter-
mediate breeders.

156 SELECTING BREEDING STOCK.

In selecting an untried mare as a brood mare, it is almost
impossible to determine what her influence on her offspring
may be. Yet, if she be a mare of strong will-power and nat-
urally nervous, high strung and trappy, the chances are she
will make a positive breeder; i. e., breeding largely after her-
self. On the other hand if she appears mild, extra clever, and
of a passive disposition, the chances are that she may become
a passive breeder, following largely after the sire. What I
term a positive brood mare will breed after herself whatever
the sire may be, and if a good one should be highly ])rized as
the dam of matched teams ; Avhile w^hat I term a passive brood
mare should be bred only to the very best stallions in the
country, as their produce will resemble the sire in most re-
pects. Of course we must take into consideration that with
animals as with the human family "blood will tell.'' "What is
"bred in the bone" will be transmitted.

The influence of the dam in the transmission of hereditary
qualities is generally very much underestimated, and by some
breeders almost entirely ignored ; yet, when we consider how
intimately the foal is connected with the dam, not only pre-
vious to its birth but long afterwards, that from the very begin-
ning of life it is fed by the mother's blood and affected by her
moods, before it has seen the light she has had the time and
power to stamp it with her vices or her virtues, impart to it
her weakness or her strength — in consideration of these facts
some of the most careful of our breeders are of the opinion
that the dam is justly entitled to fully sixty ])er cent, of her
influence on the foal.

In selecting the brood mare great attention should be paid
to the shape and quality of her feet and legs, always bearing
in mind the old but true adage: "No foot, no horse." The
race-horse that is always troubled with "a leg" is a nuisance.
Avoid curby hocks, spavins, or hock joints predisposed by
nature to spavins, either bog or bone. Her leg should be
rather flat, firm, hard, and smooth, showing an entire absence
of adipose tissue ; rather large but well-defined joints entirely

SELECTING BREEDING STOCK. 157

smooth and free from all bunch or blemish ; firm but elastic
cords ; short in the pastern ; short from knee and hock to pas-
tern joint.

The legs should stand squarely and firmly under the animal,
the toe turning neither in nor out. She should be of full nor-
mal size for the breed represented, neither over nor under size ;
should be possessed of a good head with broad forehead, wide
between the eyes and ears ; ears should be fine pointed and
well set. She should have a full, bright, clear but pleasant
eye, with not an over-abundance of white about the lid, — but
better white than red ; — should have a good, well-set neck, car-
rying her head in good style ; should he short on the back, long*
on the belly, with a deep, full chest ; well and closely ribbed
up, a long hip and possessed of a superabundance of muscle of
the flanks.

She should be possessed of a good, clean, trappy gait, —
whether intended as a producer of speed or draft; — should
have a fine, glossy coat and of a fashionable color for the breed
to which she belongs.

Disposition is also one of the most important items to be
considered in the selection of the brood mare ; for while we
desire plenty of spirit and high-life, we despise a low, base-
spirited and treacherous mare to breed from. Never select a
vicious mare from which to breed any class of horses.

There has been much said and written against using un-
sound mares as brood stock, and while I fully agree with such
champions for sound stock for breeding purposes, I cannot con-
scientiously advise the discarding of good mares on account of
accidental unsoundness; the proofs to the contrary being too
strong when taking into consideration the following facts : The
dam of Sherman Morgan, the Narragansett pacing mare for-
merly ridden by John Brown of Providence, R. I., and after-
wards taken to Vermont by James Sherman and bred to Justin
Morgan, liad a spavin. The fleet, high-spirited gray mare,
dam of old Ethan Allen, also had a spavin. The Charles Kent
mare, dam of Rysdyk's Hambletonian, was driven in the city

158 SELECTING BREEDING STOCK.

of 'New York until unfit for use by lameness. Katy Darling,
the great road mare of JSTew York city and the dam of Alex-
ander's Abdallah, was dead lame at the time of being bred to
Hambletonian, and a cripple for life by getting one of her hind
feet caught in the frog of a railroad track. Clara, the dam of
Dexter, 2.1Ti, had a hip knocked down and was otherwise
blemished.

I could enumerate many other instances where good, well-
bred and gamy mares, meeting with accidents that crippled
them for life, were put to breeding with good results ; but I
have already given you enough examples, I think, to convince
you of the feasibility of utilizing the best mares for breedmg
purposes, though they may have been so unfortunate as to get
crippled.

I

CHAPTER XYIIL

CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE STALLION.

Box Stall — Paddock — Kind treatment — Undue familiarity — Feed — Exer-
cise — Pampering — Grassing — Winter care — Carrots as food —
Worms — Controlling.

TWO things are absolutely necessary on the start, viz., a
box stall and a paddock.

The box stall should not be less than 12 x 14 feet for any
stallion, and may be 14 x 14, or 15 x 15, or 16 x 16 feet, with one
door, four feet wide and eight feet high, made double and
strong, thoroughly riveted, and hung on three good hinges.
Have one window that will give plenty of light without
draught.

Wainscot the entire inside of the stall, except at the door,
with one and one-half or two-inch plank ; the wainscoting to be
four or five feet high from the floor.

The feed box should be broad, so that the food may be
spread out thinly over the bottom to prevent the stallion from
eating his grain too hastily.

Always close the door on entering or leaving the stall, and
always see that the door is properly fastened.

The paddock should not be too large — 50x100 or 40x60
feet may be a good size. The fence should be seven feet high,
at least, and may ,be higher. It should be made of boards
reaching to the ground to prevent his feet slipping under it, and
should be nailed from within against stringers and posts that
are without, for a horse will sometimes climb upon the stringers
to look over the fence and remain there long enough to injure
his tendons.

Never relax your watchfulness when about a stallion ; treat
him with the utmost kindness and consideration — teach him to

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160 CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE STALLION.

have the utmost confidence in you. Never play with a stallion
and allow him to become too familiar, as familiarity may breed
contempt and you may lose part of your influence over him.

One great mistake by inexperienced persons, and by others
who should know better, is the endeavor to have the stallion in
fine show condition, which, ot course, means fat, and are con-
stantly dosing them with mixtures. As a rule of nature, a
healthy horse or man needs no medicine.

Let your stallion be well and regularly fed with healthy
and nutritious food, with plenty of daily exercise to keep his
muscles firm and hardy, and let him be well groomed so that
his coat may present a fine appearance. The skin should be
kept thoroughly clean by an occasional wasliing and frequent
, rubbiuf;: and brushino-.

The mane and tail should also be kept clean. If very dirty
soap may be freely used in the cleaning process ; and when this
is faithfully attended to there will be but little danger of hav-
ing a fine tail or mane ruined by rubbing.

His food should be clean and free from dust or mold, and
the stall should be kept clean, well lighted, and perfectly
ventilated.

Let the stallion have the greatest amount of outdoor life and
exercise consistent with good judgment.

A stallion kept in a band-box may be beautiful to look
upon, his soft, silky coat may shine like velvet, but it should be
borne in mind that his value as a sire does not depend upon
looks alone, but power of transmission.

There are far too many pampered stallions, and, as a result,
they are inferior stock horses and very uncertain foal getters.
Give the horse attention and good care, and, with that, plenty
of steady work, tliat he may be full of energy and prove his
worth in the stud.

To the owner of a brood mare it means much whether a
stallion is in good condition or not. The promise of free return
next year does not make good the loss.

There is no animal that does not enjoy its freedom, so,

CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE STALLION. IGl

when it can be allowed, liberty should be granted to the
stallion.

For summer food, feed good, clean oats, clean hay, plenty
of green grass, and no drugs, eggs, or condiments, as a rule.

Grassing out with halter, attended by the groom, early in
the morning while the dew is on the grass, is of great benefit
to any stallion, and especially toward their feet.

Unless he has a good paddock to run in he should be driven
every day the weather is good during the mare season. I
rather prefer the paddock for high-spirited horses, and the driv-
ing for more sluggish ones.

A state of nature, as near as it can be attained, is attended
, with the best results of the procreative powers, xifter the
season closes the condition of the stallion for the next season's
business will greatly depend upon the manner in which he is
kept from the close of the present to the commencement of the
next.

In most cases in this climate from October 1st to the first of
March the stallion is not called upon for stud duties, and
usually but little is done between July and April.

He consequently has a long period of rest and recuperation
from the drain upon the functions of the sexual organs which
service in the stud has required, but it should not be a season
of pampered and over-fed indolence, as is often the case.

When convenient to do so the very best treatment is to use
him at light work of some kind, and work him regularly but
moderately up to February or March. Feed enough grain to
keep him strong and healthy, but not fat.

WINTER CARE.

It is always best to give the stallion light work during the
fall and winter, but in many cases this is not convenient. The
next best thing is to let him have daily exercise in an open
paddock every day that the weather will permit, if even but
for a short time each day,
11

162 CARE ANDMANAGEMENT OF THE STALLION.

Very little grain should be fed during the winter, and that
little should consist of bran, oats, and other light food.

Carrots are excellent to be fed during the winter months,
with or without grain. Good, clean, oat straw is good fed with
carrots and a few oats. He is better off in a warm stable with-
out a blanket, except, perhaps, in the very coldest weather.

The custom of keeping a stallion tied in a stall with a feed
box full of grain is not only unprofitable, but inhuman.

Cornstalks, grass, potatoes, carrots, turnips, and apples are
all admissible as a change, fed in small quantities for the pur-
pose of pleasing the appetite and loosening the bowels. Keep
mineral salt constantly by him ; dry wood ashes are also almost
indispensable.

Keep clear of worms by all means. Watch the condition
of the bowels ; attend to the teeth, and give especial attention
to the feet.

Average per cent, of mares got in foal by stallions is 67 ;
average per cent, of living foals dropped is 62.

THE NUMBER OF MARES A STALLION MAY SERVE.

It is generally considered as a two-year-old the service
should be light, if any.

A three-year-old may be limited to fifteen or twenty
services, and a four-year-old should not go beyond thirty.

There can be no question that the use of the procreative
powers of the unmatured horse tends to retard his physical
development.

CONTROLLING THE STALLION WHEN IN USE.

While the temper and disposition of stallions are largely
matters of inheritance, yet much depends on the breaking and
management. It is much easier to spoil a horse than to cure
him of bad habits after they have once been allowed to form.

Headstrong stallions should never be led out except by a
bridle that will enable the groom to have perfect control over
him.

CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE STALLION. 163

GROOMING.

Use an old, dull currycomb, a root or broom brush, and a
bristle brush, followed by flannel cloth; these are all the tools
necessary in cleaning and polishing his coat, and they should be
used in the order named, and used every day.

While the stallion should not be pampered and over-fed, he
should be kept as clean as possible, as cleanliness in animals is
of importance, even as it is in man, and we all are taught in the
latter case, " cleanliness is next to godliness."

CHAPTER XIX.

CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF BROOD MARES.

Getting doubtful mares in foal — Eternal vigilance — The productive period
— Period of gestation — Marking the foal — Use the brood mares —
Stabling pregnant mares — Wheat middlings — Enlargement of abdo-
men — Attention at foaling time — Jealous mothers.

T

HE first thing to be done in the management of the brood
mare is to get her in foal, otherwise she cannot properly
be called a brood mare. More money is probably lost on stock
farms through carelessness and the improper handling of mares
in the breeding season than in any other part of the horse
breeding business.

GETTING DOUBTFUL MARES IN FOAL.

Mares that are not regular breeders should have a run at
grass for a few weeks without grain and then taken up and
given grain and put to light work until coming in season, and
then bred. Mares bred and then turned to grass, or mares
running to grass, are not hear as likely to get in foal as are
those managed in this way.

A point upon which there is a great diversity of opinion is
■when and how often a mare should be tried after being served
by the horse. A mare will almost invariably be "in heat" on
the seventh day after foaling if she is healthy and has received
no injury from foaling, and in most cases it is desirable to have
her served at that time if it is thought best to breed her that
season. After service she may be tried again in two weeks.
There is no regular time for a mare to come in heat — after the
ninth day from foaling — nor any regular time for her to stay
in heat.

In this business, as in most others, " eternal vigilance is the
price of success." Mares sometimes, after being bred, refuse

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CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF BROOD MARES. 165

the horse for two months or more when tried regularly and
then come in season.

My plan is to begin early in the season, say in March, and
then try them to the horse regularly every two weeks during
the season.

As to the productive period of mares the best age is said to
be from five to fifteen 3^ears. Breeding fillies at two years of
age often seriously interferes with their symmetrical develop-
ment. Three years is perhaps young enough to breed a mare
and from then on in some cases to thirty years, or as long as
she continues to produce and raise good foals.

The period of gestation in mares is variable. In my own
experience of upwards of thirty years, as a breeder, the average
time that mares have carried their foals has been eleven months
and nine days, and has ranged from ten months and twenty
days to twelve months and twenty-three days. Difference in
breed makes no difi'erence in time. It has been reported that
mares have carried their foals upwards of thirteen months.
A case of this kind was once reported of a mare in Jessa-
mine county, Ky., who carried a foal thirteen months and
twenty-eight days.

MARES MARKING THEIR FOALS.

Mares worked with other horses frequently color or mark
their foals after their mates ; also colts are often marked from
fright, sympathy, and curiosity, and breeding for color with a
view of forming a fixed type or in breeding matched horses,
the In'eeder cannot be too careful on this point.

I once had a pair of Vermont Black Hawk mares, both as
black as jet. I bred them to a brown Morgan stallion, without
any white, in 1862, and at the time I bred one of these mares a
sorrel mare with a white stripe in her face was brought to my
stallion, and I noticed at the time that my mare took quite a
good deal of interest in this outside mare, but thought nothing
of it until foaling time for my mares, when, instead of having
a matched pair as I had reason to expect, one of my mares

166 CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF BROOD MARES.

dropped a black colt and the other a sorrel filly with white
markings, exactly like this neighbor's mare.

Another case of my own was in 1867, when I bred a bay
mare to a bay Morgan stallion without any white markings,
and this mare got away from a boy and ran to one of my
neighbors, and when I found her there a short time afterwards
she was with and seemed interested in a black mare with a
white face; and the next j^ear when she foaled her colt was
black and marked precisely like my neighbor's mare.

One of the most wonderful instances of this kind ever known
was of a colt foaled in the neighborhood of Spokane Falls,
Washington, bearing m his left eye a perfect picture of the
waterfall of Spokane Falls.

Moderate work is not only harmless but beneficial to mares
in foal, provided they are nor over-loaded or over-driven. It
is much better than keeping them tied up in a stall or turned
loose to run at large in yards or fields with other horses. In
the former case they suffer for want of exercise and in the
latter case they are exposed to numerous accidents.

There is force in the suggestion that a good farmer can raise
a colt cheaper than can the professional breeder, as he can use
the mares in his farm work. Undoubtedly there is some
danger of injury to mares in foal, or to the foals from working
the mares, but with careful management this danger is slight.

I once heard a successful farmer say that a pair of draft
mares owned by him annually paid the wages of the man Avho
worked them, and that they lost only about ten days at foaling
time.

My practice has ever been to make reasonable use of mares
while in foal and while they are suckling their foals and have
seen no mjury to either from the practice.

For work on the farm or road I decidedly prefer to have
the foals kept separatel}^ from the mares while the latter are at
work. Great care should be taken that the colt should not be
allowed to suck while the mare is too hot.

Another advantage possessed by the farmer over the large

CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF BROOD MARES. 167

breeder is that he can have full use of such mares as fail to set
in foal, and there are few breeders so fortunate as to have none
of this class.

Pregnant mares should be stabled with due regard to
security against annoyance, compression, or injury by other
horses, and especially guarded against the accident of getting
cast in their stalls.

Don't keep breeding animals fat, but simply in good order ;
a good healthy condition at all times is necessary for the
greatest success in breeding. It is a good plan to feed the
brood mares a few quarts daily of wheat middlings- — the whole
grain coarse ground or cracked would do as well — for three
months before foaling. There is something about the gluten
in wheat that gives the foal bone and strength, and it is less
liable to come weak or crooked. Under the old process of
grinding wheat, bran and middlings had plenty of the glutten
but now it goes mostly into the flour, and the bran and
middlings are of less account.

The mare does not require to be fat or grained highly be-
fore foaling or immediately after. It is always best to allow
the mare to run to grass if it is large enough for a bite, before
foaling, as it will help to make milk and will put the system in
a healthy condition to meet the demands of nature. Every
breeder should recognize the importance of exercise for the
brood mare, either in the paddock, on the road, or in the field ;
thus keeping them strong and healthy and insuring a much
more hardy foal than when they are allowed to stand quietly
in the stall without needful exercise.

It often happens that there is considerable enlargement of
the lower surface of the abdomen and chest durino: the latter
part of the period of pregnancy. The swelling will sometimes
extend from the udder to the fore-legs and become an inch or
more in thickness. This need not, however, alarm the young
breeder, as an hour's walk every day will generally cause most
of the swelling to disappear.

When the time of foaling approaches, the mare should be

168 CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF BROOD MARES.

turned loose in a large box-stall or, in mild weather, in a pad-
dock or lot. Everything should be removed from the stable
that would in any way be likely to hinder the colt from get-
ting on his feet.

A few hours before foaling milk will generally be discov-
ered oozing from the teats or the plugs in the orifice of the teats
will be pressed down so as to be plainly seen. When this is
observed the foal will make its appearance within twenty-four
hours, and someone should be at hand and keep close watch of
the mare until it is dropped.

Some mares may raise colts for years, running at will with
no one near at foaling time, but this is not good management,
for it sometimes happens that the mare needs assistance in the
delivery of the foal, and sometimes the foal has not sufficient
strength to break the blanket in which it is enveloped, in which
case, unless someone is ready to render assistance the young
animal will speedily smother to death. Again it happens some-
times that mares, especially with their first foals, will not own
their offspring, but will rush upon them violently and either
stamp or kick them to death if someone is not near to divert
their attention.

After removing the blanket the newly-dropped foal should
be rubbed dry gently with soft, woolen cloths, or clean, fresh
straw. If strong and healthy the new-comer will soon make
an attempt to get on his feet. A little assistance from an at-
tendant will save the foal many a bump and possibly its life.
When the colt begins to manifest symptoms of hunger the
man in charge, who, by the way, should be one with whom the
mare is acquainted, should assist the youngster in taking his
first meal. It is often a difficult task and will require great
patience oxl the part of the groom to get the teat into the
mouth of the foal, but when that is accomplished and the
youngster gets his first swallow of milk the worst of the job
is over.

If the dam is of a nervous temperament she will sometimes
object to being touched by the foal ; if she is inclined to be

CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF BROOD MARES. 169

cross it will be best to pick up lier near fore foot, bending it
backwards until it rests against the forearm, and fasten it there
by means of a broad, soft strap ; a common pole-strap will an-
answer the purpose admirably, but if this kind of a strap is
not handy, then a hold-back from a single harness may be
made to answer. "With her head well elevated and fastened
there, and one fore-foot strapped up as above described there
is but little danger from injury by kicking.

Close watch should be kept to see that there is an evacua-
tion of the bowels. A great many foals are lost every year
owing to a lack of attention to this very important matter.
Give an injection of half a pint of warm soap suds and give a
physic of castor oil, if necessary ; but usually the injection will
be sufficient.

It is always well to have on hand at such times, and to give
the mare a wheat bran mash mixed with warm water or a few
quarts of warm oat-meal gruel. Give no cold water to drink
for two days after foaling if in cool or cold weather, but take
the chill off by adding a little hot water or by the insertion of
a hot iron into a pail of w^ater.

Care should also be used in feeding grain to the dam direct-
ly after foaling, but in a few days she may be fed liberally
— commencing lightly and increasing gradually — with a mix-
ture of ground oats, cracked wheat, and corn-meal lightened
up with bran. A good mixture may consist of five bushels of
oats to one of wheat, one of corn-meal, and two of bran. The
foals will soon learn to eat with their mothers.

If the weather is suitable the sooner the foal is turned into
a warm, dry, any sunny yard the better. The dam should not
be allowed to stand m a draught of air or remain out in damp
or chilly weather.

It is certainly a trouble to look after the foals as they ar-
rive, but it just as certainly pays to do so ; if they are weak
they sometimes require a little stimulant of whisky or other
spirituous liquor.

170 CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF BROOD MARES.

JEALOUS MOTHERS.

Some mares, especially those of very sensitive organiza-
tion, are excessively jealous of their offspring and are opposed
to anyone coming near them, and in their zeal to protect are
liable to injure them. Others are proud of their foals and take
o-reat delisrht in exhibitino; them to their friends.

The great race mare, Goldsmith Maid, was one of these
sensitive mothers, and it is related of her that when her first
foal was brought forth she would allow no one to come near
it; but one day Charley (her old attendant ^ — swipe — ^when she
was in Budd Doble's stable), visited Fashion Farm. Charley
and the Maid were once firm friends, and to test the endurance
of that friendship Charley concealed himself near the cranky
old mare and allowed her to hear his voice. The Maid was in
the paddock with her colt by her side. On hearing Charley's
voice she instantly raised her head and gave a whinny of de-
light, and with that bold, free, sweeping stride that in by -gone
years had electrified thousands, dashed about the paddock in
search of her old friend. When Charley appeared she w^ent
to the fence over which he leaned, showing her joy in every
action. ISJ^ot only did she welcome him but invited him to
fondle her baby. Round about the two she circled, uttering a
low whinny which expressed an unspeakable joy, and she acted
the showwoman to a marked degree in the exhibition of her
young colt.

CHAPTER XX.

MANAGEMENT OF THE FOAL.

Care of young foals — Getting to nurse — Evacuation of bowels — Injec-
tions— Feeding the foal — Heated milk — Raising by hand — Wean
ing — Feeding — Care of weanlings — Handling — Halter breaking —
Breaking foals — Naming the colt.

NO part of a breeder's time can be more profitably spent
tlian when looking after young foals, and if more diligence
were used in looking after the mare and foal immediately pre-
ceding, during, and following the foaling period, much less loss
would be sustained at this particular time.

At foaling time the mare should always be attended by a
competent person able, if necessary, to assist her in her labors,,
and to cut and securely tie the navel cord. He should then, if
necessary, help the mother to dr}^ the foal by rubbing with rub
cloth or dry straw, and when the foal makes his first effort to
stand on his feet he should be assisted to do so and not be al-
lowed — as is often the case — to struggle to accomplish this ob-
ject until so much exhausted as to be unable to stand up and
suck after he has succeeded in gaining a standing position ;
besides, in his struggle to get up, he is liable to receive perma-
nent injuries. I have known of the loss of an eye and the
knocking down of a hip and other injuries by this means.

When the foal is once firmlv on his feet the first thinff to do
is to get him to suck, as he requires nourishment at once, and
there is nothing equal to the first milk of the mother m this, as
in the case of all animals, from man down to the lowest order
of the mammalia class.

It is frequently the case, and especially so witli nei-vous
mares with their first foal, tiiat they are unwilling at first to
allow the colt to suck ; hence the great importance of having a

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172 MANAGEMENT OF THE FOAL.

competent man at hand to assist the foal in securing his first
meal. This man should be one with whom the mare is ac-
quainted, and especially so if she be of a nervous temperament.

It sometimes happens that the foal has not sufficient
strength to break the blanket in which he is enveloped ; then,
unless someone is at hand to do so, the young thing will soon
smother to death.

"When it is difficult to get the youngster to help itself, try
to stream some milk from the teat of the dam into its mouth,
and rub some of the milk on its nose. Continue this until it
gets a taste of the milk, after which it will be more eager to
help itself.

Close watch should be kept to see that there is an evac-
uation of the bowels. A great many foals are lost each year
by a lack of attention to this very important matter. If the
foal exhibits symptoms of distress or much uneasiness, and
especially if the hind legs are draAvn forward and the head
drooped and the little thing stumbles about the stall or pad-
dock as if trying to stand on its head, or turn a somersault,
give it at once an injection of half a pint of blood-warm water
with just enough soap in it to make it feel slippery to the touch.
.Glycerine may be added to the water in proportion to one part
glycerine to two parts water.. This may be administered by a
common rubber bulb sja^inge suitable for family use, or by any
other stj'^le of syringe not too large.

It may be necessary to' follow up the injection for a day or
two. A dose of castor oil may be given if required ; care
should be taken not to give more than is necessary lest purging
may be induced.

If the weather is suitable the sooner a foal is turned into a
dry, sunny yard Avith its dam the better. There is nothing bet-
ter than sunshine for all very young animals, especially if it is
not too hot. It is some trouble to' look after the youngsters
when they are very young, but it pays to do so.

MANAGEMENT OF THE FOAL. 173

FEEDING THE FOAL.

More can be done for the foal in the first six months of its
life than in any year thereafter, consequently the mare should
be extra well fed during the time of nursing the colt, and then,
if she proves to be a poor milker, as is many times the case, the
foal should be fed in addition to what it can get from its dam.
It should be taught to drink sweet skim-milk, which is very
good for 3^oung foals. Do not feed whole, or new milk, as
cream is unnatural to the foal ; there is none in mare's milk.
The foals will learn to eat grain with their mothers at an early
age.

A brood mare suckling a foal, especially if said foal is ex-
pected to become valuable, should be fed liberally for milk,
both as regards quantity and quality.

When the colt gets to be three months old he will eat con-
siderable food in addition to what he can get from the mare,
and he should be liberally supplied with oats in a separate feed
trough where he can help himself and where the mare cannot
get to them to drive him away.

SUCKLING COLTS.

"When the mare is used on the farm or road in hot weather
so as to heat her blood, the foal should not be allowed to suck
until she has cooled off. Let him fill himself before the mare
is put in the harness. Colts injured by heated milk seldom re-
cover from it for a year or two, and sometimes never.

RAISING BY HAND.

It sometimes becomes necessary to raise a foal wholly by
hand, as it is called when required to be raised without the aid
of its dam. Such was the case of Andrew Jackson, the founder
of the Clay family ; of George Wilkes, 2.22, the founder of the
Wilkes family; of Lilian Wilkes, 2.17f (at three years old);
of Belle Hamlin, 2.12| ; and many other good ones have been
raised on cow's milk.

This is a plan worthy of more extended experiment, and is

174 MANAGEMENT OF THE FOAL.

a great help in. bringing a foal through his first winter until
grass comes ; but grain should also be fed in connection with
the milk. The milk should be fed slightly warm — about the
same temperature as it comes from the cow, and termed " milk
warm " ; this is nature's temperament for all young animals.

As soon as grass gives out the fall after weaning it is quite
important that the foal should have a laxative green food.
Almost all cultivated roots are good, but by far the best are
carrots. When sweet apples are plentiful and cheap, there is
nothing better as long as they will last.

When the foal is weaned he will want a variety in his grain
ration, but it should consist chiefly of crushed oats or ground
oats ; some wheat is always good.

I like a little corn-meal mixed with ground oats and other
feed for colts wintered in northern climates. Some think that
corn-meal is too heating for young colts ; so it is, fed liberally
and alone as a grain ration, but mixed as above, and fed in win-
ter in our Northern States, it makes a pretty good overcoat to
help keep the j^oungster warm, and will keep them free from
Avorms better than any other food except linseed oil meal,
which, by the way, is a most excellent food for any and all
stock, and especially so for all young animals; but it should be
fed sparingly and mixed with other grains.

In the care of colts scant feeding is to be deplored, and,
worse yet, the exposure to severe cold and storms ; while over-
feeding the colt makes him clumsy by having the nerves over-
loaded with fat. Digestion has too often been impaired by an
over-loaded stomach ; if this is done in the colt there is little
hope of having a healthy and long-lived horse.

In caring for weanlings the first winter, give them plenty
to eat of clean, good, bright hay, and sweet rowen, if accessible,
with grain rations suitable to its size and needs. Do not over-
feed with grain, and give an occasional feed of roots, etc., and
give plenty to drink. Skim-milk is best, but water will do, and
give plenty of open air exercise and sunshine, but carefully
avoid exposure to bleak winds and cold storms.

MANAGEMENT OF THE FOAL. 175

All colts should be well halter-broken the first winter of
their lives if not sooner. Keep a good supply of clean wood-
ashes and salt near them ; they will eat all they require and no
more. This keeps them free from worms, and otherwise
healthy.

WEANING.

"When the colt is taken from the mare it may be tied in an
adjoining stall with the partition open enough so that they may
see each other. The mare should be fed lightly on dry feed.

When the bag becomes so full as to cause uneasiness it may
be partially milked out — not dry — by the colt for the first
time, but afterward by hand, as the milk will become some-
what feverish and not good for the foal.

After weaning the colt may be fed skim-milk, especially if
not in good condition at weaning time.

Good, sound, clean oats is the best food for colts. A little
oil-meal is also good, as well as carrots, clean hay, and clover,
if clean and sweet.

HANDLING.

Commence to handle the foal from the first and let him
distinctly understand that while you are his superior in strength
you are his friend and will not hurt him ; then he will have
full confidence in you and will ever be easily managed.

Halter-break foals when only a few days, or at the most,
a few weeks old. When taken at from two to six weeks old
they can generally be halter-broken in half an hour, especially
if they have been handled from birth.

BREAKING FOALS.

It is wonderful how easy it is to accustom a weanling to
harness, compared with the work if delayed until older,

NAMING THE COLT.

Next to naming the baby this is perplexing and difficult.
Large breeders are many times at a loss to know what to call
their foals. I prefer giving each animal at the start a good

176 MANAGEMENT OP THE FOAL.

and appropriate name. For this purpose I have for many years
kept a book of well-selected names, both male and female,
alphabetically arranged and applicable to any animal, and as I
use a name I so designate it on the book that I may not use the
same name a second time ; thus I am better able to keep a run
of my animals than I would otherwise be. "When I can do so
without repetition I prefer to give a foal a name that will identify
the family to which he belongs.

For instance, a filly desirable for a brood mare may have
the name of some flower, and to all of her descendants may be
given the names of flowers.

Or, the family lines may be sufficiently marked by giving
one mare and her descendants the names of cities, villages, or
towns ; to others, the names of poets, novelists, or other
writers, and such names as they have chosen for their works.

CHAPTEK XXI.

BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER.

Speed attractive feature — Only few trot fast — Breed for beauty, size, style,
and action — Demand for first-class roadsters in advance of supply —
Easier to breed beauty than speed — The standard craze — French
ahead of Americans in systematic breeding — Selecting breeding stock
— The most modern breed — Color — Hambletonians — Mambrino
Chief — Blue Bull — Early foals — Good care important — High prices
for.

THE general principles of horse-breeding as laid down in
another chapter are, of course, as applicable to breeding
the American trotter as to that of other breeds ; nevertheless,
I feel that the importance of this breed in America requires a
more special notice than I have given in my general principles
of horse-breeding.

In breeding the American trotter, speed is one of the most
attractive features of the whole business, but it should ever be
borne in mind that to breed for speed alone would be the
height of folly.

Every breeder who has carefull}^ studied the matter knows
full well that only a small portion of well-bred trotters go fast ;
consequently, when we select our trotting-bred sires and dams
for the purpose of producing fast trotters we must bear in mind
that not more than one out of every twenty will make a fast
trotter, while the other nineteen will be left on the breeder's
hands, and for what purpose?

Well, if proper attention and good judgment is given in the
selection of tlie parents, out of these nineteen colts that cannot
trot sensationally fast, at least fifteen of them will sell at re-
munerative prices as roadsters and business horses, or for breed-
ing purposes, as they will have good size, style, action, and he
possessed of enough beauty to make them an article of ready
12 (177)

1?8 BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER.

sale in any horse market of America ; but, if we breed for
speed alone without the other considerations, and get a little
animal that is not a fast trotter, — then what? Why, we had
better have raised a steer or mule with the same food and less
trouble and expense.

The breeding of fine, stylish roadsters should prove a valu-
able auxiliary to the trotting-horse breeder whose main object
may be speed; consequently animals with not enough speed
for the trainer for fast records, may yet, if backed with en-
durance and a handsome form, with good disposition, be a
source of profit to the breeder and add to the wealth of the
community in which he is bred.

Then, again, the demand for stylish, well-formed, spirited,
but withal, level-headed and kind horses for the road has
alwa3"s been in advance of the supply. To breed trotters, the
culls of which (as to phenomenal speed) will be of this class,
the breeder should not only select as the sire a stallion from
the great families of sires so known to fame, but secure the
best individual specimens of strains that have excelled in pro-
ducing trotters, and breed them to mares that have stamina,
size, stjde, form, and endurance.

Speed and the ability to produce speed are desirable charac-
teristics in a trotting sire and make a strong combination. It
is much easier to breed beauty than speed, and, on the whole,
perhaps quite as profitable in the long run. Beauty of form
and carriage does not detract from speed, and what is more
worthless than a homely trotter that has not speed enough to
be of any account as a race-horse, nor yet has the qualities
necessary to a good road-horse, and is not even fitted by nature
to be a good work-horse ? So, I reiterate : " Breed horses for
beauty, brains, and business." The first quality will always
attract customers who can and will pay the highest prices ;
and brains — good horse sense — is an important factor in a
horse for any purpose.

The standard craze, based simply on the merits of speed
alone for a single mile, has injured the trotting-horse interests

I

BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER, 179

of America more than anything else could have done ; it has
filled the country with worthless brutes, unsuitable for any use
whatever, except, perhaps, a single season's gambling imple-
ment ; and on the simple achievement of this single season
they have — both stallions and mares — been placed at the head
of our best American stock farms.

This is not business-like, and will never permanently suc-
ceed. Although a firm believer in pedigree itself, I think it not
to be considered unless merit as well as speed is behind the in-
dividual. The standard craze amounts to nothing unless
backed by individual merit. Pedigree is all right, but stand-
ard-bred horses eligible to registry as such, without an animal
to correspond with the pedigree — as often witnessed in com-
bination sales when highly-bred stock will not sell for half
enough to pay for their service fees — is a highly deplorable
state of things, plainly showing that there is a screw loose some-
where.

This standard business may be carried a little too far when,
it admits everything bred in a certain line, without paying any
regard whatever to the animal so bred as being worthy of use
for breeding purposes, and rejecting many much better and
also well-bred animals because they do not come up to the stand-
ard in breeding according to set rules.

How many gentlemen breeders among my readers have sold
good, well-bred mares for a nominal price because they were
non-standard according to the rules, and replaced them with
others much inferior at long prices, simply because they were
standard 'i Ho^v many good colts have been gelded because of
being non-standard, and their places usurped by inferior ani-
mals both as to meritorious breeding and individual merit, that
were standard ? That the standard and the standard number
has discarded many a good animal, filling their places with in-
ferior ones, none of much observation and experience can deny,

I like good breeding and fashionable pedigree as well as any
man, but what I consider of more importance, and what has
given me better results and greater satisfaction, is individual

180 BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER.

excellence and positive qualities. Pedigree often sells trasn at
fancy prices.

I do not wish to be misunderstood in this matter of horse
registration and the standard. It is all right and proper that
we have a registry, a standard, and a standard number for each
registered animal. But my idea in this matter is, I presume,
an original one, and many breeders may not agree with me,
but I believe no stallion colt should be eligible to record as stand-
ard to be kept for breeding purposes until attaining suitable age
and development, and subjected to an examination of a compe-
tent, disinterested committee, duly and intelligently appointed
for the purpose of ascertaining his individual qualifications —
breeding included — to entitle him to a place on the registry as
standard-bred and worthy of public patronage.

If this rule should be adopted and strictly adhered to, then
we should soon be rid of standard-bred weeds and no-account
animals as public sires.

The French, as a nation, are far ahead of us Americans as
to selecting and controlling the use of public stallions. (See
The French Coach Horse, Chapter XIII.)

As to the standard as it now stands, neither Electioneer,
Nutwood, George Wilkes, Red Wilkes, nor Alcantara would be
admitted as standard hred, while the book stands wide open for
the registration of countless numbers of worthless weeds or
culls.

Lucas Broadhead, agent of the famous Woodburn Farm of
Kentucky, says that he " would rather have a horse that is well
bred according to the general idea of what a well-bred horse is,
than to have a horse that trotted in 2.30, and a man that breeds
to a horse without a pedigree, with speed, will be excelled by
the man who breeds to a pedigree without speed." He can
point to Woodburn as almost uncontrovertible proof of -his
position.

No pedigree can be a good one that does not generally pro-
duce good animals ; no pedigree should be prized above other
pedigrees unless it usually produces better animals. If tried by

I

BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 181

this test any pedigree that fails, no matter how much it has
been idolized, its value is fictitious, and its effects are injurious
to the breeding public.

High strains of blood from a powerful race, coupled with
individual merit, constitute the standard of value with me. I
want no weeds as breeders, whether standard-bred or not.

The breeding of the trotting horse has been likened to
catching a good wife in Paris, which, in turn, has been
described as grabbing for one eel in a basket of snakes, and
should not be entered into with the expectation of making it a
success by the careless and indifferent.

To successfully breed the American Trotter, great skill,
care, patience, and perseverance are required, more so than for
the breeding of an}" other animal. The reasons are obvious.

Firstly, it is a new breed scarcely fairly established, and to
firmly place it as a recognized breed the world over there can
be no more fooling or carelessness on the part of the breeders.

SELECTING BREEDING STOCK FOR THE AMERICAN TROTTER.

In selecting breeding stock as the foundation of a stud for
the purpose of breeding the American Trotter the judicious
breeder will discriminate between the speedy, flashy weed, and
the horse of both speed and stamina ; between the little
homely, ungainly animal (even though holding the world's
record at the time) and the good-sized, symmetrical, beautiful,
level-headed, well-bred animal, that would attract attention
anywhere, even though the latter has not attained as fast a
record as the little plug-ugly before mentioned.

The American Trotter is the most modern of all the breeds
mentioned herein, and, whatsoever others may say, there is still
great need of an established type in this American horse' a
more uniformity in likeness, size, speed, disposition, and
general characteristics; and the breeder who does most to
secure all of these will also secure the thanks of the horsemen
of the 20th century.

Size, color, disposition, and soundness should not be sacri-

182 BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER.

ficed to speed alone ; and the breeder making these sacrifices
will as surely " get left " as the sun is sure to rise in the east
or the moon to get full once every month.

Color is merely an individual fancy ; but in fixing the type
of the American trotting horse perhaps this matter should re-
ceive due attention. In selecting foundation stock for breed-
ing choose the best individual animals obtainable from the best
trotting-bred families and of good trotting action. As to the
brood mares being registered as standard I care little ; I prefer
good individual trotting-bred mares that can trot, to standard-
bred and registered weeds that cannot.

For the sire or dam of a colt to make a trotter of I prefer
a 2.30 animal that is a natural, level-headed trotter, and that
can trot fairly and squarely off-handed without weights or
boots, and can continue to do this, to any animal requiring such
an amount of extra harness and trapping that its best acquaint-
ances will fail to recognize it when fitted for the race, even if
by these artificial appliances they can be made to trot in 2.04.

I may be called an old fogy for advocating such notions, in
this, the 19th century, but such opinions will, I am confident,
bear the strictest investigations, and in the long run will prove
themselves true every time when applied to the breeding of our
fastest and best trotters. Give me natural, not artificial, trot-
ters from which to breed trotters, is the whole thing in a nut-
shell.

The trotting horse should not be bred simply for racing
alone or for wealthy gentlemen to drive on the road, smgly or
in pairs ; but he raises the general standard of the horse for all
work and because of his quick stride and great endurance is
both profitable and serviceable for general use. The breeder
of the trotting horse of to-day should ever bear in mind that
of all the trotting-bred animals bred and raised but a small
proportion will ever become sensational trotters, and the great
majority must find employment elsewhere than on the trotting-
course ; consequently the importance of breeding only such

I

BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 183

individual animals as may be both useful and serviceable out-
side of the speed-ring.

To further illustrate my idea in breeding speed from trotting-
bred animals other than those of the fastest records, we will
take as a case in point, Arion, 2.07|, who had no trotting an-
cestor, either male or female, with a record of 2.30 even, except
Nutwood, 2.181; and right here, in the breeding of Arion, we
find a strong argument for the late Leland Stanford's theory
for selecting, as brood mares to breed to trotting stallions, the
best thoroughbred race mares — those that could race and win ;
not culls or weeds, to be obtained as dams of fast trotters. He
proved to the world beyond a doubt that his theory was, in the
main, correct ; but shall we continue on in the coursed I say
ho. For just as long as we continue to do so we put off what
we desire to accomplish, and postpone the day of establishing
the American Trotter as a distinct and world-recognized breed.
With establishing this breed as with establishing the English
Thoroughbred there is a time to stop experimenting with all
outside issues. There is not a shadow of doubt but the
thoroughbred has done his full share in establishing the Ameri-
can Trotter as we find him up to date ; neither is there any
doubt but the Arabian horse has done his full share in produc-
ing the thoroughbred ; yet it appears that the English breeder
knew when he had got enough of the Arab, and stopped. 1
claim that the American breeder has enough of tlie thorough-
bred, now, as a cross on the trotter, and should, therefore, stop
and confine himseli strictly to breeding the American Trotter
from trotting-bred ancestry of stamina and race-qualities at the
trotting gait.

Were I to commence the business to-day of breeding the
American trotting horse I should select for my breeding stock
on both sides from the oldest and best families of trotters that
have trotted and have done most to achieve the great popularity
of this breed in America or the world ; and not from any whirl-
wind, phenomenal, come-by-chance trotter or pacer, although
he or she might hold the world's record at the time.

184 BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER.

I like to have trotting stock for breeding purposes trace to
such animals as Rysdyk's Hambletonian through his best bred
sons, among which I consider embraced (alphabetically), Ad-
ministrator, Alexander's Abdallah, Ajax, Dictator, Dauntless,
Electioneer, Egbert, George Wilkes, Happy Medium, Harold,
Jay Gould, Messenger Duroc, Strathmore, Sweepstakes, Volun-
teer, and Victor Bismarck.

I don't .claim that this list embraces all the sons of Hamble-
tonian worthy of patronage, but I know that all of those con-
tributed largel}'^ to the establishment of the Hambletonian
family of the American Trotter of the period. However, m
the above list I have my own preferences, and especially so as
regards selecting the stallion; as some of them were much
better brood mare sires than that of stallions.

Mambrino Chief was another great progenitor of trotters —
mainly through his daughters — and pedigrees tracing to him
are well worthy of consideration by the breeder of the Ameri-
can Trotter.

Animals tracing to Imported Belfounder other than
through Hambletonian are also well worthy of consideration ;
especially those tracing to him through Green's Bashaw. Those
tracing to Vermont Black Hawk, especially through Daniel
Lambert, are usually desirable for the stud ; as are also all ani-
mals tracing to old Imported Diomed, As to Blue Bull, that
great progenitor of trotters from cold-blooded Indiana mares,
although his breeding cannot and perhaps will not ever be cor-
rectly ascertained, I have no doubt but he was a well-bred
horse and I should have no hesitancy in breeding to him
through his best-bred sons and daughters.

Breeders of all classes of race-horses should bear in mind
that early foals are preferable in every way to late ones. The
reasons are obvious ; the earl}^ foal gets a good start and is bet-
ter able to withstand that great torment to all horse flesh, the
fly, which is so annoying to all horses, old and young, in the
field and in the stable. Foals dropped late in the spring or
early in the summer months, are not infrequently killed out-

BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 185

right — ia some localities — by these merciless and annoying
insects ; others have their growth more or less retarded from
the same cause.

More than this — an early colt may be weaned in time to
become accustomed to solid foods and can more easily be kept
in good condition during the first winter, coming out in the
spnng strong and vigorous.

Another important item of consideration to the trotting-
horse breeder is, that all registered animals and all eligible
racers' ages are reckoned as commencing with the year ; so a
colt foaled on January 1st stands equal with one foaled on the
31st of December, of the same year. Consequently the earlier
in the year the foal is dropped the more advantage it has as
regards age ; and this item alone is of vast importance in rais-
ing horses for the turf or track. Aside from this advantage it
is generally conceded that the early foal will alwa3^s make a
larger and stronger animal than the later one. What I mean
by the later one, in this connection, is the one dropped in the
late spring or during the summer or early fall months.

In most of the middle and western states, however, I should
prefer — other things set aside — to have the foals come in Oc-
tober and then carefully house and feed them with the dam
during the winter. Thev Avill then be able to g-o out to o^rass
early in the season and be better able to withstand the murder-
ous puncturings of the flies.

Good care is the grand secret in horse-raising, second only
in importance to that of blood, which is purely an inherited
quality and a lack of which no after care can ever compensate.
Abundant opportunity for exercise in the fresli air is an abso-
lute essential to a health}^ development of all young animals;
it is not sufficient that the colt be led out at regular intervals
for his exercise ; he needs and should have the opportunity to
romp and play.

A stirring up of spirit that causes him to extend his muscles
to the outmost and expand his lungs to their very depths, and
to send the blood coursing through his veins with fiery vigor ;

186 BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER.

— all of these are essential to a healthy and full development,
and nowhere can it be attained equal to the freedom of the
field.

Still, even in pleading for this wild freedom for the growing-
colt, I do not wish to be misunderstood. I do not advocate the
starving, freezing process through which so many youngsters
are obliged to wend their ways to horsehood. A stunted, half-
starved animal of any breed will never attain to so perfect
physical development as one that has been w^ell fed and cared
for. The true policy in developing the healthy growth of the
American trotter is by a generous supply of nutritious food and
by permitting them to romp and race and play at will. By so
doing we will secure a healthy and full development of heart
and lungs, of bone and muscle.

As to the general management of the foal of the American
trotter it should not vary much from instructions heretofore
given in the management of foals in general. (See Manage-
ment of Foals, Chapter XX.)

Handling and training will come under another head. (See
Breaking and Training, Chapter XXVIII.)

HIGH PRICES FOR TROTTING HORSES.

American-bred trotting horses have been sold for the fol-
lowing high prices :

Arion, blk. c, three years, by Electioneer, dam Nanette by Nut-
wood, S125,000.

Axtell, b. c, three years, b}^ Wm. L., son of George Wilkes,
dam by Mambrino Boy, $105,000.

Anteo, b. c, by Electioneer, dam Columbine by A. AV. Rich-
mond, $55,000.

Bell Boy, b. c, by Electioneer, dam Beautiful Bells by The
Moor, $51,000.

Stamboul, blk. c, by Sultan, dam Fleet wing by Hambleto-
nian, $50,000.

Nancy Hanks, b. m., by Happy Medium, dam Nancy Lee by
Dictator, $45,000.

BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER. 187

Sunol, b. in., by Electioneer, dam "Waxana by Gen. Benton,

$41,000.
Acolyte, b. h., by Onward, dam Lady Alice by Almont,

$40,000.
Maud S., c. m., by Harold, dam Miss Russell by Pilot, Jr.,

$-1:0,000.

Smuggler, br. h., by Blanco, dam untraced, $40,000.

Pocahontas, b. m., by Ethan Allen, dam Pocahontas by Iron's
Cadmus, $40,000.

Rarus, b. g., by Concklin's Abdallah, dam Nancy Awful by
Telegraph, $36,000.

Antevolo, b. h., by Electioneer, dam Columbine by A. W. Rich-
mond, $35,000.

Jay Gould, b. h., by Hambletonian, dam Lady Sanford by
American Star, $35,000.

Dexter, br. g., by Hambletonian, dam Clara by American Star,
$33,000.

Goldsmith Maid, b. m., 2.14, by Alexander's Abdallah, dam
Old Ab by Abdallah (1), $32,000.

The King, b. g., by George Wilkes, dam Jewell by Gill's Ver-
mont, $31,000.

Lady Thorne, b. m., by Mambrino Chief, dam Rhodes' mare by
Gano, $30,000.

Blackwood, blk. h., by Alexander's Norman, dam by Mam-
brino Chief, $30,000.

Prince Wilkes, ch. g., by Red Wilkes, dam Roe's Chief by
Brown Chief, $30,000.

Pancoast, b. h., by Woodford Mambrino, dam Bicara by Har-
old, $28,000.

Gov. Sprague, blk. h., by Sprague's Hambletonian, dam Belle
Brandon by Hambletonian, $27,500.

Patron, b. h., by Pancoast, dam Beatrice by Cyler, $27,500.

Constantine, b. m., by Egbert, dam not traced, $27,000.

George Wilkes, b. h., by Hambletonian, dam Dolly Spanker,
pedigree untraced, $25,000.

p^pERTY OF SCHWENKSVILLE
COMMUNITY LIDRARY, INC.
SCHWENKSVILLE, PA.

188 BREEDING THE AMERICAN TROTTER.

Kettie, b. m., 2.18, by Harabletonian, dam Countyhouse Mag

by American Star, $25,000.
Gazelle, b. m., by Hambletonian, dam Hattie Wood by Harry
Clay, $20,000.

Twenty-seven trotters sold for $1,104,000, or an average of
$10,900.

Sixty-nine head of colts and fillies, all sired by Electioneer,
sold at auction in New York city in 1891 for $68,105, an aver-
age of $987.90.

Mares in foal should never be used for horseback riding.
Many abortions have occurred by neglecting to observe this
rule.

CHAPTER XXII.

OLD TIME TROTTERS.
Topgallant — Ripton — Lady Suffolk — Flora Temple — Ethan Allen — Geo.
M. Patchen — Geo. Wilkes — Goldsmith Maid — American Girl —
Dutchman — Americus — Dexter — Columbus — Betting on races —
Lady Suffolk {In Memoriam).

" Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to miu' ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And days o' lang syne ? "

AMONG the old-time trotters who have contributed their
share toward creating and establishing an. interest in
the American trotter, and who have afforded much pleasure to
the lovers of fast trotters, and who have occasionally electrified
the trotting world by their marvelous performances on the
turf, but who have long since gone the way of all flesh, I will
mention a few of the most noted in their day ; and to give my
readers some sort of an idea as to how the trotting business
was conducted in the past, I have selected ten noted trotters of
their day, which we will — partially, at least — follow through
their campaigns.

We Avill commence in 1829 with old Imported Messenger's-
son. Topgallant ; then, in order, comes a somewhat noted son
of Sherman Morgan, called Ripton; then the much-abused
gray mare, Lady Suffolk. Next comes that wonderful little
mare, Flora Temple ; then the noted son of Black Hawk, and
the King of the Morgans, Ethan Allen ; then will come the
brown stallion Geo. M. Patchen, with a race record of 2.23f ;
then the founder of the Wilkes' family, George Wilkes, 2.22;
then the reigning queen of her day, Goldsmith Maid — the first
to lower the trotting record to 2.14; then the invincible Dex-
ter, the great horse of his time who so long held the world's

(189)

190 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

trotting record of 2.17^; and finally, that honest and gamy
race-mare, dying in the harness and now lying under a monu-
ment perpetuating her memory, American Girl.

Many others might be mentioned in detail, some of whom
may be as worthy of mention as any of these, but in a work
like this it should not be expected.

It will appear that in the trotting races of fifty or sixty
years ago (and even more than that), this sport was highly in-
teresting and entertaining to many of the good citizens of
those days, and ever has been more or less so since the days of
the earliest Morgans, more than ninety years ago. It is sup-
posed that then, as now, betting on the results of the races was
considered much the same, as

"A noble, virtuous citizen

Is he who backs the winner ;
But he who backs a losing nag
Is a gambler and a sinner."

Topgallant was a dark bay horse foaled in 1808, on Long
Island, N. Y. He stood fifteen-three high ; he was plain and
raw-boned but had rather a fine head and neck, and eyes ex-
pressive of much courage. His sire was old Imjjorted Messen-
ger.

Topgallant was surely an old-time trotting horse and one of
the best of his time ; and, being a son of old Messenger, his .ex-
ploits on the turf had much to do with directing the attention
of the trottino; world to Messeno^er and his stock.

In speaking of this old-time trotter, the late Hiram Wood-
ruff in the "Trotting Horse of America," says: '"He was, in
fact, in some respects tlie most extraordinary trotter that ever
came under my observation. In the capital points of longevity
and endurance I have never known quite his equal, all things
taken into account. "When I say longevity I mean the length
of days while serviceable as a trotter, and able to meet and
beat very often the best of his time. I do not mean vegetat-
ing, about half dead at the root and rotten at the trunk, as
many of tlie horses spoken of for their longevity have been.

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 191

I speak of old Topgallant as one of the best and stoutest that
ever looked through a bridle. When I first knew him he was
spavined in both hind legs.

" His spirit was very high and yet he was so reliable that he
would hardly ever break, and his bottom was of the finest and
toughest qualit}^ He was live oak as well as hickor}', for the
best of his races were made after he was twenty years old.
He was more than fourteen years of age before he was known
at all as a trotter except that he could go a distance the whole
length of the ' New York road ' as well as any horse that had
ever been extended on it.

" Topgallant then belonged to a gentleman by the name of
Green. In the year 1829, when in his twenty-second year, he
trotted four-mile heats against Whalebone over the Hunting-
ton Park course, Philadelphia. There were four heats before
it was decided. Topgallant won the race after a desperate
struggle. Time 11.16, 11.06, 11.17, and 12.15. This old horse
of twenty-two years old that could trot four four-mile heats
that would have made sixteen miles in less than forty -six min-
utes, and who could easily have gone his twenty miles in an
hour, had it been twenty miles against time, may justly be con-
sidered as one of the shining landmarks of 'ye olden time.'

'"But if we follow him into his twenty -fourth year, 1831,
two. years after the great race above alluded to, when he and
Whalebone and six others of the best of their time met at the
Huntington Park course at Philadelphia and trotted a race of
three-mile heats, we find that there were eight trotters in this
race — Dread, Topgallant, Collector, Chancellor, Whalebone,
Lady Jackson, Moonshine, and Columbus. The race was un-
der saddle and was one of the o^reatest and most excitins^ races
of the year. These horses all trotted twelve miles in this race,
old Topgallant winning one heat and was second in the last
heat."

The following week in Baltimore, in a race of three-mile
heats against Whalebone, Topgallant won ; thus showing in a
marked degree the tremendous endurance and recuperative

192 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

energy of that wonderful horse's constitution. Topgallant
lived to be twenty-eight years old.

KIPTON.

Ripton was a very handsome bay gelding with four white
legs and a blaze in the face. He was bred in Ripton, Vermont,
foaled m 1830. He was sired by Sherman Morgan and his dam
was a granddaughter of old Justin Morgan.

Ripton was a well-bred Morgan and one of the best of his
days, but on account of his bad white markings was gelded at
the age of two 3^ears, and then on account of his high life and
great natural speed at the trot, he was taken to the New York
market when five years old — in 1835 ; when, after being given
a trial mile in harness on the Centerville course — being the
first time he ever stepped on a race track — he made his mile
in the finest and handsomest style that had ever been shown
on that track, driven by an entire stranger to him, Joel Conk-
lin, in 2. -1:6. He was purchased at a high price by Peter
Barker, who owned the great trotting horse, Dutchman, at the
time. He was afterwards sold to George Weaver of Philadel-
phia, and went into the hands of Trainer James Hammil.

Ripton was a small horse, not exceeding fifteen hands high,
of the old-fashioned Morgan type. He was marked almost ex-
actly like Dexter, the exception being that in the case of Rip-
ton the white on one fore leg ran higher up than the other,
consequently it gave him the appearance, when going very
fast, of lifting that foot higher and slapping it down with ex-
traordinary vim, yet this was a mere optical illusion.

Hiram Woodruff, in speaking of Ripton, says : " He was a
powerful horse of uncommon fine spirit and determination, and
his style of going was very fine. He went as level as the flow
of a smooth stream that is both swift and deep; and could trot
fast, smooth, and honest.'"

In breeding Ripton's pedigree was not unlike his illustrious
successor from Vermont, Ethan Allen, and his way of going
was much the same. His first race was with Mount Holly,

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 193

whom he beat quite handily in two straight heats. Kipton
then passed into the hands of George Youngs, who was quite
celebrated as a rider and driver of trotting horses. He Avas
brought back to New York and trotted over the Beacon course,
mile heats, three in five, in harness against Kate Kearney.

Kate was a bay mare about 15-1 in height, and at that time
belonged to Stacy Pitcher. Ripton won in good time. When
ten years old he was put into the hands of that Napoleon of.
horsemen, of his day, the late Hiram Woodruff. Hiram said of
him at that time : " He has all the requisites to make a very
fine trotter," and such he afterwards became. When Hiram
had trained Ripton two months he captured with ease a two-
niile race with him against Don Juan in 5.19 and 5.23.

Ripton was a stout horse of great game and bottom, and re-
quired much hard work to bring him to his best racing con-
dition. His first trot in 1842 was in May over the Beacon
course, two mile heats in harness against Confidence and Lady
Suffolk. In this race Confidence was the favorite, but Ripton
won the race in two straight heats, in 5.10^ and 5.1 2|. He
won a race in September of this same season, greatly dis-
tinguishing himself in a two-mile race over the Huntington
Park course, Philadelphia, by beating Lady Suffolk and making
the then unparalleled time of two miles in 5.07 in the first heat.
The accomplishment of this feat in harness caused great excite-
ment among trotting-horse men ; it being similar to that when,
in after years, Flora Temple outdid herself, and, morally, dis-
tanced all that had gone before by trotting a mile in harness
below 2.20.

In a race against Brandywine and Don Juan, Ripton was
timed a half-mile in tlie then unparalleled time of 1.11^. This
little horse, son of old Sherman IVIorgan, was a great horse of
his time and was considered at his best after he was twelve
years old, and after having been raced and campaigned against
the greatest and fastest of his day for seven years, and ridden
and driven in his races by many different riders and drivers.
13

194 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

As before stated, Ripton was a horse able to stand, and, in
fact, requiring a great amount of work in his preparations for
a race, and with the same amount of work that trainers of
other horses of less spirit and stamina would dare to give them,
he would be practicably unmanageable in a hotly-contested
race. When at his best he was considered the fastest little
horse on the American Trotting turf. He was a very horsey
little horse, a product of the Green Mountain State, and a fair
representative of the old-time Morgans.

In recapitulating the performances of Ripton in 1842, by
Hiram Woodruff, we find that he trotted in that year as fol-
lows-: First, two-mile heats in harness, which he won in two
heats, beating Lady Suffolk and Confidence ; second, two-mile
heats in harness, which he won in three heats, beating Lady
Suffolk ; third, two-mile heats in harness, which he won in two
heats, beating Lady Suffolk and Washington ; fourth, two-mile
heats in harness, which he won, beating Confidence ; fifth, two-
mile heats to wagons weighing 187 pounds, which Confidence
won in three heats. ; sixth, three-mile heats in harness with Con-
fidence and Lady Suffolk, which he won ; seventh, mile heats
to wagons with Americus, which Americus won in two heats ;
eighth, three-mile heats in harness with Americus, which Rip-
ton won in three straight heats. Ripton trotted fourteen two-
mile races and five three-mile races that season, and of these he
won thirteen.

Hiram Woodruff said that Ripton, of all the horses he ever
had, was one of those that required the most work. '' He was
so resolute and game, and his spirits were so high, that if not
kept down b}^ a good deal of steady work he was almost cer-
tain to run away as soon as he was suffered to go fast ; with the
work that most horses required he would be almost or quite
unmanageable,"

Yet there was no vice about him, but the exuberance of his
spirit was such that when he was at all indulged he would run
away from mere fun.

I

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 195

LADY SUFFOLK.

Lady Suffolk was a gi'ay mare, bred in Suffolk County,
Long Island, N. Y., by Leonard W. Lawrence of Smithstown.
She was foaled in 1833 ; lier sire was Engineer, 2d, a thorough-
bred son of Engineer by Imported Messenger, and her dam was
Dusky Jane by Don Quixote, a son of Imported Messenger.
She was, consequently, a strongly in-bred Messenger mare.
She was sold at weaning time to R. F. Blaydenburgh for $60,
She was again sold when four years old to David Br3^ant for
$112.50. When young she was an iron gray in color, but in
her old age she became almost white. She was about fifteen
hands one inch in height ; she was well and strongly built,
long in body, back a little roached, powerful, long quarters,
hocks let down low, short cannon bones, pastern joints fine,
shoulders good, slim but muscular neck, a rather large, long, bony
head, and big ears. Her feet were small and crimpy — called
mulish feet — but were sound and as tough as iron.

Her first appearance on the turf was on a very cold day in
February in 1838, at Babylon, N. Y., where she trotted for and
won a purse of $11 in three heats, the fastest heat of which was
three minutes.

In her next race, June 20th of the same year, at Beacon
course, she was beaten by both Black Hawk and Apollo in poor
time, but, two days afterwards, at the same place, she won a
race of two-mile heats under the saddle, beating Lady Yictory,
Black Hawk, Cato, and Sarah Puff in two heats in 5.15 and
5.17. After which she was beaten by Battler, Awful, and
Napoleon, all of these races two-mile heats, and October lYth
she beat Polly Smallfry and Madam Royal, two-mile heats, in
5.18 and 5.26.

Battler then beat her three-mile heats, and Dutchman beat
her two races, two-mile and mile heats respectively. In 1839
she trotted twelve races, eight of which were two-mile heats
and one of four-mile heats, winning six and losing six.

In 1810 she commenced the season by trotting .two-mile
heats under tlie saddle at the Huntington Park course, June

196 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

6th, against Dutchman, and was beaten. Two days afterwards
Dutchman again beat her over the same course in three-mile
heats.

In less than a week after these two severe races she beat
Celeste and Napoleon on the Centerville course, Long Island, in
harness, 5.26, 5.33, and 5.32.

June 30th, on the same track, she beat Bonaparte easily,
four-mile heats, in 11.15 and 11.58. Her next race was Avith
Aaron Burr, two-mile heats at the Beacon course, September
21st, when she beat him in 5.22, 5.21, and 5.35 ; and, three days
later, on the same course, she beat Dutchman, two-mile heats
under saddle, in 4,59 and 5.03^.

The opening of the season of 1841 found the little gray
mare again at the Centerville course, where she, on the 4tli day
of May, beat Confidence and Washington, two-mile heats, in
5.13^ and 5.41. This was quite a successful season for the gray
lady, and during it she beat such good ones of that period as
Confidence, "Washington, Dutchman, Ripton, Awful, and
Oneida Chief.

The next two seasons were generally unsuccessful, which
was universally attributed to the obstinacy and incompetency
of her owner and driver, David Bryant, a very hard master,^
who used her very cruelly, it is said. It is thought that had
she been handled by such a competent trainer and driver as
Hiram Woodruff that her defeats throughout her whole career
would have been few and far between.

In 1844 she was very successful, beating such good ones as
Dutchman, Ripton, Washington, Americus, and Columbus,

In 1845 she won four races and lost four. In 1846 she only
won two out of five races. In 1847, when in her fifteenth year,,
she bore away the palm from all her competitors, among which
were Moscow, Lady Sutton, Ripton, as trotters, and the pacers
were James K, Polk and Roanoke, She won eight races and
lost but one this season, and her performances were at three, two,
and one-mile heats, under saddle, in harness, and to wagons.

Her fastest time for three miles this season was 7.56, twa

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 197

miles 5.03, and one mile 2.33J. She only trotted six races in
1848, having met with an accident in the middle of the season,
when she was winning races right along.

In 1849 she trotted nineteen races and captured twelve of
them, beating Gray Eagle, Mac, and Lady Sutton each twice ;
Pelham five times, the famous twenty-miler. Trustee, four
times; Black Hawk, Gray Trouble, Ploughboy, and others.
She reduced her record this season to 2.26 under the saddle,
which was the world's record at that tnne.

In 1850 she beat Lady Moscow six times at one, two, and
three miles ; Jack Rossiter three times, Hector once and in har-
ness once, and beat James K. Polk, the pacer, to wagon.

In 1851 she was moderately successful. In 1852, when
nineteen years old, she trotted twelve races. In 1853, when
twenty years old, she entered into two races, but was defeated
in both, thus ending the turf career of one of the best of
our old-time trotters, after appearing on the American trotting
turf every season for fifteen years.

Lady Suffolk died at Bridgeport, Yt., on March 7, 1855, at
twenty -two years of age.

LADY SUFFOLK.
In Memoriam.

For fifteen years the virgin queen

And mistress of the turf ;
Most nobly did she win the name

As queen of trotting course.

Amid the pouring of the sweat

And flying of the fur,
She never quailed beneath the whip

Or fluttered at the spur.*

As freely flowed her purple life

She mutely bore the pain ;
Winner of the hard-fought strife,

This foal of Duskv Jane.

* She had a very cruel master, who lashed and spurred her most shamefully
in her races.

198 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

Ten thousand eyes have danced to see

Her snowy tail unfold ;
Ten thousand ears have bent to hear

Her time, by judges told.

At Boston, Cincinnati,

On Alabama's plain,
With victor's wreaths they crowned her,

Daughter of Dusky Jane.

A man proves himself fit to go higher when he is faithful
where he is. AVhatever you do, do it well, and advancement
and success are sure to follow. " There is a tide in the affairs .
of men, which taken at the flood leads on to fortune; omitted,
all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows, and in
miseries."

I

i

I

r ■aI\ At

-^m /!*'

CHAPTER XXIIL

OLD-TIME TR0TT:KI18. — Continued.

Flora Temple — Pedigree and place of breeding — Sale for $13 when four
years old — Sale to Jonathan Vielee — Sale to George E. Perria — Her
first race — Her peculiar race with Whitehall, Delaware Maid, etc. —
Races in 1852— Her sale in 1852 for $1,000 — Her races in 1853 —
Flora's great race with Lancet for $3,000 — Sale in 1858 for $8,000 —
Race with George M. Patcheu — Last race in 1861 — Confiscated to
United States Government — Sold when 19 years old for $8,000.

FLOE A Temple was foaled in Oneida county, near Utica,
N. Y., in 1845. She was bred, by Samuel Welch, and
sired by One Eyed Hunter, a son of Kentucky Hunter, thor-
oughbred. Her dam was Madam Temple, a little bay mare
said to be the very picture of herself, and sired by a spotted
horse. She was, when full grown, 14-1 in height. As dock-
ing was fashionable in those times, she was docked with a
jackknife before she was an hour old, and she stood on her
feet at that time, and had the same gray hairs at the root
of her tail that she carried through life, which was all the
white markings connected with her.

Her owner at four years old, a Mr. Taney, finding her so
willful as to be unserviceable to him, sold her for $13 to Wm.
H. Congdon of Symrna, Chenango county. Mr. Congdon,
after keeping her awhile, sold her to Kelly and Richardson for
$63, and after changing hands once or twice more (as she was
trading goods) she fell into the hands of a drover buying cattle
for the New York market, at $80. This drover sold her on the
way to New York to Jonathan Yielee, a horse dealer of
Washington Hollow, Dutchess county, for $175, who sold her
shortly afterwards to George E. Perrin of New York city for
$350.

In the hands of Mr. Perrin, the little bay mare that had

(199)

200 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

proved so intractable, so flighty, so harem-scarem, and, to come
to the true expression, so worthless to her original owners, was
favored with more advantages than she had previously enjoyed.
She was not only introduced to the very best society of fast
goers on the Bloomingdale and Long Island roads, but she was
taught that when flinging herself out " with exuberant and
superabundant spirit " (all over the road, as it Avere) to play
her limbs in a true line, and give her extraordinary qualities a
chance to show their true value. Whenever she made a skip,
a quick admonition and a steady check brought her to her
senses, and when in the frenzy of excitement in being chal-
lenged by some high-flyer of the road, she would, as the
horsemen used to say, "travel over herself" and "go up" into
the air, she was steadied and settled down by a firm rein into
steady trottmg and good behavior instantly.

The crazy, flighty, half-racking and half-trotting little mare
soon became a true stepper, and abandoned her confused
" rip-i-ty clip-i-ty " way of going, substituting in its stead a
clean, even, long, low, locomotive trotting stroke.

Many a man, on coming up to a tavern after having been
beaten by her, would say to her owner, " That's a mighty nice
little mare of yours, and if she were only big enough to stand
hard work, you might expect a good deal from her."

There was at that time, as there have ever since been, many
horses of great repute upon the roads in the vicinity of New
York, and among those who occasionally came in contact with
the little bay mare w^as one of considerable speed, called the
Waite Pony.

This Waite Pony received the greatest surprise of his life
one afternoon in the summer that Flora "came out" — 1850 —
by her beating him to a stand still on a mile stretch of the
road. This deed of the little mare led to an after matched
road-race with the pony, which was virtually the first race of
her life, and she captured it very handily. As, however, the
time made in this race was over three minutes, it did not in-

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 201

crease the reputation of the mare so much as it discounted her
competitor.

A match was soon afterwards made between her and a horse
known as Vandeburg's Black Stallion, for $500 a side, mile
heats ; the stallion in wagon and Flora to go in harness. This
race came off at the Union course on Long Island, and was
easily won by the mare in three straight heats.

Her next exploit was on September 9th of that same year
and on the same course. The circumstances of her enterino-
into this race were quite peculiar, as she was not entered until
after arriving upon the ground on the day of the race. She
was not in racing condition, as on the previous day she had
been driven very hard, and, on coming home at night, was
treated with a " warm mash " and virtually put to bed. On
the next morning, however, she looked so fine that her owner
decided to drive her over to the track, as he wished to see the
races ; and on the road she behaved so well and passed so
many going down the road that he concluded "just for luck"
to let her try her mettle for the purse.

The race was mile-heats in harness, and the horses entered
were Whitehall, Delaware Maid, Napoleon, and Iliram. The
first-named horse, a fine brown stallion, was the favorite in the
race, but all the others were considered good ; and their
owners, being very popular trotting men, had given considerable
interest to this race.

It was considered a bold and foolhardy exploit to enter
that comparatively unknown little runt of a mare under such
circumstances against such horses; and when her owner, unable
to obtain a trotting " skeleton," determined to " put her
through " in a common road sulky, his conduct was looked
upon as audacious in the extreme.

When the word " Go ! " was given the five were all well
together for a few seconds, when Whitehall, with a fine, bold
stroke, drew out of the clump and took a commanding lead ;
the little bay mare, however, in the old road sulky, kept right
on in his wake, making her long, low, sweeping strides with

202 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

the regularity of machinery, and threatening to pass him the
first moment he should lose his feet. At the first quarter-
pole there was but a length distance between them ; at the
half-mile but barely two, while the others, with the exception
of Delaware Maid, who was pretty well up, were being trailed
off in a most disastrous manner.

In this order the first heat was won by Whitehall; "the
little bay mare," handicapped by the road sulky, whom no one
thought would have a ghost of a chance in the race, being sec-
ond ; Delaware Maid, third, while Xapolean and Hiram were
distanced. The two latter being now out of the race, the little
bay mare secured a trotting sulky for herself, and the record
gives her the three successive heats, the time being 2.55, 2.52,
and 2.49, and Delaware Maid being third in each heat.

The greatest excitement attended the finishing of the third
and fourth heats, and when the race was finished the specta-
tors advanced and felt the little heroine all over as they could
not possibly comprehend how such a little homely scrub could
stand the weight and fatigue she had been subjected to, and
yet maintain the speed she did.

This was really her first exploit introducing her to the pages
of the Eacing Calendar, where she was recorded under the
modest name of Flora. It was but little thought by those who
placed after her name the mystical figures 2, 1, 1, 1, that she
was destined to become the Queen of the trotting world and
to render its tablets so illustrious.

Soon after the above race, " the little bay mare," or Flora
Temple as we are now at liberty to call her, passed into the
hands of John C, brother of George E. Perrin, for the modest
sum of $575, which was more than seven times the sum for
which she had been gladly parted with by her former Utica
owner some three or four months previously.

Owing to an accident in her exercises, whereby the sulky
hit her heels and caused a runaway, she was not on the turf at
all during the season of 1851.

The following season, 1852, her owner, finding she had re-

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 203

gained her former confidence and steadiness, matched her
against " Philadelphia Sail" for $200 around the "Ked House"
track. She won with great ease.

Her next race was with Dutchman at the Union course,
mile heats, best three in five, for $250 a side, on November
10th. She won in three straight heats, thus placing herself in-
disputably "well up" among the best trotters of that day, by
recording the time at 2.40, 2.39, and 2.36.

In the spring of 1853 she was placed in the hands of that
Napoleon of the trotting sulky and one of the best condition-
ers and trainers of his day, Hiram Woodruff ; who, after hand-
ling her more or less during the season, and becoming thor-
oughly convinced that she was a weight puller as well as a fast
and stout trotter, matched her in December of that year for
$500 a side, to trot, mile heats, best three in five, with Center-
ville, to wagons of 250 lbs.

As the mare had been let up in the season's training and
had had no fast work for several weeks, the horse talent con-
sidered it a rash act in Hiram to make the race under the cir-
cumstances ; and his friends endeavored to dissuade him from
starting the mare in the race, the betting being 100 to TO on
the horse at the start ; but no one knew the race qualities and
stamina of that little mare better than Hiram and he drove
her himself in this race. The first heat was a good, but not a
sensationally fast, one, but Flora being an easy winner the bet-
ting was changed from 100 to 70 on the horse to 100 to 60 on
the mare, and she won the second and third heats with great
ease ; the time of the three heats were 2.1:2, 2.46, and 2.44.

Considering the time of the year, the condition of the track,
and the fact that she was not really in training, this was a per-
formance of uncommon significance, adding vastly to Flora's
value.

Soon after this great performance she was sold to a Mr.
Boerum of Williamsburg, — with her engagement to trot Young
Dutchman for $1,000. Her price was $4,000.

She had been, as before related, sold to John C. Perrin by

^04 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

his brother George, the previous spring for $575. This shows
that the winning of a great race often adds immensely to the
value of a horse for racing purposes.

In 1853 her first race was with Black Douglas — a young
horse of great private reputation — mile heats in harness, best
three in. five, on the Huntington course, April 28th. The mare
was then too fat and soft for racing and lacked the required
seasoning ; the result of which was that the horse beat her in
three straight heats in 2.35^, 2.30^, and 2.35. This was a great
performance for a green horse of that period; but the little
mare was forthwith matched to try titles with him again on
the 17th of the next month.

Her next race was on the 4th of May with Lady Brooks, a
good mare, and held in such high esteem by her friends and
admirers, who boasted so much of her speed and staying quali-
ties that 100 to 60 was laid against Flora. This race was
trotted on the Centerville course for $1,000 a side. Flora won
the race in three straight heats in 2.31 i, 2.32, and 2.33^. They
were all won with great ease and plenty of sjDeed in reserve.

Flora was now eight years old. She was sound and of
good constitution ; she was a capital feeder, and all the time she
Avas improving. Consequently, on her next meeting witli Black
Douglas, on the 17th of this month, and when driven by " Old
Hiram" himself, Douglas was of no comparative account to
her, and she won the race in three straight heats in 2.32^, 2.35,
and 2.31i.

Flora's next race was with Highland Maid, an exceedingly
well-bred mare of her time, being by Sultrum, by Kentucky
Whip, out of a gray Messenger mare, and her dam was also of
Messenger blood, consequently she was an in-bred Messenger.

This race was trotted on tlie Centerville course, June 15,
1853, in harness and to wagons. The owner of the Maid, Mr.
IS^odine, drove her in this race, and Hiram Woodruff piloted
Flora. Much interest was centered upon the race, and much
money was staked, as it was said by tlie knowing ones that
Highland Maid was jiossessed of mucli gi-eater s]ieed than she

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 205

had ever shown in. public. It was afterwards reported that in
her preparations for this race she made a trial mile in 2.18.

The day was a beautiful, balmy one in June, of just the
right temperature for pleasure and comfort ; the crowd at the
track was immense, perhaps the largest ever before assembled
there.

Highland Maid took the first heat in 2.29, the second in 2.27,
and was distanced by Flora in the third heat.

Flora's next race was a wagon race with this same mare^
Highland Maid. It took place on the Centerville course on
June 28th. George Spicer drove the Maid, and Hiram Wood-
ruff drove Flora. Hiram was much pleased with Flora that
day, as she had already demonstrated her ability to "train on"
and become better and better for racing as the season advanced
and as she became better seasoned and toughened by much
hard work. This great reinsman felt confident, on that June
morning, that he was " up " behind one of the best bottomed^
resolute, gamy, and altogether best little mares in the world
to rely upon, and, consequently, he determined to force the
pace.

Flora won the first heat in 2.28, thus breaking the previous
wagon record of 2.31, and this was considered a most marvel-
ous performance at that time. In the second heat of this race
Flora broke and lost the heat in 2.32. The third was a dead
but very exciting heat in 2.32. Flora also broke in the fourth
heat, and lost it in 2.33. The fifth heat was an old-fashioned
horse race, being trotted from end to end without a break or
skip by either. Flora winning by a neck in 2.31^. In the sixth
and deciding heat of this great race Flora had it almost all
her own way, winning the heat and the race m 2.35.

This race did not seem to have much effect on Flora, for
two days after it she beat Black Douglas easily in 2.32, 2.32,
and 2.36.

After the great wagon race of June 28, 1853, Flora was the
acknowledged queen of the trotting turf in that way of going.

Soon after Flora had defeated Highland Maid and Black

206 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

Douglas, she was matched against Taconey, mile heats, three in
five in harness, the race to come off on July lith over the
Union course.

Taconey was a roan gelding bred in Canada ; he already had
a trotting record, under the saddle, of 2.25^, consequently this
match created much excitement and the betting ran high, and
it was about even. Flora had hot made so fast time as had
Taconey, but her record of 2.28 to wagon was considered as good
as 2.25^ under saddle, and, besides, the game and bottom ex-
hibited by Flora in her great race of desperate heats with
Highland Maid, and then her contest with Black Douglas only
two days after, had inspired her friends and admirers with
great confidence in her ability.

On this occasion, however, her opponent won in three
straight heats. The first, after a desperate struggle, was won
by a neck in 2.28, the second by a head only in 2.27, and the
third by a throatlatch in 2.29. The attendance at the course
was large and the spectators were treated to a race affording
cfreat excitement.

Before the day was over these horses were again matched
to trot two-mile heats in harness in five days. Flora won the
race easily in two heats — 5.51 and 5.01. This was the best
two-mile time that had then ■ been made.

Flora engaged in several other races that season, the last
one being on October 15th, when at Philadelphia she tried
titles with the Morgan mares. Green Mountain Maid and Lady
Vernon, mile heats, three in five in harness, for a purse of
$1,000. This Green Mountain Maid was considered one of the
greatest opponents Flora had ever before met. She had
already beaten several of the best trotters then on the Ameri-
can turf ; but the race resulted in a victory for Flora, winning
easily in three straight heats in 2.33, 2.33^, and 2.33^.

Flora trotted, altogether, twenty-one races in 1853, winning
seventeen of them. She also beat all the horses that beat her,
and beat them more times than they defeated her. In 1854
she was purchased by D. L. Pettee of New York city, and who

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 207

at that time owned Lady Brooks, and these mares he drove at
Newport the season of 1854, at that celebrated sea-side resort.

Late in the season Flora was matched against the brown
gelding, Mac, for $1,000, mile heats, three in five, in harness.
Mac was a Maine bred horse, a descendant of Maine Messenger,
and was considered at that time as good as the best. But on
the 5th of October Flora beat him with ease in three straight
heats. On the 18th of the same month, October, 185-1, Flora
trotted a match for $2,000, mile heats, three in five, in harness,
against Jack Waters, a bay gelding by Old Abdallah. This
race was on the Centerville course. Flora Avinning with ease.

Flora Temple was then purchased by James McMann.
Her first appearance as the property of her new owner was at
the Union course on May 7, 1855, in a match for $2,000, mile
heats, three in five, against the famous mare, Sontag. It was
to wagons and drivers of 300 pounds.

Sontag was a gray mare by Harris's Hambletonian. Son-
tag won the race in three straight heats, best time 2.31.
Flora was next matched to trot twenty miles in an hour to
a wagon for $5,000. The only horse that had ever accom-
plished this feat at all was Trustee, and his performance was in
harness ; consequentl}'", this was considered at the time by the
best judges a foolhardy match for her ; and it proved to be,
for she lost it.

Flora's next race was at Boston, Mass., over the Cambridge
course against the black gelding Lancet — a son of Vermont
Black Hawk — for a match of $3,000, mile heats in harness.
She beat him in two heats. This was June 2G, 1855. On July
6th she trotted a race in two-mile heats to wat?on with Sontao:
for $2,000. In this race she was driven by Hiram Woodruff,
and won easily in two heats; time, 5.07, 5.07.

Flora's next race was against Lady Franklin, a roan mare
from Maine, two-mile heats, to wagons, for $2,000. This was
over the Centerville course, September 11th ; Flora won the
race in two heats ; best time, 5. Hi.

Flora's last race of the season of 1855 took place over the

208 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

Centerville course on the ITtli of October against Hero, the
pacer, for $2,000, two-mile heats ; she in harness, the pacer to
wagon. Flora won in three heats; best time, 4.57.

The next two years were principally distinguished by her
contests with Lancet, in which she took the lion's share of the
prizes. She also defeated Taconey, Chicago Jack, Ethan Allen,
and others, thereby reducing her record to 2.24^.

In 1858 she was sold to Wm. McDonald of Baltimore for
$8,000, and during that year secured thirteen victories without
a single defeat.

In 1850, October 15th, in a race against Honest Anse and
Princess at Kalamazoo, Mich., Flora trotted a mile m 2.19|,
which created the most intense excitement among trottmg
turfmen all over the country.

Flora's first race in 1860 w^as against the stallion George
M. Patchen for $1,000, mile heats, three in five, in harness,
over the Union course. Flora was the winner in the first
heat by a throatlatch, in 2.21 ; the second in 2.24, and the
third in 2.2U.

Hiram Woodruff remarked at the time that this was the
best race that Flora had ever made. She also won in several
other very important races during the season of 1860, without
lowering her record.

In 1861 it was difficult for lier to get engagements, but at
length a new candidate, John Morgan, put in an appearance.
Flora beat him in a mile race in 2.24^ and in a two-mile race
in 4. 52 J. This was Flora's last race. Her owner, Mr. Mc-
Donald, sympathizing with the Rebellion, she was confiscated
by the government in 1861.

After the death of Mr. McDonald in 1864, she was pur-
chased by Mr. Welch of Chestnut Hill of Penn., for $8,000.

The last time that Flora ever appeared in public was when
Gen. Grant reviewed the great trotters on Dubois track in
1860. She showed well then, but afterwards, her hind legs
failing, she was retired to the stud.

CHAPTER XXIV.

OLD-TIME TROTTERS— Continued.

Ethan Allen — Color and description — Breeding — A natural-born trotter —
Eighteen years on the trotting turf — His great race against Dexter in
1867 — Crowned King of the Morgans — Success in the stud — His
death in 1876 — Ethan Allen in memoriam. Goldsmith Maid — Her
breeding and pedigree — Sold at eight years for |850 — Sold in 1870
(when thirteen years old) for $35,000 — Her races in 1871 — In 1874 she
lowered the trotting record of the world to 2.14 — Trotted in 2.14 at
twenty years old — Retired to bi'eediug stud in 1876 — Goldsmith Maid
in memoriam.

ETHAN ALLEN.

ETHAN ALLEN, whose fame as a trotting stallion was
co-extensive with that of the American trotting horse
for a score of years, was a beautiful bay in color with three
white feet and a small star and snip. He stood fifteen hands
and a half inch in height and was one of the most beautiful
fast trotting horses ever exhibited on the American turf.

He was foaled in 1849, the property of J. W. Holcomb of
Ticonderoga, N. Y. He was sired by Black Hawk, son of
Sherman Morgan, by Justin Morgan. His dam was a flea-
bitten gray mare, a famous roadster bred in Vermont and
sired by a Morgan horse called Robin and tracing to Justin
Morgan.

Ethan Allen was a natural-born trotter, and trotted from
his colthood up. His training for the turf commenced when
but little more than a year old ; and he appeared upon the
trotting turf every year from two years to twenty years of
age.

He was a most perfect horse and never required any of the
artificial appliances so much in vogue at the present time, such
as weights^ boots, hobbles, etc. When young he was a remark-
ably handsome horse ; high-headed and stylish, and- when he
14 (209)

210 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

was twenty years old he would pass in general appearance for
an eight-year old.

When three years old he made a record in harness of 2.36,
and later he distanced George M. Patchen in 2.28, and was the
first stallion in the known world to trot a mile in less than
2.30.

As a trotter in harness his fastest race record was 2.25|^.
But his greatest turf reputation was made by his trotting per-
formance with running mate. His great race against Dexter
on the Fashion course, L. I., June 21, 18G7, driven by Dan
Mace, when he trotted fairly and squarely without weight or
boot, a mile in 2.15 — which record at that time had never be-
fore been equaled — caused a great sensation in the trotting
world and crowned him, not only king of Morgans, but king
of all trotting stallions up to that time.

In the stud he was quite successful as a sire of fast trotters ;
among his get were such noted flyers of their day as Billy
Barr, 2.23| ; Hotspur, 2.21 ; Pocahontas, 2.26| ; Fanny Allen,
2.2Si ; Fanny Lee, 2.29J ; Warwick, 2.29i ; Washington Irving,
Honest Allen, the great Daniel Lambert, etc.

Ethan Allen was finally purchased by Sprague and Aikers
for their " Kansas Stock Farm " near Lawrence, Kan., as a
stock horse, and there he <lied on Sept. 10, 1876, in the twenty-
eighth year of his age.

Having previously mentioned this noted horse in Morgan
horses (Chapter YII) I will here add to what I have here-
tofore said, the following :

ETHAN ALLEN.

In meiinoriam.

On Ethan's grave, in Kansas soil,

The grass is growing green ;
Wliile Ethan's deeds to memory's call
Are fresh to all, I ween.

No other stallion of his day

Could with this horse compare,
For style and action all will say.

With speed and beauty rare.

ItH O

cn o

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 211

King of Morgans, beautiful horse;

Admired and loved by all;
People's pet, and pride of the course,

He always had the call.

O beautiful Morgan stallion!

Perfection in thy day;
Still remembered by the million,

As hero in the fray.

GOLDSMITH MAID.

Goldsmith Maid was a bay mare fifteen and one-quarter
hands high with no white markings. She was bred by John
B. Decker of Sussex Co., N. J., near the New York State Hne,
and foaled in May, 1857. She was sired by Alexander's
Abdallah, when he was a two-year-old.

Her dam was called " Old Abb," and was sired by Old Ab-
dallah by Mambrino, a son of Imported Messenger ; this was
the same horse that sired Rysdyk's Hambletonian, thus making
the Maid an inbred Abdallah and a granddaughter of the " old
rat-tail " (on side of dam), and a great granddaughter on the
side of the sire.

She, like many of the Abdallahs, had rather an ungovern-
able disposition and was not broken to harness until some five
years old; she was more than a handful for most drivers.
When eight years old Mr. Decker sold her for $350, parting
with her without regret. Her purchaser, soon tiring of a mare
that he could not drive, soon bartered or " swapped " her off
to Alden Goldsmith, who thought he detected signs of speed
in her, for the equivalent of $750.

This gentleman gave her the name by which she was ever
afterwards known, that of Goldsmith Maid. He at once set at
the work of developing her speed, and in her eight-year-old
form in 1865, she trotted her maiden race and won in three
straight heats, getting a record of 2.36. "With this race mod-
estly began that career which afterwards caused the entire
trotting world to hold up astonished hands.

In 1866 she trotted two races, winning both, and reducing

212 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

her record to 2.30, She won six victories in 1867 before pass-
ing into the hands of Budd Doble, who bought her, in com-
pany with Barney Jackson, in October, 1867, for the sum of
$20,000, and he afterwards trained her and piloted her in
nearly all her victories.

She was purchased in the spring of 1870 by Henry N.
Smith of New York for $35,000, but who wisely left her in
the hands of Doble, who, it is said, had become as closely
identified with her as Alexander with Bucephalus or Dick
Turpin with Black Bess.

Doble won one race with her in 1867 and she commenced
the campaign of 1868 with a record of 2.28. That year she
trotted twelve races, winning eight and being beaten twice by
American Girl and once by George Palmer. A very memor-
able race of hers was won this year when she achieved a vic-
tory over Rhode Island, Silas Rich, American Girl, and others
at Buffalo, on which event there was an immense amount of
money staked and in which she lowered her record to 2.24f ,
afterwards dropping it, during that season, to 2.22^.

In 1869 she was busy ; she trotted eighteen races, only
eight of which were victorious, American Girl and Lady
Thorne each beat her five times. The little mare was now
traveling only in the fastest company, August 12, 1869, she
won at Buffalo against American Girl and George Palmer in
2,19| and 2.19^ and 2.191, thus placing her on record as win-
ning the first three consecutive heats in a race ever won by
one horse, and all under 2.20.

.She emerged from the campaign of 1869 with the record of
2.19|-. In 1870 she trotted twelve races and was only beaten
once, by Lady Thorne. This year she gained the highest
niche in the temple of trotting fame by scoring the fastest heat
on record, 2.17. Dexter, with a record of 2.17i, had held this
honor since 1867 ; this the Maid eclipsed at Milwaukee, Sep-
tember 6, 1871,

This year she trotted fourteen races and was uniformly
victorious, and fairly earned the crown accorded her as Queen

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 213

of the Trotting Turf. In IS 72 she trotted eleven races* win-
ning eight, and lowering her record to 2.16f at Boston. In
1873 she was distanced by Lucy in the first heat of her first
race at Cleveland, owing to an accident, but she subsequently-
won ten races.

In 1874 her career was one of triumph, winning seventeen
races and only losing two trials against time.

At East Saginaw, Mich., July 16th, she lowered her record
to 2.16^ in a second heat and 2.16 in a third heat. At Buffalo,
August 7th, it was further reduced to 2,15i ; at Kochester,
August 12th, to 2.1-lf, and at Boston, September 2d, to 2.14.
This record she held for many years as the fastest trotting
record of the world.

In 1875 she only trotted six races, and was beaten once by
Lula, daughter of Alexander's Norman, at Eochester, which
was a memorable event, but she reversed the tables at Utica.

She was now eighteen years old, had earned immense
amounts of money, and her owner decided to retire her from
the turf, but changed his mind, and she made a most glorious
campaign in 1876, the twentieth year of her life and the thir-
teenth 3^ear on the turf ; again trotting in 2.14. Beaten once
by Smuggler she beat him three times. At the close of the
season this wonderful mare held the world's records as follows :
The fastest heat, the fastest second heat, the fastest third heat,
the fastest fifth heat, the fastest sixth heat, the fastest two con-
secutive, three consecutive, and four consecutive heats, and the
fastest time on a half-mile track ; and she had trotted fourteen
heats in 2.15 and better.

She was then retired to the Fashion Stock Farm, belonging
to her owner, Mr. Smith, near Trenton, N. J., in the fall of
1876, when in the twenty -first year of her age. She distin-
guished herself there as a brood mare and died in 1885, full of
honors.

214 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

GOLDSMITH MAID.

In Memoriam.

" She has gone to her grave, but we ne'er can forget her.
The marvelous Maid with a mark of fourteen ;

In the ranks of the flyers we'll ne'er find a better.
For a gamer or faster there never was seen.

"As we think of the track and read its full story,
Her name and her fame shall have the first place ;

Her trots and her triumphs are hers, and its glory ;
She was Queen of the Turf and Queen of her race.

" Some may smile and say that others have beaten
The records she made in the fights that are past ;

But her's was no holiday battle, I reckon ;

They were genuine contests from first to the last.

" Yes, we'll say in remembrance, there ne'er was a better,

A faster or gamer there never was seen ;
She has left us forever, but we ne'er can forget her,

The marvelous Maid with a mark of fourteen."

From The Horseman,

CHAPTER XXV.

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. — Continued.

George M. Patchen — Foaled 1849 — Pedigree — Distanced by Ethan Allen
in 1858 — Unfinished race with Flora Temple in 1859 — Defeated
Ethan Allen in 1860 — His last race with Flora Temple — Sire of the
campaigners George M. Patchen, Jr., and Lucy — Died in 1864 —
George Wilkes, 2. 22, founder of the Wilkes family — Pedigree — Raised
by hand — First name Robert Fullingham — Defeated Ethan Allen in
1862, winning |10,000 — Defeated Lady Thorne in 1868 — Died in
Kentucky in 1882, aged twenty-six years — Roll of honor.

GEORGE M. PATCHEN.

GEORGE M. PATCHEN, 2.23^, was foaled in 1849 ; bred
by H. F. Sickles of Monmouth County, New Jersey.
His sire was Cassius M. Clay, by Henry Clay, son of Andrew
Jackson. His dam was a fine road mare by Head-em, a son
of Imported Trustee. He was a powerful, brown horse, sixteen
hands high, of great strength and much bone. He was coarse
about the head, and, although he was what might be called a
plain horse, his points — though uncommonly strong — were
good, coupled with good trotting action.

He made his debut on the public trotting turf of the Union
course. Long Island, October 28, 1858, to trot against Ethan
Allen, but he was distanced by the little Morgan king in the
first heat in 2.28.

In 1859, on May 9th, on the Union course, he defeated Pilot
in 2.32|. On June 21, 1859, on the same track, he fought out
a desperate contest with Lady Woodruff and Brown Dick of
six heats, in which the Lady conquered. But six days after, at
the same place, he defeated both the Lady and Brown Dick,
two-mile heats, in 5.01^, and the next day defeated the Lady
again.

Over this same course, on July 7th, he defeated Brown Dick

( 215")

216 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

and Miller's Damsel in 2.26i, 2.26^, 2.28|, and 2.29. Brown
Dick took the third and fourth heats.

His Tiext race was on October 17th, when, at the Eclipse
course, he was defeated by Brown Dick, but three days after-
wards Patchen distanced him in a second heat in 2.28. lie
then trotted two races each with Lancet and Brown Dick, win-
ning one from each of them.

He then made bold to engage witli Flora Temple (then at
the zenith of her fame), at the Union course on November 21st.
The mare won the first two heats in 2.28 and 2.23, with
Patchen " close up " in each case. In the third heat, although
Flora was the first under the wire in 2.21, the heat was given
the stallion because of alleged unfairness and running of the
mare. Darkness then coming on, the race was postponed and
was never finished.

In 1860, May 16th, at the Union course, he defeated Ethan
Allen in harness in 2.25, 2.24, and 2.29, and on the 23d, seven
days after, he defeated him to wagons in 2.26i, 2.27, and 2.31.

His race with Flora Temple drew the attention of the whole
country to him. In his great race with her on June 6, 1860,
he proved himself a remarkable trotter, and he trotted one of
the quarters in a heat better than 34 seconds, and gave Flora
Temple one of the best races and one of the most hard-fought
races of her life. .

His last race with Flora was at Corning, October 31, 1860.
He was then retired to tlie stud, and died in 1864. He was the
sire of several good and fast trotters in their day, among which
was that great campaigner Lucy, 2.18|^, and George M. Patchen,
Jr., 2.27, etc.

GEORGE WILKES.

George Wilkes, founder of the great Wilkes family of
American trotters, was a brown horse with one white hind foot.
He was foaled in 1856, the property of Col. Felter of Green-
wood Lake, Orange County, N. Y. His sire was Rysdyk's
Hambletonian and his dam, Dolly Spanker — a celebrated road
mare of her day whose speed was never developed on the turf.

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 217

She was an animal of great courage and wonderful endurance,
and possessed natural speed enough to pull a wagon a 3.30 gait.
She was undoubtedly a mare of good breeding, although her
pedigree could never be established. She died foaling her first
colt — George Wilkes — and he was at first a puny -looking
little fellow. It seemed doubtful if he were worth the effort of
raising by hand, but after a little stimulant in the shape of
whisky weakened and sweetened, he gained strength enough to
partake of a little cow's milk, and was brought up with that as
his principal food.

Although quite small at birth he grew up to be a finely-
shaped, compact, hardy animal, about fifteen hands high at the
withers and somewhat higher behind, with a muscular develop-
ment of loins, quarters, and gaskins that could not be surpassed,
and which gave him a propelling power that enabled him to
successfully compete with the best trotters of his day. When
in his prime he was a good model of a horse, and as pure gaited
a trotter as ever stepped on the track.

The development of his speed commenced at quite an early
age. He won his first race at Fashion, L. I., August 1, 1861,
where he trotted under the name of Robert Fullingham (by
which he was known for several years during his turf career).

September 10, 1862, he defeated the renowned stallion,
Ethan Allen, over the above course in straight heats ; time,
2.21:£-, 2.25f, and 2.31, winning a purse of $10,000. June 2,
1863, he defeated Rockingham to harness over the Fashion
course, and a week later beat the same horse to saddle ; best
time, 2.24.

At Philadelphia, October 10, 1863, he defeated Lancet, a
son of Vermont Black Hawk, to harness, distancing him in the
second heat, which was trotted in 2.24. This was the last race
which he .won under the name of Robert Fullingham.

Over the Union course. Long Island, October 26, 1865, he
defeated Commodore Vanderbilt to harness, and November 6th
of the same year he beat him again in a race to wagons. June
8, 1868, he beat the famous trotting more, Lady Tliorne, over

218

OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

the same track in straight heats; best time, 2.25; and six days
after beat her to wagons at the same place in straight heats ;
time, 2.27, 2.25, and 2.25f.

During his trotting career he also beat the noted trotters,
Khode Island, 2.23J, Lucy, 2.18, and American Girl, 2.16^.
His record, 2.22, was made in a race trotted at Narragansett
Park, R. I., October 13, 1868, against Rhode Island and Duroc
Prince.

Having had the honor of occupying a position in the judge's
stand on this occasion, I know that his record at that time was
by no means considered to be the limit of his speed. I was
confident that had he " been sent " for all that was in him at
the time, he could have lowered it some three or four seconds.
During his trotting career he won twenty-seven races, getting
$50,150 in purses. In all he won fifty -six heats in 2.30 or bet-
ter. In the stud he imparted his natural trotting qualities and
his own resolute will to his offspring to a degree seldom equaled
by any other trotting sire.

And by so doing he placed himself at the head of the great
"Wilkes family of American trotters, which may be justly con-
sidered as among the leading speed-producing families of the
world.

George "Wilkes died in Iventuck}' in 1882, at the age of
twenty-six years.

The following is a list of his sons and daughters, with their
records, also the dams of the following trotters :

GEORGE WILKES, 519, SIRE OF

Harry Wilkes,

. 2.13K

Tom Rogers,

. 2 20

Brignoli Wilkes, .

. 2.14ii

Albert France, .

. 2.2OI4

Guy Wilkes,

. 2151^

Lumps,

. 2.21

Wilson,

. 2.I6I4"

May Bird, .

. 2.21

J. B. Richardson,

. 2.163.^

Ambassador,

. 2.2II4

So So, .

. 2.171^

Kentucky Wilkes,

• . 2.21>X

Baron Wilkes,

. 2 18

Early DaAYn,

. 2.21K

Rosa Wilkes,

. 2.181^

Brown Wilkes, .

. 2.2134

Joe Bunker,

. 2.191^

Gen. Wilkes,

. 2.213^

Gambetta Wilkes,

. 2.1914

King Wilkes,

. 2.224

Wilton,

. 2.19)^

Ellerslie Wilkes, .

. 2.221^

OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

219

Jimmy Temple (p. 2.23I4O, 2.22,1^

Daisy Wilkes, .

. 2.30

Bob's Jug, .

. 2.223^^

Kitty WMlkes,

. 230

Lizzie Wilkes,

. 2 22%

Bud Crooke, p , .

. . 2.153^

Sister Wilkes,

. 2.223^'

Wilcox, p , .

. 2.161^

Alcantara, .

. 2.23

Flora Wilkes, p..

. . 2.193^

Nelly L., .

. 2.23I4

Prophet Wilkes, p..

. . 2 211^

Prospect Maid, .

. 2.23I4

Honesty, p..

. 2.22

Magna Wilkes, .

. 2. 231 2

Pilot Wilkes, p..

. 2.23

Sherman,

. 2 233^

Sir Wilkes, p ,

. 2.243^

Queen Wilkes,

. 2.233^

and dams

3f

Favorite WMlkes, .

. 2.241^

Delmarch, .

. . 2.111^

Rowena,

. 2.241^

Keeler,

. 2.I314

W^ilkes Boy,

. 2.241^

Advertiser, .

. 2.151,^

Blondine,

. 2.243^

Waco, .

. 2.163^

Madison Wilkes, .

. 2243^

Celaya, 3, .

. 2.173^

Isaac, .

. 2.2514

Blake, 3, .

. 2.181^

Onward,

. 2.25I4

Frank Jones,

. 2.193^

Favorita,

. 2251^

Fugue,

. 2.193i

Abbie, .

. 2.26

Globard,

. 2.193i

Defender,

. 2.26

Butterfly, .

. 2.193^

Fanny Wilkes,

. 2. 26 14

All So,

. 2.201^

Georgiaua, .

. 2.2614

Barclay,

. 2.203^

Richard Wilkes, .

. 2 261^^

El Banecia, .

. 2.203^

Mike Wilkes (p. 2.153|

), , 2.263^

Glenview Belle, .

. 2.201^

Florence Elmore,

. 2.263^

Ignis Fatuus,

. 2.203^

Alcyone,

. 2.27

Julia H., s. t. b.,

. 2.201^

St. Gothard,

. 2.27

Pilgrim,

. 2.203^

Tennessee Wilkes,

. 2.27

Eagle Bird, .

. 2.21

Howard,

. 2.27,1^

Axminster, .

. 2.21%

Anglin,

. 2.2732'

Jubilant,

. 2.22

Cuba, .

. 2.2734

Fortuna,

. 2.22

Ira Wilkes (p. 2.223^,

. 2.28

Marea,

. 2.22

Simmins,

. 2 28,1^

Orauia, 3, .

. 2.22

Willie Wilkes, .

. 2.28

W^ilksieG.,.

. 2.221^

Young Wilkes, .

. 2.28

Ferguson Wilkes,

. 2.23

Black Wilkes, .

. 2.283^

Wilkesbrino,

. 2.23

Kaiser,

. 2.283.^

Nettle Leaf,

. 2.233^

Mambrino Wilkes,

. 2.283^

Silver Edge,

. 2.231^

Miss Wilkes,

. 2.29

Jacobin,

. 2.233^

Busby,

. 2.29I4

Wilkeswood,

. 2.233^

Empire Wilkes, .

. 2.291^

Wardship, .

. 2.233^

Jeff Wilkes,

. 2.2914

Banquet,

. 2.24

The King, .

' . 2 29':^:

Count Princeps, .

. 2.24

Bonnie Wilkes, .

. 2.293^

Noblesse,

. 2.24

Patchen Wilkes, .

. 2.291^

Billy Thornhill, .

. 2.241^

Sealskin Wilkes, .

. 2.291J

Welbeck, 3,

. 2.243^

Carrie, .

. 2.2934

Chatsworth,

. 2.243^

Alicia, .

. 2.30

Woodboy, .

. 2.25

220

OLD-Tl!\1K TlvMVrrKWS.

'I'\villkl(>. .

3.25 tf

Haj.ili, .

. 3.29'4

Diiisy N.. .

. aanij'

noiuiy Uoii,

3.2S)V

Pyji'uinlioii, .

a.afi"^

HiViidwiniu'r,

2.2!)-'4

UiMI UiMI,

aa«

Ciiiistrlnnl, ,

3.39:'»4

l''r;nn(',

3 20

Ni'wromb, .

a.sivv

Sim Mull), .

'J.'JG' 1

Clifton l?oy.

2.80

IJuctMi Wilkes,

2LMP,

Col. Vonnu'.

3 80

ncllcnMit'.

a/Jrt''^

Jack !>:i\vson.

3.80

Dc'conili,

a a(j:»^

I'jlstOlJll.

3.80

Hiil/.Mriiu'. .

3.27

Mannncr. p..

2 06 V

KmI.' Willoii.

3.37

Direction, p..

2.IOI4

WilUcstiuMit,

3 37

(J!ililot> Hex. p..

2.13«^

'l\'iiM\ son. .

3.a7'4

On-Mt llonrl. p..

2.!8'.»

WililOliv.'. .

a.a7Y

Volulii. p . .

2 15

ViUi.Ts. 'A. .

a 27:*^

Wilkio HusM'll, p

)

2.15

l{(>tlilii(l«'. .

a. as

Niitpinc, p..

a.t.v,

Kiiiymotir, ,

2. 'AS',

Ann.'i Hiikinson.

P-.

a.iov^'

Uvw So.

2.2S>,

S.-iliiip. p.. .

3.194

Ailniji.

a.2s«.

n.'iy H.'iron. p..

a.itt?^

Mooiislonc, .

a.asv^

Ii!\l^lf.l.>. p,.

3.31'.,

\Vill\('s\ icw.

a.a^i^

Monic, p.. .

•J. 2;!',

Al 11 . .

a.as^v

n.-ivia \viiu««s.

2.24

noimic Nulwooil,

3.20 '4

V!in.i;il Wilk.'s. p.,

. 3.24

t'iist.'ilin.

3.21)' ,

Wilkes Xutwooil. p..

3.2434

ilvoigo Willis, .

a.au'a

Hvirloik, p..

3.26

CHAPTER XXYI.

OLD TIME TROTTERS. — Concluded.

Dexter, place of breeding and pedigree — Recognized "king of the trotting
turf " — Commenced turf career in 1864 and ended in 1867 — His great
race with Ethan Allen — General Grant's ride after Dexter — Died in
1888 aged thirty years — American Girl — Birth and pedigree — Sold
for $3,500 — A great race winner — Died in harness — Monument
erected to her memory.

DEXTER.

IN April, 1858, at the farm of Jonathan Hawkins, in Orange
county, N. J., the black mare Clara by Seeley's American
Star, a rapid and gamy road mare, dropped to the cover of
Hambletonian, a brown colt with four white feet and legs and
a white face, which was, in due time, gelded, and at the age of
four years was purchased by George B. Alley of Kew York
city. He was then christened Dexter and placed in the hands
of that veteran trainer, Hiram Woodruff, for development.
His speed came to him quickly, and in a few years he was
recoofnized as kino- of the trotting turf.

John Murphy rode him in his saddle race when he beat the
2.19f of Flor^Temple, but Budd Doble drove him in nearly
all of his memorable contests. The first time he met Gold-
smith Maid was at Middletown in 1867, and he easily defeated
her.

After this he beat her in faster time, as he also did such
prominent performers as General Butler, George Wilkes, Lady
Thorne, George M. Patchen, Jr Silas Rich, Tackey, and
Bashaw, Jr.

He began his turf career m 1861: and ended it in 1867. In
three years he had conquered the world and was retired for
•the reason that there were no more honors to be won.

His record of 2.17^ was made at Buffalo, August 14, 1867,,
and Mr. Bonner bought him for $35,000.

(221)

222 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

If he had beaten Ethan Allen in his great race with him
June 21st, the same season, then Mr. Bonner would have given
$40,000 for him.

Although Dexter did not win this race when Ethan Allen
trotted in 2.15 without a break, Commodore Yanderbilt and
others timed him separately a mile in 2.16.

This 21st day of June, 1867, was a great day in the annals
of the history of the American trotting turf, when Ethan
Allen was crowned the king of trotting stallions. Among
those who were on the track that day and applauded the effort
of Dexter, but who are now gathered with the dead, are
George B. Alley, Shepperd F. Knapp, Com. Yanderbilt, Wm.
H. Yanderbilt, E. S. Sanford, Chas. J. Eoster, Wm. M.
Rysdj^k, Thomas Martin, Alden Goldsmith, Capt. Rynders,
George C. Hall, Com. Dodge, Lew. Potter, Peter Dubois, John
Morrissey, Dan Mace, Dan Pfeiffer, and many others.

The Avhite-legged king lingered on the stage long after
many of his admirers had stepped from it.

General Grant and Henry Ward Beecher each enjoyed a
ride behind him after he had passed into the stables of Mr.
Bonner.

If horses have a hereafter, and the proud spirit of Dexter
crossed to the unseen shore after it left the worn tenement of
clay, how royal must have been his welcome Atom those who
were taught in earth's pilgrimage to extol pluck and prowess.

Just after his election to the presidency, but before his in-
auguration. General Grant rode out with Mr. Bonner. In
passing through the park Dexter was startled by a man trim-
ming trees, and the jump he made frightened the stolid soldier
of the Wilderness more, for the moment, than he had ever
been frightened b}^ the roar of battle. On the way back to
the stable Mr. Bonner handed General Grant the lines, and the
old soldier-horseman was delighted with the resolute action of
the trotting king. Ehringer's famous picture " Taking the
Peins " was based upon this incident, and every figure in it is
a portrait.

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 323

For some time it was quite the fashion for distinguished
men visiting the city of New York to seek the opportunity of
riding behind this world-renowned gelding ; and for a time he
was, undoubtedly, the best known horse that ever lived.

Dexter became quite cranky in his old age, and for years
before his death he seemed to delight in frightening the timid
who called upon him in his box. He would come at them with
ears laid back and mouth wide open, but if one stood his ground
he was soon all right again. He was just thirty years old
when he died, April 21, 1888.

AMEKICAN GIRL.

American Girl, 2.101, was a bay mare foaled in 1862, bred
by Philip Travis of Peekskill, N. Y. Her sire was Cassius M.
Clay, Jr., and her dam a sorrel mare about fifteen and one-half
hands high with one hind foot of a conspicuous white and a
stripe in her face of the same color. This dam had a clean cut
expression indicating intelligence, and her general make-up in-
dicated her to b3 a thoroughbred or closely allied to that
breed ; and it was generally believed at Dansville, Va., where
she was raised and owned until near the time of the breaking
out of the civil war, that she was an immediate descendant of
Old Boston.

This mare had run several races at Dansville previous to
coming north, and was held in high esteem by her owner,
Wright Travis, who, being a northern man, was, on account of
his political views, most emphatically requested by a special
committee to vacate that section of the country. So, as the
climate of Yirginia was getting altogether too hot for him, he
concluded to accept the invitation to " move on " without
much parley or delay ; consequently he with his family and
some personal effects, it is said, became a " mover." He went
toward the north pole drawn by a sorrel mare with her sorrel
mate and a bay gelding as a spare horse ; his destination was
his old home at Peekskill on the Hudson, N. Y.

When Philadelphia was reached, the funds becoming low,

i

224 OLD-TIME TROTTERS.

the bay horse was sold to help pay the expenses of the journey,
which was then continued with the two sorrel mares. On his
arrival at the old homestead Wright Travis needed money, and
so to his stay-at-home, well-to-do brother Philip he sold this
mare, under consideration. Philip owned and occupied a large
farm near by and concluded to raise a colt from this Virginia
mare so highly esteemed by his brother Wright, so he sent her
across the Hudson to be bred to the horse before mentioned, —
Cassius M. Clay. The result of this was that in May, 1862, she
dropped the Avorst-looking, crooked-lego;ed lilly that ever was
foaled in that vicinity ; at least as far back as the memory of
"the oldest inhabitant" went.

She was so loose-jointed, weak-gaited, and queer that in her
foalhood she was valued by her owner (at weaning time) at
$10, although good horses were in demand at that time at very
good prices.

About this time Philip's son, Eugene, enlisted for three
years in the cavahy service commanded by General Kilpatrick ;
Avhen he returned home, after these three years had expired,
he found that the big, awkward filly of three years was the
" boss of the ranch," and utterly refused to be ridden or driven.
His father told him that if he would break her he could have a
half interest in her ; he accepted the offer, and, being a cavalry
man, quietly went to work to break her under the saddle.
After a hard struggle he finally succeeded in doing this. At
this rate of going she could trot a 2.45 gait after a few weeks'
handling. After this she was hitched up with the best horse
in the neighborhood and could beat her companion quite easily.
Then she was matched to go under the saddle in a race against
the Odel gray mare to a sulky ; the big, green filly captured
the race quite easily.

After this she was sold to Cyrus Travis and Henry Odel, —
the owner of the gray mare,— for ^1,500. They sold her that
fall to Henry Mason, Morris Dykeman, John Carey, and
Philip O'Brien for $3,500. When put in training by these
parties she soon became the Queen of the Hudson, and her

w

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<% o

OLD-TIME TROTTERS. 225

reputation reaching the ear of that noted sportsman, William
Lovell, he bought her for $7,000.

After this she came into competition with such racers and
campaigners as Goldsmith Maid, Lady Thorne, and Lucy, and
was among the first to lower the colors of the then great Occi-
dent in his own state. She won for her owner, in many races,
thousands of dollars, and finally died in the harness on the race
track at Elmira, N. Y., where a monument to her memory has
been erected at a cost of thousands of dollars.

It has been said of her that a more honest race-mare never
entered a trotting race.

15

CHAPTEE XXYII.

THE FIVE GREAT TROTTING BROOD MARES OF THE WORLD.
Green Mountain Maid — Dam of nine in 2.30 list — Two in 2.20 — Also one
with a record of 2 20f — Dam of the great Electioneer with 155 trotters
in the list — Her pedigree — Beautiful Bells' pedigree — Dam of seven
in 2.30 list — Dam of sixteen foals — Miss Russell, pedigree — Dam of
nineteen foals — Dam of Maud S., 2 08f, etc — Canadian blood mixed
with thoroughbred in pedigree — Dolly, pedigree — Dam of three
great sires — Dam of Czarina — Object lesson for breeders — Alma
Mater — Pedigree — Dam of eight 2.30 trotters — Dam of Alcantara —
A positive breeder.

THE five greatest trotting brood mares of the world are as
follows :

Green Mountain Maid, holding precedence over all others
by virtue of being the dam of nine in the 2.30 list, two of
which have trotted in 2.20, while another has a record of 2.20|.
She has, with justice, been denominated as " the great mother
of trotters."

Her life was a long one and was mostly spent in the pad-
docks of Stony Ford ; and in the long list of her foals there, are
but two who were not sired by Messenger Duroc. These were
hor first two, and were the bay mare Storm, 2.1 6f, by Middle-
town, foaled in 1867 ; and the bay horse Electioneer, foaled in
1868, sired by Kysdyk's Hambletonian, The latter never ap-
peared in public on the turf, and is not reckoned as one of the
nine of his dam's produce in the 2.30 list ; but in fame his name
outweighs all of theirs both individually and collectively.

Green Mountain Maid w^as sired by Harry Clay, son of Cas-
sius M. Clay, Jr., (20-) a lineal descendant of Imported Bel-
founder, and her dam was a most excellent sorrel mare with
four white legs and stripe in her face, who was bred by Gold-
smith Coffin of Red Lion, Ohio, and sired by Iron's Cadmus by

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FIVE GREAT TROTTING BROOD MARES OP THE WORLD. 227

Beach's Cadmus — a thoroughbred son of American Eclipse,
son of Duroc by Imported Diomed. Duroc's dam was by Im-
ported Messenger ; this mare, Shanghai Mary, was half-sister
to the old-time pacing mare Pocahontas, 2.17^, which she very
much resembled, being marked exactly like her and partaking
of the color and markings of her sire. Iron's Cadmus.

The converted pacing stallion. Smuggler, with a trotting
record of 2,15|- (which was the world's trotting stallion record
for several years), was a grandson of this same horse, Iron's
Cadmus. Consequently, when we take into consideration the
facts in reference to this " great mother in Israel " carrying in
her veins the blood of the old-time celebrated Fireaways of
England (through imported Belfounder), the blood of imported
Messenger (through his grandson, Duroc), the blood of im-
ported Diomed (through his son Duroc and his grandson,
American Eclipse), then we cannot for a moment dispute her
legitimate right to have been a fast and gamy trotter herself —
had she been trained for that purpose ; or her ability to pro-
duce sensational or uniform speed, and her ability to breed
on in the speed lines, through generations yet unborn. (See
the Electioneers, Chapter X.)

BEAUTIFUL BELLS.

Beautiful Bells, 2. 29 J, was a bay mare by the Moor, her
dam being Minnehaha, by Bald Chief (Stevens), dam N"ettie
Clay, by C. M. Clay, Jr. (22), son of Cassius M. Clay by old
Henry Clay.

This mare is the dam of fifteen foals, seven of which
have records from 2.12f to 2.30f, with three to be heard from,
and she is again in foal. Six of the nine foals with records are
by Electioneer.

MISS RUSSELL.

Miss Russell, a gray mare by Pilot, Jr., whose dam was
Sally Russell by Boston. She is the dam of nineteen foals,
seven of which have records from 2.08f — in Maud S. — to 2.28
in Russia, by Harold, and own sister to Maud S., and dam of

228 FIVE GREAT TROTTING BROOD MARES OP THE WORLD.

the greatest of living trotting sires, Nutwood, with 134 per-
formers in the 2.30 list.

In the pedigree of this great mare, we find the blending of
the northern blood of the old-time Canadian with that of the
great American race-horse, Boston ; this latter horse being the
greatest of his day, and the sire of the ever memorable Lex-
ington.

DOLLY.

" Old Dolly " was a bay mare, foaled in 1861, sired by
Mambrino Chief, dam Fanny by Ben Franklin — a non-stand-
ard horse of the copper-bottom stock. She was dam of the
three great sires, Thorndale, 2. 22 J, by Alexander's Abdallah ;
Onward, 2.25i, by Geo. Wilkes ; Director, 2.17, by Dictator
and Czarina, 2.21, by Egbert.

It is through the great transmitting powers of her sons that
old Dolly's memory is kept green.

In Dolly, the breeders of the American trotter are presented
with an object lesson demonstrating the satisfactory results of
the breeding of the daughters of Mambrino Chief to the sons of
Hambletonian.

ALMA MATER.

This cherishing mother was a chestnut mare foaled in 18Y2
and sired by Mambrino Patchen, dam Estella, — thoroughbred
daughter of imported Australian. She is the dam of eight with
records from 2,19i to 2.30, and includes the great Alcantara
with eighty -two in the list. This mare threw trotters to six
different stallions, thus proving herself a positive breeder.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

BREAKING AND TRAINING COLTS.

Educate vs. breaking — First lesson — Bitting — Teach ' ' wJioa " — Short lessons
— Reward good behavior — Hitching double — Patience required —
Kicking — Shying — Confidence — Training for draft — Train in line.

I HAVE, some time since, come to the conclusion that you
do not want to " break " your colts ; you simply want to
educate and train them. The best age to commence this is as
soon as the foal gets up and sucks the dam, or as soon after as
you can get time to attend to it.

The first lesson to teach a young colt is that you do not
wish to hurt him. The next that you are a stronger party and
can master him. He will soon learn these two lessons and
then you can go up to him anywhere, and when once you have
your hand on him you can easily hold him and he will not
struggle to get away from you.

The next two lessons are to halter and lead him and teach
him to stand tied by the halter. You may then, by kindness,
teach him to follow you around and come at your call, by
always awarding him for so doing w^ith a sweet apple, a hand-
ful of oats, or anything else as such youngsters are known to
like. Then teach him at an early age to be handled all over,
including the taking up of his feet, and to be curried and
brushed. When he finds that you do not hurt him he will like
these lessons and will always remember them.

. Next, accustom him to stand with a bag or blanket thrown
over him. When you have taught him all of these, he is
ready, as soon as old enough and large enough, to be bridled
and bitted. In bitting, put a bitting rig or single harness on
him with an open bridle ; check him up rather loosely at first
and turn into a small paddock or yard. Do not compel your

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230 BREAKING AND TRAINING OF COLTS.

colt to wear the bitting gear too long at one time, as by so
doing it has a tendency to sour his disposition. Keep him in
the gear just long enough each time to give him to understand
that he cannot get clear of it and that he must give up to it ;
and do not take it off while he is struggling to free himself
from it, but let him fight it out and get quiet first. Always
take it off when quiet, otherwise he may think the removal has
been caused by his exertions to get rid of it.

When he has become somewhat accustomed to the bit and
has given up fighting it, start him up a little ; always use the
same expression, as "go on," "get up," or whatever term jon
choose to use for starting him. Practice in this way for a
little while until he learns to start and stop at the proper com-
mand. Then take a buggy whip, crack it or touch him lightly
on the rump, when starting him up. Teach him the word
"whoa" and "back"; when he thoroughly understands all of
this and the use of the whip, put the lines on him, running
them back through the shaft tugs instead of the territ rings, to
prevent his turning around, and thus teach him all about
driving, starting, stopping, and turning.

Make all these lessons short, and b}^ frequent repetitions
impress each point upon his mind. Be kind and considerate at
all times, remembering that he is usually willing to do what is
required of him if he understands you. Do not scold or swear
at him. After each short lesson, give an apple or lump of
sugar, or some delicacy of which he may be fond, as a reward
for good behavior; it is surprising to see how soon he will
learn to appreciate such awards or favors. Be sure you bit
him thoroughly and practice this for some time before attempt-
ino- to drive in harness on the road. If the colt has always
been petted and treated kindly, as he should be, and has no
fear of man, there will be but little trouble.

The fall after your colt is one 3^ear old, if well cared for
and well grown, it will do to commence driving him in a light
rig. My own method is to drive first double beside a quiet
horse, in order to get him accustomed to the road and to sights

BREAKING AND TRAINING OF COLTS. 231

be mav meet on tlie road and to give hira confidence in him-
self.

In hitching np a colt double I ahvays put him on the off or
rig-ht-hand side at first, as then in meeting high loads and
other scarey things on the road he is further from them, and
what gives him more confidence and less fear, there is another
horse between him and them. Another strong argument for
thus placing him on this side is that in getting in or out on the
near side you are less liable to frighten him, especially so if,
by chance, you should happen to slip or stumble.

Many a fine, highly-bred colt, for want of confidence in
himself becomes frightened on the road from meeting strange
and, to him, frightful things, and will try to run away from
them ; but if balked in this, his next means of defense or pro-
tection is to kick, which is one of the worst habits that a colt
can possibly get into. Many a kicking horse first commenced
the habit from fright, and not from viciousness, as many sup-
pose. If a colt is taught what is required of him, as soon as
he is made to understand, he usually becomes a willing sub-
ject ; but to attempt to force him to do that which lie does not
comprehend is to excite him to resistance ; hence the many
balky, kicking, and unruly horses.

Yet it gives me great ]")leasure to know that by judicious
breeding and handling, as has been practiced for the last two
or three decades, we have far less of this class of horses than
we had thirty years ago.

In breaking and training colts strength is not as essential
as patience, perseverance, and kindness. Kindness and gentle
handling are the means by which a colt's confidence is gained,
and this should be practiced from the beginning. While you
should always treat the colt kindly, you should never play or
fool with him, as many horses have been taught to be vicious
in later life from having been fooled with as foals ; conse-
quently, any attempt on the part of the animal towards undue
familiarity should be checked at once, or the time may come

232 BREAKING AND TRAINING OF COLTS.

when it will find out its power, which may lead to serious re-
sults.

Colts contract habits very easily when improperly man-
aged, and when a bad habit in a horse, as well as in a man, is
once established, it becomes somewhat of a serious matter to
eradicate it. I do not trust a colt too much when commencing
to drive singly, and recommend the kicking strap at first until
full confidence is gained over the colt. When you know that he
will not kick under any ordinary circumstances you may with
safety leave it off. My advice is not to place too much confi-
dence in a young colt on the road, but be very watchful and
careful until you are quite sure you have a safe animal.

Next to kicking perhaps shying is the greatest evil to which
horseflesh is heir. The inconvenience, annoyance, and ofttimes
danger occasioned by a shying horse is anything but pleasant
to its rider or driver. Shying in horses is undoubtedly the off-
spring of fear. Fear is the emotion excited by suspicion,
apprehension, appearance, or approach of danger. This may
be termed natural timidity, giving rise to that kind of shyness
with which colts and young animals are endowed. Another
kind of shyness ma}^ be said to be acquired. To illustrate : A
colt is naturally shy at any object of imposing appearance,
novel or strange to him. On the other hand, he beholds an
object that is familiar to him, which he associates with some
former suffering. Shyness may also be attributed to a third
cause — imperfect vision. A horse whose eyesight is imperfect
IS apt to shy at objects in consequence of not seeing them per-
fectly. The disposition to shy arising from either of the above
causes is often increased by the acts of the driver. Our advice
to the driver of such horses would be to keep your temper and
save your whip. Gentleness and persuasion are by far the
best means of breaking off this habit in your colt. Let the
animal stand and look at the object he fears ; speak to him en-
couragingly, and gradually he will approach it. After he has
passed it turn him around, passing the object several times

BREAKING AND TRAINING OF COLTS. 233

slowly, allowing him to feel of it with his lip or smell of it, if
practicable for him to do so, and this fear vanishes.

By thus gently managing him he soon places confidence in
you, and a gentle word from the driver will induce him to
move on past the object. It is as essential for the high-bred
road horse to have confidence in his driver as for the driver to
have confidence in him.

Many who claim to be familiar with the business of break-
ing and training colts neither understand the nature of the
colt nor the best method of subduing or training it. A
blooded colt is a highly sensitive and intelligent animal, quick
to learn, having memory of certain things equal to that of the
human family, and with an intuitive knowledge that cannot
be explained or understood. A coarse, rough man, knowing
next to nothing of human nature, and still less of the nature
of the horse, is no more fit to have the handling of colts than
one whose education is acquired on the street and the saloon is
fit to teach a district school, or the devil to preach Chris-
tianity.

From the first, insist that your colt walks fast, for in the
majority of horses this is a most important gait. A bright,
brisk walking gait will be of supreme importance in the horse
of the future, and unless the colt is taught its worth it will
never know it. Our horses, like our children, are largely what
we make them by education ; and if the colts are allowed to
drag along with heads down and move in a snail-pace, careless
manner while being educated, they will, in many cases, be in-
clined to continue it later on.

Style and beauty of motion do not always spring spon-
taneously, but are in many cases the result of careful, system-
atic training — breeding, of course, having its full share to do
in this case.

As A is the first letter in our alphabet, so is " whoa " the
first letter in the alphabet of the colt's education ; teach him to
properly understand that one word as being most essential of
all Avords to be used in his education. Xever allow a colt in

234 BREAKING AND TRAINING OF COLTS.

training to get the advantage of you. The old-fashioned way
of breaking colts, as practiced when I was a boy, was some-
thing of this sort : A farmer has a colt that he thinks old
enough and big enough to drive, and wishes to use him and de-
sires him to be broken ; consequently, he invites his neighbors
to help harness and drive it. It is brought out, but, having had
no previous handling, is excited, trembling in every nerve.
Nothing is done to give the poor beast the least intimation as
to what is wanted of him. Three or four stout men hold him
by the head while as many more are trying to put on the har-
ness ; he is spoken to roughly ; his ears are cuffed for shaking
his head ; the struggle continues until the colt is attached to a
vehicle, and now the supreme moment has arrived, when, in
spite of the combined eiforts of all of these men, the colt rears
and starts off, having things about his own way — leaving first
the trainers and next the vehicle in his rear — and all exclaim :
" Tliat is a terrible colt to break."

A colt that would not resist such treatment would not be
worth breaking. Before touching a large, strong, unhandled
colt, have your plans formed and a knowledge of the general
characteristics of the animal to be handled ; he is fearful of be-
ing hurt and must be managed accordingly. As a general rule
he will do what is wanted of him as soon as he learns what it
is. Another essential thing to remember is that whatever impres-
sions are made on the brain of the colt are almost as unerase-
able as though written on tablets of stone ; hence the impor-
tance of making the right impressions — for, right or wrong, he
will carry them for a lifetime.

In training a horse for draft purposes great care should be
taken to avoid over-loading at first. In training a horse for
draft purposes hitch to an empty wagon at first until he gets
fully accustomed to handling that ; then put a little, very little
at first, load on, and gradually increase it until he becomes
thoroughly acquainted with pulling heavy loads, and thus he
will never know his full strength, but will consider himself
duty-bound to pull all loads to which he may be hitched.

BREAKING AND TRAINING OF COLTS. 235

So of all other classes of horses ; teach and train them to
thoroughly understand that branch of business that will be ex-
pected of them. The training and education of the colt should
be conducted on strictly business principles, inasmuch as an ani-
mal intended as a draft horse does not require a race-track edu-
cation, neither does a race horse proper require to be taught to
draw heavy loads.

In educating our sons for professional and business men we
expect to have them taught " in line " of the business or profes-
sion decided upon at the outset. They do not need to acquire
the blacksmith's trade in order to preach the gos})el, nor the
arts and trickery of trade to enable them to ]iractice medicine.
Yet the rudiments of their education should be the same, viz.y
what is to be learned in our American common schools.

This species of education is applicable alike to all classes of
men and to all professions. With the horse it is the same ; the
rudiments of his education as herein taught are alike applicable
to all breeds and all classes of horses that are to be used in.
harness.

CHAPTER XXIX.

TRAINING FOR SPEED.

High-bred and high-mettled most easily educated — Where to give lessons —
Early development of speed — Watch temper and disposition — Short
brushes — Don't overwork — Skeleton wagons — The mouth — Pulling
— The check.

" To those who catch the cadence
Of the rise and fall of sound,
There is music in the patter
Of the hoof upon the ground."

HORSES can be educated to the extent of their under-
standing as well as children, and can be as easily man-
aged or ruined by bad management.

Horses of high mettle are more easily educated than those
of less or dull spirits, and are, consequently, more susceptible
to ill-training.

The training of the trotting . horse should really be com-
menced from the time he is handled as a young colt, and what-
ever encourages his tendency to make the trot his best way of
going should be a part of his training ; and therefore the
"natural to trot" should be improved from the very first.
After the colt is thoroughly broken to drive singly he is ready
to receive his first lesson in trotting.

Such lessons may be given him on the track, street, or
road, where smooth and level ; the track is by far the best
place, it being more level, and usually much safer than either
the road or street ; yet a good road will answer when a track
is not conveniently accessible.

I would never advise the training of a colt for the race
course before it is two years old, and it then should be handled
steadily and carefully by a trainer of judgment, for however
well they may have been kept from birth, and however well

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T)

to

I

.TRAINING FOR SPEED. 337

grown they may be, it should be borne in mind that their
bones and muscles are soft and insuiRcient to bear the strain of
the same work given to those of more mature age.

The question as to whether the early development of trot-
ting horses will have a tendency to impair their endurance in
point of time, is one of great interest and importance.

What I mean by early development in this case is of colts
not less than two or three years old, and not yearlings, for rea-
sons above given ; for in many cases which have come under
my observation, young things — mere babies — have been over-
worked, and when they begin to hitch and hobble, a good rest
and let up would do more to restore the stroke than anything
else.

A colt will not attain his greatest excellence at three years
old, or at five either, if such excellence is to be very great or
lasting. There is nothing in nature that comes to maturity
early and lasts long ; early maturity means early decay in
nineteen cases out of twenty.

The temper and disposition of the prospective trotting colt
should be carefully watched, lest, by overwork, he becomes
cranky and careless as to pleasing his trainer or driver.

Great care should be taken not to make his brushes of speed
too long, but alternate them with jogging and walking. Never
speed him more than thirty rods at first, perhaps less, all to be
governed by the circumstances of the case. Age, condition,
size, etc., of the colt is to be considered.

Speed is acquired by fast and frequent brushes ; it is better
to underwork than to overwork the colt at first ; two short les-
sons are better than one long one. From two to four miles is
usually a sufficient " work out " for a young beginner.

Measure off and work him eighths until he can trot them
fast before driving him fast for a quarter, much less a half-
mile, as is frequently done to his detriment. If he cannot trot
an eighth fast, he surely cannot trot a fast mile.

Any green horse should be worked for speed on the same

238 TRAINING FOR SPEED.

plan as the young colt, but his work outs may be longer, say
six miles.

By working the colt on this plan he never becomes dis-
tressed for breath and never becomes tired or sore. When you
find the speed of a colt for one-eighth of a mile satisfactory,
gradually increase the distance to a quarter; then when he has
performed that distance to your satisfaction another eighth
may be added, and so on, gradually, until a mile is reached ; but
do not forget to be slow and gradual ; learn to labor and to
wait.

Always endeavor to teach jour colt io finish fast, whatever
the distance may be, as this is a very important item in a race,
as the money lies in the last length to the wire.

Watch your colt and do not overwork it ; as soon as he
shows signs of being restive or sluggish let him up a little.
Watch for these symptoms carefully, for this is a critical time;
if you overdo him much now it will be some time before he is
himself again.

The work must be according to his constitution, to the rate
of his growth, and to his heartiness of feeding. He should be
carefully watched to ascertain whether he improves or not.

When a trotting colt often breaks his gait in his exercise, it
is an indication that he has had too much work for his age, and
has got or is getting sore on it.

Don't waste any time in teaching a young colt to " break
and catch." Remember you are teaching him to trot and not
to " go as you ])lease " in his races. He should be taught, if
possible, not to break at all. In case he does break, do not
jerk, snatch, or see-saw on the bit, but give him a square pull
back and swing him very slightly to one side, giving him a
chance to catch in the " cross stride."

It is seldom necessary to use a whip in training a nervous,
highly-bred colt, or in driving such colts or horses in their
races.

After speeding him for the day loose his check and con-
tinue Avalking, as a rule, until cooled off.

TRAINING FOR SPEED. 239

Never, in training, take a colt, foaming with, sweat, to his
stall, but cool out in walking.

Experienced trainers, Marvin included, prefer a skeleton
wagon to a cart or sulky for jogging young trotters.

Our greatest and fastest trotters never reach their best
speed until they have undergone a good deal of handling and
training.

Always have a light but firm hold on the reins. In all his
work the colt should be taught to go alone without being
pulled hard. His mouth may be spoiled for life by allowing
liira to tug on the bit now, and he is not as likely to make a
fast trotter if he is allowed to have his weight upon the driver's
arms.

While there have been fast trotters and stayers that were
hard pullers, there is no doubt they would have been better
horses but for that fact ; still it will be remembered when going
fast the horse or colt will often require to feel the bit quite
sensibly, and that he cannot do his best without it ; and the
driver should support him in his fast work with as little pull as
possible.

The horse with a good mouth will always feel the driver's
hand, and if the driver thoroughly understands his business of
handling a first-rate fast trotter he can play upon the reins
equal to a harper upon the strings of his instrument, and the
horse will answer every touch with the music of his feet.

The producing and the maintaining of a good mouth on
the trotting horse is of the utmost importance and one of the
most essential points in his education.

When pulling has become a vice and his mouth has become
so calloused that he pulls a sulky and driver along by the reins
instead of by the traces, he loses a great deal of the power
needed when the struggle for supremacy in the race comes.

It must not be forgotten, however, that a great many trot-
ting horses must be pulled considerably to enable them to do
their best.

When this is the case it is useless to expect to remedy the

240 TRAINING FOR SPEED.

pull and preserve the trot by means of substituting a severe
bit for a plain snaffle, for it is not severity on the mouth
that he requires, but a sort of stay upon which he can support
himself in the flying trot, and without which he is afraid to
put forth his best efforts.

Hiram Woodruff, in his "Trotting Horse of America,"
gives an old-time instance of this kind in the old trotting horse
Alexander, that was taken to England many years ago, and
could not be made to trot a bit by those who had purchased him
expecting great .things. Aftei'wards William Wheelan went
out with Rattler, and the gentleman who had Alexander no
sooner saw him ride* the former against the Birmingham mare
than they got him to go and look at Alexander.

He found him well cared for, but on being shown the cruel
bit with which he had been used our young American ceased
to wonder why he would not trot for his English owner, and
when AVheelan had changed his hard bridle bit for a plain
snaffle he demonstrated that the American-bred horse could
trot on English just as well as American soil when properly
handled.

I give this as a case in point, showing that a horse relied
on his driver to steady him in his great bursts of speed, and
which he could not do with a cruel, harsh bit.

I want my colt to be driven with a light hand and a loose
check ; he will then swing off at his own gait, whereas, if you
put weight on the bit and check him up taut, he will be fight-
ing the bit, unbalanced in gait, and in no temper to trot ; and
if this treatment is continued for awhile the colt will have a
hard mouth and will learn to lug on the bit.

Marvin says that Sunol would have been a puller under any
but the most careful treatment. " Whenever she showed an
inclination to 'lug' I would let her have her head, talk to her,
and let her go along as easily as possible, without being hard
held, and she gradually forgot to pull ; but had I fought her
with the bit she would have been ruined."

TRAINING FOR SPEED. 241

After a horse has learned to trot fast I like to have it take
the bit just enough to steady it in its races.

It is a noticeable fact that the most successful drivers of
trotting horses seldom use a whip ; even Avhen hard-fought
races are on and sensational finishes are made and the extreme
limit of speed is secured, it is, in most cases, without the use of
the whip. There is a lesson in this, not only for the driver of
the trotting horse, but for those who handle any other kind of
horses.

It is seldom that the fastest yearlings make the swiftest
two-year-olds, or the fastest two-3'ear-olds the sensational
three-year-olds.

Sixty-four trotting two-year-olds took records better than
2.30 during the present season of 1894, thirty-nine pacers being
included in the same list, a total of 103, a larger number than
ever entered the list in one season before, at two years of age.

16

CHAPTER XXX.

TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES.

Old English method — Biting, kicking, and balking — Patience and firmness
required — Causes of balking — The cord — Isolation — Kicking in
harness — Checking — Biting — Rarey's method — War bridle — Pull-
ing on the halter — Shying — Pawing in stall.

THE subjection of vicious horses lias been a great considera-
tion ever since they were first ridden by man, but until a
comparatively recent date has there been but little rational
means employed for their subjection. The plans heretofore
adopted have generally been too much according to the direc-
tions of an English trainer of the time of Queen Elizabeth,
who wrote as follows : " If your horse does not stand still or
hesitates, then abrate him with a terrible voice ; and beat him
yourself with a good stick upon the head between the ears ;
then stick him in the spurring place three or four times
together with one legg after the other, as fast as your legges
might walk ; your legges must go like two bouching beetles."

To J. S. Rarey, an Ohio farmer, is due much of the im-
proved methods of handling and management of the horses of
to-day.

Unlike the three mythological graces, attendants of Yenus
— Agalara, Thalia, and Euphrosyne ; or of the three Christian
graces, — Faith, Hope, and Charity (the greatest of which is
Charity), the three vices in horses are biting, kicking, and balk-
ing, and the greatest of these is balking.

Strange as it may appear, I regard kicking as the least of

these vices ; yet I, at my time of life, do not care to purchase

a kicker, but if I do I want to know it then and there, that I

may not afterwards discover it at too great a cost — possibly

that of life itself.

(242)

TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES. 243

"When we come to think of it, is it a wonder that we have
among us so many unsafe and unreliable horses? There is
probably no one thing that people are more conceited about
than the matter of handling horses. Our city lady friend will
tell us that she can drive a horse, for while she was out in the
country she drove the hay-cart to the field twice. Pat can
drive, because he " follied a horse in the auld counthry above
foive years." " Old Jehu " can surely drive for he was
"brought up among horses." John Bull knows all about
"'orses," for he has seen the "big uns in Liverpool," while
Snob has proved his skill by passing every rig on the Brighton
road.

And yet the majority of the self-sufficient ones would come
nearer the truth if they used the language of a " green hand "
I once had — a recent importation from the Emerald Isle —
Avho, on being questioned as to his ability, replied : " Yes, faith
and I can drive him just wherever he has a moind to go."

It is owing more to the natural intelligence of the horse
than to the care and judgment of the driver in many cases that
serious accidents are averted.

BALKING.

It is rarely that we find a balky horse that is not a good
one. They are usually very hardy, high-spirited, quick, com-
prehensive, and of a strong nervous temperament. A balky
driver often makes a balky horse. In handling colts and
horses the trainer or driver should never lose his temper ; but
if he should, from any cause, happen to do so he should not let
the animal know it.

I once had a neighbor in Pomfret, Conn., — Rufus Pike —
who was quite a successful colt-breaker or trainer. I have
often heard him remark that he frequently became very much
tried and annoyed by the foolishness and stubbornness of colts
in training, and that as he was himself a nervous and high-
tempered man he often got pretty mad^ but that he never
dared let the colt know that he was mad.

244 TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES.

Horses know nothing about balking until taught it from im-
proper management, and when a horse balks it is generally due
to some mismanagement, excitement, confusion, or not know-
ing how to pull ; and seldom from any unwillingness to per-
form his duty.

High-spirited, free-going horses are the most subject to
balking, and only so because drivers do not properly under-
stand how to manage them. This kind of a free horse in a
team may be so anxious to go that when he hears the word he
will start with a jump that will not pull the load, but will give
him such a severe jerk in the shoulders that he will fly back
and stop the other horse ; the teamster will continue this driv-
ing without cessation and by the time he has the slow horse
started again he will find that the free horse has made another
jump forward and again fallen back, and now he has them both
balked and so confused that neither of them know what is the
matter or how to start the load. Next in such cases will
come the cracking and slashing of the driver's whip, until
something- is broken or he is through with this course of treat-
ment.

It requires a steady pressure against the collar to move a
load, and you cannot expect a horse to act with a steady, deter-
mined purpose while you are whipping him. Almost any team
when first balked will start kindly if allowed to stand for five
or ten minutes as though there Avas nothing the matter, and
then speak kindly to them and turn them a little to the right
or left so as to get them both in motion before they feel the
pinch of the load.

To break a horse that has been in the habit of balking, you
want to commence as with a colt and go slow. Take plenty of*
time to educate him. First, put him beside a steady and true
horse ; have check-reins on them but left loose ; tie up all
traces and straps so that there will be nothing excitable about
the harness ; walk them about as slowly as possible; stop often
and go to the balky horse and gentle him ; do not use the whip
at all nor do anything to excite him, but keep him just as

TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES. 245

quiet as possible ; be will soon start off at tbe word and stop
wben told to.

As soon as be performs all rigbt, bitcb bim to an empty
wagon and bave it in a suitable place from wbicb to make an
immediate start. Sborten tbe cbeck-strap or stay-cbain bebind
the steady borse, so tbat if necessary be can take tbe weigbt of
tbe wagon ; tbe first time you start tbem do not drive more
tban two or tbree rods ; watcb your balky borse closely, and if
you see be is getting a little excited, stop bim before be stops
of bis own accord ; caress bim a little and start again. Drive
tbem, if practicable, over a small bill a few times and tben over
a larger one, all tbe wbile adding a ligbt load. Tbis process
sbould make any borse pull true, and tbe above lessons bad
better, by far, bave been given tbe colt wbile be was in
training and tbereby avoided tbe necessity of being applied to
a balky borse.

Causes of Balking. Yelling and whipping on tbe part of
tbe drivers, over-loading, sore shoulders, or ill-fittmg collars,
are some ot tbe causes tbat make horses balk. In such cases
kindness is much better than whipping. A borse is very
susceptible to kindness. I bave known quite vicious horses
gentled into good behavior. Sometimes the loosening of a
strap or unchecking and re-checking will answer tbe purpose, as
it takes his attention in another direction. Sometimes in ob-
stinate cases it may be well to unhitch from tbe vehicle and,
after tying up the traces and loose straps, take one line and a
whip and give tbe animal a short lesson m going around in a
circle ; after which bitcb up and perhaps you will bave no
more trouble, but if so ^\nq another lesson in going around as
before. It may, in some cases, take two or three lessons of
this kind.

My experience with balky horses teaches me that there are
different kinds of balkiness in tbem or else a difference of dis-
position makes some yield to a remedy tbat will have no effect
whatever upon another. An universal treatment, suitable to

246 TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES.

all cases, is yet to be discovered, but here is a remedy that in
my experience has rarely failed :

Tie a small rope or cord in one ring of the bit ; pass it under
the upper lip and over the teeth, then out through the ring on
the opposite side. When all is ready to start the horse, give
the end of the rope a firm, sudden, but not violent, jerk ; that
is all. The horse will usually go. There is a sensitive mem-
brane connecting the upper lip with the gum which the rope,
when jerked, lacerates. This may seem cruel, but the stinging
pain is but momentary and the after effects but slight. Too
rude a jerk might destroy the membrane entirely, so that the
same method could not be used again with so good effect.
Consequently this, as all other methods of subjecting and train-
ing the horse should be skillfully applied. In cases where I
have used the rope successfully no blood was ever found either
on the rope or in the mouth of the horse.

Away back in the fifties, when quite a young man, I was
conceited enough to believe myself smart enough to swap
horses and hold my own with the average horse jockey of those
days ; the result was that I occasional!}^ got more in a horse
than I had bargained for or had even anticipated getting, and
among: Avhich would be an occasional chronic balker. I dis-
tinctly recollect on one occasion of purchasing a large bay
mare, sound and apparently all right, but which was so much
opposed to the draft family as to consider it far beneath her
mission on earth to handle any load more than a buggy or, at
most, a family carriage. Consequently, when I had hitched
her to a light load of fence-rails she utterly refused to take any
stock in their transportation. Being, myself, at that time of
life, quite hasty in disposition, and possessed of considerable
" push " as well as impatience, I naturally enough, perhaps,
felt much annoyed at the turn affairs had taken, and especially
so as it was a very busy time of year with me — as I was a
farmer — and I did not wish to be delayed in my plans ; conse-
quently, I attempted to reform " the old jade " right then and
there by vigorously applying the whip, and after using up the

TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES. 247

whip, a good hickory sapling, but to no avail. All I was able
to acconiplish by the whipping was to excite her to rear and
plunge and throw herself. I then changed my tactics and, being
in the woods, I tied her to a tree and left her there. This
was in the forenoon. Towards evening I returned to see how
she was getting along and again hitched her to the wagon,
when she again refused to budge one inch. I did no more
whipping, but again hitched her to the tree. Tiie next morn-
ing I visited her again ; she was evidently getting very lone-
some as well as hungry and thirsty, still, she again refused to
draw the wagon, and consequently I again left her " alone in
her glory." After dinner 1 called on her again. She appeared
very glad, indeed, to see me, and whinnied with joy at my ap-
proach. I again hitched her to the wagon, and you may
depend upon it that she was glad and anxious to move it.
"Well, the result of this whole matter was that I owned the
mare upwards of two years, and scarcely ever owned a better
pulling animal alone or in a team, and when I finally sold her
I warranted her to pull in any and all harness.

A horse left alone, hitched to a tree or post, soon becomes as
lonesome and discontented as, perhaps, a person would under
the same circumstances, and I claim this method, if rightly
used, is less cruel, and better for both horse and man than to
cruelly beat the animal witli whip or club.

KICKING IN HARNESS.

Having, as before stated, some experience in " swapping "
horses, and as " swap horses " are usually composed of nearly
all classes — • except good ones — I have occasionally drawn as
a prize in this business an inveterate kicker. Now, while I
would not at my age and experience purchase such, or advise
my friends to do so, especially as a family horse, yet I have
driven and successfully used in my business, at different periods,
some mares that were considered even incorrigible and pro-
nounced utterly worthless as harness animals. I remember a
case in ])oint occurring years ago, when I swapped a well bred

248 TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES.

unbroken colt of my own raising for a young Morgan brood
mare in foal, "sight unseen" (as the boys used to swap jack-
knives), the animals being upwards of sixty miles apart when
the trade was made.

After having made this trade it was gradually revealed to
me that I had secured a kicker of the first water, and that the
last three owners had not dared make the attempt of even
putting a harness upon her. But I want to say right here that
this proved to be one of the best horse trades I ever made in
my life. I kept and used this mare for upwards of two years,
and used her in any and all places any one could need use a
horse, viz.: in the field, on the road, on a milk wagon, under
the saddle, and in all ways a general purpose horse might be
used ; and, among other things, this mare, beside another Ver-
mont Morgan mare, cut twelve acres of heavy grass in a day,
driven by my son. Now, how would I use a kicking horse in
harness ?

In the first place, check pretty hard with an over-draw
check (let me say right here that this is the only use I ever had
for an over-draw check, as they are very cruel if used long at a
time, and especially so if buckled at all tight). Tie the tail, at
the end, firmly into a loop, fasten with a strong, but small, cord
to the whiffletree ; have the string just long enough to allow a
very slight motion of the tail. Firmly fasten by the middle to
the end of the string a small, smooth, round piece of stick of
tough, hard wood, a little thicker than a lead pencil. When
you hitch the mare up run this through the loop, fix it securely
across and go ahead. She will not try to kick many times
rigged in this way, before giving up, as she cannot kick if she
wishes to. I will repeat that the cord must be strong. Per-
severance guarantees success in this case. I would also recom-
mend the wearing of a regular kicking strap on all animals
driven in sing-le harness that are at all liable to kick.

TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES. 249

BITING HORSES.

Horses have been successfully cured of this vice while in
harness, by putting a piece of hard wood an incli and a half
square into the animal's mouth, about the same length of an
ordinary snaffle bit. It may be fastened by a thong of leather
passed through holes in each end of the wood and secured to
the bridle. It must be used in addition to the bit, but in no
way to impede the working of the bit.

Rarey adopted this plan with the zebra in the Zoo, who was
a terrible brute at biting. Mr. Rarey succeeded, however, in
taming and training him to harness and drove him through the
streets of London. Animals with this vice should be treated
kindly in the stable, and not abused with pitchforks, whip, etc.
An apple, carrot, or even a piece of bread, soothing language,
and a kind pat, but a firm, Avatchful eye and hand, with the use
of the above wooden bit will usually cure the most inveterate
biter. The fact that he cannot shut his mouth so as to grip
anything while wearing the bit, soon dawns upon him that he
is conquered.

Jennings cites a case where he cured a horse of this habit
by putting something like a war bridle on him and tying the
same to his tail in such a manner as to cause him to go around
m a circle if moving at all, and then, with a whip, keeping him
at It with occasional let-ups until subjugated and cured.

To shoe a kicking horse connect the head and tail by means
of a small rope securely fastened to the tail and then to the bit
and drawn tightly enough to incline the animal's head to one
side. This, it is said, makes it absolutely impossible for the
horse to kick over the side of the rope.

Another way of subduing a horse that is vicious to shoe is
to take a cord about the size of a common clothes-line, put it in
the mouth of the horse like a bit, and tie it tightly on the ani-
mal's head, passing one ear under the cord, not painfully tight,
but tight enough to keep the ear down and the cord in place.
The Indian war bridle may do as well. Always be as gentle

250 TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES.

and kind as possible with a vicious horse, and use soothing in-
stead of harsh languge.

PULLING ON THE HALTER.

To break a colt or horse of this habit either in the stable or
at the post, take a rope with a loop or ring in one end, pass the
end with the loop in it over the animal's back just forward of
the hip, letting it drop down at the flank, then run the other
end of the rope through the eye or ring, making a slip-noose,
and passing the rope lengthwise of the belly between the fore
legs and up through the halter ring, and make fast to a stanch-
ion or post, and then give him an opportunity to pull by ad-
ministering some of the causes of his former pulling, and con-
tinue this from time to time until permanently cured, which
will not require many lessons at most.

Shying may be recorded as one of the evils to which horse-
flesh is heir, and is generally the result of improper training or
breaking of the colt. The inconvenience, annoyance, and oft-
times danger occasioned by a shying horse is anything but
pleasant to its rider or driver. Shying in horses is undoubtedly
the offspring of fear. Fear is the motion excited by suspicion,
apprehension, appearance, or, approach of danger. This may
be termed natural timidity, giving rise to that kind of shyness
with which colts and young animals are endowed ; another kind
of shyness may be said to be acquired; but as I have gone over
the ground pretty well in my views of breaking and training
(see Chapter XXVIII), I will only say here that unless the eye-
sight is impaired and the animal shies from that defect, it is in.
most cases easily cured, as already stated in Chapter XXVIII.
By all means do not whip an already frightened horse.

HUGGING THE LINES.

The best remedy that I know of for a horse that is in the
habit of catching the lines with his tail and then hugging them
so hard that it is almost impossible to get the free use of them
again, is a leather pad some four to six inches in width and

TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES. 251

the length of the width of a horse's tail. Attach buckles at
each end so that the pad or enlarged crupper may be buckled
to the back strap like any ordinary crupper, and put it under
the tail. It will elevate it so that the horse cannot hug- the line,
and, moreover, it will cause him to carry his tail in a graceful
and showy position. The cost of this simple and safe arrange-
ment is but a trifle.

PAWING IN STALL.

It is sometimes the case that a horse becomes very annoy-
ing to their owners and grooms by the habit — although not
necessarily a vicious one — of almost continued pawing while in
the stall. My own remedy for this habit is to buckle with a
strap (a common hame-strap will do), a piece of chain about the
size of a trace chain, and some two to four feet long, around
the fetlock of the foot most used in pawing, leaving the other
end of the chain to lie loose on the end of the floor of the stall.
This simple method usually effects a permanent cure.

THE INDIAN WAR BRIDLE.

This is a simple and inexpensive arrangement, and has been
used by the Indians and Mexicans for many years, having been
mentioned in the "■Veterinary'''' of London, England, in 1828,
as used by the North American Indian in subjugating his wild
horsey of the plains; hence the name, Indian war bridle.

This bridle, as formerly used by the Indians and Mexicans,
although a simple arrangement and easily made and applied,
is, nevertheless, when properly used, a powerful means of con-
trolling wild or vicious horses, and may be advantageously
used on kickers that kick while being harnessed, groomed,
or shod.

To make this Indian bridle, take a three or four ply rope or
cord (the cotton cord is much the better, as it works smoothly
and is much softer than any other). To prepare the cord for
use tie a knot in each end and then make a loop by doubling
the cord and passing the knot through ; these loops should be
at such distance from the knot as will allow the cord to pass

?52 TRAINING VICIOUS HORSES.

around the neck at one end and the lower jaw at the other, pass-
ing the knot through the loop from the opposite side of the loop
to where it first passed through in making the loop, thus bring-
ing the thickness of the cord in the center of the loop. By this
means safety is secured, the cord slipping easily through, pre-
venting the possibility of its getting fast, as it would likely do
if passed through the loop from the same side it originally came
through. The. necessity of this arrangement will be seen in ap-
plying the cord.

We have here two principles involved : first, steady pressure
upon the lower jaw, and, second, friction in the mouth — the one
stationary in the mouth, the other slipping through it.

The Rarey cord, as used by Mr. Rarey, was a very simple
but powerful means of subduing a vicious or headstrong colt or
horse, and consists of a cotton rope or cord (about clothes-line
size) with a loop at one end long enough to slip on the under
jaw, the other end going up on the right side of the neck, over,
down on the left side through the loop on jaw ; the part that
crosses the neck should be well back towards the withers to give
it a purchase.

A strong pull or sudden jerk on this will make quite an im-
pression upon almost any horse. This cord is calculated to ac-
complish the same results as the war bridle, and is much on the
same principle.

CHAPTER XXXI.

TRAINING CIRCUS HORSES.

Height of perfection in training — Skillful education — Mild treatment best
— Sensible to plaudits of audience — High prices for trained ring-
horses.

THE height of perfection in training seems to be found
among circus horses, and whether a man is in sympathy
with horses or not, if he has any admiration for them at all he
certainly must approve of the acquired intelligence which the
trained horses for a circus exhibit. The manner of training
these horses is also interesting. The education must be given
in the most skillful manner, and some points in regard to it
will not only be interesting but may aid those who have the
training of horses for everyday purposes in doing their work
more intelligently.

In reply to the inquiry as to how he trained his horses, the
trainer of all of Barnum and Bailey's trick and ring horses^
said : " The first thing that we have to do when we get new
horses is simply to keep them in the stables with the others
until they get used to their company. It is a singular thing,
too, how jealous the old horses are of the new comers. You
may laugh if you want to, but horses really have their way of
' guying ' green stock.

"After the horses get used to their surroundings and their
stable companions, we blindfold them and take them into the
ring. While they are blindfolded we train them to the circu-
lar motion, — that is, we make it appear natural to them to
run around in a ring. This requires a good deal of time and
patience. It generally takes a month to break a horse to this.
The natural tendency of the animal is to go straight, and the
going round is unnatural to him. Nowadays we use a

(253)

354 TRAINING CIRCUS HORSES.

system of check and lines that makes the process much easier
to him. After the horse has been taught to run around we
take off the blindf okl, and the performer for whom the animal
is intended begins to try tricks with him. The horse is natur-
ally very observant and his natural bent is to do what he sees
another horse do ; so when we are teaching a new horse tricks
we place him alongside of another, who has been trained, to
give him confidence, and the two work together. The rider will
first try one and then the other. It is a great mistake in think-
ing that punishment is resorted to in breaking in circus horses.
Horses that are broken by violent treatment are not to be de
pended upon, and for ring purposes we must have horses so
trained that they can be absolutely relied upon.

"A good animal that has been trained for the ring, will,
technically speaking, ' feel ' his rider and accommodate his
motions as much as possible to the work that the rider has in
iand. Such a horse is the delight of a bare-back rider ; and, by
the way, nearly all the riders have their favorite animals.

Circus horses are as sensible to the applause of the audience
as are the riders. It is wonderful what a horse will do under
the stimulus of applause with what he will not do when the
audience is cold. Horses are likely, however, just as perform-
ers, to lose their head when the approval is too stimulating.
This is one of the reasons you see the check and reins with
which a circus horse is provided ; they are not intended wholly
for ornament as most people suppose.

"A well-trained ring-horse is worth easily $1,000. Riders
who earn large salaries generally like to own the horses that
they ride ; they like to give them their personal attention.
Generally the riders in a circus who own their own horses
make up a pool together for the employment of a first-class
groom. A circus horse needs the most careful attention.
Prior to every act his back has to be rubbed with rosin, so as
to prevent the rider's feet from slipping ; this must be carefully
washed off after each act or the horse's back would become
sore in a short time.

TRAINING CIRCUS HORSES. 255

"A first-class groom has to be, in fact, something of a vet-
erinary surgeon. There are really few accidents to the circus
horse when one considers the work he has to do.

" We have horses here that have been in training for ten
years. The ring work is not particularly wearing upon them
when they become accustomed to it ; it is the traveling around
the country that tells on them most. At the same time they
get the best treatment. The food given them is of the first
quality.

" I have trained horses that Mr. Barnum, Mr. Bailey, and
others have valued at $5,000, simply because of their training.
Such a horse must be good blood.

" You might think a horse framed for the ring and kept in
it year after 3'ear might lose any speed he might have had, but
we have horses here now that we used in the ring work that
could trot a mile in 2.35 to 2.45."

CHAPTER XXXII.

FEEDING AND STABLE MANAGEMENT.

Value of different foods — Neatness and cleanness — Change of food necessary
— Treat kindly — Indian corn — Watering — Corn meal — Flax seed —
Roots — Light and ventilation — Blankets.

ALMOST any man can work around a horse-barn, but to
properly understand feeding and the best care of horses
in the stable, is a trade of itself, and one which has but few ex-
perts.

The lack of proper knowledge of different foods for horses
under peculiar conditions, as well as lack of judgment under
circumstances relating to the care of horses when they are out
of condition, added to carelessness, inattention, and poor treat-
ment when disease attacks the vital portions of a horse, is a
source of much fatality among them, and annually shortens the
lives of many good ones.

Among the vast horde of horses that die every year there
are only a few that are really worn out. The most of them die
from some cause or other, and these causes are what horsemen
should look after if they desire to have their animals live to " a
green old age." It is generally easier and cheaper to preserve
horses once procured than to obtain new ones. Aside from
accidents, a sound horse should be as good at eighteen or twenty
years old as at any other age, yet we find but a few who,
having lived to that time, are still able to do even a few da3^s
work without great fatigue.

Owners of horses should study the care of them in order to
get the greatest amount of service out of them, if for no other
reason. Remember that with your horse, as with yourself,
every time you do an imprudent thing you will have to pay
dearly for it. If the results of poor care and bad management

( 256 )

FEEDING AND STABLE MANAGEMENT. 257

of horses could be seen immediately there would, undoubtedly,
be more thought given to the matter.

A French investigator, by an elaborate test, found that oats
were especially good for horses. By an electrical apparatus he
found an excitable principle in oats which he called a nervine,
and he discovered that crushed oats were more active and not
as enduring as the whole grain, used as horse food.

It is understood by the practical horseman that oats favor
more speed and endurance in the horse than any other food.
Experience has proved, beyond a doubt, that as a grain food
for horses, few, if any, feeds are superior to oats. Many
farmers and teamsters, however, by experimenting, have
decided that other grains may be cheaper and answer nearly
as well.

As to the cheapness of feeding horses with grain, as far as
the cost of the grain itself is concerned, there is no doubt that
ground grain mixed with cut hay, or hay and straw, is the
most economical ; but in this manner of feeding we must have
the conveniences not otherwise required in feeding whole grain,
and the extra time it takes to cut and grind the food should
also be included in the expense account.

When corn is worth less than a cent a pound, the feeding
value is, no doubt, in favor of corn, but corn being very hearty
great care must needs be exercised in dealing it out. Constant
feeding of corn for two or three months often deranges the en-
tire system, requiring a complete change of diet, and often
necessitating the services of a veterinary.

The thick hull covering the oat kernel prevents fast eating ;
consequently, more saliva is formed, which aids digestion, 3'et
some horses eat so voraciously that some kernels are swallowed
whole. In such cases either have the grain ground and fed dry
or place several stones two inches in diameter in the feed-box.
These will prevent the grabbing of a full mouthful of grain at
once, and thus cause twice the time spent in eating a given
quantity. There is a vast amount of ignorance exhibited in

17

258 FEEDING AND STABLE MANAGEMENT.

feeding horses. Some owners feed their horses when most
convenient, regardless of the w^ants or necessities of the animals.
The capacity of the horse's stomach is about sixteen quarts ;
people w^ho are ignorant of this fact fall into many serious
errors.

No one owning or having the care of intelligent horses
should have to be told how necessary to good health it is that
everything about the horses, and most especially about the
feed-boxes and mangers, should be perfectly neat and clean. It
is too often the practice of the attendant to empty the contents
of the measure into the feed-box without once glancing in to
see if.it is in condition to receive the food. If the horse does
not eat his food out clean the box should be cleaned out before
another feeding time.

There is no animal more fastidious than the horse, and if
there is a little grain left in the box from time to time, it soon
commences to decay or mould and offends the horse's sense of
taste and smell. For the same reason the hay-rack or manger
should not be crowded full every time the horse is fed ; give
but a small feed of hay at a time ; usually about seven pounds
is enough. Following this direction the hay will always be
fresh and the horse will not gorge himself, but will eat it much
better and do much better.

A horse requires an occasional change of food, as well as
the human being, but great care should be exercised in the
change from time to time instituted. Unless intelligence is ex-
hibited in feeding, the results frequently result in disaster.
Feed and water as regularly as possible.

It is a fact well worth bearing in mind that you cannot ill-
treat YOUR HORSE IN ANY WAY WITHOUT MATERIALLY DEPRECIAT-
ING HIM IN VALUE.

A state of uneasiness and restlessness by horses being j^^elled
at or unmercifully beaten about the stable, often lessens their
value and, indeed, often makes them worthless, w^hen the satis-
faction of handling them is considered. A humane man will
be more guarded about usino- harsh lano-uage and ill-treatment

FEEDING AND STABLE MANAGEMENT. 259

about a horse than he will about a person. The latter can
reason and consider the source and circumstances, while the
former, acting only from instinct, is more deeply impressed by
the treatment received.

Yicious and stubborn dispositions are often the results of
poor stable treatment, and it is not to be wondered at. If a
horse can be soothed by gentle words — and there are but few
that cannot — then it naturally follows that different treatment
will produce different effects.

In feeding grain to horses it is important that it should be
fed at such a time that it may remain in the stomach as long
as need be to secure its complete digestion.

The nitrogenous elements, in which grain is richer than
other food, are better digested in the stomach than in the in-
testines. The grain should be fed after the hay has been eaten,
and no other food or drink should be given for some time after,
so that the grain may remain in the stomach until fully
digested.

If the grain is fed first and then a ration of hay, the grain
will speedil}^ be forced from the stomach by the hay and will
not do more than about half as much good as if fed after the
horse had eaten about seven ' pounds of hay and had all the
water required.

This system, although contrary to the general practice, is
well worth the owner's consideration in feeding horses.

Indian corn is the great food crop for animals in this coun-
try, and is produced in nearly every county of every State, and
probably more cases of horse colic arise from feeding corn-meal
than from all other foods combined ; and this especially occurs
among farm horses, as farmers study the philosophy of foods
very little, or the effects of the conditions of food upon animal
health. They, naturally, feed what is most convenient and
cheapest, without considering that any good food can be other
than healthy.

In my experience as a veterinary practitioner I have known
of the death of many horses, which, by examination, proved to

260 TEEDING AND STABLE MANAGEMENT.

be caused by feeding corn-meal alone. Some feed it wet and
others dry, but, when fed alone, it is more dangerous wet than
dry, for when wet it may be swallowed with but very little
m.astication, while the dry meal must be masticated until the
saliva saturates it before it can be swallowed, and the saliva is
a more active agent in the process of digestion than is mere
water ; therefore, it is in better condition for digestion when fed
dry than when fed wet.

In my experience of upwards of forty years in feeding
horses I have never known any serious effects from feeding
even the finest of corn-meal when mixed with cut hay or straw.
My plan of mixing is to moisten the hay or straw (or both
mixed, half and half) just enough to cause the meal to adhere
to it that it may all be eaten together. Be careful in the mix-
ing and not get the hav too wet.

My experience with horses and hostlers leads me to say that
there are as many horses injured by over-feeding as by under-
feeding. It should ever be borne in mind that every bit of food
placed before a horse more than his capacity for assimilation
and digest is not only wasted, but is positively injurious to the
horse. It should be the study of all horse owners to see that
their animals do not go to bed at night either hungry, thirsty,
or suffering from too much supper.

It would be assuming too much for me to say how great or
small a quantity you should feed 3'our horses, for you will
find by closely watching a stable of a dozen or more horses that
some require much more feed than others. It is the same with
men ; what is eaten by one small man will sometimes be a suf-
ficient quantity for two larger ones, consequently I do not wish
to place myself on record as saying just how much or how little
3^ou shall feed your horses, but would advise the owners them-
selves to see on how little food a horse can work and thrive
rather than to see how much food he can get away with.

Of muscle-producing food, beans are first, oats second, and
barley third. Of fat-producing food, Indian corn stands first,
pease second, and barley third. Wheat is also a most excellent
grain to be judiciously fed to all animals.

FEEDING AND STABLE MANAGEMENT. 261

All grains should be ground in order to be of the greatest
utility to animals, and especially horses, when mixed with cut
hay or straw. Wheat bran is not only a food rich in muscle
and bone-forming matter, but a medicine for the bowels which
may be classed among the safest and best as well as cheapest.

Flaxseed, oil-cake, and oil-meal are all excellent in their way
of keeping the bowels open and in a healthy condition when
judiciously fed in connection with dry food.

Roots occasionally fed to all horses in winter are not only
wholesome but toothsome. Among the different varieties of
roots grown here in America, I prefer carrots for horses, but
parsnips may be quite as good. An occasional feed of apples
when plenty and cheap, and especially sweet apples, are usually
much relished by all horses. Even turnips and potatoes for a
change to horses that will eat them are to be recommended in
winter, as all these, while making a change in their diet, have a
tendency to regulate their bowels also.

Next to roots and fruit for this purpose, flaxseed, linseed
meal, and wheat meal are advisable.

Salt should be so administered as not to overdo or underdo
the matter. Provide each horse with a sufficiency, and not
force more upon him than he requires. My present method of
salting horses is to place quite a lump of mineral salt in the
feeding box or manger of each horse, and when it has all disap-
peared replace it with another.

I know that in this way some eat twice as much as others —
possibly too much; but I know of no better way in which to
salt horses while in the stable, and, when in the field, I usually
leave lumps of salt w^ithin their reach and where they can have
free access to it.

All stables for horses should be well provided with light and
ventilation without draught.

All work and driving horses should be well bedded every
night and well groomed every morning.

Blankets are to be used when necessary, but care and judg-
ment must be exercised.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

MANAGEMENT OF TEAMS ON THE FARM AND ON THE ROAD.

Don't rush in the morning — Good vs. poor teamsters — Noon feed — Groom
properly — Blankets, etc.

FARM TEAMS.

DON'T rush the teams in the morning or after a long rest ;
warm them up gradually if you would get the most out
of them, and give them the least necessary fatigue. When
plowing, the lirst round or two in the morning should be made
as easy as possible ; and if the plowing is hard on the team, as,
for instance, heavy clay land, when they are obliged to pull
quite hard all the time, — it should frequently be stopped for
just a little while and not allowed to get over-heated, exhausted,
or discouraged,

I have had many farm-hands and teamsters (?) to work for
me, and nearly as many different kinds as numbers. For in-
stance, I have had a man whp would take a team in the morn-
ing fresh from the stable and in my toughest plowing in Indi-
ana clay soil, would do a good forenoon's work and bring his
team in at noon in good shape to water and feed. You would
seldom hear this man speak to his team, and never hear him
yell or scold at them ; he would do a good spring's work and
keep his team in excellent order all through. Look to the
field whenever you would, you might invariably see his team
moving quietly and steadily along. He made frequent stops,
however, but of very short duration ; always when he stopped
he backed the team a step and usuall}'' raised their collars to
give air and to see that all was right.

I have had other plowmen and teamsters who, when working
their teams, would bawl and swear at their teams until they

(262)

MANAGEMENT OF TEAMS ON FARM AND ROAD. 263

might be heard all over the farm ; these would rush them for
all they Avere worth for an hour or two until they were reeking
with foam and sweat, and then stop them half an hour or more
at a time, letting them stand all the while on a draw with
traces taut and bracing in the collar, while they rested sit-
ting on the plowbeam ; and perhaps when the dinner bell rang
they would bring them to the barn so heated that they could
not be watered or fed for half an hour. Such teamsters, — if
by such name they may be called, — will use up a good team
in an incredibly short time, as I know by observation.

Some teamsters will anno}^ and fret a good team with spirit
and mettle more by constant yelling and swearing at them —
and take more out of them in this manner — than will all the
work they are able to accomplish.

In the spring of 1894, I hired a young man from Ohio to
work for me for the season, and gave him a good team to
work. Both horses were well-bred, and belonged to the
American trotting family, both were full of life and spirit,
were in the best of health, and in excellent condition. They
were both intelligent and good dispositioned animals, but
rather nervous ; both were willing to do lots of work, doing it
cheerfully, steadily, and pleasantl}'.

This young man commenced bawling and swearing at his
team from the very start. "We could hear his foul language
all over the farm and into the house, even ; not only that but
he soon became a neig-hborhood nuisance throus:h his loud
swearing at one of the very best teams ever hitched to a plow
or elsewhere. He had lung's like an ox and the voice of a foa-
horn. I cannot now see why I should have kept him for a
month, but I did, for he was a good worker for the times, and
I suppose I thought that by reasoning and talking with him I
might reform him in the manner of using a team, — but it
was of no use. I could not change his methods, and so I sent
him away, I then engaged the services of a mild-mannered
young man (a graduate of a commercial college) to work this
same team. He soon proved himself to belong to the chronic

264 MANAGEMENT OF TEAMS ON FARM AND ROAD.

lazy class, and required a large amount of sitting down in order
to accomplish a little work. He would rush his team for all
they could stand for half an hour or so and then stop them for
as long a time while he sat down and had a good rest and
smoke. The noon bell would frequently catch him with a very
light forenoon's work accomplished but vnth a heated and
fatigued team. He also was a great hand to yell and scold at
his team ; but it was a busy time of the year and good help
very scarce, so I kept him two months, and at the expiration
of that time his team was in an excellent condition to make
first-class scare-crows of.

Kow had this same team, with proper handling and proper
care been well managed at their work, they would not only
have accomplished all that they did, but would have held their
own in flesh and condition. I give this illustration here as not
one of great singularity, but a recent one, and one that I
was much interested in.

If farm horses are fed loose hay at noon they should have
time to eat it before being fed grain ; then as soon as done eat-
ing their grain they are ready for the field. Not to exceed
seven pounds of hay should be given at one feeding to each
horse. Alwaj^s water on coming to the stable if team is not
too warm ; if such be the case they may eat their hay first, then
drink their fill, and eat their grain lastly. Remember to feed
grain after hay in all cases, in order to get the most from the
grain.

MANAGEMENT OF HORSES ON THE ROAD.

When farm horses are not much used on the roads, and are
required to haul heavy loads long distances, their drivers
should use great care not to allow them to become too much
M^earied ; for, when in this condition, excessive sweating is
liable to cause severe chills and colds, often producing internal
fever accompanied by severe constipation or stoppage.

Farmers should go on these' trips to market in cool weather,
prepared to give warm clothing while the team is resting.
Laxative food should also be given in moderate quantities, as

EL

i»

MANAGEMENT OF TEAMS ON FARM AND ROAD. 265

an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.
There is nothing better for this purpose than boiled flax-seed ;
this in small quantity mixed with other food is very soothing
to the stomach.

When flax-seed cannot be obtained, linseed oil-meal will an-
swer as well. Oats are the best grain-food for teams either
working or driving on the road, but oats and barley in equal
portions ground together make an excellent ration.

Another matter that farm teamsters are quite likely to neg-
lect, is proper grooming. Thorough cleaning for a work-horse
is said to equal a small feed of oats. There is no doubt about
the healthfulness of good grooming. Proper attention to
feeding, cleaning, and blanketing will be found much cheaper
than to engage the services of a veterinary after your animals
aje taken ill.

CHAPTER XXXIY.

MANAGEMENT OF ROAD AND DRIVING HORSES.

Start out moderate — Long distance — Water frequently — Checking — Hitch-
ing to buggy — Whip — Feeding on the road — Short-distance driving
— Reins well in hand.

THERE have been periods in my varied and busy life when
my business required much driving on country roads,
and sometime of upwards of sixty miles in a day. I usually
had a good horse for these long routes, and knew — or thought
I knew — very well how to drive and take care of them. My
way was — and is — when starting out with a recently fed and
watered horse to drive the first five or ten miles about as slow
as a good road horse will naturally travel, and by that time
they will have gotten themselves into condition for good road
work and will be ready to take a good, comfortable road gait
for the next ten or twenty miles without distress or fretting.
"When driving on hilly roads I allow the horses to walk up hills
and drive very carefully and with a snug rein down the hills,
always taking advantage of the best, smoothest, and level
places in the road to make up my time.

When driving long distances I never enter into brushes or
races with others on the road, but always drive as steadily and
easily as possible. Many has been the time when driving long
distances on the road that someone has driven out of a yard
or stable when I was about opposite, and, going my way, have
driven past and away from me — perhaps entirely out of sight
— but after a few miles of steady driving I have come up to
them, and perhaps passed them and driven away, out of sight
and hearing of them for the rest of the journey. When driv-
ing on the road in summer I water frequently, giving a little
at a time. I never check hard when driving long distances —

(266)

MANAGEMENT OF ROAD AND DRIVING HORSES. 267

nor any other time, for that matter. On the road I am very
particular that my horse, if checked at all, is only very moder-
ately so, and that he hangs quite loose in the harness. Most
people, to my notion, buckle the hold-backs too tight ; a horse
cannot travel nearly as easily with the breeching drawn tight
across him. I want it quite loose or left off altogether,,
although a hilly country road calls for the breeching ; but be
sure it hangs right, not too taut nor too low. Have it well up
on the thighs and not so low as to have a tendency to trip in
descending steep hills. So particular am I over this point of
the hanging of the breeching that many has been the time
when driving a horse harnessed by others, I have got out of
my buggy and adjusted the same to suit myself, even though I
were driving but a short distance.

As to the whip ; there are few men who like a good whip,,
perhaps, better than myself; and I have thought that few
could use one more dexterously when required to do so. I
always want a good whip in m}^ buggy when driving, no mat-
ter what the distance may be ; yet, if kept for my use alone, a
good whip would last me a long time, as I have but little occa-
sion to use it.

One of the worst possible pernicious features of road driv-
ing is an almost continual clucking, tapping with the whip, and
jerking on the reins.

I very much dislike to see the hair worn off horses from
wearing the breeching too tio-ht.

I have often thought were I a horse hitched to a fine buggy
or carriage and compelled to stand the irritable driving that
many good horses are subjected to, I would play " Old Ab-
dallah " with the carriage, and serve it as he did the Long
Islander's fish-cart many years ago, even though I were made
to pay the same penalty for my rashness as he did for his —
being turned out on a sandy beach to starve to death.

I have often observed that the best drivers, whether of
teams or single horses ; whether those teams were composed of
oxen, stags, mules, or horses ; whether being worked on the

268 MANAGEMENT OF ROAD AND DRIVING HORSES.

farm, driven on the road, or even on the race track, were those
who used the whip the least. In driving many different horses,
of as many ditferent dispositions, I have had at various times
many occasions for the use of the whip ; but in all cases I en-
deavor to have the horse fully understand why I use it and for
what purpose.

In former times, when serving at county or state fairs as a
committee on oxen and steers, I have admonished exhibitors in
reference to the too free use of the lash — advising them to do
their training and necessary whipping at home ; then bring
their trained animals only to the fair for exhibition, and not
make too much of an exhibit of themselves or of their method
of training steers.

While on this subject of training for fairs and the use of
the whip, perhaps it may not appear as too great a digression
from the subject under consideration for me to relate a little
circumstance of several years ago. In September, 1873, I ex-
hibited a beautiful pair of Devon steers at the Windham county
(Ct.) fair. My steers were four years old only, and weighed
about 2,400 pounds, and at that time were compelled to compete
in their work with oxen of all ages and all weights. Their exhi-
bition work consisted in drawing and backing a cart filled and
rounded up with stones and probably weighing about two tons
- — not less. In this competition were oxen weighing all the
way from 3,200 to 4,200 pounds, and probably not a pair com-
peting for the prize weighing any less than 3,000 pounds.
Well, the result of the showing was that all the teams were
iible to draw the load, and after much yelling and scolding and
51 good deal of whipping, several pairs were able to do some-
thing in the way of backing it. There were some twenty pairs
in competition.

After all the oxen had shown what they could and could
not do, I hitched my " little steers " to the cart. I could dis-
tinctly hear the murmur through the crowd that " Dimon will
be unable to compete with the others," — that while he had a
beautiful pair of steers, they were altogether too light and

MANAGEMENT OF ROAD AND DRIVING HORSES. 269-

young to compete favorably with their older and heavier com-
petitors ; that, while they mujht be able to draw the load up
the hill, they could not possibly be expected to back it a single
inch.

When all was ready I gave them the word and they, at
once, started together, settling into their yoke, and took the
load up the hill and around to the backing place just as well as.
any team had been able to do. Again the murmur ran through
the crowd : " Dimon did very well at pulling, but he can't ex-
pect them to move that load backwards; they haven't the
' heft ' for it."

So, again, when all was ready, all I had to do was to raise
my whip before them and give them just one word, " Back ! '^
Back they went, almost backing over three or four men who
stood in their way behind the cart. The murmur of the crowd
turned into a shout. They cried : " This is the only backing
we have had to-day."

In this exhibition I only made use of the two words^
" Come " and " Back." I did not strike them a lick with my
whip. It was a case where I had done all of my training and
necessary whipping at home, and the cattle already knew what
to do and what to expect if they failed to do what was told
them.

Then, in training horses, as well as steers, whether 'for ex-
hibition or use, first teach them thoroughly just what you want
them to do ; and then it may be time to teach them what to
expect in case of failure to perform what they are capable of
doing.

In driving long distances on the road I only feed at morn-
ing, at noon, and at night. Some think that after a fifteen or
twenty mile drive a horse should be stopped and fed, no mat-
ter what the time of day ; I cannot agree with them. Feed
regularly in this work just the same as in other work. Of
course, if a horse is pulled out of a stable at midnight and
starts off on an empty stomach, it cannot be expected that he
will not need feeding again until noon ; that would be too

270 MANAGEMENT OF ROAD AND DRIVING HORSES.

long. Use judgment in this as in many other cases where it is
impossible for the wisest head to lay down infallible rules to
go by. If a man has no judgment in the use of a horse, he
should not be allowed to use one, but be forced to turn his at-
tention to other less responsible pursuits.

Having described my way in treating a horse on a long dis-
tance I will say a few words regarding short-distance driving.
While at my time of life I like a " quaker trot " about as well
as any gait — both as to comfort and safety for me — still if I
have a good horse and the roads are good and I have only five
or ten miles to go, I see no particular necessity of spending too
much time on the road. Time is money, and life is too short
to fool away too much of it unnecessarily. I contend that a
horse well able to do so and ^vithout a heavy load, had better
travel over a good, smooth ten-mile road in an hour and a half
and receive good treatment at the end, than to spend two and
a half hours on the road and receive no care at the end of the
route.

Besides, the older I grow I more and more see the import-
ance of making each hour count to the best possible advan
tage ; for, as Longfellow has it :

" Art is long and Time is fleeting;

And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like mutHed drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave."

Always, w^hen driving on the road, have the reins well in
hand, always being " in touch " with the horse through his
mouth. Then, if through any cause your horse makes a mis-
step, or shies, or stumbles, you have him under your control at
once — as you otherwise could not do.

I have driven horses full of life and spirit, whose action and
speed I could govern by the mouth alone, without a word or
single act on my part except just slight variations in the pull
or non-pull of the lines.

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CHAPTER XXXV.

HANDLING AND MANAGING TROTTEKS.

The author a judge in races — The trainer — Driver — Swipe — Big-head —
Early m. late training — Toe-weights — Jogging — The mouth — Sta-
bling— Treating a warm horse — Time to succeed.

IT has been said that " all money in trotters is in the hand-
lino^." The manao^ement, handlinor, and drivino- 'the trot-
ting horse in his races, is as much of a science and requires as
much skill to do so properly and successfully, as that of almost
any other profession. It is a trade of itself. If the candidate
for this profession is not possessed of a natural taste, as well as
ability, for it, then he had better turn his attention to other
fields of employment.

Although, as stated in the preface of this book, I am not a
professioncil driver in races, yet I have occupied the judges'
stand in many very good races, trotted by some of the best
horses and driven by some of the most expert drivers of their
time ; and from that standpoint, especially as it usually
devolved upon me to act in the capacity of " starter " in the
races, I have had an opportunity to learn very much as to how
horses should be managed and driven in their best work. But
the success in this business is not alone dependent upon the
driver, for in the " swipe," or care-taker of the trotter, really
depends nearly as much as upon the driver ; inasmuch as the
best driver would be unable to win purses with the best trotters
not in condition to trot.

Were I in the business of campaigning a stable of trotters I
should be very particular in m}^ selection of the proper men to
take care of the horses, as well as in the selection of the knight
of the sulky to pilot them to victory.

If a horse makes a sensational hit in a race the driver often
gets all the credit, while the poor swipe gets left.

(271)

FROPERTY OF SCHWmSVlLlE

COMMUNITY LIBRARY, fflC.
SCHWENKSVILLE, PA.

272 HANDLING AND MANAGING TROTTERS.

If the horse comes to the " scratch " out of condition, and,
in consequence, loses the race, then the swipe usually gets all
the blame for this state of affairs.

Without doubt the talent necessary to be a successful
trainer and developer of trotters, especially youngsters, is more
rarely found than is the same amount of ability as a driver in
races.

Another consideration is that a man who has thus been
eminently successful rarely, if ever, fails to be a good driver in
races ; whereas some of the most renowned " knights of the
sulky " are far from being in the front rank of the profession
or art of carrying animals from the primary school to the
graduating classes.

It may seem singular to those not intimately acquainted
with the trainins;' of fast harness-horses that there should be
any hesitancy in accepting advice from persons who, by study
and experience, are fully qualified to give it ; but those who
have had such experience will agree with me that very many
trainers, and some drivers as well, appear to regard suggestions
as an implication of ignorance and resent it accordingly.

It more frequently happens, perhaps, in this business than
in most others that a young man engaged in the capacity of
trainer or driver gets what is sometimes called " big-head,"
"which, when it attacks its victim with severity, is a most stub-
born disease, and in some cases is incurable, but usually
succumbs to study and experience.

I have known young men engaged a single season, perhaps,
in the capacity of handling the trotter, that in their own esti-
mation knew more about the trotting horse from beginning to
end than those much more advanced in j^ears, and who had
made this subject a life-long study.

As to the early training of the trotter, unless you are par
ticularly anxious to give your colt a record at an early age,
notwithstanding all that has been written and said to the con-
trary, I maintain, as heretofore stated in Training for Speed,
Chap. XXIX, that early maturity means early decay. I would

HANDLING AND MANAGING TROTTERS, 273

much rather have my colts intended for campaigning purposes
grown up in their free and natural way until at least two years
old, and if longer so much better for the durability of the
animal. I may differ in this respect with some of the modern
trainers and drivers, but agree with that great Napoleon of the
trotting turf of his day, Hiram Woodruff. Neither is my theory
antagonistic to the staying and lasting qualities in such " old
time " trotters as Imported Messenger's greatest son — on the
trotting turf — old Topgallant, whose first race was made at
the age of fourteen years ; or of Sherman Morgan's fastest
trotting son, Ripton, who never stepped on a track until after
he was five years old ; or of the reigning queen of the trotting
turf of her time, Flora Temple, whose first race was when in
her sixth year, and who was a regular campaigner for eleven
years ; or of the wonderful horse of his day, Dutchman, who
had few, if any, equals ; he was on the trotting turf for many
seasons, but first saw a race-track at the age of five years.

The gamy mare. Lady Suffolk, was on the turf for thirteen
successive seasons, her first appearance before the public did not
occur, however, until she was five years old.

Goldsmith Maid, the queen of all trotters in her day, and
the first to lower the record to 2.14, was eight years old before
making her first race, and remained constantl}^ on the turf until
about twenty-one years old.

Dexter, the trotting king of his day, and who for so long
held the world's trotting record of 2.16f, had never eaten a
bushel of oats — it is said — at four years old, and never saw a
race-track until six years of age, and lived to be thirty years
old.

(See Old-time Trotters, Chap. XXVI.)

It is true that we are now living in a faster age and have
more fast trotters and more trotting tracks than in those times,
and consequently, cannot afford to wait so long for the develop-
ment of our horses ; but how long do the best kacers of the

PERIOD LAST ?
18

274 HANDLING AND MANAGING TROTTERS.

As stated in^ " Breaking and Training " (Chap. XXYIII), I
believe in commencing the education of all colts at an early
age, and believe their teaching should be in harmony with the
business afterwards expected of them ; but to hammer the life
out of the poor things when they are but mere babies, as is
often done, seems to me to be both cruel and inhuman.

If, as in " Training for Speed " (see Chap. XXIX), the train-
ing can be slowly and carefully conducted, it may be com-
menced at a comparativel}?" early period in the life of the
youngster, who, if not pushed beyond his strength and capacity,
may, in some respects, be advantageous.

Njow as to managing the trotting horse at the track. Our
old-school doctors and farriers used to consider it necessary to
first bleed their patients for all the spare blood there was in.
them ; all the early trainers and managers of trotters thought
it necessary to first sweat, scrape, and physic the animals under
their charge ; but time has changed their views on those sub-
jects, and doctors now first experiment with their patients and
" bleed them " afterwards, and so modern trainers have changed
their minds as to sweating, scraping, and physicing.

As to shoeing and properly balancing, much depends on the
speed procured and the ease with which it is obtained. M}^
views on shoeing may be found in full on page 319, Chapter
XLI ; but I will here remark that the nearer you imitate nature
and the least possible weight with which you can balance the
colt, you should carry.

As a rule, I would recommend the discarding of toe-weights
altogether in training and managing horses on the track ; still,
their use may be admissible in some cases, as there are gener-
ally exceptions to all rules.

I would, however, recommend the training of the coming
trotter to trot in light shoes, and not ask him to go at a faster
gait at first than he could be made to trot level and square in
that way of going, and then increase the speed graduall}^ ; but
in this matter, as in so many others connected with the horse,
there can be no definite, positive rules laid down to govern in

HANDLING AND MANAGING TROTTERS. .275

all cases. A grain of commonsense and practical good judg-
ment to meet the emergencies of cases as they occur is often
worth more than a pound of instruction by the wisest author.

Trainers are too apt, I think, to jump to the conclusion that
colts and green trotters need weights, when the difficulties that
present themselves could be easily removed without resorting
to this artificial assistance. I agree with Trainer Marvin when
he says : " I need not enter into any argument to show that the
ideal trotter will trot barefooted, needing no balancing other
than what nature has given it ; and that the use of the shoe is
simply to protect the foot, after which every ounce of weight
has its detrimental influences. It may, however, become in
some cases necessary ; but the careful trainer should, in such
cases, endeavor to reduce and never in any case increase weight
until certain that nothing else will remedy the difficulty en-
countered. In case that you decide that it is best to put on
weights and find that they remedy the trouble, do not for a
moment think it will be always necessary to retain them ; but,
after a little while, commence gradually reducing it until you
get down, if possible, to an eight or ten-ounce shoe."

If a horse is worked for speed at a rate that he can go fairly
and squarely, going clean without weight or boot, his speed will
naturally and gradually improve, and the final result will be
much more satisfactory than if you had resorted to artificial
appliances.

Keep your trotter going square ; do not be too impatient if
he inclines to hitch in his gait or to become generally unbal-
anced ; take him back to a gait in which he can trot level and
square by natural training before experimenting too much with
his shoes. Other things being equal, the horse carrying the
least weight will go fastest, stay better, and last longer than
his weight-carrying rival.

As to "jogging," its only object is to prepare the horse to
trot by emptying his stomach, limbering up his joints, warming
up his blood, and getting his whole organization ready for ac-

276 HANDLING AND MANAGING TROTTERS.

tion. There is no real development of speed in jogging, but it
is a simple preparatory service for the exhibition of speed.

At the commencement of the season if your horse is too
fleshy as well as soft, the best way to relieve him of this super-
abundance of flesh is by the natural way of working it off, and
not by sweat-blankets and hoods. I have but little use for
either of them. Some horses will require much more work
than others to accomplish this, but usually the more work the
better horse ; after you have got 3'our horse in a good driving
trim, with flesh of a hard variety, then, and not until then, he
should be given the greater portion of his work in hard brushes,
as fast as possible.

The principle of work for colts and mature horses is the
same. To prepare a green horse for fast work, give plenty of
exercise, careful grooming, and judicious feeding. Always in
your work-outs work well within your horse's limits, and not
overwork or over-tire and discourage him. With the fast mile
and repeat business, as often practiced, your horse cannot but
lose his speed to a great degree. On the day of the race you
will want all the speed that you can command, and you should
husband it well for that very purpose, as herein lies the suc-
cess of all your past efforts. .

Remember in training for races that " speed makes game-
ness." The horse going within his limit will always outlast the
one required to do his very best from wire to wire. In prepar-
ing for the race you will soon learn to judge when the horse
has had sutRcient exercise, as he will show it by acting tired
and losing his eagerness to go. At the first sign of this he
should be taken to the stable.

Care of the mouth in training is an important thing. See
that it does not get sore, that the bit is not hurting it ; and en-
deavor, if possible, to keep it in its natural, sensitive, and easy
state ; verv much depends on the condition of a horse's mouth
at the time he is to enter a great race.

The best drivers are those who so skillfully handle the reins
that the horse is not onlv steadied in his work, but also receives

HANDLING AND MANAGING TROTTERS. 277

a sort of electrical communication from the driver through the
bit. Whenever a trainer or driver and his horse " get out "
with each other, the sooner they part company the better for
both ; neither can do himself justice while fighting tlie other.
Work to be of the greatest benefit in any kind must be entered
into with good temper on both sides.

As to stabling the training horse while in training, the re-
quired requisites are plenty of room, good light and ventilation,
and, if possible, have each box-stall independent of the others,
and each one having its own door and window. The stables
should be located on high and dry ground, and quite convenient
to the track. I like a southern exposure best, and half-doors,
not only for their being more pleasant, but also of affording
more freedom to the animals, who often in fine weather like to
stand with heads and necks protruding, taking an interest in
whatever may be going on, and thereby undoubtedly enjoying
life much better than if closely housed.

These stalls, as well as their occupants, should be kept per-
fectly clean and free from all bad odors. Feed and water the
animals regularly three times a day, and with judgment at all
times ; watch and note the effect of food upon each individual
and regulate the quantity and variety according to circum-
stances. Horses differ in the necessary amount of food needed
as they differ in the amount of work required. Quality is a
great essential in food for the race track. All food should be
clean and free from dust, and the importance of good water is
equal to that of good food.

On coming to the stable after the pupil has had his work-
out give him a few swallows of water, then remove the harness,
throw on the blanket, keep him out of the draft, scrape him off
lightly (but not overdo the matter), and watch him closely lest
he take cold. Be careful not to use too heavy a blanket, as you
do not want to sweat your horse, only to keep him from taking
cold. If he is pretty well Warmed up when coming to the
stable, then, after the scrape, a body wash may be applied, com-
posed as follows :

278 HANDLING AND MANAGING TROTTERS.

One and one-lialf gallons pure cider vinegar.

One quart full proof alcohol.

Six ounces arnica flowers.

Eight ounces salammoniac.

Four ounces saltpetre.

Rain water to make three gallons.

This should be quickly poured and rubbed over the loins
and muscles of the shoulders ; after which the legs are band-
aged ; then put on a light blanket ; then walk him slowly for
some twenty minutes, letting him stop occasionally ; then^
when he is nearly dry, take him and rub him out carefully and
lightly. Hard rubbing a horse in racing condition is both
irritable and painful.

To bandage the legs properly is quite a knack, and you
should remember that the lower part of the ankle and heels
needs the support furnished by the bandages just as much as
any part of the leg ; the object of the bandage is to brace the
ankles and tendons until they are thoroughly rested after the
strain of fast work. The bandage should be wrapped down
and well under the fetlock ; it should be put on moderately
tight and left on from one to two hours.

As to cleaning tools, a soft bristle brush is preferable to
stiff corn brushes, but the rub-cloths or towels, accompanied
with plenty of elbow power, should do the principal work in
cleaning the trotter.

The importance of having good rubbers and the difficulty of
obtaining them confront every trainer. A good rubber or
swipe will take the best care of three horses.

The feet of the young trotter and campaigner should at all
times receive the best of care ; they should be carefully cleaned
and washed out and " stopped up " with clay every night while
on the track. As a rule, I use no oil on the feet. For a wash
I use the leg-wash previously recommended as a body wash
also; rub this well in by the hand, along the joints and
tendons ; then bandage with a pliable or open bandage of po-
rous texture, being careful that it is not too tight and thus in-

HANDLING AND MANAGING TROTTERS. 279

terfering with the circulation ; it should not be left on more
than ten hours, or the legs may become heated.

I have but little, if any, use for the soaking tub for the feet ;
a walk in the dewy grass in the summer is, to my notion,
much better. Marvin says :

" It is well to learn to drive by the watch, provided you
don't try to beat it ; it improves a man's judgment of pace and
hence teaches him to rate more evenly."

It is well enough to let time be your guide but not a com-
petitor with 3"our horse in training. In preparing for a race a
trainer should not overwork his horse so as to dull his spirits
and get him " track-sick." At every stage of preparation the
trainer's judgment should come to his aid and guide him as to
what to do, when to do, and how far to go. Just as horses
differ so must the methods differ. In preparation for important
races the jogging should not be left to the boys, but should be
done by the trainer himself, as in this branch of the horse's
education much is at stake, as mouth, gait, and temper are all
directly involved. In order to be most successful, one hand
should do all the driving ; the horse will readily perceive the
difference. Attention to details amounts to much, in this as
in other branches of business. Marvin says : " The man who
gets into the sulky after the horse is ready to work, drives
him his mile and repeats and leaves all the rest to rubbers
to do if they will, and how they will, may have an easy and
pleasant position in this life but he won't break many records."

In the race be sure to have everything in readiness to the
clanging of the judge's bell ; don't let that rattle you in the
least, even if it is your first race ; keep cool and attend strictly
to your business ; always co-operate with the starter and en-
deavor to prevent delay in starting.

After receiving the word " Go," do the best you can to get
to the front, and stay there, if your horse can do so within him-
self, but doil't waste a fraction of speed, any more than is nec-
essary to safely win, without the necessity of driving head and
head finishes.

280 HANDLING AND MANAGING TROTTERS.

After the heat treat your horse as in his Inrushes of " work-
outs " while in training. If he fails to scrape well, however,
and seems unduly distressed, sprinkle him with tepid water
from a watering-pot, then sponge him over. Sometimes cold
water will do as well, and either will generally relieve him.
In some rare cases it may be necessary to give some internal
stimulants, — whisky is, perhaps, as good as anything, then, —
although as a rule 1 do not approve of using any such stimu-
lant.

Between heats (after the second or third), feed your horse
one or two quarts of good clean oats, as it cannot be expected
that a hungry horse can trot and last through a long, hard
race. lie cannot trot on a full stomach but requires some
nourishment to keep him strong and to prevent that gnawing,
" all-gone " feeling at the stomach.

Make up your mind to win the race if possible ; do so fairly
without trickery or jockeN'ing. Don't try to say smart things
to the starter ; give the judges no back talk.

It has been truthfully said that drivers are born, not made,
and it is impossible to teach any man so that he can get up be-
hind a horse and drive him successfully in a race, unless he has
the natural gift for it.

A driver going out on a campaign with horses is not, by
any means, on a pleasure excursion, if he should attend prop-
erly to his business. He should stay right with his horses,
always remembering

" The time to succeed is when others,
Discouraged, show traces of tire;
The battle is fought in the home-stretch
And won 'twixt the flag aad the wire."

I

CHAPTER XXXYI.

BUYING AND SELLING HORSES.

Requisite qualifications — Location — Suavity — Expert on horses — Buying
for the market — Showing sale horses — The coachman.

BEFORE deciding to engage in horse-dealing as a business
my advice to any person is to first consider his qualifica-
tions for this business ; in order to make this business a success
one should have a special adaptation for it. As to the requisite
qualifications of the successful dealer in horses, he should, first
of all, fully understand the horse in all respects, and know just
how to correct or humor his whims and to show him to the
best possible advantage to his friends and customers. He
should as fully understand the examination of the horse which
he contemplates purchasing for his customers as the veterinary
who examines and passes on the horses offered for cavalry ser-
vice of a government or nation. He should be a good buyer,
as a thing well bought is half sold ; he should also be a good
salesman ; and I would say right here that to be a good sales-
man is perhaps one of the very best trades a man can possess.
He must also understand human nature as well as liorse
nature; must at all times "be pleasant and agreeable; always
be ready to listen to a story and occasionally tell a good one,
and should try to be an all-around good fellow, but not a
drinking man nor a gambler. A man to be a successful dealer
in horses must at all times carry a clear head on his shoulders,
and in order to do this he cannot be a patron of a barroom or
a saloon. Let your customer drink if he chooses, but you just
keep perfectly sober at all times, and thus be always ready for
lousiness.

As to general trade or commerce, almost any little •' Jew "
can successfully deal in dry goods or ready-made clothing ; it

(281)

282 BUYING AND SELLING HORSES.

don't require a college education to run a grocery store or meat
market, or to successfully deal in other commodities, from
brick and lime to watches and jewelry. It does not require an
unusually smart man to be a lawyer, as lawyers run, especially
if he is a natural liar and void of conscience.

To be a successful politician, chicanery and a free gift of
gab seems to fill the bill. To be a minister of the gospel does
not require an abundance of learning or of really business
qualifications to be successful, as for instance, an illiterate man.
like Sam Jones can make a temporary success of this business
almost equal to the better and more highly educated. As I
have said, it don't require great talent to become a successful
lawyer, politician, merchant, or minister ; neither does it re-
quire great talent to become an ordinary or even a good
mechanic ; but when we come to the business of buying and
selling horses we find that it tries a man for all he is worth ; a
business that cannot be successfully carried on by the ordinary
business man, and a man to succeed must have a peculiar talent
for this very business.

To be a successful dealer in horses as a permanent business,
the first requirement is to fully understand the horse in all his
moods and variations. Next, one must be a business man and
attend strictly to his business and cater to the wants and de-
mands of his customers. He should be a good bu3^er and a
good salesman.

As regards location for this business, my observation and
experience teaches me that it is better to locate at the selling
instead of the buying end of the route. I know that each end
has its advantages, but give me the money end in preference
to the breeding, as a rule.

Dealing in live stock, other than horses, absorbs much
vitality from a successful salesman, with close competition ;
also calls for more or less exposure and fatigue ; but it requires
far less skill, good judgment, and shrewdness to handle sheep,
cattle, or swine than it does horses. When a man has the
ability to handle horses there is no doubt more pleasure and

BUYING AND SELLING HORSES. 383

many times more chance for large profits than in the case of
handling other stock.

The dealer, if not already possessed of the required amount,
should cultivate suavity ; it will be found a highly essential
qualification, not only to the horse dealer, but to all other
dealers ; it helps in a great degree to sell his goods.

A horse dealer should be able to carry form, color, and size
in his eye to the extent of matching a horse in Boston Avith one
in Chicago, or a horse in Philadelphia with one in San Fran-
cisco, if necessary. There are times when good money may
be made by buying good horses singly, matching them closely,
and selling in pairs to people well able to buy them and pay
good prices for them.

Honesty, truthfulness, and square dealing is just as neces-
sary to success in horse dealing as in any other business ; and
the man who departs from this method of dealing with his
customers cannot expect to retain them or to long prosper in
the business.

To be excessively sharp or tricky may work for once, but
cannot be successfully repeated in the same locality. It has
been said " one may -fool all of the people some of the time,
some of the people all of the time, but not all of the people all
the time." This was applied to politics, but may be applied
to business as well, and horse business in particular.

The buyer of horses for the purpose of selling again at a
profit cannot be too shrewd, observant, or particular; he
should have the eye of the eagle, coupled with good horse
knowledge and much experience in the business. His success
will depend more on his eyes than his ears when making pur-
chases. There are so many things about a horse that do not
show on the surface and that require almost superhuman
knowledge to detect, that it places this business of horse buy-
ing — whether for the market or for individual use — among
the most scientific branches of trade in which man may be-
come engaged.

Having received — w^hether worthy or not — the title of

284 BUYING AND SELLING HOESES.

•" expert on horses," I will give my readers my rules for judg-
ing horses in buying. First, after a general casual look-over of
the animal under consideration, I commence as does a good
builder — builder of wells excepted — at the bottom ; first of
all I examine the feet, especially the front feet. The old say-
ing is — and there never was a truer — " No foot, no horse."
I insist on a sound foot, or at least one closely approximating
that of soundness. An otherwise good horse need not be dis-
carded for a temporary ailment, however, such as thrush, for
instance, that can readily be cured.

When I have passed on the foot I then proceed upwards on
the legs, examining each one separately, running my hand the
entire length and feeling for splints, puffs, or anything liable
to terminate in lameness or to be detrimental when selling on
a, competitive market. When examining the legs and joints I
look sharply for curbs, spavins, and thoroughpins on the hind
legs and for splints, weak or sprung knees on the front, or a
tendency to either of the above on all places where liable to
occur. When examining a horse for spavin the best position
for it is a " squatting " one in front, where you can see alike
the inside of both hock joints at the same -time.

After thoroughly convincing myself that the underpinning
is all right, my next move is , to critically examine the eyes ;
these have been, in the human family, termed the windows of
the soul ; if horses have no souls, still these eyes are the means
by which they connect themselves with the outer world, and it
is a matter of great importance that such windows be not
darkened.

I like a good, bright, hazel eye, but, as this is not very com-
mon among horses, then give me a livel}^, pleasant eye of an-
other shade, with not too much white around the edges. I
would much rather find white than red, however, as I never
was partial to red-eyed horses or green-eyed dogs.

To a natural horseman, well up in his business, very much
of the character and disposition of a horse may be determined
f rojn his e3^es ; yet it would be a difficult matter for any in-

BUYING AND SELLING HORSES. 285

structor to give his pupils any definite rules to follow in this;
particular branch of character reading. If not already inher-
ent, such knowledge can be gained only by experience and ob-
servation.

After I have examined the eye, I next consult the mouth
as to the age and general condition of the teeth. I look at the
tongue to see if it has at any time been severely lacerated with
the bit, and to determine Avhether the ligaments holding it in
place have been strained, as is sometimes the case, causing the
animal to carry his tongue out of the mouth in a lolling
position.

On raising the mane I like to see a good, long curl or rosette
on the neck, but this is not essential — only a matter of taste ;.
yet it quite frequently helps, by many dollars, the sale of a.
horse.

Examine the nose for heaves, poor wind, or difficult breath-
ing from any cause ; the nose is a great indicator to those whO'
properly understand its teachings.

See the horse driven in harness ; stand behind him, in front
of him, and let him pass by you, thus viewing him from all sides,
in his movements. Immediately after being stopped examine
his breathing and the inflation of the nostril and movement of
the flanks ; pinch him on the back over the kidneys to see if he
flinches there, which, if he is Aveak in the back or wrong in the
kidneys, he is quite liable to do.

Lilt the tail to ascertain the stiffness of the dock, remember-
ing that as a rule a very limber dock indicates lack of stamina.
Examine closely and thoroughly in the harness and out, on the
walk and on the trot, standing still as well as moving ; back
him and watch the effect. If he "passes muster" in all of
these trials, and you are satisfied with him and can purchase at
a fair price, it is generally safe to do so. Even then, as you
becom.e better acquainted with your animal, he may surprise
you with the developing of some disease or some trick for which
you were not looking, and which you were by no means curious
to meet ; for, after the most expert horse-buyer has seen aU

286 BUYING AND SELLING HORSES.

that was visible from the outside, he has not yet seen all those
hidden internal mysteries which will sometimes raise havoc with
the animal he purchases.

I once knew a man who had three sons, of whom he said : " I
intend James for a lawyer and William for a manufacturer ;
but as to John, I don't believe he will ever amount to more
than a first-class horse jockey." He evidently failed to see that
a first-class horse jockey needed to possess more brains than
either the lawyer or manufacturer, or both combined.

. Look for brains and a level head as well as feet, limbs, and
body when buying a horse. An animal may be " as sound as
a Spanish milled dollar " and as "• handsome as a picture," but
if he lacks a level head he is never a safe horse to use at
anything, and seldom of value for any purpose. Nearly as
much variety as regards common-sense exists among horses
as in the human family.

SHOWING SALE HORSES.

In successful horse-dealing very much depends upon the
manner in which the goods are shown to the prospective cus-
tomer. As there is so much difference in horses and the require-
ments of them so varied, there can be no definite rules laid
down in this matter. I can, however, give a short code of gen-
eral rules that may be safely adhered to.

In showing small and medium-sized horses in harness, the
seller should be provided with a good new, or nearly new, well-
fitting harness. If the animal be of a light color, such as gray,
white, or cream, the harness should be trimmed with black.
For a black or dark-colored horse the harness may have nickel
or white metal trimmings. For heavy horses intended for ex-
press business or teaming, when shown singlv, have the harness
to compare with the horse in size, well fitting, and usually
trimmed with brass, well polished. As to a vehicle in which to
show driving horses, have a light, well-made road wagon, suit-
able for two persons to ride in, hung quite low with medium
low wheels, painted black, kept well varnished, and as clean as

CO^/lMUNiTY LIBRARY, INC.
SCHVVENKSVILLE, PA.

BUYING AND SELLING HORSES. 287

possible. Always carry a good buggy whip, but be very care-
ful in its use ; just let your horse know that you have it.

Before showing your sale horses have them properly
trained ; do not wait until the time comes to show the goods be-
fore getting them ready for inspection. Some horses show best
with open bridle, others the reverse, consequently have both
kinds. In exhibiting your animal be careful not to ask him to
do anything out of the usual routine unless you are quite sure
he is capable of performing tt to your satisfaction — unless, in-
deed, your customer especially desires you so to do. Never
strike him with a whip unless you are quite sure how he will
take it.

I once knew a horse-dealer who, when showing a fine pair
of Vermont blacks to a customer in New York city wiio was
riding with him, overdid himself in the following manner. The
trade was virtually accomplished ; the animals had shown off
to the satisfaction of the customer, Avhen the dealer, fool-like,
must give one of the animals a sharp cut with the whip — a
performance w^holly uncalled for, and which was responded to
with raised heels that flew through the dasher. The bargain
was immediately declared off, much to the disappointment of
the dealer, who was about to realize some $500 profit on the
transaction.

Large horses intended for teaming purposes often show to
the best advantage in new, well-fitting team harness, especially
so when sold in pairs. When selling for speed, and having a
suitable place to show your animal's true gait, of course you
want him so hitched and driven as to appear at the best
possible advantage, without making him a w^alking, trotting,
pacing, or running advertisement for any emporium of race-
horse appliances.

Many times after a dealer has succeeded in pleasing a
wealthy customer with a fine coach team or a good and safe
family horse, he then has that ever dreaded obstacle, the
*' coachman," to overcome. In many cases, unless he is first
bought, and that at an exorbitant price, the sale cannot be

288 BUYING AND SELLING HORSES,

consummated ; for, if the sale is made without the full endorse-
ment and approval of this important functionary, the horses will
almost invariably go wrong in some way and the deal will be
upset. It is the coachman who has the full charge of them,
and he can easily make it appear to his employer and to his
emploj^er's family that the horse or team does or does not suit
them.

In many cases the dealer will find this functionary of such
a grasping and penurious disposition as to require from fifty to
one hundred dollars. In some cases I have known them to de-
mand more than that ere his permission for his employer to
make the purchase could be obtained, but when this matter is
once amicably settled with the coachman he at once becomes a
powerful auxiliary in making the sale and also in making it
a permanent and satisfactorj^ purchase to his employer, no mat-
ter whether the animals are quite all right or not.

It is always seen by the shrewd dealer — this great necessity
of being in the good graces of the coachman, as on him alone,
in many cases, hangs the possibility of a sale. Of course this
$50 or $100, or whatever the coachman's fees, as it is called,
may amount to, necessarily comes out of the purchaser, as, with
the present competition in trade, no dealer can afford to take
this sum out of his profits. Consequently the dealer in fine
goods of this description is forced by circumstances to fix his
price at such a sum above what he would otherwise be willing
to sell them in order to meet the above contingencies of trade.

CHAPTER XXXYII.

SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS.

Author's experience in trade — Brighton Market — Swapping with a minister
— Putting off for slight faults — My neighbor's horse trade — Getting
a fitty one. (

WHEN quite a young man, having much confidence in
my own knowledge of horses and in my ability to
handle them, and always having a great love for them, I con-
ceived the idea of " turning an honest penny " by engaging in
the risky and somewhat uncertain business of "swapping"
horses.

I expect that if in my first trade I had been swindled out of
my horse entirely it would have been the best thing for me,
but, perhaps unluckily for me, my first four or five trades were
quite successful. I then thought myself on the sure road to
prosperity, especially so if I could bring my conscience to a
point wherein I could exaggerate just a little on the qualities
and value of my stock in trade.

Of course I took it for granted that whatever others told
me of their horses could be relied upon ; I did not suppose ]ieo-
ple would lie in a horse-trade any more than in any other busi-
ness transaction, and right here is where I got badly left ; for
now, after forty years in business of different kinds, I find many
whose word is not worth a picayune in trade when a lie will
make them a dollar, more or less ; yet I believe a man will
sooner lie in a horse-trade than any other. Why is this ? Is
there or should there be anything demoralizing about horses or
horse-dealing ?

It has been said of all animals from man down to the low-
est, a woman and a horse are the most deceiving. Not know-
ing as much about women as horses I cannot exact-ly decide in

19 (289)

290 SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS.

this matter, but that there is much deception in the horse, and
that even the best judges and smartest dealers are sometimes
liable to be deceived and cheated in a horse-trade, I do know.

Once, many years ago, I swapped horses with a minister,
whose excuse in wishing to make this trade was that his horse,
weighing some 1,100 or 1,200 pounds, was too heavy for him,
and as I had a compact Morgan-built chunk of about 900
pounds in weight, he liked him much better. He guaranteed
his horse " sound as the Rock of Ages '' so far as he knew ; of
course he would not warrant him because he was not a horse
man or a dealer ; he did not, of course, know what would hap-
pen to the horse afterwards, but at that time he believed him
to be absolutely sound. After the trade was made and the
goods had changed hands, I found that his horse had a slight
spavin coming on, and so slight as to be scarcely noticed, only
on closest examination, 3^et enough to lame him after a hard
drive.

On sending a delegate to interview the minister concerning
his horse trade and who pretended that he knew the minister
must necessarily be cheated in trading with a horse man and a
dealer, the good soul got cleverly out of it by saying that he
should not have made the trade only that he knew that his
horse had a spavin coming and would soon be so lame as to be
useless to him.

It is frequently the case when one, having a horse that does
not suit him in every particular, feels inclined to " swap " or
trade him off for something different, as for instance : one has a
good horse, sound, kind, and all right but when turned out in the
field is very hard to catch, so much so that the owner resolves
not to be bothered with him, but trade him off for one that is
good to catch, but comparatively good for nothing when
caught.

Another has a horse that is all right except that he pulls a
little hard on the bit, so he swaps him for one that does not
pull on the bit but requires to be pushed with the whip, instead,
in order to get anywhere with him.

SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS. 291

A third has a good horse with the exception that he is un-
willing to stand while he gets into the buggy, so he, becoming
disgusted with him, trades him off for one that is quite willing
to stand while he gets in and gets well fixed, but is unwilling
to start when he is all ready to go.

Another has a very good horse, he says, but which does not
quite suit because it paws in the stable, and failing to cure it
of that habit he swaps for one that is perfectly quiet in the
stable, and for that matter is very quiet in all other places and
especially so when wanted to be otherwise.

Another has an excellent mare, he claims, only " she has a
touch of the heaves," and requires her food to be moistened
every time, for if fed to her in a dry condition she Avill cough
and otherwise show signs of distress ; so he swaps her off for
one that has no heaves, but the second or third night he has
her she knocks the side of his barn off during a fit.

And yet another has a beautiful gray mare all right in
every particular, only that when she sheds her coat in the
spring for the matter of two or three weeks he gets covered
with white hairs and he don't like it, and declares he will get
rid of her before another shedding time comes ; so he swaps
her for a " dark horse " that not only sheds just as many hairs
on his owner's coat, but of color that does not show just as
plainly, and proves himself a veritable " dark horse " in many
ways.

How often have I known a good horse traded for one not
worth half as much as the one traded, just to get rid of one
fault, and how often have I seen the man who made such a
trade so sick of his bargain as to be really miserable for weeks.

Many years ago I made up my mind that perfection in a
horse has not nor never will be attained, whatever may have
been preached or written to the contrary. When you show
me a perfect horse (or a perfect man, even), then I will proba-
bly confess that I know but little about horses or men.

I do not wish to be understood to advise against horse-trad-
ing or horse-dealing but simply to warn the general farmer or

292 SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS.

horse owner from rushing into the horse-swapping business
merely because he happens to have a horse with but a single
fault ; as in so doing he often comes in contact with such men
as we would, on after-thought, rather not have met ; men (such
as Bill Nye once said of the heathen Chinee), " whose ways are
23eculiar."

To better illustrate my views in this matter, I will give you
some of my own experience in the matter of dealing with such
characters. I suppose I could write quite a book embracing
all of my experiences, together with those of my neighbors
and friends which have come directly under my observation,
but the few following cases must suffice.

I once bought a chestnut mare at auction in the Brighton
market ; she was eight years old, and in foal. She had her
tail braided and done up in shipping style, in the same way
that horse-dealers manage the tails of their best horses when
shipping them to eastern markets, to prevent rubbing and in-
jury to their appearance.

The young man in charge of this mare showed her in
harness, and demonstrated her kindness and especially her
disposition as to kicking by crawling from the express wagon
to which she was hitched out on her back, and by sliding him-
self down between the cross-piece of the shaft and her heels,
etc., etc. The jockey's story was this : A northern dealer had
brought into Boston a car-load of good horses, and as this
mare, although one of the best in the lot, had shown to be in
foal, she was left over when the others were sold, and as the
dealer could not afford to remain in Boston with one horse,
and could not afford the expense of shipping a single one
back to Vermoni!, he had placed her in the hands of this
clever, honest young man to sell for Avhatever he could get,
while he, himself, set his face toward the north star in order.to
procure another car-load.

Now, as this nice young man was no horse jockey or regu-
lar dealer, and his instructions were to get rid of the mare for the
most money she would brings and at the least possible expense,

SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS. 293

and as the people of Boston would have no use for a mare in
foal, he had thought his best chance of securing a customer lay
among the farmers, who were better situated to raise a fine
Yermont-bred colt than any other customer whom he might be
able to strike. Consequently, he considered his best plan to
lie in taking her over to the Brighton Cattle Market on
market day when many farmers and live-stock dealers from
all over that section of the country Avould be there, and have
her sold at auction to the highest bidder for cash. The sale,
being a public one, would leave no ground for complaint from
the owner that he had not acted honestly in the transaction.
Honesty and a good name was what this young man claimed
to possess and he could not well afford to do anything disrepu-
table whereby the public faith in him might be shaken.

Well, the final result of this whole transaction was that he
sold that $200 or $300 mare for a regular low-down stealing
price, for a price, as the honest auctioneer remarked at the
time, that one could much better afford to pay than to run
the risk incident upon stealing her, — and / was the lucky (?)
purchaser. Only think of it ! I had procured a $200 Vermont
Morgan mare (some of the party claimed her to be worth
$300), with foal by old Daniel Lambert himself, for about one-
quarter of her actual value.

" Very well," I soliloquized, " this bargain will offset several
poor trades made by being duped and lied to by regular horse-
jockeys, with whom I had really no business to deal."

On taking the mare home to my stable, I told my two
small boys who were in the barn at the time, that I would
show them a beautiful kinkly tail, as it had been done up so
long it must necessarily be kinkled and curled to a very high
degree, and I at once proceeded to untie it. I cut and took off
string after string, also a lot of burlap, and finally the tail it-
self came off also ; i. e. the false tail, leaving a stub some six or
eight inches in length — long enough to "tie to," however.

Never, perhaps, in any after development of a horse trade
have I received so great a shock as when I had cut the last

294 SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS.

string and Emma's tail came off with it. The situation
dawned on my mind at once. I had secured a " rein hugger"
and a kicker, and undoubtedly one standing at the head of her
class at that. Further developments demonstrated to me that
she was subject to kicking fits, and when attacked by one of
these would make kindling wood of anything coming in con-
tact with her heels.

She reduced a nice, stout express wagon into a sorry look-
ing vehicle for me, and if, with plenty of help, I had not
been able to disconnect her from it, I doubt if the wheels even
would have been left.

I once traded for a pair of gray Canadian ponies, colored
and marked exactly alike, and of which, from their close re-
semblance to each other, I was quite proud. They were a
beautiful dappled gray in color, with black manes, and the
upper part of their tails — about half — was black and the bal-
ance milk Avhitev They were very showy for ponies and quite
stylish, but after I had owned them for a short time, while the
color of one remained intact, I found that the other had been
colored somewhat to match her mate, as her mane and tail
soon became all white and most of her dapple disappeared.

I once bought a gray mare in Brighton — a Messenger (?)
mare, from a farmer's son, Coming from one of the rural dis-
tricts of Massachusetts. He had, he said, driven in from home
that morning, a distance of about eighteen miles, with two
horses mainly for the purpose of selling one of them, as they
had three altogether and were not situated to winter more than
two. It was then in the fall ; he said they had needed three
during a part of the season, and especially during the haying
season, but now that the work was over they desired very
much to dispose of one horse, more especially so because of the
shortage of their recent crop.

His outfit consisted of a brown horse eight or nine years old
of about 1,200 pounds, and a gray mare of seven years old " as
pretty as a picture," but weighing only about 900 pounds. He
had them tied to his wagon on the street eating hay from the

SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS. 395

Tvaffon that he had brought from home to feed them with and
thus save expense. He was a very honest appearing lad of
seventeen or eighteen summers and ahnost as many winters.
He said they wanted to sell so bad that his father had told him
to sell the one that would sell the best, but for some reasons
they would rather keep the gray mare, as she was a great I'oad-
ster and very highly bred, in case they should conclude to raise
a colt. On the other hand, as they had quite a lot of cord-
wood to haul to market the next winter, the horse would be
worth the most for that purpose, and at the same time the
horse mated the one left at home better than the mare did ;
although the mare would pull her part with any of them.

This farmer's son was one of the most honest appearing lads
I have ever talked with, and to help him out I purchased the
gray mare, and I thought the best way to get her home —
some forty miles — was to drive her ; so after paying for her I
started out to purchase a cheap vehicle and harness for that
purpose. "When I had got my outfit complete I found that the
mare was tied to the fence and the boy and the other horse
was gone. I at once harnessed and hitched my purchase to a
second-hand tilbury, but with all the coaxing and persuading I
was master of, and with the assistance of friends, she could not
be induced to pull an empty and light vehicle of two wheels a
rod. In order to help me out of my dilemma there were
plenty of kind people about who expressed their willingness
to help me out by letting me have something that I could
drive, the result being that I traded with an Ii'ish horse-
jockey, and got a fine roan mare that I knew would draw a
wagon as I had ridden after and di'iven her in one before
making the exchange and paying m}^ boot money.'

This mare I took home, and on examination I found a small
cord about the size of a fish-line tied so tightly around the top
of her head, at the base of the ears, as to have cut nearly its
bigness into the flesh. When this was taken off and after heal-
ing up the sore and giving her a two-weeks rest, I found her so
completely useless and a chronic bp.lker that I conclutled to

296 SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS.

breed her, and after getting her safely in foal to sell or trade
her off as a brood mare and not as a general purpose horse.
As I lived on Prudence Island, R, I., at the time, I started for
Newport with my mare for the purpose of breeding her.
While on the Newport steamer I met a horse- jockey who
seemed much interested in my mare and after learning of my
intention of breeding her, revealed the fact that he was the
owner of a fine blood bay Morgan mare much more suitable
for the purpose of a brood mare than was mine, and said he
would give me a good trade for mine. Consequently, as I had
no fear of being cheated in any trade that I could make with
this mare, provided I gave no boot, I swapped with him even
for a beautiful bay mare which was out to grass, and had not
been harnessed for some time although sound and all right,
and notwithstanding it was in the busy season of gay New-
port when the services of almost every animal on the island
were called into demand.

This mare had a docked tail, and as it was past the time
when docked tails were fashionable I naturally inquired as to the
cause, and was told by her honest (?) owner just whv she came
to be docked.

He said : " You see it was just this way ; she was owned by
a farmer on the island who was of a hasty and nervous dispo-
sition, and one day when mowing with her — on one of those
days when the flies will torment a horse almost beyond endur-
ance — this mare in fighting flies with her tail accidentally
caught the rein and was so frightened on the account that she
kicked just once ; this so surprised and irritated her owner that
he had her bereft of her beautiful tail at once and was so ex-
asperated with her that he got rid of her as soon as practi-
cable."

This mare, given a fair trial, proved herself a high kicker
when in the mood, but to her credit I will say there Avere times
when she worked very satisfactorily, and furthermore, while in
ray hands she did lots of it.

Once while bujdng cattle in the Brigliton market my atten-

SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS. 297

tion was called to a beautiful dark chestnut mare, and being in
hands of parties unable to hold her she was about to be sold at
auction for whatever she would bring. Her pedigree was well
established and would be furnished the buyer as soon as it
could be obtained from the breeder. At the sale she showed
well in harness ; I bought her ; she was drugged to death and
died that night.

I once bought a horse at auction in Brighton, a very smooth
and pretty bay horse of the Ethan Allen type, absolutely
sound in wind and limb, " not a pimple on him,"' smooth as a
mole, handsome and st^dish, so far as appearances went. I ob-
tained him at a very low price. He proved to have a cancer on
the penis and lived but a short time.

I once had a tenant on a farm of mine that had a horse
that was all right and suited him in every respect save one,
and that one fault was in not standing for him to shut the lane
gate near the house on his return home after having driven
him out ; he would stand all right going from home, but on his
return was so anxious to get to the barn that he would not
allow his master time to shut and fasten the gate.

He, consequently, swapped him for one that he could not
use with safety anywhere, and was obliged to make a second
trade. The second time he got a horse that not only would
stand for him to shut the gate, but would stand whenever he
felt in the mood, and no amount of whipping or coaxing would
make him do other than stand.

I once sold to a neighbor of mine in Connecticut a pair of
coal black Canadian horses for $500. They were a good pair,
young, sound, and all right, and worked together. One of
them was of a more nervous disposition than the other, and
consequently rather the better horse of the two, especially so
as a single driver on the road. This sale was made in the
spring, and after haying that summer their owner told me he
was w^ell suited with them, and that they were the best team
he had ever owned, but some time during August of that sea-
son, while out driving the nervous one, he was suddenly over-

298 SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS.

taken by one of those terrible Kew England thunder storms,
and in this case the thunder was most terrilic and the light-
ning almost incessant. The result was his horse became very
nervous, and much excited, and tried to run ; and as he was
driving with one hand and carrying an umbrella in the other,
he dropped the umbrella in order to have both hands to man-
age the horse. The umbrella had a crooked handle, and this
crook caught somewhere either around the shaft or some other
place and drew along on the ground beside the horse, which
frightened him still more, and as he could not ru^ he resorted
to the alternative of kicking. He only kicked once, but that
once was enough to frighten his owner to the extent of never
wishing to use him any more. Consequently he was ready to
" swap."

Well, it so happened that a neighbor of his, and living on
a farm adjoining his, but on another road, had a very old black
horse which, on account of his age, he did not care to winter,
although he had been a good one and was about the size and
much the same build as the pair mentioned — he being a Cana-
dian, also. AYell, the old black horse was disposed of and his
place filled by a younger horse, and one day a stranger came
to the farmhouse of the gentleman owning the pair and driv-
ing a fine-looking black horse. He said that he had heard that
the proprietor of the place had a dangerous, vicious, and un-
ruly horse to dispose of, and that he wished to match a good
one of a black color. He had the goods with him to do it
with.

After thoroughly trying the stranger's horse, both double
and single, it was decided that he Avas perfectly safe in all har-
ness, and there was no doubt that he was the horse wanted to
fill the place of that terrible runner and kicker. The stranger
asked $200 to boot, but finally the deal was consummated by
my neighbor giving the stranger his horse and a check for $150.
A short time after this trade a local horse jockey called on my
neighbor of the pair, saying that he had heard that a mate had
been obtained for his favorite horse, and beine; shown the new

SWAPPING HORSES AND HORSE JOCKEY TRICKS. 299

acquisition, exclaimed : " Why, that is the old horse ;

didn't you know him ? Well, you ought to, for he has been
owned on the next farm to you for upwards of twenty years ! "

On being thoroughly convinced that this was the case, the
old horse was again for sale, and found the same purchaser
again at the same price — $10 — only in this case the price paid
was in barter and amounted to $12, while in the first instance
it was $10 in cash.

I once had an old friend (who was also a relative by mar-
riage) who, for a farmer, was quite a trader in live stock and
used to enjoy trading horses. While not an expert in this line,
he was a pretty good judge of such animals, had good natural
ability, and understood himself pretty well. Consequently, I
think he about held his own in the horse department of his
business. I remember, when visiting him on one occasion, of
his telling me of several quite smart and shrewd, as well as
profitable, horse trades made by himself ; whereupon I re-
marked that I should suppose after making so many good
trades he would be able to build a new barn on his farm, as I
knew he needed one sadly, and I had often heard him express
a desire to have one, but claimed that he was unable, finan-
cially, to build.

" Well, John," says the old man, " I have been telling you
of the good trades only, as they are all I care to remember."

I once " swapped " off a horse because he was too slow for
me. I traded with a jockey, and got one that proved to be as
much too fast as the other was too slow, inasmuch as I had not
owned her more than a week before she, in a running fit, took me
over my fields on a hay-rake much faster than I cared to travel.

Of course I was then ready to trade with another jockey
for a slower one. The fools were not all dead then — neither
do I believe they are now, for that matter. When I had been
swindled the worst and felt the most like giving up trying to
have anything more to do with horse trading, there was usually
some " smart Aleck " ready to come forward and relieve me of
that which was causing me to feel so blue.

CHAPTER XXXYIIL

DENTITION AND AGE AS SHOWN BY THE TEETH, ETC.

Description of teetli at different ages — Number of a full set — Classes —
Bishoping — Explanatory cuts — Shedding — Full mouth — General
signs of old age — Comparative age of man and horse — Great age
of horses — Zoologists' claim.

THE teeth of the horse are developed within their appro-
priate cavities or sockets, which are found exactly
corresponding with their number in the upper and lower jaws,
being narrower in the lower than in the upper.

At birth they are in a state of incomplete growth, covered
and concealed by the gums, but soon afterwards they cut their
w^ay through the gums in pairs, the first set, or milk teeth, be-
ing in course of time superseded by the permanent teeth, as in
all the mammalia.

The complete dentition of the horse comprise forty teeth,
divided into three classes, viz. : Incisors, Canine, and Molar.
The incisors, or front teeth, comprise twelve, six upper and six
under ; the canine, or bridle teeth, four, two each upper and
lower ; while the molars, or jaw teeth, consist of twenty-
four, twelve on each upper and lower jaw. Each tooth is de-
veloped within its corresponding cavity in the jaw, and is com-
posed of three distinct substances — cement, enamel, and
dentine.

The cement of the horse's teetli closely corresponds in text-
ure with his bone, and, like it, is traversed by vascular canals.
The enamel is the hardest constituent of the tooth, and consists
of earthy matter. Dentine also contains earthly particles,
which are partially blended with animal matter and partially
contained in a granular state within its cells.

(300)

DENTITION AND AGE AS SHOWN BY TEETH, ETC.

301

In horse parlance, the incisors, or front teeth, are called
nijppers^ the canine teeth tushes, and the molars grinders.

To be able to determine the age of a horse within a few
months during the period of his greatest usefulness is an object
of much interest to every one dealing in them. To be an ex-
pert in this matter is of great importance to the successful pur-
chaser. Many a man has been the victim of unprincipled
jockeys, and has purchased a "doctored" old horse, almost
worthless, for a splendid young animal ; and thus has he not
only been swindled out of his money, but laughed at by his
neighbors only for his ignorance of a few simple points to be
observed to enable any man of common-sense to tell the age of
a horse with approximate certainty. In treating of this sub-
ject it will be necessary to describe the successive change the
mouth undergoes up to the age at which the changes become
obscure and uncertain, which, quite fortunately, is beyond the
period of his highest value and usefulness. Ignoring the
cutting and changes in the teeth of the foal during its first
year, as such cannot interfere with its
commercial value, we will describe the
mouth of the colt at one year. See Cut
No. 1.

The four middle teeth have now be-
come level with each other, and the third
pair, or corner ones, are approaching
the level of the others. They will be
found to present, respectively, the fol-
lowing appearance : In the front pair, or two middle teeth, the
center mark is worn, becoming somewhat dim, but broad and
regular, with a ring of enamel of regular width, but thicker in
front than behind, surrounding it. This mark is partially worn
out of the next two, or second pair, but is darker, longer, and
narrower than in the first, and the ring of enamel surrounding
it is not quite so regular. In the corner teeth the mark is of
full depth, darker, longer, and narrower than in either of the
others, the ring of enamel being heavier and more irregular.

303

DENTITION AND AGE AS SHOWN BY TEETH, ETC.

At this time another pair of grinders in each jaw make their
appearance, thus making four in each jaw on each side, or six-
teen altogether.

At the age of two years (see Cut No. 2) the middle pair are
quite smootli, and the next pair present very nearly the same

marks the first did at one year old ; the
corner ones having a faint mark. About
this time also a fifth pair of grinders in
each jaw make their appearance.

In the spring, before the colt arrives
at three years of age, he will shed
the front pair of nippers in each jaw.
The gum will have the appearance of
receding, and very soon the old tooth
will ])e absorbed and the new tooth will ajipear in its place as

if it had poked the old one out.
This is called the three-^^ears-
old mouth. (See Figure 3.) The
two middle nippers not grown
to their full length. The upper
pair of front nippers are usu-
ally cast first. While these
hew teeth are growing the colt
sometime experiences some diffi-
culty in obtaining sufficient food by
grazing, and if so he should be fed grain.

Figure 4 represents the four-
year-old mouth. The center nip.
])ers are now fully grown. The
front edges, Avhich were sharp^
are somewhat blunted, the mark
in them becoming short and nar-
row. The next pair are now
full grown, but smaller than the
middle or corner ones. The
corner ones are smaller than

DENTITION AND AGE AS SHOWN BY TEETH, ETC.

303

when first matured, and have the marks ahnost worn out. As
with the others, a change next takes place in the corner
nippers.

At four and a half, or between four and five, they begin to
strip, and are soon replaced by their successors. At this
period also the animal starts his tushes. They come up be-
tween the nippers and grinders, rather nearer the former than
the latter, but the distance increases as the jaw grows, which
continues until seven.

At five, the mouth being full, the nippers all set, the four
tushes from three to five months
old, the colt becomes a horse, and
at the same age the filly a mare,
her mouth passing through the
same changes except as regards
the tushes, which, in many cases,
do not appear at all, while in
others appear only small. Cut
No. 5 shows the five-year-old
mouth, which is called the full
mouth.

Cut No. 6 represents the six-year-old mouth, with the mark
entirely gone in the front pair of nippers. There still remains,
however, a slight depression in
the cement filling of the center, "
and this is, of course, sur-
rounded by enamel. This de-
pression is of a dark or brown
color. Outside of this ring of
enamel the bony substance is
also worn below the level
of the enamel, and also pre-
sents a stained or brown ap-
pearance. The second pair are
approaching the appearance of the first, the mark being short,
broad, and faint ; the corner ones show evident signs of wear.

304

DENTITION AND AGE AS SHOWN BY TEETH, ETC.

The tushes have reached their full growth ; the third pair of

grinders are of their full length, and all the grinders are level.

Cut No. 7 represents the mouth at seven j^ears old. The

mark has disappeared from the four inner teeth, and very nearly

from the corner ones, the sec-
ond pair showing about the ap-
pearance the first pair did at
six, while the latter will be
much more worn. The tushes
also begin to show marks of
wear, being rounded at the
point, still rounded outside and
at the edges, and becoming so
on the inside.

Cut No. 8 shows the eight-year-old mouth, with the mark
gone from all the nippers below, which, indeed is generally the

case some time previous to his
attaining the full age of eight
years. The tushes are now
rounded in every way.

BisHOPiNG is sometimes prac-
ticed b}^ jockeys, who tliereby
give the mouth a counterfeit
appearance to enhance the ani-
mal's value.

To accomplish this the
horse is cast, and a hole is punched or bored in the two corner
teeth resembling the depression in the seven-year-old's teeth.
This is then burned with a hot iron, which imparts a dark stain.
The second two are also slightly stamped and touched with the
iron. This fraud may be easily detected by the appearance of
the teeth in the upper jaw, which the buyer should always ex-
amine.

The upper nippers retain the marks three or four years
longer than the lower.

DENTITION AND AGE AS SHOWN BY TEETH, ETC. 305

The name '■^Blshoping " is derived from the rascal who in-
vented it.

At nine the mark will be worn out of the middle pair of
upper incisors, and they will have the appearance of the lower
ones as described at six.

At ten the second pair of upper nippers will have the mark
worn out of them, presenting the appearance of the lower jaw at
seven.

At eleven the upper corner cutters will have the mark worn

PROFILE VIEW OP THE HEAD AND FaOB.

1. Occiput. 7. Malar bone

2. Parietal bone. »■ 8. Posterior maxillary bone.

3. Frontal bona 9—11. Nasal bone.

4. Petrous portion of temporal bone. 10. Anterior maxillary bone.
5 Zygomatic arch 11. Temporal fossa.

6. Lachrymal bone. 12, 13. Lower jaw.

The bones op the pace, including the lower [aw

out, and the upper jaw will correspond to appearance of lower
at eight.

After the disappearance of the marks the best and almost
only means of information concerning age are the indications
presented by the wear and tear, and these can only furnish ap-
proximate certainty.

After nine years it is somewhat difficult to determine the

exact age of the horse from his teeth, which generally grow in

length and are more in a line with the jaw. A strong pre-
20

306 DENTITION AND AGE AS SHOWN BY TEETH, ETC.

sumption of the horse's age may be drawn from the appearance
of the roots of the teeth. The enamel extends but a little be-
low the gum. The front teeth of some aged horses wear down
quite close to the gums, while those of others grow long and in
some cases require cutting off to enable the grinders or molar
teeth to come together to perform their mission.

Those horses running to grass in summer, using their nip-
pers to gather their food, usually have much shorter nippers or
front teeth than those kept up to hay and grain during the whole
time.

Aside from the teeth there are indications of age of a gen-
eral character deserving especial notice, such as the general ex-
pression of the horse, the deepening of the hollows over the
eyes, shrinking and hanging down of the lips, the appearance of
white hairs, particularly about the eyes, sharpening of the
withers, swaying of the back, etc., etc.

The means of ascertaining the allotted period of the horse's
age are as unsatisfactory as that of man. A horse is supposed
to be as old at twenty-five years as a man at sevent}'", which is
generally accepted as his allotted period of existence on this
earthly sphere.

So many circumstances attend the domesticated animal,
tending to the more or less- rapid destruction of his system, that
it is very difficult, if not impossible, to correctly ascertain the
number of his years were the laws of his being never violated.

A few cases of great age are on record. Blaine tells of a
gentleman who owned three horses, which died at the respect-
ive ages of thirty-five years, thirty-seven years, and thirty-nine
years. Percival gives an account of a barge-horse that attained
the great age of sixty -two years.

Perhaps it would be as safe to place the natural age of a
liorse at twenty-five years as that of man at seventy. Perhaps as
great a per cent, of horses live beyond that age as of the human
that lives over " three-score years and ten."

Zoologists claim that the natural life of an animal is five
times the time it takes to attain its full growth and maturity.

DENTITION AND USE AS SHOWN BY TEETH, ETC. 307

According to this rule the natural age of the horse would be
about twenty -five years. But, after all, some horses are as old
at twelve years as others are at twenty. And so of man, some
men being as old at forty as others are at sixty years.

"When a horse or a man is worn out and broken down,
they become old^ and it matters not how many or how
few years have elapsed since their birth.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

THE LANGUAGE OP THE HORSE — AUTHOR'S EXPERIENCE.

Sagacity of Horses — Author's experience — Old Dobbin — Nellie Bly — Lady
Barebones — Fanny Fern — Cora Linn — Fanny Kenyon — Maggie
Dimon — Belmont Maid — Golden Rule — Rufus Molburn's mare.

ALTHOUGH horses classed as "dumb brutes" have a
language of their own, none will, perhaps deny ; but
that they have a language whereby they may talk to man
may appear strange to the uninitiated ; yet I know that I can
and do talk to my horses. My horses have a low whinny
which means water; a higher-keyed, more emphatic neigh
which means food ; and whenever I hear these sounds I
know as w^ell what they need as if they had spoken in
English.

My driving mare has also a neigh of welcome for me when-
ever I approach her after having left her on the street for
some time, attending to my business in town.

When a horse sees or apprehends danger he will tell you so
by a snort, low or loud, according to the, to them, seeming ex-
tent of danger,

I now have a mare doing business in the city that was
formerly my driving mare, and every time I meet or see her in
town she recognizes me by the same peculiar whinny of wel-
come with which she used to greet my approach when used as
my buggy-horse, and it is the same as is used by my present
driving horse. Still, I will admit that the language of the
lower animals is not altogether articulate ; it is more of the
nature of the sign language. The horse does much talking by
signs and motions, and especially motions of the ears and head,
and by his wonderfully expressive looks. He also, upon occa-
sions, talks with his other extremity. A peculiar switch of the

(308)

LANGUAGE OF THE HORSE — AUTHOR'S EXPERIENCE. 309

tail and a gesture as if threatening to kick, are equine forms of
speech. The darkey was not wrong wlien he said of the kick-
ing mule : " It's just his way of talking."

To be a successful practitioner of veterinary science one
should readily understand the language of the horse, to enable
him at times to locate the disease. Who among us, — with the
heart of a Christian — understanding the language of horses
(both vocal and silent), can withstand the jDleading look of a
horse in distress ? But a short time since, while walking on
one of the streets of our beautiful city, my attention was called
to a horse by his neigh of welcome, and on giving him a look of
attention such a pleading look as he gave me will be long re-
membered. I found the poor animal suffering terribly from
having stood nobody knows how long, checked very taut with
that vile implement of torture, an over-draw check-rein. It
was but the work of a moment for me to relieve him of his dis-
comfort, and the look of gladness and thankfulness displayed
in his countenance was my reward.

At another time ray attention was similarly called to a
horse in distress on the street, who had been carelessly tied
around a post or pole, and the tie-line liad slipped down so low
as to bring his head in a painfully low posture and held it
there. When relieved he also thanked me in language whicii
I understood.

One evening upon arriving home from town I inquired if
all the animals had been properly cared for for the night. On
receiving an answer in the affirmative, I inquired especially if
my stallion, Stockton King (who occupied a barn separate from
the others), had been watered. The man who had him in
charge said " Yes." But hearing my voice, the poor neglected
animal told me as plainly as if he had used the choicest Eng-
lish, that he had not been watered ; and as if to prove his at-
tendant an unscrupulous liar he drank two full buckets of
Water from my own hands.

310 LANGUAGE OF THE HORSE.

SAGACITY OF HORSES.

The sagacity of horses is such as to adapt him to fill vari-
ous places of responsibility with a readiness unknown to any
other animal but man. On the battlefield he is a war-horse,
entering into the strife with as much zeal and interest as his
rider. On the race-course he is as fleet as the deer, often sacri-
ficing his life and dying in his determined struggles for victory.
On the farm he is a sagacious drudge, often using as much in-
telligence and judgment as his many-times ignorant and brutal
driver.

On the road he becomes a locomotive, subject to such pres-
sure of speed-power as the circumstances may demand. In the
civic procession he is as airy as his rider, and intelligent enough
to appreciate the plaudits of his admirers. As a hackney he is
wise in the use of his forces and enters into the spirit of making
an attractive turnout with as much pride as his master. At the
stage-coach he is flying all aboard ; at the private carriage he
is as proud and disdainful as the petted beauty who sits behind
him ; at the funeral he is as melancholy as the mourners.

I occasionally get a new horse, and while I study my horse
he studies me, and Ave gradually become acquainted, and it is
surprising to note how soon an intelligent horse will learn the
ways and requirements of his owner or driver. If I am a cow-
ard, he is one ; if I am lazy he is lazy ; if I am impatient he is
impatient ; if I am lost in thought how dreamily he pursues his
way.

To what other domestic animal can we look for sagacity
equal to that of the horse ?

I have always imagined I could read in the conduct of the
horse a certain measure of the character of his owner, somehow
as you can see the character of the man in the empty hat that
sits upon the table, yet you cannot tell why.

From my earliest boyhood's recollections I used to estimate
the character and condition of my neighbors by the looks and
conduct of their horses. When I saw a venerable pair seated-
in a rickety wagon drawn by a low-headed, slabsided, ewe-*

author's experience. 311

necked, ring-bone mare that showed more marks of the stable
than of the currycomb and brush, and that took the wagon by
jerks along the road, I always pictured to myself the, establish-
ment from which that pair came forth.

When I saw the village doctor jogging about with rusty
harness, dilapidated vehicle and melancholy horse, I drew my
OAvn inference and instituted a comparison at once between this
man and- his rival, who, without ostentation, kept his equipage
in order and drove a well-selected, well-fed, and well-groomed
horse ; and had I at that time eaten enough of green apples or
of ni}^ neighbor's watermelons to have required the services of a
doctor, I should most earnestly have appealed for a visit from
the one driving that best-looking and best-cared-for horse.

Every experienced horseman knows that an animal will be
one thing in the hands of one driver and something entirely
different in the hands of another. Hiram Woodruff could give
new strength the instant he took the reins and Ripton and
Dexter were inspired with new energy by his touch. Is not
this sagacity?

A horse know^s what he is doing and with whom he is deal-
ing, and having learned his lesson it becomes as much a part of
him as to be his second nature.

Some quite remarkable cases of sagacity exhibited by my
own horses are as follows : In 1851 I was the owner of a gray
Canadian horse having the old-fashioned name of Dobbin. He
was not only a good, honest horse, but showed much intelli-
gence in many things. Among others, being driven to the vil-
lage— Wakefield, R. I. — on entering the town he would, with
head and tail erect, voluntarily exhibit all the speed there was
in him, and seemed to take great delight in making as much
show as possible when before an audience of street pedestrians,
but he became quite a commonplace horse when fairly out of
town.

In the autumn of 1855 I was the owner of a very high-
spirited, Vermont Morgan, chestnut mare answering to the
name of Nellie Ely. She had not only run away several times

312 LANGUAGE OF THE HORSE.

before coming into my possession, but had, in one case at least,
kicked a buggy into smithereens. She, however, was a very
sagacious animal, and soon learned just what I desired of her,
and with kind and rational usage she proved willing at all times
to comply with the demands made upon her. While driving this
mare towards home one evening hitched to a farm lumber
wagon loaded with barrels on end with a board seat and cush-
ion on top, with my feet resting on the fore end-board — or end
gate — and while on the shore road of Lake Worden in South
Kingston, E.. I., at quite a round trot — say ten miles per hour
— she suddenly, from some slight and unexpected fright,
sprang from the middle to one side of the road with a cat-like
quickness. This quick movement threw me from my high and
insecure position off on to the ground, and at least one wheel
ran over my body. I was very badly hurt by the fall and the
wheel, and unable to either regain my former seat or to walk
home unaided, but this intelligent mare waited for me to tie up
the lines, put the seat and cushion aboard, and get hold of the
hind end of the wagon with my hands, and then she walked
slowly every step of the way home, something like a mile and
a half.

In 1862 I owned a chestnut mare l)y the name of Lady
Barebones, a daughter of oid Vermont Black Hawk. This
mare was bred and for several years owned by the Messrs.
Goddard of Providence, R. I., and was formerly driven by them
in Providence. Several 3^ears after they had disposed of her,
and on my driving her for the first time into Providence, while
on South Main Street, much to my surprise, she pulled up to
the curb-stone and cramped the buggy for me to get out at the
office of her former owner and master. It is probable that five
3"ears had elapsed since she had been driven on that street.

Fanny Fern is the next of my own animals that I will men-
tion in this connection. She was a bay mare with two white
ankles and a stripe in her face. She was bred in the State of
New York, and sired by Imported Consternation, consequently
was half thorouirhbred. Tliis was one of the brood mares I

author's experience. 313

took with me to the Dimon Stock Farm, Pomfret, Conn., in
1866, and was afterwards the dam of Confidence, Fanny Allen,
etc. I used this mare as a roadster, and once in making con-
nections with a train I was obliged to run her for all I dared to
in harness. She ever after that whenever I came out and got
into the buggy with my "go-to-city " clothes on would pick up
her ears and listen both ways for the sound of a train, and if
the w^histle sounded near enough to make it necessary for her
to hurry she would fairly fly in order to be there in time. I
once had her throw a shoe between my head and that of an-
other with enough force, I think, to knock us off the seat had
it chanced to hit either of us.

This mare would unbutton barn doors and would unfasten
the horse barn door by pulling out the pin holding the hasp,
and then unhasp and open it. She would also open grain chests
and do various other tricks ; and once, on having her young colt
get hung in a stone bridge, she came galloping to me as near
as she could get, and told me very plainly in her own language
that something serious had happened, needing my immediate
attention.

Another brood mare of mine on the above farm was the
bay mare, Cora Linn, a Ilambletonian mare by Gage's Logan,
and the dam of Cora Dimon, Governor Dimon, etc. We used
her on a inilk-wagon in the town of Putnam, arid so well did
she learn the route that she would not pass or skip a single
customer if allowed to have her own way. If we lost a cus-
tomer she would try stopping there for about three times,
after which she would try to pass that place at a high rate
of speed.

Another sagacious mare owned by me was Fanny Kenyon,
by Rhode Island. She was intelligent and patient enough to
untie any halter knot that could be tied. She would also open
doors, gates, chests, etc. She was the dam of that fast road
horse, Colonel Sprague, by Sprague's Hambletonian.

Once, while raking hay with a wheel rake with this mare in
my oi'chard, I left her tied to an apple tree long enough to ad-

314 LANGUAGE OF THE HORSE.

mit of my going to the barn to mow away a load of hay. She
evidently became anxious concerning a young colt which was
left in the barn, and so untied herself and went to the barn.
She carried the rake safeh^ through a gateway just as wide as
the rake, there not being an inch of space to spare, without any
signs of having hit it against either post.

When engaged in the livery business in Detroit, Mich., in
1887-8, I had a highly -bred 3"oung Bashaw mare — Maggie
Dimon, afterwards the dam of Maud Bayard b}^ General Bay-
ard. She was a very nervous, high-strung animal, but very in-
telligent. Many times during the dead hours of the night has
she arrived at the stable with reins dragging on the ground and
whinnied to be let in, while her drunken driver and stable
patron failed to show up.

"While living at Fern Hill Farm, Indiana, I had a coal-black
brood mare, Belmont Maid. She was a granddaughter of Al-
exander's Belmont. One day I left her standing untied,
hitched to a top buggy. The top was not sufficiently fastened
on, and, the day being ver}^ windy, it blew over on the mare.
She walked around the barn to find me and make known her
trouble, while a less sagacious animal — or a timid one — might
either have ran away or kicked the buggy to atoms.

I now have at this writing, June 7, 1894, an in-bred Ham-
bletonian mare. Golden Eule, used daily on a milk wagon sup-
plying some 150 customers. If left to herself she would go to
every customer in regular order without missing one, and she
stands in all places and all kinds of weather without hitching.
There are at present two bad places in the road between the
farm and the village, but the mare knows them as well as her
driver, and thinks of them each day, always slowing up from a
round trot to carefully walk over them.

When living in Connecticut in 1877 one of my neighbors, a
former truckman in Providence, K. I., would sometimes indulge
in a little too much fuddle-drink (pardon me if I have coined a
new word) for his own benefit businesswise. He was the owner
of a pretty little bay Morgan mare about a dozen years old.

AUTHORS EXPERIENCE. 315

She Tvas an all-around good one, and he occasionall}'' drove her
to Providence, some thirty-two miles, sometimes returning the
same day.

On one of these occasions he started for home in the even-
ing in quite a hilarious condition ; he not only fell asleep by
the wayside, but he fell out of his buggy into the highway.
He was only about half-way home, and he stayed there, un-
conscious, until daylight did appear. Then, his jag being slept
off, he realized that he was lying in the road and that his bay
mare was standing over him, but headed towards the city from
whence he had started the previous evening. Upon investiga-
tion he learned that the little mare had gone all of the way
home and stood in front of the barn. Not finding anyone
with her, she had then returned all that distance — about six-
teen miles — until she found her master ; then she had patient-
ly waited for him to sober up and was anxious to carry him
home at a good rate of speed, although this made her ninety-
six miles of travel in twenty-four hours.

This incident made such an impression upon the mind of
her owner that he vowed that he would never get into such a
fix again and that nothing should ever part him from his faith-
ful mare.

Later on he made a provision in his will that if the mare
survived him she should then be chloroformed and buried in
the same grave with him. This provision in his will was
faithfully carried out in 1890, and their two bodies now rest
together in the same grave in the town of Putnam, Conn.
The man's name was Kufus Molburn, and a granite monument
now marks the spot where the master and his sagacious mare
lie buried near the road leading from Putnam to Pomfret
street, called the Perrin Hill road.

CHAPTER XL.

GRAY HORSES.

The "White Turk — Imported Messenger — Gray Eagle — Harris's Hamble-
tonian — Crack regiment of the British army — On tlie American turf
— Kittie Bayard — Emma B. — Joe Brown — Miss Russell — Pilot
Medium.

THE color of horses, as of all other animals and objects, is
largely a matter of taste. It has been said that "a
good horse cannot be of a bad color." Many persons stren-
uously object to white and gray horses. iNow, while I do not
wish to advocate the breeding of gray horses in preference to
those of other colors, I do not by any means approve of the
discarding of good animals of any breed because they happen
to be gray.

Among the noted horses imported into England and which
exercised a powerful influence in the formation of the thor-
oughbred courser, we find many grays ; among these may be
mentioned the White Turk, imported by King James I;
Place's White Turk, D'Arcy's Turk, Honeywood's Arab, Sed-
ley's Barb, Wellesley's Arabian, Bell's Arab, and Hutten's
Gray Barb.

Imported Messenger, from whose loins descended our Ham-
bletonians, w^as not only a gray horse, but his sire, Mambrino,
was gray also. His full sister, Mambrina, was also a gray,
and many of his best descendants. Among these may be men-
tioned Ogden's Messenger, Bush Messenger, Young Messenger,
Coffin's Messenger, Winthrop Messenger, Stone Messenger,
Harris's Hambletonian, Messenger Duroc, Munson Mare, Lady
Suffolk, Chancellor, the Engineers, and many others that
might be mentioned. Gray is the family color of the Messen-
gers to a marked degree.

The same may be said of imported Medley and his descend-

(316)

GRAY HORSES. 317

ants, Gray Eagle, together with his family, and many others
of our best horses of modern times.

The crack regiment of the British army has always been
one of cavalry consisting of gray horses only. This regiment
of " Scot Grays " made a charge at the great battle of Water-
loo in w^iich was decided the fate of the great Napoleon, as.
the unfortunate emperor afterwards declared.

The French stage horses are nearly all gray. This is the
prevailing color of the horses of La Perche, w^io in that coun-
try are known as Percherons ; also of the horses of Xormandy
which formed the cavalry of William the Norman, who sub-
dued England nine hundred years ago by the aid of these
magnificent war horses.

There is an old adage to the effect that " the gray mare is.
the better horse," and although — it is said — this has been dis-
torted in its meaning into an insinuation that the woman over-
powers the man and makes of him her slave, it is, like most
popular sayings, based on the result of common experiences.

Gray horses have figured quite prominently on the Ameri-
can turf. Is it because Messenger, the alleged fountain-head
of speed at the trotting gait, was a flea-bitten gray ? Or be-
cause Young Bashaw, the paternal progenitor of the Bashaw
and Clay branches of the American Trotter, w^as gray 'i Or
is it due to the fact that one of the great pillars in the con-
struction of the Morgan family, the Lindsey Arabian, was
gray ?

One thing is sure ; the gray horses of the trotting turf have
been found to be among the staunchest and speediest of race-
horses.

Among these gray horses that have appeared before the
public, and whose names are inseparable from the American
trotting turf, are the following :

Kitty Bayard, now holding the world's race record on a
half-mile track (2.12) and the world's pole record of 2.13^;
Hopeful, 2.141, with a wagon mark of 2.16J; Lucy, 2.M;
Alcyron, 2.15i ; Alabaster, 2.15; Dandy Jim^ 2.16; Phil

318 GRAY HORSES.

Thompson, 2.16^; Charley Ford, 2.16|; Hendry, 2.17; Sally
Benton — four 3"ears old — 2.17|; Glen Miller, 2.18; Kitty
Bates, 2.17 ; Tyrolean, 2.20^ ; Independence, 2.21^ ; Emma B.,
2.22 ; Joe Brown, 2.22 ; Conway, 2.22^ ; Farmer Boy, 2.22^ ;
Shepherd Boy, 2.23i ; Crown Prince, 2.25 ; Conductor, 2.25^.
Two of the above, viz., Kitty Bayard, 2.12, and Emma B.,
2.22, were sired by the gray horse Bayard, the best son of the
gray horse Pilot, Jr., who was the son of the gray mare Miss
Kussell, the dam of Maud S., 2.08f, who so long held the
world's record, and who still holds it in the same way of
going in which she made it.

The greatest and best of the get of that renowned Ham-
bletonian sire, Happy Medium, sire of Nancy Hanks, 2.04, was
the gray horse Pilot Medium, and whose dam was the gray
mare Tackey, 2.26, by the gray horse Pilot, Jr.

In the great race in Hartford, Conn., in 1881, Emma B.,
2.22, a gray mare by Bayard, laj)ped the winner out in 2.17.

The gray horse Baj^ard, by Pilot, Jr., and the sire of the
above-mentioned Kitty Bayard, 2.12, and Emma B., 2.22, al-
though obtaining a record (in the little amount of track work
given him) of only 2.30, was said to be possessed of more
natural speed than any other stallion that ever lived up to his
time.

The dam of that greatest of campaigning stallions, Ethan
Allen, was a flea-bitten gra3\

Flying Jib, by Young Jim, with a record of 2.04^, and
public trial of 2.04, is also a gray gelding.

Not only on the race course has the gray horse won dis-
tinction, but in the various departments of labor as well.
Superintendents of street car stables have told me that the
gray horses will stand the summer heat better and do more
work and last longer than horses of any other color. Whether
worked to the street car, the express wagon, the hack or coach,
the family carriage, or the plow, he has ever been distinguished
for beauty and endurance.

The Arab .of the desert is most partial to gray horses, and

EXHIBITION OF HORSES. 319

gray is not only the most fashionable color in Arabia, but is
said to be the prevailing color of its best animals.

General Washington's favorite war horse was gray, and it
appears that gray was a favorite color for horses with him.

A turf writer remarks that " A feature which seems to be-
long to gray horses to a greater degree than to any other is
longevity." It is true that old Mambrino lived to the age of
thirtj^-two years ; Messenger to twenty-eight ; Gray Eagle to
twenty-eight ; Lady Suffolk twenty -five, and Gray Diomed
twenty ; and is not the typical old gray horse known in every
neighborhood throughout the land ?

I have not intended this history of gray horses to influence
anyone in their favor, or as an argument to show that they
were superior to those of other colors ; but rather to call at-
tention to the fact that color was a matter of taste or preju-
dice, and that a good horse or a good breed of horses should
not be valued the less on account of its color, even if that
color should happen to be gray.

EXHIBITION OF HORSES.

Perhaps there has never been a more entertaining exhibition
presented the American public than that of the speed of
American horses ; but to me the most entertaining, as well as
instructive, amusement has been to watch the exhibition of the
best American-bred horses themselves, individuall}', when col-
lected together in sufficient numbers to make the comparison
— one with another — the most interesting-.

The first horse exhibition of this kind, of any importance,
held in this country took place at Springfield, Mass., in Octo-
ber, 1853, under the auspices of the City of Springfield and
the United States Agricultural Society. At that time about
five hundred of the best specimens of various breeds and fam-
ilies of that period were placed on exhibition.

Since then we may have had larger and better exhibitions ;
indeed, we undoubtedly have had such, but this goes on record
as the first national horse show of America, if not of the en-
tire world.

/"■

CHAPTER XLI.

THE HORSE'S FOOT.

The wall — The sole — The frog — The bars — Coffin bone — Pedal bone —
Shoeing horses — First introduced into England A.D. 1060 — Require-
ments of public shoers — Injuries by bad shoeing — Leveling and
balancing — No foot, no horse — Never pare sole or frog — Fit shoe
to the foot — The clip — Use of rasp in shoeing — Fiber shoes.

THE external anatomy of the foot may be divided into fom'
important parts or divisions, viz. : The wall or outer
crust from the coronet to the sole ; the sole, that part which
covers the whole remaining bottom of the foot excepting the frog*
and the bars ; the frog, consisting of that insensible, spongy^
triangular body in the center of the foot ; the bars, which are
merely a continuation of the wall, extending therefrom at the
heels obliquely into the center of the foot between the sole and
the frog, constituting two inner walls or lateral fences between
that body and the sole. In a state of nature they bear some
pressure.

The Wall. The circular boundar}^ wall inclosing the inter-
nal structures from the coronet (the border line where the skin
joins the hoof), in an oblique direction to the bottom of the
foot, terminates in a circular projecting border ; consequently
we find that the wall is the natural bearing part of the foot,
and the frog an accessory. The bearing of the shoe should be
wholly on the wall, not on the sole ; and the ground surface of
the wall is the only part that should ever be pared. This is
the part that, like the human nail, grows " exuberantly," and
must be pared down every time that the horse is shod, but the
knife should never be used on the sole or frog. This wall is
adapted as a defense to the sensitive parts within. It is com-
posed of small filaments or hollow tubes, consolidated in such

(320)

THE horse's foot. 321

a manner as to distinctly preserve the canals. These canals
constitute the excrementation outlets of the hoof through which
mortifice or waste matter make their exit ; and in them may
also be found the vessels in which the horn is secreted. The
small vessels arising from the vascular and nervous membrane
beneath the hoof, which is considered as a continuation of the
true skin, enter also into these canals. The nails of man corre-
spond to the hoof of the horse, inasmuch as they are formed of
a substance analogous.

If we examine the nail under a microscope we will find that
it consists of hard, transparent, and somewhat elastic plates
which adhere to the vascular or nervous membrane of the
papillae. The latter are arranged in longitudinal and parallel
rows. The internal surface of the nail, like that of the hoof, is
soft, pulpy, and marked with longitudinal grooves and promi-
nences corresponding to the laminal found within the hoof.
A similar arrangement, possessing, however, exquisite sen-
sibility, is found on that portion of the finger covered by the
nail; and by the natural adaptation the connection between
them is sustained. The nails are also a continuation of the
true skin.

The Sole is the plate at the bottom of the foot united to the
inner edge of the wall and the outer sides of the bars, and not
to the lower surfaces. Its usual thickness is about one-sixth of
an inch, but varying greatly in different horses ; it is thicker
where it runs back between the bars and the wall. It is
secreted in plates which can readily be separated with a knife.
The sole is considered to be more elastic than the wall or crust,
and is the medium of the sensitive faculty, througli which —
together with its powers of elasticity — the percussion of the
foot against the ground is regulated. In shoeing this should
never be cut into, as by so doing it would weaken the foot.

Ths Frog is still more elastic than either of the parts de-
scribed, and any unnecessary paring on the part of the shoer is
to be deprecated. The natural function of the frog is that of
21

333 THE horse's foot.

a cushion ; and, being spongy and elastic, when required to bear
weight it spreads, and to accommodate this action the wall ex-
pands from the quarters back.

The structure of the foot is such that ev^en if the frog sus-
tains no pressure the heel must spread at everj^ stride when the
weight comes upon the foot. It can readily be imagined what
the effect must be of shoeing a horse so that the heels are held
rigidly together by an unyielding shoe.

The Bars form an angle at the heels which terminates
toward the toe. They serve to give strength and durability
to the hoof, prevent contraction of the heels, and thus aid
the hoof in protecting the soft and sensitive parts. The
internal portion of the bars present the same appearance as
that of the crust. They are held together by vital affinities,
and so long as they maintain their normal integrity the foot
will preserve its form.

The principal internal parts of the foot are the coffin-bone,
the navicular or shuttle-bone, the coronary substance, the sensi-
tive sole, the sensitive frog, and the lamellee, together with
numerous ligaments. It will thus be seen that the foot of the
horse is a most complicated structure, which is liable to derafige-
ment whenever the foot is interfered with ; and this may occur
in mismanagement in shoeing, causing incalculable injury, or
from inflammation of the secreting surface, which will termi-
nate in the formation of imperfect horn, or from punctures or
other wounds of the foot.

Perhaps in no organ does an injury so soon produce a return
for the inevitable first result as a malformation of the hoof, and
this again only adds to the original mischief. It is necessary
to examine the structure of the foot most carefuU}^, not as an
object of curiosity connected with the sense of touch, but on
account of the numberless diseases and accidents to which it is
subject. No part of the horse is so liable to injury from the
effects of hard work or mismanagement as this, and there is,
consequently, none which more requires our care both in health
and disease.

THE horse's foot.

323

A close examination of the parts entering into the internal
composition of the foot, as fully illustrated by the accompany-
ing cuts, will disclose the fact that there is very little space

—THE tTNDBB 6URFACK 07 THE FOOT.

A. Cleft of frog.

S. B Sote.

C Cleft between heels

• ^-PRONT TIETV OP TBE FOOT, WITH THK
HOOF E£MOVED.

A. Coronary subetance. -

B. Laminae.

between the pedal bone and the crust, which, together with the
sole, form a horny case or natural shoe for the sensible and
delicate investments of the bone. So small is the place that
when inflammation takes place there is no room for a swelling
— the invariable accompaniment of that disease — and intense

-THE HOOP.

A. Onter surface of crust.

B. Inner surface of crust.

C. Upper surface of sole.

D. Part corresponding with

the cleft of the frog.

E. Coronary band.

Contracted foot of horse
with snpposed Navicular
Joint Disease DEAD LAME.

pain is occasioned as well as rapid disorganization of the struct-
ure itself. The horny case — the hoof — is attached to the foot
of a delicate membrane which lies in the folds upon, the pedal

324 SHOEING HORSES.

bone, and it can be torn away by violence or when pntrification
has commenced with great ease.

Hence it is that in the foot more than any. other part of the
horse " prevention is better than cure," because in many of its
diseases it happens that cures cannot be effected without long
rests.

SHOEING HORSES.

Horse-shoeing was first introduced into England by William
the Conqueror in about A. D. 1000, more than eight hundred
years ago ; and while we have schools and colleges for the in-
struction of students in the treatment and cure of the diseases
of the horse, yet we expect those whose daily business is to
perform surgical operations upon a delicately organized mem-
ber to be reasonabl}" successful without having learned even
the alphabet of their profession.

Among ^hoers of the horse there are undoubtedly indi-
viduals of intelligence and ingenuity who would be glad of an
opportunity of testing the validity of their practice by an
appeal to the condition of the hidden springs, levers, pulleys,
cushions, and powers comprising the mechanism of the feet and
legs as explained by those who have made such a life-long
study. Perhaps some of the readers of this book may live to
see the day when a public shoer of horses will be required by
the law of our land to be a graduate of some school or college
for the purpose ; just as a veterinary surgeon or an M.D. will
be required to be a graduate and display a diploma or be sub-
jected to penalties more or less severe for practicing either
without.

The injuries liable to be done to the horse's foot by bad
shoeing are numerous, but in some cases not immediately in-
flicted. They are, however, only the more dangerous on this
account. They are brought on gradually by the continued
evil practive of bad shoeing until the horse is totally destroj^ed
by it, the owner never suspecting the true cause of the diffi-
culty ; or if he should hint such a thing, his blacksmith, watch-
ful of his own interests, refers it to anything but the shoeing

SHOEING HORSES.

325

"When we consider that the value of a horse depends more
on the value and soundness of his feet than upon any other
qualifications, it stands us in hand to give more thought and
attention to keeping them sound than is generally bestowed on
this subject.

The great foundation of scientific shoeing is based upon
trueing, leveling, and balancing the feet ; and to begin properly
the first shoeing is the most important of all.

-A SOU.ND FOES FOOT PREPARED FOR THE SHOE.

A The heel of the crust
B. The toe.

C C The quarters of f he*rust
DD The bars as they should be left with
frog between them

E E The angles between the heels and bars

where corns appear.
F F. The C/Dcave surface.
G G The bulbous heels.
H. Cleft.

Old horsemen admit the truth of the old aphorism, " No
foot, no horse," and yet in no portion of that animal's economy
has he suffered so many wrongs, or, as a natural consequence,
endured so much unnecessary suffering, as in his feet ; and to
shoeing a large proportion of these evils are directly or in-
directly referable.

326 SHOEING HORSES.

That the system of horseshoeing as it stands, even in the
most skillful hands, is decidedly pregnant with mischief to the
foot, no one who is conversant with the facts will venture to
deny. Everj^ time a horse is shod, every time a nail is driven,
means so much injuiy to the foot. The better the job, the less
that injury is ; but there is no such thing as absolute immunity
from an evil which must always exist in inverse ratio to the
skill displayed in the execution of the work. We have, how-
ever, to deal with facts as we find them, and if we have, day
by day, to impose upon our horses work of a nature which en-
tails upon their feet more wastes of power than Nature can re-
place- during the ordinary interval of rest, we are obliged to
adopt a defense of some kind.

A human being can tell where his shoe hurts him ; a horse
cannot ; therefore he has to suffer the pain. Just think of how
many sufferers there are. More than half of the men who pre-
sume to shoe horses ought to be tried and convicted of cruelty
to animals. All they do is to slash and spike the animals by
guesswork. One side of the foot is almost sure to be lower
than the other ; what a strain it brings on the knee when one
side of the foot is half an inch lower than the other. It
wrenches it from the knee to the coronet joint, causes more
pressure on the lower quarter, and also creates contraction by
a continual pressure against the corner of the coffin bone in
both forward and hind feet. Tipping the foot to one side or
the other causes a strain on the spavin joint, which, in turn,
causes lameness.

There is another evil which is much practiced by inexper-
ienced workmen, and that is lowering the outside of the hind
foot in order to prevent interfering. This is wrong. No mat-
ter how much the foot is turned both pastern and cannon bones
will have to come to the center of gravity, and rolling the
ankle often causes them to cockle very badly.

Man may, by fitting up the feet in various ways, gait a
horse, or produce certain results which may be desirable, but
any and all tampering with the feet so as to turn them out of

SHOEING HORSES. 327

their natural form is, sooner or later, bound to result in sore-
ness or lameness for the horse.

My experience is that the best way to balance the trotter
or roadster is to balance the feet themselves and adjust a shoe
that carries out perfectly that balance. Shoes, however, may
be so made and adapted as to temporarily change the action of
the knee hitter, the elbow hitter, the forger, the scalper, and
other wrong and deviating gaits ; but they will not cure the
animal of any of these faults if the foot that offends be still
allowed to remain in that faulty position that caused the
irregularit}^ complained of.

A serious objection to the use of such inventions is that
most of them do actual harm to the joint tendons and muscles
of the animal. It should ever be borne in mind that the in-
stinct of the horse suggests to him the action or gait that is the
easiest for him to use, and such he will invariably employ.
Should this motion be wrong and not in proper rhythm, and the
animal is forced to adopt, by the use of artificial appliances,
any other line of action without the faulty articulation being
corrected, he will do so at a cost of injury to some parts of the
motive power.

One of the most frequent causes of unbalanced gaits is the
constant cutting away at the heels, leaving the front of the foot
all out of proportion as to depth and length. The only proper
way to " balance the trotter " is to have his feet truly balanced
and in proper proportion and at proper angle to the limits they
support, so that the articulation will be as near frictionless as
possible.

With this condition maintained, the animal's instinctive
action will be even and true, with perfect rhythm. As to the
proportion and angle of the foot to the limb, get the foot at
the proper depth and length in front and at the heels so that to
the eye it will look as though it was set under the leg in
artistic comfort. When it is thought that you have the feet
well balanced and in proper position and angle to the limbs,
rasp off the edge of the walls at surface and drive the liorse a

328 SHOEING HORSES.

few days barefooted. It will not hurt him nor hurt his feet,
for the feet when sound and healthy — if the soles have been
left intact, as they should be — do not need any protection of
iron nailed on to them.

If the horse's gait is smooth and even at the trot without
shoes, you have got him balanced. Now then, shoe him with
exactly the same weight of steel on each of his four feet.
That is, make the hind shoes of the same bar of steel that the
fore ones are made of. Why should you put more weight on
one foot than another, when your trotter is perfectly balanced
when barefooted.

Never in shoeing pare the sole ; leave that and the frog un-
touched. If the feet are true and balanced, make the shoe of
the same thickness all around from heel to toe. With a per-
fectly leveled and balanced hind foot use no calks on the heels,
of the shoes, as they will throw the foot out of balance. In
preparing the foot for the shoe do not with a knife touch either
the frog, sole, or bars. In removing surplus growth from the
wall of the foot to receive the shoe, use a rasp or cut nippers
and not a knife.

Opening the heels or making a cut into the angle of the wall
at the heel should never be done. Care must be used that the
shoe is not fitted too small, the outside surface of the walls be-
ing then rasped down to make the foot to fit the shoe, as often
happens.

A hot shoe should not be applied to a horse's foot under
any circumstances. Keep the foot level and as near the form
when shod as the natural colt foot as possible. Again, I say,
never cut the frog in shoeing ; nature intended it to remain soft
and spongy. It is in reality the lung of the foot — it is just
what the leaves are to the trees, and requires no pruning. Ko
matter how pliable and soft the frog may be, if cut away on all
sides, in two or three days it will become dry and as hard as a
chip.

If a red-hot shoe were put upon the foot to burn it level,

SHOEING HORSES. 329

the burning process would deaden the hoof and tend to con-
tract it.

Fit the shoe to the foot, and not the foot to the shoe by
burning. If one doubts the effect of a red-hot shoe on the hoof,
let him apply a hot poker to his own finger nail.

Nearly all writers on the subject have looked upon the foot
as a wonderful and complex piece of mechanism, and seemingly
have forgotten or have not known that, no matter how com-
plex it may be within, it is enclosed within a simple horn}''
box ; that all the effects of shoeing should be directed to pre-
serve that box in a natural condition, and that its position in
relation to the limb should not be altered by the shape or form
of the shoe.

If our blacksmiths would use their knives less and their
heads more in the execution of their important and by no
means easy duty, our horses would be better for it, and so
would their owners.

There is no great mystery surrounding the subject, and the
application of ordinary common-sense, in lieu of the barbarous
routine which has been so long handed down from generation
to generation until it has actually become a portion of the
blacksmith's creed, would go a long way toward obviating
many, if not most, of the cruel wrongs to which our horses' feet
are day by day needlessly subjected.

One common error in shoeing is in using the clip or upper
projection on the toe of the shoe, so common in many parts of
the country. The only advantage claimed for this extra piece
of work is that it is necessary in assisting the nails to hold the
shoe solid, a claim that I am not ready to admit. The hoof is
injured by the notch cut to receive it and the burning to fit it
in. After it has been lodged in the toe the powerful bearing
of all the nails against it prevents the expansion so necessary to
the health}^ growtli of the foot.

It is necessary for the hoof to expand in its growth while
shod, and its natural action should not be impeded at any
point. The shoe should be set level with no other fastenings

330 SHOEING HORSES.

than the nails, driven just outside of the seam, bearing a proper
slant to the shape of the hoof. In its expansion the spongy or
flexible part of the hoof next to the seam readily yields to the
nails, and while the shoe is yet held tight the growth of the
foot is not retarded ; but when the clip holds the shoe solid out
even with the toe, the bearing of the nails inclines the side
walls of the hoof forward with a tendency to contraction of the
heels.

The bearing of the shoe, remember, should be wholly on the
wall, not on the sole, and the ground surface of the wall is the
only part that should ever be pared. This is the part that, like
the human nail, grows and must be cut down every time a
horse is shod. Never put a nail back of the widest part of the
foot — the quarters — thus leaving the heels free. The walls of
the foot should be so trimmed that the frog will lightly touch
the ground, but take little or no weight. It is one function of
the frog to keep the heels open and healthy ; if it is destroyed
by the shoer's knife it allows the heels to contract.

Never allow the outside of the foot to be robbed by the
rasp of its cortical layer of natural varnish, which retains the
moisture secreted by the economy ; the strong walls become
dessicated and weakened and the foot is in a very sorry plight
indeed. To some this picture may seem overdrawn, but it is,
nevertheless, a matter of daily occurrence.

My experience and observation has been that no horse that
carries a high rate of speed in a race of split heats seldom, if
ever, was known to make a successful campaigner shod with
short toes and high heels, or the reverse, or both, and encum-
bered by hobbles, sideweights, toeweights, heelweights, calks
of all kinds, lengths, shapes, and sizes, set on at as many vari-
ous angles, or any artificial appliances, which are sure and cer-
tain to keep a horse from being a perfect articulator, and a
perfect articulator he must be before he is a successful cam-
paigner at a high rate of speed.

The time will undoubtedly come Avhen many of our driving
horses, as well as fastest trotters, will be shod Avith fiber shoes.

SHOEING HORSES. 331

For horses requiring the lightest shoeing there is nothing bet-
ter. They weigh from two to three ounces, and, in durability,
rival the metal shoes. One of its best features consists in the
shoe wearing rough instead of smooth, thereby assisting the
foothold. For tender-footed horses or those liable to fever up
there is no shoe superior to this. The material is furnished in
strips from which the shoe can be cut.

I have sometimes had horses used on the city paved streets
whose feet had become dry and brittle and the frogs and bars
as hard as horn by being mutilated by the drawing knife of the
shoer, shod — after leveling the foot — with a pad of sole-
leather placed under the shoe and the space between the sole
and the leather filled with pine tar and oakum. The results
were very satisfactory.

CHAPTER XLII.

Taut checking injurious —
horse — Stumblins;.

THE CIIECK-REIN.

The overdraw check — The natural beauty of the

A TAUT clieck-rein is painful to the horse and useless to
the driver, as a rule. It fastens the head in an un-
natural position, and as the head and shoulders fall together,
cannot be of any real support in case of stumbling. There is
a difference between a tight check-rein and a tightened rein,
although perhaps not generally understood. The first is in-
jurious and cannot help the horse if he should stumble ; the
last often saves him. That the check-rein is inconsistent with
the action of the horse's head is clearly shown by the fact that
when a horse falls it, or the check-hook, is always broken.

If a man has a heavy load to push or to pull he always
lowers his head by bending forward and throws the weight of

his body against or to propel
the load ; so does the ox or
the horse under similar cir-
cumstances, if permitted. If
a man's head were tied to a
belt around his body so that
he could not bend forward,
he would lose the advantage
of his weight and could only pull or push with the muscles ; so
also with the ox or horse.

If the man's head were thus kept in a perpendicular posi-
tion he could not so readily see where to step, and would be
more apt to stumble ; so, also, with the ox or the horse. IS'o
one in the saddle would thus tie up his horse's head. The
horse is thus prevented oftentimes from throNving his Aveight

(332)

THE OVERDRAW CHECK.

333

into the collar by a taut check-rein, a useless and painful in-
cumbrance, introduced by vanity and retained by thoughtless-
ness amounting to cruelty.

THE OVERDRAW CHECK.

While it has its advantages in controlling kickers and pullers,
and especially pullers in
races liable to check
down, this, nevertheless,
is a cruel and barbarous
appliance to the average
driving or business horse ;
for under the continued
strain of the overdraw
check something must
soon give away (for every
horse, as w^ell as man, has
his weak points), and if not the body the temper soon wears
out.

Although large dealers train their sale horses to this check
they recognize the harm of it when they say that customers
who practice short checking wear out their horses more quickly
and sooner return for fresh ones. One year's hard checking
caused a pair of Kentucky's valuable coach horses to become
so sway -backed as to be wholly unfit for good use. Of all
cruel devices inflicted on this noble animal none has ever come
under my observation more so than this senseless overdraw
check, which article of torture should never be used on any-
thing but a kicker, or an animal liable to kick or a hard puller
or lugger ; and even then it should be loosened at the earliest
possible moment consistent with safety.

A day of watching the best horses in any of the large
cities as they are being driven at the present period, will rev^eal
the fact that this cruel torture is imposed on them under the
impression of their owner or driver that the taut overdraw
check enables them to exhibit more stjde than the loose, com-

334

THE OVERDRAW CHECK.

fortable common check. The real fact is, however, that the

horse with neck straight-
ened, thus having- head and
nose extended forward, is
greatly injured in appear-
ance as Avell as being un-
necessarily tortured.

A well-fed, well-groomed,
spirited horse is the most
beautiful animal in exist-
ence ; his beauty consists of
— — j_^.^ elegant proportions and
the contrast that comes from his supple movements and hand-
some color and the graceful curves that outline his body.

All of this is seen from a study of the animal in a natural con-
dition. Particularly will the artist observe the graceful arch

of the neck of a beautiful
horse ; this curve is one of
the chief beauties of this
handsome animal, and this
feature of attraction is en-
tirely destroyed when the
neck is straightened by the
overdraw check; consequent-
ly, while this check has its
use, its misuse — its abuse has made it an object of abomination.
The gracefulness of manner and ease of motion of the swan,

in its natural state, cannot
be excelled. The naturally
beautiful arch of its neck is
marvelous to behold. The
neck of the highly-bred
American horse of to-day,
in its natural state, ap-
proaches nearer to that of the swan than any of our domestic
animals. Now, sup^^ose that w^e, sensible and enlightened

No. 1.

THE OVERDRAW CHECK. 335

American people, just to humor a fad, set about improving
that gracefulness of manner and ease of motion, in both the
swan and horse, by the use of the overdraw check-rein, then
we shall change the accompanying cut No. 1 to that of No. 2.
Can any of my readers see any great improvement in this? If
not, then why torture the poor things 'i

THERE BE THOSE.

There be those who sow beside
The waters that in silence glide,
Trusting no echo will declare
Whose footsteps ever wandered there.

The noiseless footsteps pass away,
The stream flows on as yesterday;
Nor can it for a time be seen
A benefactor there had been.

Yet think not that the seed is dead
Which in the lonely place is spread ;
It lives, it lives— the Spring is nigh.
And soon its life shall testify.

That silent stream, that desert ground,
No more unlovely shall be found ;
But scattered flowers of simplest grace
Shall spread their beauty round the place.

And soon or late a time will come
When witnessess, that now are dumb.
With grateful eloquence shall tell
From whom the seed, there scattered, fell.
Bekkard Barton.

336

VETERINARY SCIENCE,

EXPLA^N^ATION OF FIGURES.
1. The Paridal, or upper bone of the head. 2. Jaw-bone. 3. Bones of the neck, seven in number.
4, 5, 6. Spine, or back bone. 7. Tail-bones. 8. Breast bone. 9, 10. Cartilages of the Ribs. 11, 12.
Ribs. 13. Shoulder-blade. 14. The arm. 15, 16. Bone of leg above knee. 17 Elbow. 18, 19. Ipper
knee-joints. 20. 21. Lower knee-joints. 22. Knee-cap. 23. Inside of lower knee-joint. 24, 24. Cannon
bones. 25, 26. Splint bones. 27, 28. Pastern. 29. Upper pastern. 80. Lower pastern. 31, 32. Hoof.
33, 34. Pelvis. 3.5. Upper thigh bones. 36. Rump bone. 37. Lower thigh bone. 38. Tibia, or leg bone.
39. Hock bone. 40. Hock joint. 41, 42. Upper and lower hock joint. 43, 44. Outside of lower hock
joints. 45, 45. Shin bones. 46, 47. Splint bones of hind legs.

CHAPTER XLIII.

BRIEF HISTORY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE.

Necessity the mother of invention — First veterinary school of the world 1761

— First in England, 1795 — Quack medicines generally well advertised

— Opinionated grooms — Veterinary quacks.

AS " necessity is the mother of invention '' the veterinary
science, like that practiced on man, was first called into
existence by necessity. The many diseases to which domestic
animals were subject and to which they too frequently fell
victims for want of proper professional care, and the great
agricultural loss in consequence thereof, led their owners to
seek for reliable remedies.

In the year 1761, the first veterinary school in the world
was established at Lyons, France, under the patronage of the
French government, whose fostering care this infant school for
a time received.

At the commencement of this great enterprise, as at the
commencement of all great enterprises, the ])eople looked on
with indifference ; but many of the most scientific and liberal-
minded men of that day saw in the enterprise a vast field for
research, a broad road to usefulness and distinction. Conse-
quently, many such men embarked in it with perseverance,
overcoming every obstacle with a view of making known those
laws regulating the vital forces 'lof domestic animals; and to
this day the fruits of their labors are i*eceived as a legacy to
the profession. The names of the first cultivators of veterinary
science are well worthy the inscription on tablets of stone
as public benefactors to their country.

In 17G5, a similar school was established at Alfort, France.
Regular system of veterinary medicine was taught at this school,
under which students acquired an acquaintance with the vari-

(337)

338 BRIEF HISTORY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE.

ous forms of disease to which domestic animals were subject
and the modus operandi of treatment.

Tliis novel enterprise of France was regarded with a watch-
ful eye by the other nations of Europe, and they were not long
in adopting similar schools. Such schools rapidly sprang uj) in
Holland, Berlin, Copenhagen, Stuttgart, and various other
places, rivaling in successful and beneficial results the schools
of France. It was not until 1792, however, that England was
awakened to the importance of this subject, and then her atten-
tion was first called to the same by a Frenchman by the name
of St. Bel, who carried letters of introduction from some of the
first and most influential men of France regarding his mission,
which was that of establishing this veterinary science, then un-
known and of course unappreciated in the British domains.

This St. Bel labored hard and unceasingly with the English
public for the period of upwards of two years before being
able to successfully present his claims for this science and im-
press upon the people the importance of establishing veterinary
schools and colleges for its teaching. The final result of his
labors was the establishing of the Veterinary School of London
in 1795, of which St. Bel was appointed professor.

Unfortunately, after all his trials and struggles in his
efforts to accomplish so much for England and his beloved
science, he had occupied the professor's chair scarcely one year,
when a sudden and brief illness terminated his mortal career ;
and he was consigned to the silent tomb before the laurels to
which he was so justly entitled had encircled liis brow.

The college, however, was left in a flourishing condition,
(the Duke of IS^orthumberland having already contributed a
sum equal in currency to $2,500), and the enterprise numbered
among its staunch supporters such men as the Earl of Gros-
venor, Mr. Penn, Earl of Morton, Drs. John Hunter and Craw^-
ford, and, subsequently, that great surgeon and medical scien-
tist. Sir Astle}'" Cooper.

Medical men hailed this wqw enterprise as one not only cal-
culated to ameliorate the condition of suffering domestic

BRIEF HISTORY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE. 339

animals, but what was of greater importance to medical science,
they perceived in it a fruitful field for investigation, cultivation,
and comparative anatomy andrphysiology.

With this object in view Dr. John Hunter assisted the
friends of the new school both by his professional influence and
by his private purse. Among the first pupils graduating from
this "Alma Mater," and becoming proficient practitioners in
the veterinarj'" science may be mentioned the names of Lau-
rence, Blair, and Clark. Each of these has left to the world a
record of their labors, which, even in this enlightened age of
the world, serve as useful guides to the young aspirant for
veterinary fame.

The professorship made vacant by the death of St. Bel was
conferred on a Mr. Coleman, who had previously devoted him-
self to physiological research ; he, too, soon distinguished him-
self in his profession, and the college was soon placed in its
former flourishing condition. A medical committee was then
appointed, consisting of some of the foremost practitioners of
that day. Before this committee the pupils were examined,
and when found to be possessed of , the required amount of
knowledge of the science, a certificate was accordingly
granted.

This examining committee consisted of lecturers and practi-
tioners of human medicine, who, with a liberality that reflected
great credit on them, permitted the veterinary students to attend
their lectures on human anatomy free of charge.

In this combination of the greatest and best men of Eng-
land at that time, a death-blow was aimed at ignorance,
quackery, and the superstitions of the times. A new order of
practitioners took the field, and soon demoralized the old land-
marks set up by ignorant farriers, erecting in their stead
" beacons of light " that spread their illuminating rays of
science broadcast throughout the land ; and the public as well
as domestic animals was greatly benefited thereby.

By this time Professor Coleman had succeeded in securing
the patronage of the British government. The strings of the

340 QUACK MEDICINES.

public purse were loosened and Parliament voted a sum of
money to be paid annually for the support of the college,
George the Third, then reigning monarch, granted the rank of
commissioned officers to such veterinary graduates as were in-
tended as surgeons to the cavalry regiments.

The East India companies, observing the good effects pro-
.duced by such appointments, followed the example of their
monarch in appointing veterinary surgeons in tlieir armies in
India. Other nations have since followed the example set them
by France and England, so that regular veterinary surgeons may
be found in all quarters of the globe. The advantages under
whicli the veterinary art may now be studied, not onlv in
France, Germany, and England, but in America as well, are
not in an}'" way inferior to those of the most favored universi-
ties, and such astounding discoveries through the aid of chem-
istry and the microscope are made in such rapid succession, that
the medical world is constantly subjected to surprises ; and so
splendid have become the achievements in the departments of
veterinary surgery that the sons of " ^sculapius'' — our
brethren of the human school — are watching the labors of
their kindred spirits with no ordinary interest.

'&

QUACK MEDICINES.

Quack medicines are those prepared by private or secret re-
cipes, or formulas. They are generally well advertised and
puffed in the newspapers, and millions of circulars are issued
setting forth the infallibility of their curative powers for
nearly all diseases to which human or beast flesh is heir ; —
used either as an external application or administered in-
ternally.

No subject in medicine has been more fully exposed than
the great and absurd pretensions of these medicines ; still, the
credulity of even the best class of society is great, and among
them may be found the readiest victims of these humbugs.

My old friend, the late P. T. Barnum, used to say that the
American people were the most easily humbugged of any people

QUACK MEDICINES. 341

in the world, and that they actual!}^ enjoyed being .humbugged.
These people now have a fad of lending their names and fur-
nishing photogravures of themselves to the manufacturers of
these medicines, and allow them to write up the most
wonderful cures of themselves by the use of these quack
nostrums.

At the present day we can hardly take up a newspaper
without finding a page, more or less, devoted to these adver-
tisements, and containing from one to three or more cuts of
good, healthy looking people who claim to have been cured of
some terrible malady, or complication of diseases, by the use of
certain medicines therein advertised.

It should require no argument to show how dangerous is
the indiscriminate use of powerful drugs when compounded by
parties who, quite likely, never had the slightest opportunity
of acquiring a medical education. No wonder such persons
cannot cure by their remedies diseases deemed incurable by
the veterinary medical world.

After all there is no quack on earth equal to an opinion-
ated groom, and ever}^ one, nowadays, holds himself a groom,
who is intrusted with the care of a horse, even if he does not
know how to clean him properly or to feed him so as not to in-
terfere with his working hours.

An experienced and level-headed man is a treasure in any
stable, but the worst sort of a nuisance is one of those fellows
who has no more idea of a horse's structure or of his constitu-
tion than he has of the model of a ship, and who is sure to
have a thousand infallible remedies for every possible disease,
the names of which he does not know, or their cause, origin, or
effect ; and if he did know their names he is incapable of dis-
tmguishing one from another.

He applies his remedies at haphazard, wholly in the dark as
to their effects on the system generally or in this particular
disease. Of course nine times out of ten he applies them
wrong and aggravates many fold the injur^^ he affects to be
able to relieve.

342 QUACK MEDICINES.

This class of grooms is rather inclined to administer purga-
tives, cordials, diuretics, and such like, on their own hook
rather than on discrimination, without much sense or reason,
with the mistaken idea that they are necessary in order to
keep the animal in good condition.

Diuretics, which they are so fond of giving, rather tend to
weaken a horse, as they are a source of great irritation, very
exhausting, reducing his strength, and act as a serious drain on
his constitution.

Regular work, regular times for feed and water, good
grooming and ventilation, are far better than unnecessary
medication.

It is a good rule, and should be enforced in every stable,
that the master be consulted in these matters, as there are few
grooms that positively know disease when they see it, and it is
often w^onderful how horses survive the enormous doses of
medicine given them when it is poured down their unwilling
throats by quarts.

Even if a horse-owner be so fortunate as to possess a really
intelligent, superior servant, who has served his apprenticeship
in some good stable, he should insist on being invariably con-
sulted before medicine is administered.

He should acquaint hiitiself with the man's reasons for
wishing to administer medicine at all, his idea of the ailment
that he supposes exists, of the symptoms from which he diag-
noses it, and of the nature and action of the drug which it is
proposed to exhibit.

If he sees that the symptoms do exist and that the nature
of the medicine is such as would counteract such an ailment,
which a very small share of common-sense will enable him to
discover, he will do well to sanction the proceedings.

VETERINARY QUACKS NOT ALL DEAD YET.

Tlie Portland, Me., Advertiser sa3^s :

" Dr. Maxwell, the well known veterinary surgeon, was be-
fore the municipal court this morning for cruelty to a horse.

QUACK MEDICINES. 34.3

It appears that he was called to the city stables to treat a
horse suffering from colic. He proceeded to pour into the
horse's ears some powerful blistering liniment, with the idea of
making the poor beast thrash his head around so vigorously
that the violent motion would start the gas Avhich had collected
in and around the stomach of the horse.

" The treatment succeeded far beyond the expectations of
the doctor. The horse beat his head on the floor in the most
acute agony, so that it was necessary to pad the stall with bags
to keep him from pounding his skull to pieces. Finally, the
horse died a most painful death, and a post-mortem examina-
tion showed that his ear was blistered all over the inside in a
most horrible manner.

" The defense tried to show that the liquid that was turned
into the ear was harmless, but Judge Gould could not be made
to believe that story. He fined Dr. Maxwell $20 and costs,
for excessive cruelty to the horse."

344

SYMPTOMS OF DISEASE.

Peincipai Points and External Parts, to be examined for Injuries, Defects, and Diseases.
1. Muzzle. 2. Place of Fistula from teeth. A2. Place to feel the pulse. 3. Place of Mumps.
4. Place of Poll-evil. 5. Angle of jaw. 6, 6. Chest 7. Place of Fistula from ye"^^, 8; ^^.^^ '^'!'
Thropple, or Wind-pipe. 9. Shoulder-point: place of sores from harness. 10, 10. f no"'<i«^' .''''L°.^-

11. Withers; sometimes the seat of flstuJa. Height of horses reckoned from the ground to the^p illiers

12. Front of Chest. Bosom, or Breast. 13, 13. The True-arm (see Skeleton), 14 Elbow, otten the
seat of tumors. 15. Am or Fore-arm. 16. Knee or Wrist; may be swelled, having a fungus
|row°h;oi the skin may have been broken, evidence of a fall 1' ^1^-.^"'^! 'tf^n'i,? m'' 20 C^l
fs. Place of disease of skin above the Coronet; Crown-scab 19, 19 Fetlock or Pa.tein-jo nt 20- cor
onet. 21,21. Heel. 22. Contracted Hoof. 23. Mallenders. 24. Sallendei's. 25_ St^t of Sphnt or
Exostosis on side of Cannon-bone. 26,26, 26. Seat of Bursal enlargements ^.^-^ Backer Spme
28. Place of Saddle-galls. 29, 29. Girth, or circumference m measurement. 30. Place of injury from
pressure of girth. 31. Barrel or Middle-piece. 32. Loms, 33. Croup^ 34. Haunch ..5_ Flank.
36. Seat of Warts. 37. Sheath, or prepuce. 38,38. Gas-skm or lower thigh. S9. Root of the Dock
or tail. 40. Hip-joint, Round, or whirlbone. 41. Rat-tail. 42. The Quarters. 43. Point of the Hock,
seat of Capped-hbck. 44, 44. Cannon-bone. 45. Place of Spavin. 46, 46. Hoot.

CHAPTER XLIV.

GIVING MEDICINE.

Best in balls — Dimon's Spavin Cure — Dimon's Colic Remedy — Dimon's
Black Oil Liniments — Dimon's Liniments — Condition powder — Leg
wash — Symptoms of disease — The pulse — The ears — Membrane of
nose — Eyes — Mouth — Breathing — Skin — Flanks — Drooping of
the head — Lying down — Pointing with the nose — Pointing with the
foot.

1]^ administering medicines to horses I much prefer to mix it
with meal or rye bran and make it into balls and place
those as far back in the mouth as possible, rather than to give
.it in a liquid form from a bottle or horn; and there is more
safety and less waste in the ball management. In drenching
— as it is called when giving liquid medicine — the horse's head
is raised and held up, a bottle is introduced into the mouth, and
the liquid poured down. In his struggles there is always dan-
ger of some of the medicine being drawn into the Avindpipe
and lungs, and inflammation and fatal results sometimes fol-
low.

In my many years' practice in treating diseases of horses I
have found the same remedy to act equally alike on all cases of
the same nature, of whatever name the disease may go by ; as,
for instance, medicine good to heal a sore on any part of the
horse, or by whatever name it may be called, is just as effec-
tive on one part as another. So it is in bone diseases and many,
of the internal diseases, however classed and named. I don't
wish to be misunderstood in this matter, however ; I don't
mean the one medicine for sores, bones, and internal diseases.

Consequently, in describing treatment, I have, instead of
giving in each similar malady a full and many times difl'erent
remedy, mentioned a certain liniment, oil, salve, drench, or ball,
etc., first being quite sure to have my remedies understood.

(345)

346 GIVING MEDICINE.

For my own future protection I decline to give the public
my recipe for making three of the best and most successful
remedies I have ever used in my long practice, or have ever
known to be used in the practice of others. They are all
covered by letters patent, and I cannot afford to give them
away ; each one is worth in itself many times the cost of
this book. My readers shall have access to them, however, at
all times during my life, as I shall continue to manufacture and
sell them. They are the following :

Dimon's Spavin Cure, put up in eight-ounce bottles, and can
be ordered direct from me at one dollar a bottle, with full in-
structions and directions for use.

Dimon's Colic Remedy, put up in eight-ounce bottles, and
retailing at one dollar each, with full directions. In connection
with this last-named remedy I wish to state here that I have
yet to meet the first case of colic which this medicine, if taken
in time, has failed to cure.

Dimon's Black Oil, put up in two sized bottles, and retail-
ing for fifty cents and one dollar. Full directions accompany
each bottle.

Now to prove to my readers my own unselfishness in this
matter and that I do not wish to advise them to depend wholly
on these remedies, notwithstanding my great success with
them, I give what I consider, in all cases, the next best remedy.

Of liniments, blisters, ointments, salves, worm powders, and
physic balls, there are in existence a great variety ; many of
which are undoubtedly very good. I shall mention but a few,
those being such as I consider well worthy of use.

Liniment. Next to Dimon's Spavin Cure, which I use as a
liniment, reduced to any strength desired, I consider the fol-
lowing two formulas the best. I call them Dimon's Own Lini-
ment and Dimon's Stable Liniment. The first is made as fol-
lows :

Alcohol, . . . . .1 gallon.

Spirits Turpentine, . . .1 quart.

Oil of Cedar, . . . . 4 oz.

Oil of Hemlock, . . . . 4 oz.

GIVING MEDICINE.

34r

Oil of "Wormwood,

, 4 oz.

Oil of Origanum, .

. 4 oz.

Iodine,

. 8 drachms

Arnica Flowers,

. 2 oz.

Gum Camphor,

. 1 pound.

Dimon's Stable Liniment is compounded after the follow-

ing:

Pure Cider Vinegar,

1 gallon.

Full Proof Alcohol,

2 quarts.

Saltpetre,

4 oz.

Oil Wormwood,

4 oz.

Oil Hemlock,

4 oz.

Arnica Leaves,

2oz.

Gum Camphor,

8oz.

Sal Ammonia,

Soz.

Iodine,

8 drachms.

Spirits of Turpentine,

1 quart.

This is cheaper than the first and makes a most excellent
stable liniment.

Dimon's Condition Powders are made as follows :

I

Jamaica Ginger,

. 1 pound.

Sifted Hard Wood Ashes, .

. 2 pounds

Fine Salt, .

. i pound.

Powdered Gentian Root, .

. i pound.

* Saltpetre,

. i pound.

Black Antimony,

. Soz.

Annis Seed,

. 2oz.

Flour Sulphur,

. 4 oz.

Powdered Rosin,

. 2oz.

Elecampane Root, .

. 2 oz.

Cayenne Pepper,

nrmicrhlv nnrl ffivp in rinses nf on

1 oz.

p fnlilpsnnnnfiil in

daily.

Dimon's Leg "Wash, which is also a good body wash, can be
prepared by following the recipe given below :

Take a three-gallon jug; put in one and one-half gallons of good and
pure Cider Vinegar,

1 quart Full Proof Alcohol,
8 ounces Sal Ammoniac,
4 ounces Saltpetre,

348 SYMPTOMS OF DISEASE IN THE HORSE.

4 ounces Arnica Leaves,
4 ounces Gum Camphor,
Then fill the jug with rain water.

You now have ready for use three gallons of as good leg
and body wash as can be produced, at a comparatively low
price.

Blister Ointment.

Spirits Turpentine, . . . 1 oz.

Sulphuric Acid, . . . .2 drachms.

Mix carefully in open space and add Lard, 4 ounces, and Powdered Can-
tharides, 1 ounce.

A Physic Ball may be made as follows :

Barbadoes Aloes, . . . .1 drachm.

Tartar Emetic, . . . .1 drachm.

Powdered Digitalis, . . . i drachm.

Add syrup enough to form a ball and give every six hours until bowels
move freely.

SYMPTOMS OF DISEASE IN THE HORSE.

As the horse is unable to describe his feelings in words, the
diag-nosis of his ailment is much more difficult to determine
than is that of the human family. As a consequence it must be
determined by symptoms, and to determine the nature of a
disease wholly by external ^symptoms requires more skill by
the practitioner than that of treating the disease afterwards.
To be fully successful in treating a disease one must thoroughly
understand the nature of the disease which he is attempting to
treat.- When called upon to see a sick horse I first examine

The Pulse. The pulse of a healthy, medium-sized- horse
beats about forty times per minute. Size and age determine
somewhat the pulse Ijeats, but, as a rule, forty per minute may
be considered reliable ; any considerable increase over that
amount indicates fever or infiammation ; and other symptoms
may be looked for to determine the particular locality of the
disease. When great weakness ensues the pulse becomes slow
and fluttering,

Tlie Meinhrane of the Hose. In health, this is of a light

\

SYMPTOMS OF DISEASE IN THE HORSE. 349

pink color ; in fever and inflammation it is red. If the lungs
or air passages are affected it is more deeply colored and
specked with brown mucus. In glanders it is of a light blue
and reddish color, with specks of ulceration over it. In scarlet
fever it is covered Avith scarlet spots ; in the very last stage of
disease, when death is near at hand, the membrane of the nose
becomes of a dark leaden or livid color.

The Ears in disease lose their erectness and quickness of
motion, becoming loose and flapping. In inflammation of the
lungs they become quite cold, and slightly so in other diseases.

TJie Eyes present a weeping appearance in colds, fevers, and
glanders ; when they become glassy in the advanced stages of
disease it indicates that death is about to take possession of the
patient.

TJie Mouth is hot in fevers and inflammation. Both the
mouth and tongue are clammy and often quite offensive in
smell in severe fevers.

The Breathing is rapid in fevers ; quite laborious in inflam-
mation of the lungs ; laborious, short, and catchy in pleurisy.
In the second-named disease the nostrils are quite spread, and
in pleurisy the breath is hot. Deep, heavy, and snoring
breathing indicates disease of the brain.

The Shin. Heat of the skin denotes fever, while a dryness
of the skin and hair indicates some acute disease already pres-
ent or just coming on.

The Flanl's heave in inflammation of the lungs, pleura, and
bowels, while they are tucked up in glanders, farcy, indiges-
tion, and some other diseases. The flanks throb in thumps.

Drooj)ing of the Uead is a sure sign of a sick horse, but
may represent a variety of diseases of different characters ; but
when it is observed other symptoms should be looked for.

Lying Down. In colic the horse will lie down often ; rolls
and tries to keep on his back ; gets up quickly and is soon
down again. In severe cases he lies down quickly, rolls over
several times, and gets up or partially rises and sits for awhile
like a dog, and then rolls again or gets up. In locked-jaw he

350 SYMPTOMS OF DISEASE IN THE HORSE.

stands wide and as fixed as a statue ; in inflammation of the lungs
he stands with his fore-feet well forward and dislikes to move
^t all or to lie down.

Pointing with the Nose. The horse points with his nose to
the flanks in cases of inflammation of the bowels and colic. In
cases of inflammation of the feet or acute founder he points to
his feet with his nose.

Pointing with the Forward Foot indicates sweeney founder
or a troublesome corn ; while dragging the forefoot shows dis-
location of the shoulder joint.

CHAPTER XLY.

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

Bone spavin — Bronchitis — Brittle hoof — Blindness — Blistering — Bots —
Cataract — Contraction of hoof — Colic — Capped hock — Curbs —
Cough — Corns — Distemper — Diarrhcea — Drying the sweat — Fever
— Fistula — Founder — Fits — Fractures — Galls — Glanders — Slings.

BONE SPAVIN.

BONE spavin is a deposit of bone on the inside and at the
lower part of the hock, about at the union of the
cannon-bone with the small bones of the hock, forming a
hard tumor of greater or less size. It produces complete
stiffness of the bones between which it occurs.

BEAVrN,

BOG SPAVIN.

Symptoms. Many of the earlier symptoms may entirely
elude detection, and the affection may not be observed until it
has gained a firm hold ; especially so is this true in reference to
horses that have very prominent hocks and are what some
horsemen call " double-jointed."

(351)

352 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

;d<o>n^i»ow=noai«>5«EQ5^i?^.?||?^|2?

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

353

"When spavin is forming the first tiling to attract attention
will probably be lameness, which may be slight at first, but

will very soon develop into that of
a very serious character. AVhen this
is observed, a careful examination
and comparison with the opposite
hock joint soon determines its nature,
as an unusual degree of heat and
tenderness in the region of the inner
splint bone will be found.

Treatment. Various veterinary
surgeons have asserted that this dis-
ease cannot be cured, and that a
spavined horse will always remain
-a the subject of it, and therefore, un-
sound ; but, practically, I know
better, as I have, myself, invented
and patented a medicine used by my-
self for the past twenty years or
more that I will guarantee, if taken
in time, will not only perform a
perfect cure from all lameness, but
will leave the spavined joint as
smooth as the other, and without a
scar.

I could (had I taken pains to do
so), have had numerous affidavits to
publish in this book as to the per-
ShowiDg nerve, artery, manent cures of bone spavin pro-
duced by " Dimon's Spavin Cure."
As to its general efficacy I must,
for the benefit of my readers, give a few Canadian testimonials,

atid vein
e. Vein ; o. Artery.

all

occurring the same season.

They are as follows

" V^ALKERViLLE, Ont., Marcli 25, 1885.
Having had charge of the horse stock of the Essex Stock Farm of Hiram
Walker & Sons, located here, for the past year, and with all the large stock

k

354

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM,

on said farm (consisting of about 150 head), liave had many quite stubborn
cases of spavins, curbs, splints, etc., but have found none but that with a
proper application of Dimon's Spavin Cure, used according to directions, I
could not cure. It cured the imported stallion " Marquis," valued at $1,500,
of a very large bog spavin of long standing, that had been treated for years
by veterinary surgeons without doing it any good.

lean recommend this "Dimon's Spavin Cure" for all cases of spavin,
curbs, splints, ringbone, etc. J. J. Dlmon."

CUT OF THE PASTERN AND OTHER BONES, LIGAMENTS, ETC.

a Shank-bone.

6 Upper and larger pastern-bone.

e Sessamoid-bone.

d Lower or smaller paslern-bone

« Navicular or sbuttle-bone.

y Coflfin-bone, or bone of the foot.

g Suspensory ligament inserted into the sessamoid-bone.

A Continuation of the suspensory ligament inserted into the smaller pastern-bone.

i Small inelastic ligament, tying down the sessamoid-bone to the larger pasteru-bone

k A long ligament, reaching from the pastern-bone to the knee.

i Extensor tendon inserted into both the pasterns and the coflin-bone.

" Walkerville, Ont., March 25, 1885.
Having had care of the horses and colts for Hiram Walker & Sons of
the Essex Stock Farm for a year, I wish to state that I have cured no less
than five spavins during that time by the use of Dimon's Spavin Cure alone,

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 355

used according to directions. I can most conscientiously recommend it as the
best medicine in use for this purpose. I have also witnessed its beneficial
effects on splints, curbs, etc. Chas. J. Stodgell."

" "Walkerville, Ont., March 28, 1885.
I am a coachman for E. C. Walker, Esq., of this place, and have charge
of his horse-stock. Having had occasion to use Dimon's Spavin Cure in this
stable, I can cheerfully recommend it as doing fully all that is claimed for it
by the inventor. John Wetton."

" Walkerville, Ont., April 11, 1885.
Mr. Dimon: — I have much pleasure in advising you that the bottle of
Spavin Cure given me by you was used on a mare's shoulder and completely
removed a stubborn callous in a week, which had been treated in various
ways without producing the desired effect. J. D. Davis,

Inspector of Distilleries."

BRONCHITIS.

This is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the
bronchial tubes, or large division of the windpipe. It fre-
quently prevails in an epidemic form and may leave a horse
with a chronic cough.

Symjjtoms. At first the symptoms seem much the same as
a common cold, but more severe. There is a cough and
evident soreness of the throat and usuall}'' considerable fever ;
mouth and nose are red, breathing hurriedly and thick, pulse
quick and wiry.

Treatment. First, the horse should be treated as for a fever.
Place the subject in an open or airy place embraced by the
word " comfortable." Of course it would not be comfortable to
place a sick horse in an open shed in zero weather ; neither
would it be comfortable for a horse to be placed in July, while
suffering from a high fever, in a close stall and burdened with
blankets.

Give fifteen drops of the tincture of aconite root every four
hours until six doses are given if necessary. Give plenty of
cold water to drink, for pain and fever require plenty of fluid,
as all the secretions are dried up. Relax the bowels and cool
the stomach with green grass if it is in season, but if out of
season for grass then give bran mashes, in which put steeped

356 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

flax-seed or oil meal, one pint to a feed. On the second day, if
necessary, give the following medicine :

Powdered gentian root, . , .3 ozs.

Powdered nux vomica, . . .1 oz.

Mix, and divide into six powders, and give one morning, noon, and
night.

BRITTLENESS OF HOOF.

A disease arising from keeping the hoof too dry, although
it is a natural defect in some horses. It prevails most in hot,
dry weather, and is sometimes quite a serious incumbrance.

Treatment. Once, having a highly-bred and otherwise val-
uable mare subjected to this disease, I succeeded in accomplish-
ing a complete and permanent cure by the use of a hoof oint-
ment of my own origination, and manufactured and composed
as follows :

Fish oil, . . . . . 1 qt.

Oil of Tar, . . . . . 1 pt.

Lard and verdigris, .... equal parts.
Both together making one pint.

Apply daily to a clean foot and rub over the whole crust and sole. The
mare thus cured was known as Fannie Kenyon, and was the dam of Col.
Sprague (see Wallace's Trotting Register), by Sprague's Hambletonian, son
of Alexander's Abdallah, the sire of Gov. Sprague, 2.20^, erroneously credited
to Rhode Island.

BLINDNESS.
It has been said of man that his eyes were the windows of
his soul ; they are surely, in the horse's case, the windows
through which he looks into the world. How sad to have them
forever closed. Blindness may be, in a measure, hereditary,
but it is by no means an affection to which the horse is liable
in a state of Nature. It is impossible to calculate the influence
of bad management in producing blindness ; but when once a
horse has become "stone blind" there is certainl}^ no cure, and
I doubt if we can do anything to even partially . restore his
sight. We can but treat such an unfortunate creature with the
utmost care and tenderness. Blind horses often perform their
work as well as others, and continue in it for many years.

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 357

BOTS.

The bot is a small yellowish grub or worm which may be
found fastened to the inner coat of the upper part of the
horse's stomach, from the fall until the next summer, or for
a period of from ten to eleven months, — in such horses as run
to grass or are exposed to the bot-bee in the late summer and
early autumn. They are produced by the hatching of the eggs
laid and glued on the hair of the horse by the bee, and which
get into the mouth, and are hatched in the stomach; but, not-
"withstanding all that has been said and written about the bot
worm, and notwithstanding the number of horses' lives sacrificed
by ignorant doctors in endeavoring to kill bots in cases of
colic and other severe internal diseases, I don't believe for a
moment that the horse ever vet lived that has been killed or
materially injured by bots.

No matter what disease a horse dies of, the stomach often
congests quickly and then ruptures ; now some persons in open-
ing such cases and finding the stomach ruptured and bots in the
abdominal cavity, look no further for the cause of death, but
jump at the conclusion : " bots have eaten through the stomach
and killed the horse."

The best books on the diseases of the horse say that bots do
little if any harm ; and the man of all others who made the
different kinds of bot flies and grubs a special study (Bracy
Clark, Y. S.,) thinks they do rather good than harm. One
thing is certain, there is but one thing to be done, and that is,
to let them alone. There are probably more mistakes made in
the treatment of horses supposed to be suffering from bots than
for any other complaint whatever.

In my thirty years' experience as a horse doctor, I have
been called to prescribe for quite a number of horses supposed
to be afflicted with bots, but never lost a horse by death from
this cause. The reason for this exemption from loss has arisen,
I firmly believe, from the fact that I never dosed them with
poisonous mixtures so much in favor with drivers and hostlers.

358 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

BLISTERING.

When it is decided to blister any part, the hair should first
be cut off as closely as possible ; the blister ointment is then
rubbed in with the hand for ten minutes, leaving a good
quantity smeared on the outside. If the legs are to be blistered
the heels should be protected by lard.

Blistering is sure to cause itching after two or three days,
and great care should be taken that the animal does not gnaw
the part to such an extent as to cause a serious blemish.

Blisters may be composed of several different ingredients, of
which the following remedy is, perhaps, as good as any.

Biniodine of Mercury, . . .1 drachm.

Lard, . . . . . 1 oz.

Mix.

In my practice I have not put a blister on a horse for up-
wards of ten years ; but for spavins, curbs, splints, etc., where
others think necessary to blister, I use Dimon's Spavin Cure in-
stead, with uniformly better results. The latter acts as a
sweat blister and does all that the blister will do and does not

take off the hair.

CATARACT.

There are two species of cataract of the eye of the horse :
one by a diseased condition of the lens, and the other a forma-
tion of a false membrane over the lens ; either of which is
liable to produce blindness.

Sym^^toms. Cataracts are unlikely to be discovered by the
careless owner or groom until a difficulty of vision is made
obvious by the horse exhibiting the usual indications of blind-
ness. It usually commences by a speck like a ray of the sun in
appearance, forming on the lens of the eye, seen through the"
pupil either at its center or its upper or lower edge. This
speck is liable to increase until it entirely covers the pupil,
causing it to appear of a uniform whitish color, and producing
complete blindness.

Treatment. Veterinary surgeons fail to agree as to the cura-
bility of cataract, or rather, as to the propriety of operating

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 359

for it. There are two different operations ; one is called " ex-
tirpation of the lens," and the other is called " couching." I
consider the former quite useless and the latter of doubtful
utility. In either case, none should attempt to perform the
operation save an experienced oculist. Perhaps the best thing
generally to be done is to give laxative and cooling food, with
not too strong light.

CONTRA.CTION OF THE FOOT ; OR, HOOF BOUND.

Contraction in this sense is the drawing in of the heels of
the walls of the hoof — the hoof becoming more erect, the
lower part or bottom becoming smaller in circumference, and
the frog diminished in breadth. It is caused by improper
shoeing, founder, or thrush.

Treatment. To effect a permanent cure there is nothing so
good as to remove the shoes, turn the horse to grass, and let
nature do the rest ; but in cases where this cannot be afforded,
then the next best thing must be done, which is — remove the
shoes, thoroughly cleanse the feet with soft soap and warm
water and adapt to each a piece of soft sponge just the size of
the sole and keep this well saturated with tincture of arnica or
good liniment. This sponge should be well secured to the foot
by proper bandages, and the horse should stand on the ground,
should have light and cooling food and bowels kept well open.

In case the horse with contracted feet must be kept steadily
at work, then one must have him shod long and wide at the
heels, without calks, and then possibly spread the heels by arti-
ficial appliances (although, as a rule, I am a strong opponent to
nearly all artificial appliances connected with the horse),* and
have him, if possible, so shod as to allow the frog to come to
the ground. Renew the shoeing as often as once in three
weeks, nailing on one side only ; and never, in any case, allow
the frog to be interfered with by the shoer. The feet should
be stuffed every night with oakum well saturated with tincture
of arnica in cold water — eight ounces of arnica to one gallon
of water — or this may be profitably alternated with- a poultice

3o0 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

of soft soap and rye or linseed meal applied cold. Never, in

any case, apply cow-manure to the foot of the horse, although

an old-time remedy during those days when bleeding was

recommended in nearly all cases and cold water withheld from

the fevered patient.

COLIC.

There are two kinds of colic, known as flatulent and spas-
modic, of which flatulent or wind colic is the most frequent.
It is a very distressing disease, but of short duration — the
patient either getting well or dying within a few hours at most.

Symptoms of Flatulent Colic. The horse becomes restless
or uneasy ; commences pawing, and shows signs of pain. As
the pain becomes more severe he looks around at his side ;
walks about anxiously ; lies down carefully ; rolls ; shows an
effort to keep on his back ; gets up carefully ; walks around,
and for a time seems better, but the paroxysm is soon renewed
and he behaves as before, the pain evidently becoming more
severe. The belly becomes swelled, caused by the wind or gas
collected in the bowels. This species of colic is chiefly pro-
duced by indigestion, and it will generally be found that horses
most subject to colic are gross feeders.

Treatment. After placing the patient in a roomy, well-
littered box-stall, give at once a dose of Dimon's Colic Remedy
as per directions, and repeat if necessary, according to direc-
tions. I have used this never-failing remedy — when taken in
time — for the past fifteen years, and have yet to lose my first
patient.

In the absence of Dimon's Colic Remedy, which should
alwiys be on hand, give one-half pint of saleratus dissolved in
one pint warm water, as a drench ; and give an injection of
warm soap-suds with three spoonfuls cayenne pepper and three
spoonfuls molasses dissolved in it. Then, if necessary, give an
anodyne drench, composed of

Linseed oil, . . , . .1 pint.

Oil of turpentine, . . . . 2 oz.

Laudanum, . . . . . 2 oz.

Mix, and give every hour until relief is effected.

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 361

An anodyne ball for colic, in mild cases only, may be pre-
pared after the following formula :

Powdered opium, . . . .2 drachms.

Castile soap, . . . . 2 "

Camphor gum (pulv.), , . . 2 "

Ginger, . . . . . 2 "

Make into a ball with licorice powder and treacle, and give every hour
until relieved.

SPASMODIC COLIC.

While most writers on veterinary subjects describe all kinds
of colic under one general name of " colic," my long experi-
ence in veterinary practice teaches me that colic should prop-
erly be divided into two classes. Spasmodic colic differs from
common wind colic very essentially, inasmuch as spasmodic
colic is a disease of the bowels, characterized by frequent and
repeated spells of violent cramping.

Symptoms. Spasmodic, like wind colic, is sudden in its
attack, and no previous symptoms give warning of its ap-
proach. As in wind colic, the horse commences pawing, strik-
ing his bell}'' with his feet, looks at his side, and soon lies
down. In spasmodic colic he lies down ver}^ quickly and
gathers his legs under, as if he would like to get down flat on
his bell}^ He rolls rapidly and does not seem disposed to get
on his back, but rolls clear over ; gets partly up and sits on his
haunches, etc. There is no swelling of the bowels in this kind
of colic.

Treatment for Sjxismod'iG Colic. I have but one treatment
for this disease, and have never lost a case when taken in time.

I always use Dimon's Colic Remedy and always keep it on
hand, and would advise every horse owner to do the same ; not
simply for the slight revenue it would yield to me, but for the
greatest good of the horse and his owner. Give this remedy
according to directions accompanying each bottle, and save
your horse every time.

I will also give what I consider the next best remedy, which
is as follows :

362

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

Spirits turpentine, . . . .4 oz.

Linseed oil, . , . . . 13 oz.

Laudanum, . . . . • li oz.

Mix, and give every half hour until relieved.

CAPPED HOCK.
This is a swelling of a soft character appearing on the
point of the hock where the great tendon — called the ham-
string— is attached to the upper bone of the hock. It consists

-^

•*=^:i\

A CLEAN HOCK,

A CUHUY hOCK, SLICHTLV
BULGING OUl Ur.HIND.

{^ CUB^

of the enlargement of one of the little sacks situated near
w^here the tendons are attached, and is of precisely the same
nature as wind galls and thoroughpin. In some cases they be-
come hardened after remaining for some time, but seldom do
they produce lameness. They are caused by blows, kicks, or
other violence to the points of the hocks.

Treatment. First soak with hot water — not scalding hot;
then apply Diraon's Spavin Cure according to directions, and
repeat until a cure is effected. In the absence of this remedy
the next best thing, perhaps, is applications of a strong lini-
ment like Dimon's Own Liniment, which anyone can make.
See directions, page 346.

CURBS.

When a horse springs a curb, on its first appearance let up
in his work, but give him some exercise ; don't think you must
keep him entirely quiet, but be careful not to over-drive or
over-draw for some time, but jog or give him liberty to exer-
cise himself and treat him at once. First get the inflammation
down by appl3dng hot water and some mild liniment rubbed

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

363

well into the hair; then apply Dimon's Spavin Cure, that being-
the best of anything I know, but if that is not at hand or easy
to procure, then apply other spavin cure or strong liniment
containing iodine.

I have always found curbs, as well as spavins, to yield
readily to the above-named Spavin Cure. .

A curb is among the least objectionable forms of unsound-
ness. A crooked or curby-shaped hock is no more likely to de-
velop actual curbs than a perfectly straight one.

I prefer to use this Spavin Cure to blistering, for while it
does not make a sore like a blister, it acts as a sweat blister,
opening the pores and forming a scurf.

COUGH IN HORSES.
Coughs in horses, from distempers, colds, or whatever cause,
often become chronic, but may be successfully treated as fol-
lows:

Spirits turpentine, . . . . 2 oz.

Gum guuiacum,
Mucilage of acacia,
Laudanum, .
Water,

i oz.
6oz.

4 oz.
2 quarts.

Mix, and give half a pint as a drench every night; shake bottle well be-
fore pouring out.

A ball may be made for bad colds and coughs not yielding
to milder treatment, as follows :

. 2 drachms.
. 1 drachm.

. i

Nitrate of potassa, .
Tartarized antimony.
Powdered digitalis,
Gum camphor (pulv.),
Make into a ball with linseed meal

and boiling water.

Another remedy in the following will be found :

Lobelia, powdered,
Cayenne pepper,
Ginger,

Elecampane root, powdered,
Dose, one tablespoonful once a day.

1 oz.
1 oz.
2oz.
2oz.

364

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

FOOT SHOWING CORN.

CORNS.

A corn is a bruise of the sensitive
sole, its seat being in point of the sole
in the angle between the wall and the
bar, and almost always found on the
inside of the fore foot.

Treatment. Have them pared out
and the cavity filled with pine tar ; then
shoe with either bar shoes or with com-
mon shoes with a leather sole under
them between the foot and the slioe.

DISTEMPER.

Distemper is the usual name applied to all forms of com-
mon epidemic that usually proves contagious, going through the
stable ; it may prevail in different degrees of severity, from a
slight cold to a dangerous influenza.

Symjytoms. The prevailing symptoms are shivers, cough,
and staring coat, failing of appetite and high fever ; also a
swelling of the legs and about the head and neck — the throat
being the most dangerous part. The nose discharges a yellow-
ish substance, sometimes quite offensive to the smell, but if it
runs freely, so much the better.

Treatment. Keep warm and clean; give aconite, fifteen
drops at a time in a little water, every two hours when the
fever is moderately high ; but, in severe cases, give aconite as
often as once in a half-hour for a while.

For swollen throat caused by distemper, bind burdock leaves
steeped in cider vinegar under the throat ; apply hot. I have
also found the following treatment for colds and distemper
quite beneficial :

1 pint good whisky.

2 ounces capsicum.

2 ounces oil spikenard.
Mix, and apply twice daily, externally, on the glands of the throat.

In my own practice I use Dimon's Spavin Cure diluted with
water, and applied as hot as can be borne. I find this gives

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 365

me better results than I obtain from the use of any other ap-
plication with which I am familiar, and this is a disease with
which I have had much experience in treating.
Give a ball twice, daily, composed of

4 ounces chloride of potash.
4 ounces carbonate soda.
2 ounces powdered rosin.
2 ounces anise seed.
i ounce Wack antimony.
Add one teaspoon of this powder to two ounces molasses and linseed meal
enough to make a ball.

DIARRHCEA OR SCOURS.

This means a too frequent operation of the bowels, the dis-
charge being changed in appearance fi'om their natural condi-
tion. Such cases generally succumb to rest and some attention
to diet ; but in severe cases I would recommend the following :

Treatment. Take

Rhubard, powdered, . . . 1 oz.

Ginger, powdered, . . .4 drachms.

Opium, powdered, . . .1 drachm.

Prepared chalk, . . .4 drachms.

Mix, and divide into three parts, and give one dose every three hours until
cured.

Give plenty of water to drink, which will greatly assist to
allay irritation or what disposition there may be to inflamma-
tion. Bran mashes should be given for a few days. To over-
come the effects of so much drying medicine, oil meal or
ground flaxseed would be an excellent assistant in this
particular.

SCOURS IN YOUNG COLTS.

Young colts from various causes are sometimes attacked
with scouring.

Treatment. Tannin tea or tea made from the inner bark
of the white oak tree is a sovereign remedy for scours in young
colts ; it is also good for older animals.

I

S66 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

DRY UP THE SWEAT.
A sudden drying up of sweat when the horse is being driven
or worked indicates the near visitation of lung trouble, as in-
flammation or pleurisy.

FEVER.

The subject of fever is one that has perplexed the minds of
medical men for ages, and I do not propose in this work to ex-
amine the different theories heretofore advanced. I only pro-
pose to give what seems to me a reasonable explanation of it.

Fever is an increase of the heat or temperature of the ani-
mal body. When in full health — although there are several
sources of heat in the body and as many agencies operating on
it of a cooling nature — there is never a change in the tempera-
ture of any consequence ; not in the extreme, it is said, to over
one or two degrees. Consequently, when this temperature or
animal heat becomes increased, that unhealthy condition called
fever exists.

If such increased heat were to continue the life of the ani-
mal would soon be destroyed. Navin, in his excellent work,
the " Explanatory Horse Doctor," mentions the varieties of
fever among horses as "simple scarlet fever," "malignant scar-
let fever," " typhus fever," " putrid fever," and " catarrhal
fever or influenza."

Treatment of Fevers in General. Fever should not alw^ays
be treated as a disease of itself, for in the majority of cases it
is only symptomatic of some local or general derangement.
More or less fever will be found in all cases of inflammatory
character ; therefore, we should not let the fact of the presence
of fever so engross our attention as to overlook the real
malady.

A fever as a disease may be regarded, when fairly seated,
somew^liat as " self -limited." That is, running a regular course
up to a certain intensit}^, and then, all things being favorable as
regards the patient's previous health, management, etc., the un-
favorable symptoms gradually subside and the patient conva-
lesces into a normal condition.

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 3G7

I first give a mild dose of physic, followed by ten to fifteen
drops of the tincture of aconite root two or three times in
twenty-four hours, and allow plenty of pure air and cold
water.

Keep the patient as comfortable as possible as regards tem-
perature, and not expose to drafts or severe cold in winter or
to too close confinement and heat in summer. Discretionary
judgment should be used as to what may be comfortable for the
animal under treatment at all times and in all cases.

The following mixture may be given once in twenty-four

hours :

Spirits of nitrous ether, . . 1 oz.

Niter, , . . . .4 drachms.

Tincture of ginger, , . .2 drachms.

Campliorated spirits, . . .6 ozs.

FISTULA : ALSO CALLED THISELO.

Fistula is an abscess occurring about the withers of the
horse. It usually appears at one side of the withers, generally
forward, at about the place where the collar rests, but some-
times as far back as where the saddle rests ; or it may locate at
any joint between those places. Fistula, like poll evil, is re-
garded as of scrofulous origin.

Treatment. While there are various treatments for this
somewhat troublesome and annoying disease, my observation,
experience, and practice teach me that in cases where the
fistula is decidedly established tlie following treatment is as
good as any.

First put a seton in at the lowest possible point in order to
run off all accumulated matter. Bathe outside with Dimon's
Spavin Cure or liniment. In severe cases it may be cut into
and a solution of chloride of zinc diluted with water — one
drachm of this to a pint of rain water, to be used as a syringe.

ACUTE FOUNDER,
Everyone is familiar with the word founder when applied
to a lame horse, yet but few horsemen, even, comprehend the
nature and seat of the affection.

368 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

o

CD

CD
CD

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. . 3G9

Founder in all its forms is inflammation of the leaves which
dovetail into each other, and bind the sensible and insensible
portions of the foot together. It is called by some fever in the
feet. But, regardless of names, this disease is of frequent occur-
rence, and, when let alone, destroys many good horses by leav-
ing them ever afterwards sore and " tender forward."

Symptoms. The horse will scarcely move. He stands upon
his heels, with fore feet and legs stretched out as far as he can
get, to throw the weight off them ; thus, to all appearance,
making him hollow in the chest, which appearance has given
rise to the idea that the chest is the seat of the disease, hence
the term " chest founder." The hind legs are brought as far
forward as possible ; the head is held erect and high. The ani-
mal is quite feverish, externally excitable, and breathes fast and
laboriously, altogether presenting a picture of great distress and
suffering.

Causes. Giving cold water when overheated and tired from
overwork ; a tendency in the feet to take on inflammatory ac-
tion ; the animal not in proper health or condition to perform
heavy or fast work.

Treatment. Place the horse in a comfortable box stall with
plenty of good, clean, soft bedding to encourage him to lie
down, which will relieve him very much. Give twenty drops
of the tincture of aconite root in a cup full of cold water to
allay the fever, and repeat this every four hours until six doses
have been given. Bathe the fore legs in hot water, as hot as
can be used without scalding, then bandage with woolen. (See
instructions for bandaging in Chapter XXXV, p. 278.)

Clean out and cleanse the bottom of the fore feet and fill
the hoofs with hot lard and hold them up — one at a time —
until it cools. After this the feet may be poulticed with lin-
seed meal, into which may be added and stirred two ounces
tincture aconite root and two ounces extract witch hazel to each
poultice. Allow perfect rest for a few days and feed lightly.
If the inflammation should remove to the lungs, it should be
treated as lung fever.

24

370 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

FITS.

This is a disease occasionally occurring in the horse and re-
sembling the common fits in the human family.

Symptoms. The horse stops, trembles, looks vacantly
around him, staggers, and falls, or falls suddenly. The con-
vulsions that follow are sometimes slight, but at other times are
terrible ; they usually pass off in a few moments, and the horse
gets up and proceeds as if nothing had happened.

There is another variety of this disorder called " running
fits," which, when attacking a horse, he will run for perhaps a
mile or two for all that he is worth. Still another kind is
called "kicking fits," which causes a horse to kick as if kicking
for dear life, and this class I consider the most dangerous of
all. I have owned horses subject to all the above variety of
fits, but know of no cure for them. My invariable treatment
for fits of all kinds is, first chloroform, then bury.

FRACTURES OR BROKEN BONES.

Fractures are liable to occur in any of the bones, but most
frequently in the long bones. Experience has established the
fallacy of destroying all horses that meet with a fractured
limb. But while fractures are serious injuries, they should
never be considered out of the reach of rational treatment.

Fractures may occur in any bone of the limbs or body, and
yet a perfect union of the parts may take place, especially so
if the fracture is a simple one ; compound fractures, even, are
occasionally united.

I shall only give here the general principles to be observed,
without describing particularly each fracture. This being done,
almost any person of good common sense and a little ingenuity
may reduce and bandage any fracture. First ascertain the
nature and extent of the fracture, and then prepare the proper
splints and bandages.

> The splints may be made of wood, hollowed out with a
gouge, so as to fit the part to which they are to be applied ; or
a number of narrow splints may be used, being notched about

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 371

two inches or so from the end and tied together with twine,
three or four knots being tied between each to keep them
apart. Several bandages of heavy muslin — cotton sheeting —
are to be prepared and rolled up. A quantity of starch pre-
pared, to soak the bandages in, or, what is better, a quantity of
comfrey-root, grated down into mucilage. The fractured or
broken ends of the bone are then to be brouo-ht together in
their natural position. After which coat the limb with the
prepared paste or mucilage by spreading the preparation on a
cloth and then bandage the leg with several thicknesses of the
rolled muslin. Then apply the splints in the proper place to
keep the fracture perfectly in place. Apply the splints and
then tie a twine around the middle sufficiently tight to hold
the fracture firmly in place ; then tie the cords at the ends of
the splints. After this dressing the limb will be thoroughly
encased in a hard shell.

Should the fracture be in the small or lower part of the leg,
sole leather, softened in water and moulded to the limb, retain-
ing it in place by bandaging, fcfrms a very good splint. The
horse, especially if high strung and nervous, should be kept
upon his feet by tying up the head short for several days be-
fore the slings are placed under him ; for if this is done at
first, the animal, being fractious, throws himself off his feet,
and all efforts to remedy the fracture may prove a failure.
From six to eight weeks, according to the age of the animal,
are necessary to complete the union of the parts. The animal
should' be kept mainly on mashes and green food during the
treatment.

When the bone becomes properly knit together the hoof
will become warm and the horse will be inclined to use the
limb. The bandage may then be taken off, but the horse
should be very carefully used for some time. As to the slings
and the best method of use, see cut on page 368.

372 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

HARNESS AND SADDLE GALLS.

This at first is an inflamed tumor resulting from being
bruised on the back, which, if neglected and repeatedly bruised,
may develop into a very troublesome sore, and quite difiicult to
heal.

Treatment. My own invariable and most successful remedy
(after first removing the cause) is to cleanse with castile soap
and water, and then apply Dimon's Black Oil with a feather,
and continue this at intervals until a cure is effected.

In the absence of this great remedy the following lotion or
ointment may be quite successfully used.

Lotion : Take the inside bark of white oak boiled in an iron
kettle until it is quite black ; when boiling, drop in a jjiece of
alum the size of a hen's Q^'g^ and to a gallon of this add a pint
of proof alcohol and four ounces each tincture of arnica and
camphorated spirits. "When thus prepared, bottle for use, and
you will have a good lotion for all galls to which your horses
may be liable, and this will be found to be quite handy to keep
— bottled up — in the stables. ' This makes a cheap and handy
lotion, but by no means equal to the Black Oil. Apply with a
sponge.

Ointment : The above-mentioned ointment may be prepared
after the following recipe :

Lard, one pound.

Spirits turpentine, one pint.

Oil tar, three tablespoonfuls.

Oil sassafras, one dessert spoonful.

This ointment is also good for mange and tail rubbing.

COLLAR GALLS AND SORE BACKS.

This is of the same character as the saddle gall, and which,
if neglected or badly treated, will leave a scar or lump easily
irritated by the collar, and thus be a source of permanent an-
noyance.

Treatment. Use Dimon's Black Oil, applied with a feather,
according to the directions with each bottle; or, in the absence
of that, a lotion as follows may l)e prepared :

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 373

(See recipe given for Saddle Galls, just above.)
Tannin in solution, one pint.
Strong tea of arnica flowers, one pint.
Alcohol, one-half pint.
Treat same as for harness galls, which treatment see.

GLANDERS.

Of all diseases to which horseflesh is heir, this is universally
acknowledged to be the most fatal, as well as the most loath-
some.

Symptoms. The first appearance of glanders is a dry but
not staring appearance of the hair; the flesh wastes away
rapidly on dry food, but will return again temporarily on
brewer's grain, or soft, nutritious food ; but soon, however, the
hair becomes staring and the horse begins to exhibit indica-
tions of failing strength and vitality. The next and most
characteristic symptom will be a discharge from the nostrils of
a lighter or paler color than that of common cokl ; not so pro-
fuse but of a more glutinous or sticky character, generally
affecting but one nostril, and this is usually the left one. The
discharges are somewhat offensive, and the further advanced
the case is the more so it becomes. As Mr. Navin says : " Af t^'
the disease has progressed to what might be termed the second
stage, the discharge from the nose will be streaked with pus or
matter, and in examination, the membrane of the nose will
present a dark purple hue, or even a leaden color, widely differ-
ing from the pink blush of health or the fiery red of fever in
inflammation."

The breathing now becomes more affected, generally ac-
companied by some cough ; the hind legs swell, and the powers
of life give way, and death finally claims his severely-punished
victim.

Treatment. "When the diagnosis of this case is fully con-
firmed, as it is undoubtedly highly contagious both to the
horse and to man himself, the patient should be destroyed at
once. By the use of green food and good care his life may be
prolonged for a time, and h,e may be able to accomplish a cer-

374 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

tain amount of work ; but the risk of contagion is too great to
be incurred, and no man who regards his own welfare and that
of his neighbors should keep a glandered horse.

GANGRENE.

This is a synonymous term for mortification or death of a
part, and is characterized by a livid or black color. Gangrene
is attended, or is ushered in, by a sudden cessation of pain,
which has often been mistaken for recovery.

When gangrene of an external part takes place there is a
material change in the condition of the part and it assumes
altogether a different aspect ; the swelling subsides, and on
touching the part a crackling sound is produced, owing to the
evolution of gas.

CHAPTER XLVI.

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. — Continued.

Heaves — Inflammations — Indigestion — Lameness — Lampas — Lung fever

— Lice — Loclied-jaw — Mange — Proud flesh — Pleuro-pneumouia —
Poll evil — Quittor — Roaring — Ringbone — Scratches — Stumbling —
Shoe-boil — Slavering — Setons — Strains — Sprains — Surfeit — Splint

— Stocking — String-halt — Sweeney — Thrush — Tumors — Tail rub-
bing — Thick water — Thoroughpins — Thumps — Wind galls —
Worms.

HEAVES.

A VIOLENT heaving action of the ribs and flanks as the
air passes out of the lungs is known by the name of
heaves, broken-wind, and thick- wand. It is very similar to
asthma in the human patient, but the asthma in man only oc-
curs in paroxysms or spells, whereas in horses it is constant,
especially so when the horse is exercising.

"When an animal is suffering from heaves or broken-wind
there is a peculiarity of breathing which cannot be mistaken,
particularly directly after violent exercise. The air is drawn
into the lungs in less time by a heavey horse than by a sound
one, and with perceptible degree of labor. The effort of ex-
pelling air is accompanied by a peculiar difficulty which re-
quires a double effort, in the first of which, as described by Mr.
Blaine, the muscles operate and the other auxiliary muscles,
particularly the abdominal, are put on the stretch to complete
the expulsion more perfectly ; and that being done the flank
falls, or the abdominal muscles relax with a kind of jerk.
From this peculiarity of breathing the name heaves has been
given. The disease is generally preceded and accompanied by
a cough, perfectly characteristic, and by which an experienced
horseman w^ould detect the disease in the dark.

When the disease has become established there is no possi-

(375)

3? 6 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

bilitj of a cure, for the ruptured cells can never be repaired.
Much may be done, however, to ward off the disease and to al-
leviate it. More depends upon the food and exercise than is
generally supposed. Horses that are greedy feeders and eat
large quantities of slightly nutritious food, when worked or
driven upon a full stomach, are the ones most likely to be
affected ; hence, the disease is more common among farmers'
horses, which are fed mostly upon hay, than among those kept
in livery stables and cities, where the ration of hay is limited
and grain is fed regularly.

Narrow-chested horses are more subject to the heaves than
deep-chested ones. Dusty and mow-burnt hay should be
avoided. Water sparingly, particularly in the morning and
through the day when the animal is exercised. Green food is
always preferable to dry ; carrots are particularly useful ; they
are rapidly digested and seem to have a peculiar beneficial
'effect upon the respiratory system. The horse affected with
heaves should have moderate exercise every day. He should
never be left standing in a draft of wind, and should always
have a blanket thrown over him when standing in harness out
of doors or under an open shed.

Treatment. Give one part each fluid extract lobelia and oil
of tar ; give a teaspoonf ul twice daily ; better put on tongue
just at taking out of stable for use, or may be given in feed.
Give plenty salt, feed but little hay, and wet all feed. Put a
tablespoonful air-slacked lime to a pail of water for wetting
the food.

Another remedy : Beat three eggs in one quart of pure
fruit vinegar and after it has stood about three days, or when
well incorporated together, add one pound strained honey. In
tablespoon doses it can be given in feed twice a day, or may
be placed on the tongue.

INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER.
The inflammation is in the mucous membrane or inner lin-
ing of the bladder.

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 377

Symptoms. The symptoms of inflammation of the bladder
are a considerable fever, great anxiety of the continence, con-
stant straining efforts to urinate, but little water being passed,
and that quite dribbly. The animal will straddle when moving
as if he feared to bring his thighs together.

To distino-uish inflammation of the bladder from that of the
kidneys, in the latter there will be tenderness over the kidneys
on pressure, which tenderness does not exist in inflammation of
the bladder.

In inflammation of the bladder, if the hand is passed into
the rectum, the bladder can be felt under it, and will be
swollen, hard and very hot ; in inflammation of the kidneys
the bladder will be felt but generally not so full, and will not
be hotter than other parts. This is the best method of dis-
tinguishing between the two.

Treatment. Give twenty-five drops of tincture of aco-
nite root every four hours until six doses have been given.
Give flax-seed tea to drink, but if the animal refuses to drink
give as a drench. Give plenty of cold water to drink.

INDIGESTION.

Indigestion in horses is equivalent to dyspepsia in man. It
is the foundation of other and more alarming diseases, among
which are colic, inflammation of the stomach, liver, bowels,
etc.

Sym^ptoms. The appetite becomes irregular. An unnatural
appetite will be manifested by the horse eating dirt, dry sticks,
etc., and especially the dirty straw with which he is bedded,
and for which, at times, he seems to have a great relish. His
bowels become more or less afi'ected. He passes much undi-
gested grain in his manure which is often covered with slime.
Worms are usually more or less connected with indigestion.

Treatment, The best possible treatment that I know of, is
to turn the horse out to grass, and when you take him up again
give regular feed and regular work to prevent a recurrence of
the trouble. The following might be given, also : ■ Powdered

378 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

opium, one drachm, tartar emetic oue-balf drachm, mixed
with linseed meal and boiling water. Give every six hours.

INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS.

Symptoms. A straddling in the hind legs and a constant

* effort to urinate ; the water being passed is in small quantities

and sometimes bloody, but mostly natural in appearance ; these

are the common symptoms. Pressing hard over the kidneys

will show that it produces pain ; the pulse and breathing are

increased.

Treatment. Give thirty to forty drops of muriatic acid in

a bucket of cold water to drink, continuing occasionally until

cured.

INFLAMMATION OF THE WOMB.

Inflammation of the uterus or womb sometimes attacks
mares a few days after foaling or after an abortion ; more fre-
quently after the latter. The symptoms are the same as those
attending most other internal inflammatory diseases.

Treatment. Treatment in all cases of inflammation must
be prompt and vigorous, or it can be of but little value. Give
twenty -five drops tincture of aconite root every four hours un-
til six doses are given. Inject warm — not hot — w^ater, in
which add, to two quarts of water, one-half ounce pulverized
slippery elm bark, and fine ground flaxseed one-half ounce, or its
equivalent in flaxseed tea. After this, the following may be
given in a drench or ball, — a ball is better. If given as a
drench use warm water.

Tartar emetic, . . . .60 grains.

Sweet spirits nitre, . . . . 1 oz.

Tincture of digitalis, . . . 1 oz.
Repeat tlie dose if necessary.

INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE.

Common inflammation of the eye is often the result of colds,

and in such cases presents at first only the ordinary symptoms

of that affliction ; but when deeper affection than this takes

place the inside of the lids will be red, and the eyes w^ill look

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 379

blood-shot with the lids more or less swollen and partially
closed with weeping, or dropping tears ; the general health
will be but little affected, as the horse will usually eat well and
perform his usual everyday work.

Treatment. Brush the inside of the swollen lids with a
camel hair pencil dipped in a lotion of " blue stone " or nitrate
of silver, four grains to an ounce of rain-water.

INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS.

The mucous membrane or inner lining of the intestines is
liable to become inflamed. This produces a dangerous disease
if neglected or improperly treated.

Treatment. Few diseases require more prompt or energetic
treatment than this, as it runs its course very rapidly and with-
out proper treatment almost invariably proves fatal. My own
treatment is to first give a quick acting, powerful physic, fol-
lowed immediately by an injection of warm — not hot — water,
to one gallon, of which has been added a pint of linseed oil, an
ounce of aloes, and a handful of table salt. Such injection may
be continued every half hour. Also apply blankets wrung out
of boiling water to the belly, and renew them in about twenty

minutes.

INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS.

From whatever cause, may be successfully treated, as
follow :

Give fluid extract of aconite seed, spirits nitre (4 per cent.)
in equal parts. Dose, 1 drachm; repeat in one hour if neces-
sary.

INJECTIONS.

These are composed of warm water, soap, and a handful of
table salt. Be careful not to have the water too hot ; about
blood warm. To give the injection to a horse, have a large
syringe, holding at least a pint of fluid.

The diseases most requiring injections are the various varie-
ties of colic — especially so, where Dimon's Colic Remedy is
not at hand — stoppages, inflammation of the bowels, etc.
Every horse owner should be the possessor of a good syringe

380 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

or be so situated that he may have ready access to the use of

one at all times, as this is an investment that will surely pay in

the end.

LAMPAS.

Lampas is an affection of the mouth, quite common in colts
and young horses, but rarely in old ones. It consists of a
swelling of the bars of the palate adjoining the gums at the
back of the upper nippers.

Treatment. My method is to prick the affected bars in sev-
eral places near the middle with a lance or a sharp-pointed
knife, so as to draw the blood ; then take about an ounce of
pow^dered alum and a handful of fine salt and rub in
thoroughly.

While working in the mouth of the horse a stick should be
put across, within the mouth, to protect the operator.

LAMENESS.
It requires all the judgment an experienced person can ex-
ercise to locate some cases of lameness ; for instance, — a dis-
eased liver will often produce lameness in the right shoulder.

LUNG FEVER.

Also known as pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs.
It sometimes occurs in the form of congestion' of the lungs, in-
flammation never having taken place, and the lungs remain in
a congested state, engorged with blood, until the animal dies.
Inflammation of the lungs is one of the most common and
most fatal diseases of the horse.

SymiJtoins. Chill followed by fever and increased for a
short time, and is succeeded by cold legs and ears, quickened
breathing, and wide-open nostrils ; a peculiar quivering of the
muscles of the side and breast will be observed in all cases of
inflammation of the lungs, and will rarely deceive.

Treatment. Place the horse in a light and airy place and
clothe him according to the weather. Bandages for the legs
will, at all seasons, be necessary to keep them warm, and to
that extent relieve the lungs of a portion of the blood. Aco-

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 381

nite, judiciously given, is the most beneficial remedy that I am.
acquainted with. Give twenty-five drops of tincture of aconite
root in a cup full of cold water as a drench, or the same
amount of aconite made into a ball. Repeat the dose every
four hours until relief is given, till six doses have been admin-
istered. In most cases from one to three doses will sufiice.

LOCKED JAW OR TETANUS.

This is a nervous affection of the muscles of the jaw and
neck. The name is derived from the fact that the muscles of
the jaw become powerfully affected, presenting one of the most
alarming features of the disease — the inability to chew or
swallow. Locked jaw frequently takes place as the last thing
before death in cases of severe wounds and other accidents.

Treatment. Remove the animal into comfortable quarters
by himself, where no sight or sound will be likely to disturb
him, and allow no curious idler to intrude. Place a bucket of
thin gruel where he can get at it . without an effort to
reach it. This is all the food he will need, but renew every
day and keep sweet. Administer thirty drops of diluted
prussic acid night and morning. Burdock leaves steeped in.
pure cider vinegar, applied hot, may be bound on under the
jaws, as in case of distemper (which see), and the spine
may be well rubbed every day with Dimon's Spavin Cure ;
and, in extreme cases, chloroform may be administered occa-
sionally as a temporary relief to severe pain. (See directions
for administering chloroform. Chap. XLYII, page 403.)

LICE.

These troublesome parasites should never be allowed to at-
tack the horse, but will occasionally be found on colts, and
especiall}^ weanlings and yearlings. Being of considerable size,
they can readily be seen, and should be destroyed at once.

Treatment. Lice may readily be destroyed by rubbing into
the roots of the hair white precipitate in powder, taking care to
avoid sweating or wetting the skin for several days afterwards.

383 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

MANGE.

Mange is an infectious disease which attacks the horse's
skin in the form of a pimpled eruption, the skin on the parts
affected soon becoming stripped of hair and of a rough, puck-
ered, scurvy appearance, and which has no tendenc}'' to get well
of itself, but goes on from bad to worse, reducing the animal to a
most loathsome object, until, finally, it dies.

Symptoms. Its first appearance is usually on the upper
part of the neck, at the roots of the mane. It first shows itself
in small pimples, which soon break, the parts becoming very
itchy. The hair loosens and falls off, the skin become thick
and covered with patches of thick scurf ; in some cases a
watery fluid oozes out and a scab forms, which, after a while,
comes off leaving a large, rough, scaly spot. These blotches
continue to spread over the body.

Treatment. Take a damp, soap}^ cloth and dip in fine sea
sand and give the mangy parts a good scrubbing and scouring
to expose the " acari," a living insect (like mites in cheese) ;
then wash off and dry w^ith a cloth, and apply a mixture of

Flour sulphur, . . . .8 ounces.

Fish oil, . . . . .1 pint.

Spirits of turpentine, . . .3 ounces.

Rub well in with the hand; apply every third day until a cure is obtained.

PROUD FLESH.
Proud flesh is the name applied to hasty granulations in a
sore or w^ound, which presents a fungous appearance.

, Treatment. To remove I usually a})ply finely powdered
burnt alum. There may be other things as good or even bet-
ter, but, having used this simple remedy in my practice for
many years w^ith very satisfactory results, I do not hesitate to

recommend it.

PLEURO-PNECMONIA.

This is an acute inflammation of the lungs and pleura. It
may occur during either the progress of pleurisy or lung fever;
or both structures mav be attacked at the same time. This

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 383

disease generally assumes a typhoid state, and has prevailed as
an epidemic in different parts of our country at different times,
and in many cases has proven fatal.

Treatment. Treat the horse as for inflammation of the
lungs or lung fever, by giving him pure air, cold water, and
aconite. Give twenty-five drops tincture of aconite root in a
cup full of cold water as a drench, or the same amount in a ball.
Repeat the dose if necessary every four hours until six doses
are given.

POLL EVIL.

Poll evil is an abscess making its appearance on the poll of
the head. If not subdued it shows no inclination to heal, but
continues to discharge a large quantity of thick, offensive mat-
ter. Among the causes of this malady may be the over-pres-
sure of a tight headstall, the reining dow^n the head with a
martingale which stretches the muscles of the poll too tight, or
a thump or blow dealt on the head.

Treatment of Thistelo or Poll Evil. Take chloride of zinc,
one drachm in a pint of water, and carefully inject into every
part two or three times a w^eek, after first putting in a seton
as near the bottom of the abscess as possible, and saturating the
tape forming the seton with a poisonous solution.

Poll evil and fistula of the withers are really one and the
same, only differently located.

QUITTOR.

Quittor is a fistulous abscess in the foot ; it is of a painful
and serious nature, and of the same origin as poll evil and fis-
tula in the shoulder. It is knowm by a large swelling around
or above the hoof and where the hair joins the hoof, which
soon breaks and discharges pus.

Causes. A prick from a nail, a bruise on the sole, a bad
corn, a gravel, or sometimes from the action of a sand crack.

Treatment. When determined to be caused by a bruised
sole or the prick of a nail, make a free opening through the
sole at the point of injury and let the matter out ; ,after this a

384 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

flaxseed poultice may be applied and kept on for several days,
changing it twice a day. It will discharge a quantity of
healthy matter and incline the quittor to heal.

ROARING.

This malady is known by the peculiar roaring, whistling, or
blowing sound produced in the breathing ; but it is only ob-
served when the horse is exercised. It is the result of some
disarrangement in the air passages.

Treatment. In the earlier stages of the disease the follow-
ing may be administered : First, frequent applications of
Dimon's Spavin Cure, or a blister applied over the part of the
air passage which seems to be afi'ected, and, at the same time,
use the following with a view to removing any false deposits ia
the air passages :

Indigo, . . . . .1 ounce.

Saltpeter, . . . . .4 ounces.

Rain water, . . . .1 gallon.

Mix, and give one pint in feed twice a day.

But in advanced stages it is hardly worth the trouble to at-
tempt treatment, for it will be of but doubtful utility.

In bad cases of valuable young horses an operation called
tracheotomy may be performed. It consists of an opening into
the windpipe and keeping a silver tube inserted therein ; but as
this is a surgical performance of a difficult nature it is not ad-
visable as being at all practical except in very rare cases.

RINGBONE.

Ringbone is a deposit of bony matter taking place either
on or near the pastern bone, being in reality an ossification of
the ligaments and muscles about the parts and firmly attaching
itself to the pastern bone, as if a part of it. This bony tumor
often nearly, and sometimes quite, encircles the end of the
pastern bone, forming a ring — hence the name, ringbone.

Treatvient. For cases of recent origin, shave off the hair
and apply the following ringbone liniment :

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 385

Spirits turpentine, . . . . i pint.

Oil spike, . . . . .1 gill.

British oil, . . . . .1 ounce.

Corrosive sublimate, . . .2 ounces.

Shake well in the bottle and bathe the parts twice a day until quite sore ;
then stop bathing and grease with lard or any soft grease daily until well.

Another method, and one perhaps equally as good, is, after
shaving off the hair, apply a blister composed of one part each
biniodine of mercury and pulverized cantharides to six of lard,
and apply with friction. Keep the head tied up for four hours
so that it cannot get to the parts treated, or an, ugly blemish
may follow. Repeat this treatment until three applications
have been given, which should consume not less than two
months' time.

SCRATCHES OR GREASE HEEL.

This is a common affliction in all countries with which I am
acquainted. It commences in the cavity above the heel, and
between it and the fetlock. It is characterized, when fully de-
veloped, by hard scabs, sometimes in clusters and sometimes, in
extreme cases, covering the leg from the heel to knee or hock,
or by deep cracks in the skin. This disease may be properly
divided into two stages ; the first being generally known as
scratches, and the second as grease or grease heel.

Treatment. There are many remedies given for the cure of
this disease. I will present my readers with a few which I con-
sider as good as the best in all cases.

Wash clean with castile soap and wipe reasonably dry.
Apply ointment made of one ounce of carbolic acid to two
tablespoonfuls of lard, and rub in well.

A second remedy is : One pint fish oil, one ounce verdigris,
one tablespoonful salt. Heat well and stir thoroughly, then
add two ounces white hellebore, powdered, and three ounces
sulphur. Stir as it cools. Apply with fingers, filling all cracks.
After a day or two wash thoroughly with castile soap and
warm water, and rub dry; then fill the sore and the hair around it

25

386 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

with dry sulphur. Continue to use the salve until the scabs
come off, when only the sulphur need be used. If scabs show
again, use salve again. "Whenever the legs are wet dry with
the sulphur.

Still another preparation may be had in the following:
Clean the parts affected with castile soap and warm water,
then apply carbolic acid reduced with water to twenty parts to
one of acid ; apply with a sponge and cover the heel with a
dry bandage ; repeat at intervals.

SPAVINS.

Blood and bog spavin are one and the same disease, techni-
cally called bursal enlargements. Usually there is no pain or
apparent inconvenience to the animal, but when its presence is
accompanied by lameness it is due either to acute inflammation
of the cartilage membrane covering the articular surface of
the bones constituting the joints, or it may be the result of
injury to the bone itself. In either case no time should be
lost in prompt and judicious treatment.

Treatment. Bathe the parts affected with hot water for ten
or fifteen minutes ; then rub tolerably dry and apply Dimon's
Spavin Cure or some other spavin cure or strong liniment twice
a day. If of long standing a. blister may be applied, composed
of iodine and mercurial ointment in equal parts, and rub well ;
if the first application does not have the desired effect in
twenty -four hours, repeat; then discontinue, but, if necessary,
apply again in two wedis.

SAND CRACK OR SPLIT HOOF.

Sand crack is a crack in the wall of the hoof, running with
the grain or up and down, occurring either at the quarters or
at the toe. The former is sometime called " quarter-crack," the
other "toe-crack." Quarter-crack most frequently occurs in
the fore feet and at the inner quarters ; toe-crack in the hind
feet.

Treatment. The foot should be rested, or at least that part
of it where the crack occurs, which, if in the fore foot, may be

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 387

effected by a properly arranged bar shoe, throwing the pressure
on the frog, and taking care that the crust behind the crack is
not in contact with the shoe. By this plan I have been able to
cure sand crack during moderate work.

In obstinate cases the shoe may be so arranged on either the
fore or hind foot as to not bear much weight of the wall near
the crack upon the shoe, and while the foot is stripped of the
shoe drive a fine nail through in the usual place, leaving it up-
right, and then, on placing the shoe, be sure and have one of
the holes punched so as to come near the crack and on the op-
posite side of the nail already driven ; and then, with a fine
annealed wire passed over the two nails, draw the crack to-
gether as far as possible.

Keep the hoof moist with the following ointment, which I
have used for many years, and which I call " Dimon's Hoof
Ointment " :

Fish oil, . . . . .1 pint.

Pine tar, . , . . .1 pint.

Oil of tar, . . . . ,2 ounces.

Melt and stir together and apply, after first washing and drying the hoof.

STOCKING OR SWELLING OF THE LEGS.
The legs of the horse are quite liable to be attacked with
swelling, occurring much oftener in the hind legs than in the
fore ones. The extent and degree of swelling varies greatly,
as also does its duration. Swelling of the legs frequently takes
place as an accompaniment to other diseases, but I am now
speaking of this subject as a disease of itself. It is an acute in-
flammation of the cellular tissue of the legs.

Symptoms. This disease is generally quite sudden in its
appearance, and a horse may appear all right at night and the
next morning be swollen from the hoof to the hock ; but it is
usually more gradual. This swelling is usually attended with
a great deal of heat and swelling in the diseased part and a
stiffness rather than a lamenesss. Generally the swelling goes
down when the horse is exercised, ^nd returns again from long

'*"'"'■ PROPERTY OF SCHWENKSVILLE

COMMUNITY UBRARY, INC.
SCH\NENKSVIULE. PA.

388 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

■Treatment. Soak the swollen legs in hot water — as hot as
can be conveniently used — then bathe freely with either Di-
mon's Spavin Cure or a stable liniment applied with friction,
and bandage. (See instructions as to bandaging in " Manage-
ment of the Trotter.") Give the following ball :

Powdered sulphate of iron, . . , 1 drachm.

Powdered gentian root, . . .2 drachms.

Spanish fly, . . . .2 grains.

Mix, and in mild cases give once a day ; in severe cases give twice. Give
a bran mash every night, and one teaspoonf ul of Fowler's Solution of arsenic
to a bucket of water for a drink once a day for two days.

STUMBLING.

Yeterinary writers are nearl}^ all silent on this subject,
while those who venture to mention it at all call it a " habit,"
In this I do not agree with them. While any and all horses
are liable to stumble and sometimes fall, yet an habitual
stumbler cannot be regarded as a safe animal to either ride or
drive — especially to drive in single harness when attached to a
two-wheeled vehicle. Neither do I believe we have a right to
call a chronic stumbler a sound horse, inasmuch as there must
be a source of unsoundness about him as a primary cause of his
stumbling.

I regard the cause as nervous debility resulting in atrophy
of the muscles of the shoulder.

Treatment. For a stumbling horse without apparent cause
for stumbling, occasionally bathe the shoulders well with hot
water and then apply Dimon's Spavin Cure with friction, giv-
ing at least ten minutes' good hard hand rubbing. Otherwise
treat, work, or drive as usual.

SLAVERING.
From certain causes the glands of the horse's mouth become
excited to secrete undue quantities of saliva, and it runs from
the mouth in the form of slavers ; it ma}^ be of such an extent
or so long continued as to seriously reduce his flesh and
strength.

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 389

The cause of slavering may be from eating some weed, suck
as wild lobelia ; or some of the grasses, as white clover or
clover rowen ; or it may be caused by a sharp or ragged-edged
tooth or snag of a tooth, or a rough bit with a rough driver.
Anything to cause soreness or irritation of the mouth may pro-
duce slavers.

Treatment. Get rid of the cause as soon as possible. If a

broken tooth, take it out ; if a sharp edge of a tooth, rasp it

smooth ; if a rough bit, change it ; if a rough driver, change

him at once.

SHOE BOIL.

A shoe boil is a swelling at the elbow, near the place of
bucklino^ the g-irth, and has been called a callous of the elbow.
It is usually caused by a bruise of the hoof or shoe in lying
down in the stable. It frequently assumes the size of a hen's
Qgg, and is sometimes much larger. It often becomes painful,
and many times interferes with the work of tlie horse ;
after it becomes thus troublesome the horse will often avoid
lying down at all, or will change his position when doing so.

Treatment. Bathe the parts two or three times per day with
hot water, to which may be added a solution of carbolic acid,
one part to twenty of water. Saturate a pledget of tow or
oakum with turpentine and put into the opening, which will
keep it discharging for several days, which is very necessary.
When the tumor has subsided and the discharge stopped it will
heal very readily. If it does not break of itself, I would recom-
mend a seton, put in as low down as possible.

STRAIN OF THE STIFLE JOINT.
The stifle joint is composed of the union of the lower end
of the upper thigh bone with the head of the lower and larger
thigh bone and the patella forming the front part of the joint.
This joint is a very strong and complicated one, and corre-
sponds to the knee joint of man, including the knee-pan. This
joint becomes sometimes dislocated or put out of place, and oc-
casionally strained ; the injury is usually called stifle, or the
horse is said to be stifled. ■ *

390 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

Treatment. Give absolute rest in all cases. If the lame-
ness proceeds from a strain only, then bathe with warm water
and apply with friction Dimon's Spavin Cure, as recommended
for all strains ; but if the lameness is caused by a dislocation of
the stifle or patella, then, if in winter, give a roomy box stall
kept clean, and have a stifle shoe made and tacked on to pre-
vent the bone from sliding out of place and knuckling at every
step. If in mild weather turn out in a level lot or paddock
with shoe, as above.

STRINGHALT.

This is a peculiar twitching up of one or both of the hind
feet when the horse is in motion. It is caused by a derange-
ment of the nerves supplying the muscles which produce it.

Youatt does not regard stringhalt as unsoundness, but I do ;
stjll, this ailment does not materially injure the usefulness of
the animal affected.

Treatment. All that can be done for this malady is to re-
store in a measure the lost influence of the nerves of the mus-
cles of the thigh. This may be best accomplished by rest, good
feeding, and care ; also give one grain of strychnia nux vomica
in the food daily for six weeks. In addition to this give thirty
drops of Fowler's Solution of arsenic in a bucket of drinking
water every other day for some length of time.

In 1872 I cured a valuable mare of a severe case of this eye-
sore (of a recent occurrence, however) with much the same
treatment as above.

SWEENEY.

Sweeney is an infection of the muscles of the outside of the
shoulder. It is a very common disease in the Western States.
It is characterized b}^ the shrinking of the shoulders, accom-
panied by lameness. It is atrophy, or the wasting away of the
muscles.

Treatment. Fill a small sack with cayenne pepper and salt.
Dip the sack in water and rub the affected parts quickly and
vigprously, up and down the shoulder ^ then apply Dimon's

I

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 391

Spavin Cure, or good liniment, with friction, also ; use every
other morning until a cure is effected.

SETONS AND ROWELS.

Setons may be composed of pieces of tape or common
lamp-wicking, or of hair from the tail of the horse, or from com-
mon cotton cloth, or string like a large fishline. I prefer the
tape string of proper size to the hair ; pass it through and be-
neath the skin, leaving the two ends hanging out, either tied
together or with a knot at each end. I think the latter plan
the safer, as a loop is liable to get caught into sometimes and
may get torn out.

Among veterinary instruments we find a needle made
on purpose for putting in setons, and called a seton needle.
This is very handy for all horsemen to have ; they come in
various sizes, calculated for use in various places. By the
aid of this needle and tape, or other material, smeared with
blister compound, a large tract of the cellular membrane — by
pinching up the skin into a fold — can be pierced close to the
body ; the needle is then carried straight through. In three
or four days a profuse discharge will commence, and must be
kept up, if necessary, by repeated applications of this blister.
The ends of the seton should be sponged occasionally to re-
move the accumulated matter.

STRAINS AND SPRAINS.

A strain is a severe wrenching of the muscles, tendons, or
ligaments of some part of the structure, in which some of the
fibers may be lacerated or torn. Strains constitute an impor-
tant class of the accidents of the horse. Strains of many parts
require special attention at once — such as strains of the coffin
joint, of the back sinews, of the stifle, of the shoulder, of the
back, of the hip joint, and of the knee, etc.

Treatment. Absolute and entire rest is the principal point
to be attended to in the care of sprains of whatever nature and
wherever located, as a sprain cannot be cured without rest, no

392 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THE^VI.

matter what the remedies that may be applied. If there be
much fever and excitement about the horse, give a few drops
of tincture of aconite root ; then thoroughly soak the part in
warm water and apply, according to directions, Dimon's Spavin
Cure, well rubbed in. Continue this at least twice every day
until the patient is well.

SURFEIT.

This is a disease of the skin which makes its appearance in
small lumps or pimples on the neck of the horse, and sometimes
spreads over his back, loins, sides, and quarters. It is usually
due to some fault in the diet, the surroundings of the animal,
or to lack of proper grooming. It occurs most commonly dur-
ing spring and fall.

Treatment. The bowels must be opened by an active
purgative, to be followed by a course of tonics. Give from six
to eight drachms each of the best aloes and ginger (either in a
ball or a drink), according to the size and condition of the ani-
mal. If the bowels are not freely moved by this dose, repeat
it in three days. Mares well advanced in pregnancy should
not receive the full dose until after foaling. Yearlings may re-
ceive one-fourth, and two-year-olds one-half of the above dose.
Colts can better be given castor oil in doses of from three to
six ounces, according to age. After the bowels have been
moved give two tablespoonsf ul of the following mixture on the
feed twice daily : Powdered nux vomica, one-fourth pound ; ni-
trate of potash, one-fourth pound ; sulphate of soda, one pound.
Mix.

SPLINT.

This is a callous or bony tumor growing on or over the
splint-bones. To clearly understand the nature of this diffi-
culty we should consider that the leg is composed of three
bones, viz.^ the cannon and two splint bones. The cannon-
bone, extending from the knee to the fetlock joint, is a long
round bone, and at the upper end, where it unites with the
l)one of the knee, is marked by a high ridge running from the
back to the head of the bone, and another ridge at each side.

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 393

thus presenting a double putty-like surface admitting of a back
and forward motion but no lateral or side motion. At the back
of the cannon-bone, and to the outer and inner edges of it, are
situated the two splint bones. These gradually taper off to a
point, being very thin and flat; they are somewhat thick at
the top, but get thinner towards the point. "When the splint is
forming on these bones there is generally some lameness, but
as it progresses the inflammation and tenderness subside and
the lameness usually disappears.

Treatment. The best remedy that I have ever tried for the
removal of splints is Dimon's Spavin Cure, used according to
directions. This, in my practice, has never failed to remove
the splint without leaving any scar or trace. Splints may also
be removed by the agency of a mild blister.

STRAIN OF THE COFFIN JOINT.

The coffin joint is composed of the union of the coffin-bone,
the navicular bone, and the lower pastern bone. This joint is a
little below the ring.

Treatiiieiit. Give absolute and entire rest. Thoroughly
soak the part affected with warm water ; then apply, with fric-
tion, Dimon's Spavin Cure, according to directions given with
each bottle, at least t^vice every tlay, and bandage the joint
until a cure is effected.

THRUSH.

This disease results from inflammation of the lower surface
of the sensitive frog, its usual secretion of horn having been
changed, or partially changed, into pus or matter. Contrac-
tion is apt to result from thrush.

Treatment. Carefully remove all diseased parts and
thoroughly cleanse the feet with hot water, to which may be
added a solution of carbolic acid, one part to twenty of water.
After doing this, saturate a piece of oakum or tow with a solu-
tion made double the strength of the former, and apply it.
Continue this treatment until all soreness and odor has ceased,
and then you will have set up a healthy condition. It would

394 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

be well before applying the above treatment to pack the cavity
of the foot with meadow moss every night until you kave
cooled them off and softened them a little.

Another remedy is to take finely powdered white vitriol,
one part with four parts pine tar ; before applying, inspect
the frog and remove all decayed parts. Saturate tow or
oakum with this mixture and press to the bottom of the cleft
of the frog ; repeat about twice a Aveek.

I will also give two other feasible remedies, viz.:

Lard, 5 ounces, rosin, 1 ounce, melted together over a slow
fire. After taking off and while cooling, stir in 2 ounces fine
calamine powder and li ounce turpentine.

The second remedy is : ,

Red precipitate, ... 1 ounce.

Blue vitriol, .... 1 ounce.

Burnt alum, . . . . i ounce.

Powdered white sugar, . . 1 ounce.

Mix, and apply daily to the affected frog.

TUMORS.

Horse flesh is heir to several kinds of tumors, or lumps
under the skin, most of which are slightly movable. Some
kinds grow to an enormous size ; and some are hard or gristly
all through, — others only part of the way, and the center filled
with a thick fluid ; while others have only a thin wall on the
inside filled with fluid.

Treatment. Either insert a seton on the lower part, or cut
open and inject for a few times a teaspoonful of the tincture of
iodine, to kill the walls of the cyst.

TAIL RUBBING, OR RAT TAIL.
An intense itching at the root of the tail on the upper side
sometimes occurs, causing the horse to rub the part against
anything he may find to answer the purpose until the hair is
worn off. This itching, when caused by the eruption of the
skin at that place, may receive the following :

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 395

Treatment. "Wash the parts daily with castile soap and
warm water and dress with

Spirits of turpentine, "1

Carbolic acid, \ equal parts.

Linseed oil, J

THICK WATER.

There is really but one form of disease causing the urine to
become o| a thick, albuminous character. It is of rare occur-
rence in the horse although quite common in man. It is called
Bright's disease or albuminous urine. But there are many
other things that cause the horse's urine to become of a thick
and changed character. For instance, a little over-feeding;
the use of improper food ; bad digestion ; slight cold, and many
other trifling things not reckoned as diseases may cause this,
state.

Treatment. For these various causes of a change in the ap-
pearance of the water, I would not recommend strong or severe
treatment at first, but would endeavor to rectify by giving a
little powdered resin in the feed, and by an ounce of saltpeter
dissolved in the drinking water. A very little of Fowler's solu-
tion of arsenic in the drinking water, occasionally, is also bene-
ficial.

THOROUGHPIN.

An enlargement of a soft and puflfy character appearing in
the space between the hamstring and the lower end of the
thigh bone, above the hock. It is an enlargement of one of the
little sacks placed in the proximity of all joints and ligaments^
and is of the same character of wind galls.

The enlargement may appear in but one of the spaces in
front of the hamstring, but it generally appears in both sides.
It is like wind galls, mainly an eye-sore, as it seldom produces
lameness, therefore it cannot be regarded as legal unsoundness,
although a mark of evidence of the horse having had rough
usage.

Treatment. My method is to soak the parts with water

396 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM.

as hot as can be comfortably borne ; then rub tolerabl}^ dry
and apply Dimon's Spavin Cure, according to directions,
rubbed thoroughly into the skin. In case of inability to pro-
cure this remedy the parts may be blistered.

THUMPS.

A violent beating or throbbing of the flanks is called
thumps. It is really a palpitation of the heart, generally pro-
duced by over-work, particularly so in hot weather. A horse
subject to the thumps is very unreliable for service in any
form.

Treatment. In a slight attack, occurring from Over-exer-
tion, give a bucket of cold water with a full handful of salt dis-
solved in it. The horse should have rest and be allowed to
stand in a cool or warm place as the case may be. If the
attack continues give the following in drench or ball.

Tincture of digitalis, 1 ounce ; sweet spirits nitre, 1 ounce ;
sulphuric ether, 1 ounce ; water, 1 pint ; if for a drench : other-
Avise meal to make a ball. Repeat every three hours until re-
lieved.

WIND GALLS.

These are tumors of a puffy character of variable size and
are also located on the legs, from the fetlock to the hock or
knee.

Treatment. A daily application of tincture of iodine will
sometimes remove them, but the most certain cure is to apply
a small seton at the bottom, or puncture with a lance or sharp
knife, and with a small syringe inject into it a teaspoonful of
tincture of iodine.

WORMS.

There are several different kinds of worms found in the
intestines of the horse ; the principal ones being the long round
worms found in the small intestine, and the needle worm found
in the large intestine.

Pin worms are those troublesome little white ones usually

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 397

found in and around the large intestine near the fundament,
and are often of a very annoying nature.

The long, round worm is from six to eight inches in length,
resembling the common angle worm or the same worm found in
man.

The needle worm occupies the large bowels, sometimes in
incredible quantities ; they are from three-fourths of an inch to
two inches in length. They are slim and sharp pointed ; great
numbers of them often descend into the rectum, and be-
come very troublesome.

Symptoms. When worms are troubling a horse much his
coat becomes unthrifty in appearance, the hide tight and belly
tucked up ; the appetite is greedy. Cough may sometimes be
caused by worms, but the most reliable symptoms are a rough
scaly appearance about the fundament, and the discharge of a
whitish yellow mucus, which dries up and leaves sticky yellow-
ish scales about the anus. This generally indicates the pres-
ence of needle worms. A horse troubled with needle worms or
pin worms will generally show signs of uneasiness, frequently
rubbing his tail or tucking it under and switching. There
are a great many remedies given for the destruction of these
annoying pests ; I will mention a few of them that I consider
most reliable.

WORM BALL.

Asafoetida, .... 2 drachms.

Calomel, . . . . | drachm.

Savin, powdered, . . . | drachm.

'Oil of male fern, ... 30 drops.

Treacle enough to make a ball.

This should be given at night and followed next morning by
the following purge :

Linseed oil, .... 1 pint.

Spirits of Turpentine, . . 2 drachms

WORMS IN COLTS.
Give santorimine three times a day in a little bran or oats ;

398 HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM,

for young colts or yearlings give twenty grains at a time ; for
older ones, thirty grains may be given as a dose. This medi-
cine has but very little taste, and will readily be taken by the
colts in the manner prescribed. Give three or four bran
mashes a w^eek ; give medicine on an empty stomach as much
as possible.

Another worm remedy is found in the following formula:

White hellebore, powdered, . . 1 drachm.

Sulphate of iroa, powdered, . 1 drachm.

Linseed meal, .... 1 ounce.

To be given in hot bran mash at night. Repeat in forty-
eight hours if necessary. Still another recipe, to be relied on,
is the following :

Put a handful of sifted wood ashes into a quart bottle and
fill with cider vinegar ; give as a drench. It will foam as a
glass of soda, and should be given the moment it foams. Two
bottles is said to cure the worst cases of worms.

The best character of treatment for pin worms is an injec-
tion of the following :

Raw linseed oil, ... 2 quarts.

Turpentine, .... 6 ounces.

Inject a little into the rectum every night for one w^eek.
Afterwards repeat if necessary. This is a very effectual
remedy.

WOUNDS.

Wounds are divided into simple, incised, contused, lacer-
ated, punctured, and poisoned. Those followed by bleeding
are termed bleeding wounds, and many times are quite dan-
gerous, requiring the most prompt attention.

The principle on which general wounds are to be treated is
usually quite simple. If the wound is of recent occurrence and
free from much bruising of the edges, after first cleansing it
from dirt, hair, etc., the better way is to bring the edges
together by stitches performed by the use of needles made for
the purpose, and threaded with saddler's silk. After sewing

HORSE AILMENTS AND HOW TO DOCTOR THEM. 399

up the wound keep it well bathed with liniment, wormwood,
arnica, etc. Both of these — wormwood and arnica — are very
good to take out the soreness of a fresh wound.

There can be no rule laid down for the treatment of all
wounds, but in all cases some judgment and much good com-
tnon sense will be required to successfully cope with them.

THE OLD COUNTRY CIRCUS.

How dear to my heart is the show of my childhood,

The old country circus my boyhood days knew ;
In these days of three rings, of hippodromes, railroads,

How fond recollections present thee to view.
For weeks, while the posters on fences and church sheds

Portrayed to my young eyes the scenes that should be,
No soft thrill of love, no throb of ambition,

Has since equaled the bliss I gained dreaming of thee I
The old country circus, the shabby old circus,
The wand'ring old circus my boyhood days knew.

How faithful I worked in the ways that presented,

To gain the few pennies my ticket should buy !
!No toil was so sweetened — no reward so stupendous —

No miser e'er cherished his hoard as did I.
How fair shone the sun on the glad day appointed !

How rife with strange bustle the sleepy old town 1
And when o'er the hill came the rumble of wagons,

The bound of my heart said : " The circus has come."
The old country circus, the old faded circus.
The one-horse old circus my boyhood days knew.

What pageant of now can that "grand entry " compass.

What wit of to-day like those jokes of the ring ?
And those divans of pine boards — such ease Oriental !

No reserved, cushioned chairs of the present can bring.
One elephant only, satisfying, majestic,

Not Jumbo, nor sacred, neither painted nor white —
Take them all, the whole dizzy, triple-bill programme,

For a single return of that old-time delight.
The old country circus, the tawdry old circus.
The perfect old circus my boyhood days knew.

— Scrap Book.

CHAPTER XLVII.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Gentlemen horsemen — To become famous — Castration — Conditioning — To
administer chloroform — Significance of the bay color — Docking —
Warranty — Runaway, to stop — Trotting standard — Pacing standard
— Rules for laying out tracks — Rules of admission to registry.

MEN cannot become famous unless they do something
that is worthy of fame; and they cannot do things
worthy of fame unless they have worthy hearts. That is her
temple at last — and it is not glass, nay, not even diamond.
Fame is the product of man's nature as much as the life he
lives, the acts he does, the children he begets. It matters not
w^hether he moulds and makes the greatest horse, or chisels out
the greatest picture, or writes the greatest books, or lives the
most heroic life — none of these are the children of chance,
the handmaids of hazard. They come from within, from
deeper depths and grander sweeps.

So firmly do I believe these things, that I do not hesitate
to say that no narrow, small, and contracted soul will ever
breed and perfect a w^orld-renowned horse. Such a man might
accidentally mate the sire and dam, but he could no more
bring the offspring down the road of flinty doubt and uncer-
tainty, the dusty road of toil and work and perseverance, the
quiet, shady one of honorable dealings and unswerving integ-
rity, the slippery one of jobs and tricks and littleness, through
all of these — for through all of tliese, horses, like great men,
have to pass unscathed — to the gilded avenues of fame, than
he could turn a paste-diamond gambler into the unpolished
genuineness of an Abraham Lincoln.

And how well do great men and great horses lit ! Imagine
Bucephalus belonging to anyone but the conqueror of worlds.

(400)

MISCELLANEOUS. 401

Picture Alix the property of Kneebs and just in from a sum-
mer outing through Europe.

There has always been a mutualness, second nature, so to
speak, between Morris Jones and his peerless mare.

It may be my fancy, my romance ; but I don't believe
horsemen who know them both will say so when I pronounce
the attributes of their similarity. At least, I cannot separate
them. Gentleness, kindness, genuineness, honesty, simplicity,
nerve ; a humanity that would make a human of a f rientlless
dog ; a courage that " I fight for right through the heats of
three days and the deaths of nine battles, though the devil and
his angels may be on the other side."

MAY STILL BE GENTLEMEN.
There are a great many people who think that a horseman,
and especially a driver, is not fit to go into good societ3^
Now, I am of the opinion that a man can be a horse owner or
a driver and be just as much of a gentleman as he could if his
vocation were that of a bank cashier or manager of a business
house. I have in mind a young man I saw last summer at the
races with a small string of horses. "When I came to his stable
everything was quiet, and I heard several times that a lady
need not be afraid to go and look at his horses. There was no
swearing, no coarse, vulgar language of any kind. There is
nothing in the horse business that need, of necessity, degrade
men. Those that will be blackguards would be such under any
circumstances and in any calling in life.

CASTRATION.

This operation has been performed on the horse from his
earliest domestication ; it is done for the purpose of enhancing
the usefulness of the male by subduing his spirit and rendering
him as mild and docile as is the female. Immemorial custom
has sanctioned this operation.

As to the best age of the colt to be castrated, many opinions

are formed. My own idea is, as a rule, from about one and a

half to two years is the best age. There are several different
26 •

402

MISCELLANEOUS.

modes of performing the operation of castration ; and I think
in my long practice I have tried them all — from the old-
fashioned way of clamping, burning, and searing with hot
irons made for the purpose, to the French method of twisting
off the testicle cords with an instrument manufactured especial-
ly for that purpose and called the ecrascur.

Of all the operations in vogue I prefer the following, what
used to be known in New England as the Stanton method.
This operation is as follows :

First make a pair of clamps five or six inches in length
from a piece of elder-wood of suitable size, by splitting open

and removing the pith ;
then bevel off the ends
for about half an inch ;
cut a notch or groove
around them. Now fill
the space formerly occu-
pied by the pith with
tallow mixed with red
precipitate and corrosive sublimate in equal parts — the last
two ingredients in equal parts ; the tallow being the main in-
gredient.

The two pieces of wood are then placed together just as
they formerly belonged, and a waxed cord tied around one end

in the groove, so as to
form a sort of hinge.
The clamp thus pre-
pared is ready for use.

In case elder is not at
hand or easy to obtain,
other soft wood may be used, if of suitable size, and the center
grooved out.

When all is ready, cast the colt or horse and draw his hind
legs well forward, and firmly secure all the legs and turn the
animal on his back, and proceed to cut through the scrotum
with a very keen blade, and after the testicle is laid bare then

ohdinajiy clamp.

INTERNAL FACE OF CLAMPS.

MISCELLANEOUS.

403

pull it out far enough to place the clamp well up on the testicle
cord ; then firmly secure with waxed string ; then cut the
testicle loose from the cord.

After the clamps have remained on from twenty-four to
thirty-six hours they may be removed by cutting through the
waxed cords at the ends, when they will readily drop oif of
themselves.

CONDITIONING A HORSE.

"We many times find horses ailing from no particular disease,
but are generally out of condition and need toning up. In
such cases I have found satisfactory beneficial results from the
following treatment, called Dimon's Condition Powders, and
which anyone can make :

Elecampane root, powdered,

6oz.

Fenugreek, .

4 "

Gentian root, powdered, .

4 "

Rosin, powdered, .

8 "

Jamaica ginger,

8 "

Sulphur,

8 "

Cayenne pepper.

2 "

Black antimony,

4 "

Anise seed, .

4 "

Saltpetre, pulverized,

6 "

Fine salt.

1 pound.

Hard wood ashes, sifted, .

2 quarts.

Mix thoroughly and give tablespoonful once a day in feed-

- cut feed

best. Any quantity can be made in same prof

)ortions

FoAvler's Solution of Arsenic, one teaspoonful occasionally
in a bucket of drinking water, is good as a blood purifier, and
to give the horse a bright and sprightly appearance.

THE ADMINISTRATION OF CHLOROFORM.
The use of chloroform to produce insensibility to pain is
often a great aid to the operator on the horse, who, without it,
works under great difficulties owing to the nervous twitch the
poor animal gives at each touch of the knife or needle. Under
chloroform, however, he lies as if dead ; and so long as its

404 MISCELLANEOUS.

eflPects continue the most elaborate dissection may be conducted
with comparative ease and safety.

There is some danger, however, of overdoing this powerful
agent, but the risk is not so great as is generally supposed ;
with ordinary care injurious effects are seldom produced.

The best and most sensible apparatus for the purpose of ad-
ministering chloroform is a common wire muzzle, to the upper
edge of which a strip of leather six inches wide is stitched, and
so arranged as to be buckled around the upper part of the jaws.
Tins insures that all the air inspired shall pass through the
wires, and b\'^ covering them with a cap of very loose flannel,
in wliich a few holes are cut to facilitate respiration, the muzzle
may be made ready for use.

The horse is first cast, after which the above apparatus is
put on and buckled around the jaw, when, on sprinkling the
chloroform over the cap of the flannel, it may be applied or
removed in an instant, and the amount of anaesthesia adminis-
tered regulated accordingly. "Without some guard such as the
wire affords, the chloroform runs over the nostrils and lips and
blisters them ; but when used as above such an accident can
only occur from over-saturating the flannel. The necessary
amount of chloroform must be used, but when it is once found
that the prick of a pin is borne without flinching, the flannel
may be removed and the operation commenced at once, taking
care to have an assistant ready to put it on again immediately
the patient shows signs of returning to consciousness or sensi-
bility to pain. Six or eight ounces of chloroform must be pro-
vided, as the quantity required is somewhat uncertain ; the
average dose is about three or four ounces.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OP THE BAY COLOR.

Phoinic was an Egyptian title of honor, from which the

Greek and Latin forms of Phoenix and Punicus were derived.

It was flrst given to persons of great stature (Anak with an

Egyptian prefix). Thence it was applied to people of power

MISCELLANEOUS. 405

and eminence. The Cuthites or Royal Shepherds in Egypt
were so called. The title Phoenices was given to the Egyptian
colonists of Tyre. They did not call their colony so them-
selves but it was called so by outsiders, — the Greefvs ; hence
it was known as Phoenicia, so long regarded as having played
such an influential part in early civilization.

The appellation may be traced from Babylon to Arabia
and Egypt thence through the Egyptian colonies to the west.
As we are thus informed, it was an individual title for a lord or
prince, and was conferred on many things primal or noble.
Hence the red or scarlet color appropriated by great and
honorable persons was termed phoenic.

Phoenix was a color among horses ; they were styled
phoenices and phoeniciati. This was derived from the color of
the palm tree. (Pliny informs us that the noblest palm among
Babylonians were called ro3^al palms, and were emblems of
royalty.)

Upon this account they also had the name of spadices, —
synonymous with the other, and Homer, describing the horses
of Diomedes, tells us that one was phoenix, or of a bright palm
color, with a white spot on his forehead like a moon. This
horse was of a bright palm color, which is a bright red. Such
horses are now called bays. This word is of similar origin.
The branch of a palm tree was called " bai " in Egypt. Baia
is used by St. John for palm bearers, the palm being used on
the most solemn occasions by the Jews. The Greeks borrowed
the word from Egyptians, and the Latins have the same word
in the form Badius, used by Yarro in regard to horses.

The palm tree was regarded as immortal, or, if it did die as
reviving again. The Egyptians gave the name of bai to the
soul. The legend of the phoenix bird as an emblem of immor-
tality is evidently derived fi-om this regard for the palm main-
tained by both sacred and profane people. To-day the belief
may be perpetuated in Palm Sunday and Ash Wednesday.

406

MISCELLANEOUS.

DOCKING.

As to docking or robbing the horse of the beautiful and
useful appendage (or any part thereof), the tail, I consider a
most inhuman and brutal practice. And not only is it inhu-

MANNEK OF DOCKING

CUAPPIE OUT FOR A RIDE.

SNOB CREATING A SENSATION.

man, but such treatment disfigures and injures the appearance
and beauty of the animal in the eyes of every true horseman.

It was a fad of " ye olden tyme," I knoAv ; but I did think
that the American people of this day of progress, enlightenment,
and, I had hoped, refinement, had forever done away wath such
inhuman and absurd practices. Yet the foolish fancy seems to
be revived, and because Snob and Chappie have their horses

MISCELLANEOUS. 407

mutilated others thiak that to be in the swim they must follow
suit. Indeed, we learn that all the horses in the Presidential
stables at Washington have their tails docked or banged.
Since the days of Thomas Jefferson the White House horses
have carried their beautiful flowing manes and tails undis-
turbed. It is a regrettable fact that modern society requires
this barbarous usage, and it is more to be regretted that
carriages of state are now incomplete without the disfigure-
ment of one of nature's most beautiful gifts to horses.

That this practice will not be of long continuation is
evinced by the fact that the Humane Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Animals have taken the matter into
their hands. Two interesting cases were recently tried in the
District Court of El Paso County, Colorado. The Humane
Society appeared as plaintiff and forced both the owners of the
horses and the veterinary surgeons who performed the opera-
tions to appear as defendants. In both suits the plaintiff came
off victorious.

WARRANTY.

The written warranty of a horse is a form of certificate
given on the purchase or payment, setting forth the soundness
or kindness — or both — of the animal under consideration.

There are so many hidden things about the structure of the
horse that it must be a hazardous undertaking to warrant any
horse perfectly sound in all respects ; for while he may appear
to be so, as far as any one can see — from external appearances
— he may be possessed of some internal derangement of which
he may die in less than a week. Few persons will bring an
action against the seller for unsoundness, as it is difficult to
maintain such an action and get a verdict upon it ; con-
sequently, the best forms of warranty amount to but little in
the eyes of the law.

TO STOP A RUNAWAY HORSE.
A thin cord with a running noose around the horse's neck
is much used in Russia.

408 MISCELLANEOUS.

" At Rome,- ' says a writer in the American Cultivator^ " I
saw in the Corso a phaeton with two spirited horses bolt. They
were driven by a lady and I expected to see instant destruction,
but the lady coolly grasped a thin cord, and within thirty yards
the horses came to a full stop."

When a horse bolts he always takes the bit in his teeth and
the skill of the driver is useless. The moment the pressure
comes on his windpipe the horse knows he has met his master.

TROTTING STANDARD.

First. Any trotting stallion that has a record of two min-
utes and thirty seconds (2.30) or better, provided any of his get
has a record of 2.35, trotting, or better, or provided his sire or
dam is already a standard trotting animal.

Second. Any mare or gelding that has a trotting record of
2.30, or better, whose sire or dam is standard.

Third. Any horse that is the sire of two trotters with
records of 2.30, or better.

Fourth. Any horse that is the sire of one trotter with a
record of 2.30, or better, provided he has either of the follow-
ing additional qualifications : 1. A trotting record of 2.35, or
better, 2. Is the sire of two other animals with trotting
records of 2.35, or better. 3. Has a sire or dam that is already
a standard trotting animal.

Fifth. Any mare that has produced a trotter with a record
of 2.30.

Sixth. The progeny of a standard trotting horse when out
of a standard trotting mare.

Seventh. Any mare whose sire is a standard trotting
horse, and whose dam and second dam are by a standard
trotting horse.

PACING STANDARD.

First. Any pacing stallion that has a rec(5rd of two min-
utes and twenty-five seconds (2.25), or better, provided any of
his get has a record of 2.30, pacing, or better ; or, provided his
sire or dam is already a standard pacing animal.

MISCELLANEOUS. 409

Second. Any mare or gelding that has a pacing record of
2.25, or better, whose sire or dam is standard.

Third. Any horse that is the sire of two pacers with
records of 2.25, or better.

Fourth. Any horse that is the sire of one pacer with a
record of 2.25', or better ; provided he has either of the follow-
ing additional qualifications : 1. A pacing record of 2.30, or
better. 2. Is the sire of two other animals with pacing
records of 2.30. 3. Has a sire or dam that is already a standard
pacing animal.

Fifth. Any mare that has produced a pacer with a record
of 2.25, or better.

Sixth. Any mare whose sire is a standard pacing horse,
and whose dam and second dam are by a standard pacing
horse.

Seventh. The progeny of a standard pacing horse when
out of a standard pacing mare.

Eighth. The progeny of a standard trotting horse out of
a standard pacing mare, or of a standard pacing horse out of a
standard trotting mare.

RULES FOR LAYING OUT TRACKS.

Half-Mile Track, The question often arises with owners
of stock farms as to the correct method of laying out a track
for the training and development of their stock. To such the
following directions will fill the bill.

For a half-mile track lay off or draw two parallel lines, 600
feet long and 452 feet and 5 inches apart. Then, half way be-
tween the two extreme ends of the parallel line, drive a stake ;
then loop a w4re around the stake just long enough to reach to
either side ; then make a true curve with the wire from the
stake, thus describing your half circle for the turns, and throw
them up one inch to" the foot. Three feet from the line will
measure a full half mile.

To Lay Out a Full Mile Trael'., select a level field of forty-
two acres, draw through the center a straight line of 440 yards

410

MISCELLANEOUS.

(a quarter of a mile). On each, side of this line, and an exact
distance of 140 yards and 2 inches from it, draw parallel lines
of equal length, so that the space between the two outer lines
will be 280 yards and 4 inches. This being done a stake should
be driven at each end of the center line ; a cord should be
fastened thereto.

Extend the cord at right angles for 140 yards 2 inches, until
it touches the end of the outer line, and then describe with the
extreme end of the cord an outer curve or semicircle between
the ends of the two outer lines.

There will be a continuous outer line, being exactly a mile
(1,760 yards) in length, and requiring an enclosure of forty-six
acres of ground. From this outer line or track set the fence of
the course three feet in on the straight sides and curves. In
this way an exact mile, as near as may be, is preserved for
the actual foot track of all the horses.

The first distance post is sixty yards from the judges' stand^
the second at 240 yards, and the stand is sixty yards before en-
tering the turn.

The track should be graded around the turn like the track
of a railroad or circus, the outer portion the highest, so that a
horse can extend himself at full speed.

CHAPTER XLYIII.

The world's fastest records to the close of 1894 — Fastest records all ways
going — Breeding of fastest horses — Tables of fastest records.

TROTTING, fastest yearling (2.23): Abclell, br. c, by
Advertiser ; dam, Beautiful Bells, by the Moor.

Fastest two-year-old (2.101) : Arion, b. c, by Electioneer ;
dam, Manette, by Kutwood.

Fastest three-year-old (2.08|) : Fantasy, b. f., by Chimes ;
dam, Ilonora, by Almonarch.

Fastest four-year-old (2.05J) : Directum, b. s., by Director ;
dam, Stemwinder, by Venture.

Fastest five-year-old (2.06f) : Ralph Wilkes, ch. s., by Red
Wilkes ; dam, Mary Mays, by Mambrino Patchen.

World's fastest record (2.031) : Alix, b, m., by Patronage ;
dam, Atlanta, by Attorney.

World's stallion record (2.05J) : Directum, blk. s., by Direc-
tor ; dam Stemwinder, by Venture.

Fastest race in straight heats, 2.06, 2.06i, 2.05 : Alix, b. m.,
by Patronage ; dam, Atlanta, by Attorney.

Fastest team record (2.12i) : Honest George, b. g., by
Albert ; dam, Fanny Crowder, and Belle Hamlin, b. m., by
Almont, Jr.; dam. Toy, by Hamlin's Patchen.

Fastest trotter with running mate, race record, 2.08J :
Frank, b. g., by Abraham ; dam. Root, by Green Mountain
Boy.

Fastest two miles in harness, 4.32 : Greenlander, blk. s., by
Princeps ; dam, Juno, by Rysdyk's Hambletonian.

Fastest three miles in harness, 6.55^ : Nightingale, ch. m.,
by Mambrino King ; dam, Minegna Maid, by Wood's Hamble-
tonian.

Fastest four miles in harness, 10.12 : Senator L., b. s., by

(411)

412 RECORDS FOR PACERS.

Dexter Prince ; dam, Fanny Bayswater (thoroughbred), by
Bayswater.

Fastest five miles in harness, 12.30f : Bishop Hero, g., by
Bishop ; dam, Lida Kendall, by Hero of Thorndale.

As an object lesson to the breeders of American Trotters,
the following facts may be gathered from the above records :

Alix, 2.031, the world's fastest trotting record.

Abdell, 2.23, the fastest yearling record.

Arion, who holds the world's two-year-old record of 2.101

Fantasy, 2.08f , the Avorld's record for three-year-old.

Directum, 2.05^, the world's record for four-year-old.

Ralph Wilkes, 2.(><')f , the world's record for five-year-old.

Directum, the world's stallion record, all trace in a direct
line, and some quite close up, to that great progenitor of speed,
Hysdyk's Hambletonian ; and the list might be extended.

Kitty Bayard holds the fastest race record on half-mile
track, 2.121

THE WORLD'S RECORDS FOR PACERS.

Fastest yearling (2.20|) : Belle Acton, by Shadeland On-
ward.

Fastest two-year-old (2.07|) : Directly, blk. c, by Direct ;
dam, Mabel of Naubic.

Fastest three-year-old (2.10) : Whirligig, bro. f ., by Wilks ;
dam, Minnie Barrington, by Naban.

Fastest four-year-old (2.04) : Online, b. c, by Shadeland
Onward ; dam, Angeline, by Chester Chief.

World's Record, 2.01i : Robert J., b. g., by Hartford ; dam,
. Oeraldine, by Jay Gould.

World's stallion record (pacing), 2.03| : John R. Gentry,
b. s., by Ashland Wilkes ; dam. Dame Wood, by Wedgewood.

Fastest race in straight heats (pacing), 2.03|, 2.02i, and
2.041 : Robert J., b. g., by Hartford ; dam, Geraldine, by Jay
Gould.

Fastest two miles in harness, pacing, 4.47f : Defiance, b. g.,
by Chieftain, and Longfellow, ch. g., by Red Bill, dead heat.

RECORDS FOR RUNNERS. 413

Fastest three miles in harness, 7.33^ : Joe Jefferson, b. s., by
Thomas Jefferson.

Best four miles in harness, 10.10: Joe Jefferson, b. s., by
Thomas Jefferson.

Best five miles in harness : Lady St. Clair, by St. Clair.

Fastest pacer with running mate, 1.58i : Flying Jib, b. g.,.
by Algona ; dam, Middletown Mare, by Middletown.

Team record, pacing, 2.1SJ : Daisy D., b. m., by Black Star,,
and Silvertail, g. g., by Tempest, Jr.

FASTEST RECORDS FOR RUNNERS TO JANUARY 1, 1895.

H mile, Bob Wade, O.3II4

% mile. Fashion, 0.34

y^ mile, 123 lbs., Geraldine (straight course) 0.46

J^ mile, 123 lbs. , April Fool (straight course), 0.47

43^ furlongs, 115 lbs., Geraldine, 0.54

simile, 111 lbs.. Maid Marian, 0.5634'

53^ furlongs. Tormentor, ......... 1.03

3^ mile (straight), D., 1.09

63^ furlongs, Geraldine, 1.19^

Jg mile, Bella B. (straight), 1.35i^.

1 mile, Salvator (straight), . . . 1.353^

11^ mile, Tristam, 1.513^

13^ mile, Banquet (straight), 2.03^'

1% mile, Sabine, 2AS%

\% mile. Lamplighter 2.32^

\% mile, Hotspur, S-OO^^

IJg mile, 90 lbs.. Enigma 3.20

2miles, llOlbs., TenBroeck 3.373^

23^ miles, 99 lbs., Joe Murphy, 8.43

23:^ miles, 114 lbs., Springback, 3.56,14

23^ miles, 114 lbs., Preakness, . . 3.564

23^ miles, 104 lbs., Aristides, 4.271/^

3 miles, Drake Carter, 5.24

4 miles, 104 lbs., TenBroeck, 7.15M

414 PRESENT AND PAST RECORDS OF TROTTERS.

A LIST OF 2.10 TROTTERS, PRESENT AND PAST RECORDS.
Tlie following table shows the past and present records of
the 2.10 trotters :

TABJ.K I.
Showing all horses that have trotted in 2.10 or better; arranged according
to records to date.

Alix, b. ra. (6), by Patronage, 4,143, 2.033^

Nancy Hanks, br. m. (6), by Happy Medium, 400, .... 2.04

Directum, blk. h. (4), by Director, 1,989, 2 OSJ;^

Fantasy, b. m. (4), by Chimes, 5,348, 2 06

Ralph Wilkes, ch h. (5), by Red Wilkes, 1,749, 2.063^

I Stamboul, br. h. (10), by Sultan, 1,513, 2.07i^

Arion, b. h. (4), by Electioneer, 125, 2 073^

Kremlin, b. h. (5), by Lord Russell, 4,677, 2.07%:

Ryland T., b. g. (—), by Ledger, Jr 2.07^^

Martha Wilkes, b. m. (9), by Alcyone, 732, 2.08

Azote, b. g. (7), by Whips, 13,407, 2 08)^

Pixley, b. m. (8), by Jay Gould, 197, 2 OSJ^

Sunrl, b. m. (5), by Electioneer, 125, 2.08^

Trevillian, b. h. (5), by Young Jim, 2,009, 2.08}^

Hulda, b. m. (5), by Guy Wilkes, 2,867, 2.08i^

Phcebe Wilkes, b. m. (9), by Hambletonian Wilkes, 1,679, . . . 2.08i^

Belle Vera, b. m. (5), by Vatican, 11,318, 2.083^

Lord Clinton, blk. g. (9), by Denning Allen, 2.08^^

Maud S., ch. m. (11), by Harold, 413, 2.083^

Palo Alto, b. h. (9), by Electioneer, 125, 2.083^

Nelson, b. h. (11), by Young Rolfe, 3,517, 2.09

Allerton, b. h. (5), by Jay Bird, 5,060, 2.091^

Magnolia, b. m. (7), by Haw Patch, 1,140 2.09^^

Dan Cupid, b. h. (6), by Barney Wilkes, 7,433, 2 093^

Strader H., b. h. (8), by SquireTalraage, 668, 2.09i^

Ellard, b. h. (6), by Charley Wilkes, 3,563 2.093^

-I- Guy, blk. g. (13), by Kentucky Prince, 2,470, 2.093^

Harietta, br. m. (5), by Alcyone, 732, 2.093^

Jay -Eye-See, blk. g. (6), by Dictator, 113, 2.10

Little Albert, ch g. (9), by Albert W., 11,333, 2.10

Moquette, b. h. (4), by Wilton, 5,982 2.10

Pamlico, b. h. (9), by Meander, 1.311, 2.10

Walter E , b. g. (9), by Patcheu Mambrino, 11,835, . . . .2.10

f Rejected performance.

PRESENT AND PAST RECORDS OF TROTTERS. 415

Table II.

Showing all heats trotted against time in 2.10 or better, arranged (1) in
regard to time made, and (2) chronologically.
2M% —

Alix, b. m. (6), Galesburg, 111., Sept. 19, 1894.

2.04 —

Nancy Hanks, br. m. (6), Terre Haute, Ind., Sept. 28, 1892.
Alix, b. m. (6), Terre Haute, Ind., Sept. 2, 1894.

3.04K-

*Alix, b. ra. (6), Terre Haute, Ind!, Sept. 14, 1894.
Alix, b. m. (6), Columbus, O., Sept. 27, 1894.
2.043^ —

*Nancy Hanks, br. m. (7), Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 7, 1893.
Alix, b. m. (6), Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 6, 1894.

2.05 —

Nancy Hanks, br. m. (6), Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 17, 1892.
2.051^ —

Nancy Hanks, br. m (6), Independence, la., Aug. 3, 1892.
*Alix, b. m. (6), Chicago, 111., Aug. 21, 1894.
Alix, b. m. (6), Fort Wayne, Ind., Aug. 31, 1894.
2.06— ^

*Nancy Hanks, br. m. (7), Chicago, 111., Sept. 13, 1893.
Nancy Hanks, br. m. (6), New Albany, Ind., Oct. 6, 1892.
Fantasy, b. m. (4), Terre Haute, Ind., Sept. 13, 1894.
2 061^ —

*Nancy Hanks, br. m. (7), Terre Haute, Ind., Sept. 28, 1893.
2 061^-

*Nancy Hanks, br. m. (6), Sedalia, Mo., Oct. 27, 1892.

Directum, blk. h. (4), Chicago, 111., Sept. 15, 1893.
*Alix, b. m. (6), Chillicothe, O., Oct. 6, 1894.
2.063^ —

*Nancy Hanks, br. m. (7), New York, N. Y., Aug. 31, 1893.
♦Directum, blk. h. (4), St. Joseph, Mo , Sept. 23, 1893.
Ralph Wilkes, ch. h. (5), Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 19, 1894.
2.07 —

Nancy Hanks, br. m. (6), Hamline, Minn., Sept. 7, 1892.
Directum, blk. h. (4), New York, N. Y., Sept. 4, 1893.
Fantasy, b. m. (4), Fort Wayne, Ind., Aug. 31, 1894.
2.071^ —

Nancy Hanks, br. m. (6), Chicago, 111., Aug. 17, 1892.
Directum, blk. h. (4), New York, N. Y., Sept. 4, 1893.
Fantasy, b. m (4), Rochester, N. Y., Aug. 6, 1894.

Losing performance.

416 PRESENT AND PAST RECORDS OF TROTTERS.

*Alix, b. m. (6), Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 6, 1894.
2.07^ -

*Nancy Hanks, br. m. (6), St. Joseph, Mo., Sept. 16, 1892-
fStamboul, br. h. (10), Stockton, Cal., Nov. 23, 1892.
♦Directum, blk. h. (4), Evansville, Ind., Oct. 6, 1893.
*Alix, b. in. (6), Chicago, 111., Aug. 25, 1894.
2.07^^ —

Kremlin, b. h. (5), Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 12, 1892.

Arion, b. h. (4), Lexington, Ky., Oct. 11, 1893.
2.08 —

Martha Wilkes, b. m. (9), Independence, la., Sept. 1, 1893.
*Martha Wilkes, b. m. (9), Chillicotlie, O., Oct. 7, 1892.
•|-Stamboul, br. h. (10), Stockton, Cal., Nov. 5, 1892.
*Nancy Hanks, br. m. (7), Springfield, Mass., Aug. 25, 1893.

Directum, blk. h (4), Hartford, Conn., Nov. 9, 1893.
•Fantasy, b. m. (4), Chicago, 111., Aug. 25, 1894.
2.08M —

Sunol, b. m. (5), Stockton, Cal., Oct. 20, 1891.

Kremlin, br. h. (5), Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 21, 1892.
fKremlin, br. h. (5), Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 21, 1892.
*Nancy Hanks, br. m. (7), Boston, Mass., Aug. 21, 1893.
*Ariou, b. h. (4), Terre Haute, Ind., Oct. 25, 1893.

Ralph Wilkes, ch. h. (5), Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 17, 1894.
2.08K-

fStamboul, br. h. (10), Stockton. Cal., Oct. 27, 1893.

Directum, blk. h. (5), Buffalo, N. Y., Aug. 23, 1894.
*Alix, b. m. (6), Lexington, Ky., Oct. 10, 1894.

Ralph Wilkes, ch. h. (5), Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 17, 1894.
2.083^ —

Maud S., ch. m. (11). Cleveland, O., .July 30, 1885.

Palo Alto, b. h. (9), Stockton, Cal., Oct. 17, 1891.
*Ariou, b. h. (4), Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 17, 1893.
*Alix, b. m. (6), Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 7, 1894.
2.09-

Nancy Hanks, br. m. (5), Richmond, Ind , Sept. 30, 1891.

Nancy Hanks, br. m. (6), Grand Rapids, Mich., Aug. 11, 1892.
*Kremlin, br. h. (5), Montgomery, Ala., Nov. 29, 1892.
*Kremlin, br. h. (3), Montgomery, Ala., Dec. 1, 1892.

Nelson, b. h. (11), Portland, Me., Aug. 12, 1893.

Fantasy, b. m. (4), Saginaw, :\Iich., .July 14, 1894.
2.091^ —

Maud S., ch. m. (10), Lexington, Ky., Nov. 11, 1884.

Losing performance. f Rejected performance.

PRESENT AND PAST RECORDS OF TROTTERS. 41?

Allerton, br. h. (5), Independence, la., Sept. 19, 1891.
*Allerton, br. h (5), Independence, la., Sept. 21, 1891.

Nancy Hanks, br. m. (5), Cambridge City, Ind., Sept. 24, 1891.
■fStamboul, br. h. (10), Stockton, Cal., Nov. 19, 1*892.

Fantasy, b. m. (4), Buffalo, N. Y., Aug. 9, 1894.
2 09)2^ —

Allerton, br. h. (5), Independence, la., Sept. 25, 1891.

Palo Alto, b. h. (9), Stockton, Cal ., Nov. 4, 1891.
*Nancy Hanks, br. m. (6), Chicago, 111., Aug. 20, 1892.
*Martha Wilkes, b. m. (9), St. Joseph, Mo., Sept. 16, 1892.
fStamboul, br. h. (10), Stockton, Cal., Nov. 17, 1892.
*Belle Vara, br. m. (6), Chicago, 111., Sept 16, 1893

Ralph Wilkes, ch. h. (5), Boston, Mass., Sept. 27, 1894.

2.09X —

MaudS., ch. ra. (10), Cleveland, O., Aug. 2, 1884
*Palo Alto, b. h. (9), Stockton. Cal., Nov. 10, 1891.
fGuy, blk. g. (13), Detroit, Mich., July 21, 1891.
*Stamboul, br. h. (11), Terre Haute, Ind., Oct. 25, 1893.

Directum, blk. h. (5), Buffalo, N. Y., Aug. 8, 1894.
2.10 —

Jay Eye-See, blk. g.. Providence, R. I., Aug. 1, 1884.

Allerton, br. h. (5), Independence, la., Sept. 4, 1891.
*Allerton, br. h. (5), Independence, la., Sept. 9, 1891.

Nelson, b. h. (9), Grand Rapids, Mich., Sept. 17, 1891.

Sunol, b. m. (5), Stockton, Cal., Oct. 18, 1891.

Palo Alto, b. h. (9), Stockton, Cal , Oct. 27, 1891.

Moquette, b. h. (4), Richmond, Ind., Sept. 15, 1892.

Ali.x, b. m. (4), Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 8, 1892.

Fantasy, b. m. (4), Hamilton, Ont., July 8, 1894.

Directum, blk. h. (5), Chicago, 111 , Aug. 23, 1894.

Table III.

Showing all horses that have trotted heats in races in 2.10 or better, ar-
ranged (1) in regard to time made, and (2) chronologically.
2.051^ —

Directum, blk. h. (4), Nashville. Tenn., Oct. 18, 1893 (third heat).

Ali.v, b. m. (6), Terre Haute, Ind., Aug. 17, 1894 (third heat).
2 06 —

Alix, b. m. (6), Terre Haute, Ind., Aug. 17, 1894 (first heat).
2.O614 —

Alix, b. m. (6), Terre Haute, Ind., Aug. 17, 1894 (second heat).

* Losing performance. f Rejected performance.

27

418 TABLE OF TROTTERS.

2.073^ —

Alix, b. m. (5), Chicago, 111., Sept. 14, 1893 (first heat).
fDirectum, blk. h. (4), New York, N. Y., Nov. 2, 1893 (second heat).
Ryltmd T., b. g , Cleveland, O., July 26. 1894 (second heat).
Alix, b. m. (6), Boston, Mass., Oct. 20, 1894 (third heat).

2.08 —

Directum, blk. h. (4), Lexington, Ky., Oct. 11, 1893 (third heat).
fDirectum, blk. h. (4), New York, N. Y., Nov. 1, 1893 (third heat).

Alix, b. m. (6), Cleveland, O., July 26, 1894 (first heat).
2.081 —

Martha Wilkes, b. m. (9), Evansville, Ind., Sept. 29, 1892 (third heat),

Pixley, b. m. (8), Lexington, Ky., Oct. 11, 1893 (third heat.)

Alix, b. m. (6), Cleveland, O., July 26, 1894.

Ryland T., b. g., Cleveland, O., July 26, 1894 (first heat).

A^ote, b. g. (7), Terre Haute, Ind., Sept. 11, 1894 (third heat).

Directum, blk. h (5), Portland, Me., Oct. 6, 1894 (third heat).

Trevillian, b. h. (5), Nashville, Teun., Oct. 16, 1894 (second heat).
2 08)^-

Hulda, b. m. (5), Buffalo, N. Y., Aug. 3, 1892 (third heat).

Directum, blk. h. (4), Lexington, Ky., Oct. 11, 1893 (third heat.)

Phcebe Wilkes, b. m. (9), Nashville, Tenu., Oct. 20, 1894 (first heat).
2.0334 —

Belle Vara, b. m. (5), Terre Haute, Ind., Sept. 30, 1892 (first heat).

Fantasy, b. m. (3), Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 17, 1893 (second heat).
■f-Directum, blk. h. (4), New York, N. Y., Nov. 2, 1893 (third heat).

Ryland T., b. g., Cleveland, O., July 26, 1894 (third heat).

Alix, b. m. (6), Buffalo, N. Y., Aug. 6, 1894 (second heat).

Lord Clinton, blk. g. (9), Lansing, Mich., Aug. 24, 1894 (first heat).

Azote, b. g. (7), Lexington, Ky., Oct. 8, 1894 (first heat).

Ryland T., b. g , Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 17, 1894 (second heat).

2.09 —

Lord Clinton, blk g. (9), Detroit, Mich., July 19, 1894 (first heat).
Alix, b. m. (6), Boston, Mass., Oct. 20, 1894 (first heat).
2.091-4 —

Directum, blk. h. (4), Lexington, Ky., Oct. 11, 1893 (first heat)
Lord Clinton, blk. g. (9), Lansing, jMich., Aug. 24, 1894 (tliird heat).
Azote, b. g. (7), Terre Haute, Ind., Sept. 11, 1894 (third heat).
Magnolia, b. m. (7), Tifiin, O., Sept. 21, 1894 (third heat).
Phcebe Wilkes, b_ m. (9), Chillicothe, O., Oct. 8, 1894 (third heat).
Azote, b. g. (7), Lexington, Ky., Oct. 8, 1894 (second heat).
Azote, b. g. (7), Lexington, Ky., Oct. 8, 1894 (third heat).

f Rejected performance.

TABLE OP PACEES. 419

2.091^-

Martha Wilkes, b. m. (9), Independence, la., Aug. 26, 1892 (third heat).

Directum, blk. h. (4), New York, N. Y., Sept. 2, 1893 (third heat).

Alix, b. m. (6), Cleveland, O., July 26, 1894 (third heat).

Strader H, b. h. (8), Indianapolis, Ind. , Sept. 7, 1894 (first heat.)

Azote, b. g. (7), Terre Haute, Ind., Aug. 15, 1894 (fourth heat).

Dan Cupid, b. h. (6), Chillicothe, O., Oct. 3, 1894 (second heat).

Phoebe Wilkes, b. m. (9), Nashville, Teun., Oct. 20, 1894 (second heat).
2.093^ —

Alix, b m. (5), Columbus, O., Aug. 24, 1893 (fifth heat).

Directum, blk. h. (4), New York, N. Y., Aug. 30, 1893 (fifth heat).

Pixley, b. m. (8), Chicago, 111., Sept. 15, 1893 (sixth heat).

Alix, b. m. (5), Chicago, 111., Sept. 16, 1893 (ninth heat).

Harrietta, b. m. (5), Lexington, Ky., Oct. 10, 1893 (third heat).

Lord Clinton, blk. g. (9), Columbus, O., July 13, 1894 (second heat).

Alix, b. m. (6), Saginaw, Mich., July 14, 1894 (second heat).

Azote, b. g. (7), Detroit, Mich., July 19, 1894 (first heat).

Alix, b. m. (6), Buffalo, N. Y., Aug. 9, 1894 (first heat).

Trevillian, b. h. (5), Terre Haute, Ind., Aug. 17, 1894 (first heat).

Trevillian, b. h. (5), Terre Haute, Ind., Aug 17, 1894 (fourth heat).

Ellard, b. h. (6), Terre Haute, Ind., Sept. 13, 1894 (second heat).

Trevillian, b. h. (5), Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 16, 1894 (third heat).

Phoebe Wilkes, b. m. (9), Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 20, 1894 (third heat).
2.10 —

Martha Wilkes, b. m. (9), Independence, la., Aug. 26, 1894 (second
heat).

Little Albert, ch. g. (9), Cleveland, O., July 27. 1893 (first heat).

Walter E., b. g. (9), Cleveland, O., July 27, 1893 (third heat).

Directum, blk. h. (4), New York, N. Y., Aug. 30, 1893 (third heat)

Magnolia, b. m. (6), Columbus, Ind., Sept. 1, 1893 (third heat).

Azote, b. g. (7), Cleveland, O., July 28, 1894 (third heat).

Pamlico, b. h. (9), Terre Haute, Ind., Aug. 15, 1894 (second lieat).

Directum, blk. h. (5), Portland, Me., Oct. 6, 1894 (first heat).

Ryland T., b. g., Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 17, 1894 (first heat).

Azote, b. g. (7), Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 2, 1894 (third heat).

TABLE OF 2.10 PACERS.
2.01K —

Robert J., by Hartford, 2.22^^.
2.033^ —

John R. Gentry, by Ashland Wilkes, 2.17}^.
2.04 —

Flying Jib, by Algona, 11,543.

420 TABLE OF PACERS.

2.04 —

Joe Patchen, by Patchea Wilkes, 2.29}^.

Mascot, by Deceive, 17,552.

Online, 4, by Shadeland Onward, 2 183^.
2.041^-

Hal Pointer, by Gibson's Tom Hal.
2.0434 —

Hal Dillard, by Brown Hal, p., 2.12)^.
2.05K —

Direct, by Director, 2.17.
2.0534 —

Saladin, by Sultan, 2.24.

2.06M —

Jay-Eye-See, by Dictator, 113.

Jolinstonj by Joe Basselt, 13,867.
2.061^-

Roy Wilkes, by Adrian Wilkes, 6,560.

Strathberry, by Roseberry, 2.15^.
2.O634 —

Guy, by Shiloli.

Manager, by Nutwood, 2.18%.
2.07— •

Silkwood, by Blackwood Mambrino, 12,324

Vassar, by Vatican, 2.2914.

W. Wood, by Steinway, 2.2534.
2.0714 —

Hal Braden, by Brown Hal, p , 2 123^.
2.07K-

Ontonian, by Shadeland Onward, 2 181^.

Will Kerr, by Ethan Wilkes, 6,417.
2.07%- —

Crawford, by Favorite Wilkes, 2.24i>^.

Directly, 2, by Direct, p., 2 05}^.

Reflector, by Duplex, p., 2.11%.
2.08 —

Rowdy Joe, by Telegraph.

Rubinstein, 4, by Baron Wilkes, 2.18.
2. 08 14 —

Blue Sign, by Ensign, 469.

May Marshall, by Billy Wilkes, 2.29i^.

2.08K-

Coastman, by Bourbon Wilkes, 2,345.
J. H. L., by Idol Wilkes, 512.

TABLE OF PACERS. 421

2.081^-

Merry Chimes, by Chimes, 2.30%.

Storm, by Brown Hal, p., 2.123^.
2.083^ —

Barney, by Barney Wilkes, 7,433.

Seal, by Notary, 11,724.

2.09 —

Bourbon Patchen, by Bourbon Wilkes, 2,345.

Carbonate, 2, by Superior, 2.I7I4'.

Doc Sperry, by Altamont, 2.26^.

La Belle, by Lockheart, 2.13.
2.091^ —

Diablo, 4, by Charles Derby, 2.20.

Prima Donna, by Betterton, 8,022.

Vinette, by Ethan Wilkes, 6,417.
2.091^ —

Moonstone, by Mambrino King, 1,279.

Paul, by Bald Hornet, p., 2.21.

Venture, by Bald Hornet, p., 2.21.
2093^ —

Atlantic King, by Atlantic, 2.21.

Coleridge, by C. F. Clay, 2.18.

Ed Easton, 4, by Chimes, 2.30^:^.

Fred K., by Shadeland Onward, 2.18i^.

Gazette, by Onward, 2.25^.

Laura T., by Al West, 14,371.

Maj. Wonder, by Maj. Edsall, Jr., 19,183.

Winslow Wilkes, by Black Wilkes, 3,141.

2.10 —

Blanche Louise, by Red Wilkes, 1,749.
Cricket, by Steinway, 1,808.
Edith, by Dexter Prince, 11,363.
Ethel A., 3, by Adrian Wilkes, 6,560.
Guinette, by Gambetta Wilkes, 2.1934.
Whirligig, 3, by Wilko, 9,733.

LOWERING THE RECORDS
Eighty-eight years ago the world's trotting record was
barely within the three-minute limit — 2.59 — and was held by
a horse called Yankee, and was made under the saddle. Slow
though it was, it stood for four years, and was then lowered
only half a second by a " horse from Boston " ; so it will be seen

423

LOWERING THE RECORDS.

that the "city of beans'' has always been "in it" in the fast
horse business.

Since that time down to the present time the record has
gradually dropped, until the present low mark is reached.
The following table shows the course that both the trotting
and pacing records have taken from the inception of trotting
and pacing speed to the present time :

TROTTERS

1806

Yankee, saddle,

1810

A horse from Boston, saddle,

1834

Topgallant, saddle, .

1830

Burster, saddle,

1834

Edwin Forrest, saddle.

1843

Lady Suffolk, saddle.

1844

Lady Suffolk, saddle.

1853

Tacony, saddle,"

1856

Flora Temple, .

1859

Flora Temple, .

1865

Dexter,

1866

Dexter, .

1867

Dexter, .

1871

Goldsmith Maid,

1872

Goldsmith Maid,

1874

Goldsmith Maid,

1878

Rarus,

1879

St. Julien,

1880

MaudS, .

1881

Maud S, . . . .

1884

Jay-Eye-See (Aug. 1st),

1884

IMaud S (Aug. 2d), .

1884

Maud S (Nov. 11th).

1885

Maud S, . . .

1891

Suuol

1892

Nancy Hanks (Aug. 17th),

1892

Nancy Hanks (Aug. 81st),

1892

Nancy Hanks (Sept. 28th),

1894

Alix (Sept 12th), .

1894

Alix (Sept. 19th), .

2.59

2.581^

2.40

2.32

2.313^

2.28

2.261^

2.251^^

2.241^

2.193^

2 ASM

2.18

2.1714

2.17

2.163^

2.14

2.133^

2.\m
2.1034

2.101^

2.10

2.0934

2.0934

2O8I/4

2 081:^

2.071^
2.051^
2.04
2 04
2.033^

LOWERING THE RECORDS.

423

PACERS.

1835 Oneida Chief, saddle,

1839 Drover, saddle,

1844 James K. Polk,

1849 Dan Miller,

1851 Tecumseh,

1852 Roanoke, .
1855 Pocahontas, wagon,
1868 Billy Boyce, saddle,
1879 Sleepy Tom, .
1881 Little Brown Jug, .

1883 Johnston, .

1884 Johnston, .
1891 Direct,
1893 Hal Pointer (Aug. 18th and Sept. 22d),
1893 Mascot (Sept. 29th), .

1893 Flying Jib,

1894 Robert J (Aug. 31st),
1894 Robert J (Sept. 6th),
1894 Robert J (Sept. 14th),

31
30
23
23
,21
18K

141^
121^

IIM
10

06M

051^

051^

04

04

03M

01 1. <

From the above it will be seen that a period of thirty-seven
years was required to effect the reduction of the trotting record
from three minutes to 2.30 ; sixteen years to reduce it from
2.30 to 2.20 ; fifteen years to reduce it from 2.20 to 2.15 ; ten
years to reduce it from 2.15 to 2.10; and only eight years to re-
duce it from 2.10 to 2.04 ; and two years to reduce it from 2.04
to 2.03|.

Plence, for a period of fifty-one years, the average reduction
per year is a trifle less than half a second, and with this ratio
kept up until the year 1900, we will have the long-looked for
two-minute trotter.

It is my belief that Ave shall not have to wait longer than
this for the fulfillment of this achievement. The reduction of
tlie pacing record is attended Avith some peculiar features.
From 1839 to 1852, a period of thirteen years, the record was
reduced from 2.30 to 2.18^, and in 1868 it was placed at 2.14i
by Billy Boyce.

A period of fifteen years was required for a reduction of 4i
seconds, to 2.10 by Johnston in 1883. The following year the

424 LOWERING THE RECORDS.

record was reduced 3| seconds, and there it hung for seven,
years. Eight years were required in reducing the records from
2.06J to 2,04, where it hung for two years, and then, in a single
season, dropped to 2.01^, a reduction of 2^ seconds.

With the trotting record the lower it goes the slower comes
the reduction, while with the pacing record the reverse is true,
and it seems almost a certainty that the two-minute pacer Avill
be a reality very soon, — probably in 1896,

APPENDIX.

IN concluding tliis book I feel that while I have faithfully
— and, I believe, impartially — mentioned and described
many prominent horses, both of the present and past, I feel
that the book will be incomplete should I fail to mention more
particularly some of the individual animals owned and driven
by myself during a period of some forty -five years. While
some people care nothing for horses unless they are fast and
have records, I have ever estimated them for their general
utility and measured them by their general worth. I remem-
ber with pleasure many very good roadster and business horses
— both mares and geldings — that I have handled during these
years ; also several w^ell-matched pairs, in which I have taken
some pride. Also the stallions I have owned or have had
charge of at different periods of my life with the, I think,
laudable object of improving the horse stock of America. I
will in this connection individualize one hundred or so only of
the better ones of the whole lot ; in some cases giving their
breeding, or partially so. For convenience I will divide them
into three classes.

CLASS I.— EOADSTER AND BUSINESS HORSES.

Prince Albert was my first horse. I bought him of a
dealer on my own judgment in 1850, and never bought a bet-
ter bargain since. He was a steel-gray gelding, six years old,
a Morgan, from northern New York, and the very picture of
Green Mountain Morgan, as given in this book. (See index to
illustrations.) He was about fifteen hands high and weighed
1,000 pounds. This proved a very valuable horse, and his after
owner was once offered $500 for him.

Fanny Hazard. A beautiful bay mare, bred in Vermont,

(425)

426 APPENDIX.

of the Black Hawk type, and I believe very well bred, yet I
never knew her breeding. She w^as a very spirited, high-strung-
animal, but wath firm and kind usage an extra good one, and a
great roadster.

Little Bill. A bay horse of the old New England type,
a Rhode Island production, kind and safe in all harness. Called
Little Bill from the fact that his former owners had a bay
horse named Bill at the time of his purchase, and his name
being Bill also they did not realize, perhaps, that they could
easily change the name of their new purchase to something
else, so called the pair Old Bill and Little Bill — the new
purchase being the smaller. I finalh^ sold him to " Old Bill '^
Watson.

Dobbin. A dappled-gray horse from Canada, and a very
good specimen of the Canadian horses as raised in Canada at
that time. He was a good horse and quite sagacious. See
Sagacious Horses [Chapter XXXIX].

Jim Crow. A coal-black horse with white stripe in face, a
young horse from the province of Quebec, Canada, an extra
good driver and worker, and an all-around good piece of horse-
flesh.

ISTellie Gray. A flea-bitten gray mare from the north,
either Yerraont or Canada. Good driver, high-strung, and had
been a puller. Her tongue showed marks of a harsh bit, and
had evidently been cut half in two.

Proud Sorrel. A sorrel horse of great style and beauty,
making, I think, the most show in harness of any horse I ever
sat behind. He was a Morgan horse from Vermont.

Johnny Morgan. A Morgan horse from New Hampshire.
A good all-around horse and at home in all harness. In color
a Morgan browm, without an}^ white.

Carlo. A beautiful brown horse, with an elongated star
and stripe and one white hind foot. Bred in Yermont. Had
been owned and used by a doctor previous to my purchasing
him; was very kind and clever in all harness, and a great
favorite of my women folks as a driving horse.

APPENDIX. 427

Kitty. A beautiful gray trotting mare and very fast. At
one time the fastest sleigli mare in the city of Providence and
the boss of the Pawtucket "pike." A worthy daughter of
Yermont Black Hawk.

Nellie Ely. A beautiful dark chestnut mare from Ver-
mont ; high-strung, but very sagacious and mentioned among
Sagacious Horses in Chapter XXXIX.

Jenny Lind. A mouse-colored mare, with Avhite stripe and
one white hind stocking. Raised in North Kingston, P. I.,
and was descended from the Narraganset Pacer on side of
dam ; her dam being a black mare formerh" owned and driven
by Capt. Nat. Reynolds and mentioned in Narragansett
Pacers, Chapter IV. She was very high-strung and contrary^
but one of the greatest road mares of her time, and no road
was too long for her.

Morgan Hunter. A bright, bay, young liorse, not fairly
broken when I bought him, but proved himself a kind and
most excellent general purpose horse.

Brown Bill. A dark-brown • horse. A good all-around
animal, great roadster, free driver, but became subject to run-
ning fits. See Fits [Chapter XLV].

Katy Fisher. A jet-black Morgan mare, with one white
hind foot, of the true, old-fashioned Morgan type ; bred in
Vermont, sired by the Bundy horse. When I purchased her
in 1857 she was but four years old and but partially broken,
but proved herself one of the very best of her time, and
naturally made a good brood mare.

Nancy. A spotted Arabian mare, raised in Rhode Island.
Sired by a son of the Arabian horse captured in the war with
Mexico and brought to Fort Adams, Newport, R. I., in 1848.
She was my first brood mare, raising the first colt ever foaled
as my own property in 1858. She proved a good Ijrood mare,
breeding after the horse, and continued to breed and raise
colts till about thirty years old.

Major. A fine, large, brown gelding, with prominent star
— no other white — raised in the State of New York, He

428 . APPENDIX.

* was a powerful, strong-going road horse, and a very high-life
animal. I drove this horse a great many miles on the roads of
Khode Island and southeastern Connecticut.

Billy Brown — The Daniel H. Brown horse — A hand-
some blood bay horse, and quite a good roadster. My mother
liked to drive him.

AViLD Tom. A red-roan gelding of quite good breeding, his
dam being Fanny Hazard, mentioned in this Appendix. He
was nearly spoiled in breaking before coming into my hands,
and w^as always considered a . wild, unsafe horse, although
with me and my rational treatment behaved himself well
enough.

Lady Barebones. A beautiful chestnut mare, daughter of
Vermont Black Hawk, bred by the Messrs. Goddard of Poto-
womut, R. I. A very high-life animal, but one of the very
best. She once swam from Potowomut to Warwick Neck.
She is iTjentioned among the sagacious ones in Chapter
XXXIX.

Matt Morgan. As fine a specimen of the Morgan horse as
I ever saw, and, perhaps, as closely bred as any. She was a
beautiful bay with full black points, without white, and would
have made a picture very like that of Justin Morgan in this
book.

Lady MessenpxEr. A beautiful gray mare of Messenger
stock — trotting bred — bred by a Dr. Seagur of Connecticut,
and one of the finest and best specimens of horse flesh I ever
owned.

Tom Hendrick. Iron gray horse from Canada ; an extra
general purpose animal, and but few of his class could equal him.

Flora Blackhawk. A coal-black mare of the New Eng-
land Black Hawk stock. A most excellent piece of horse flesh,
and held out such till at least thirty years old.

Black Bess. A black mare with elongated star and one
white hind foot, about fifteen and three-quarters hands, daugh-
ter of Vermont Black Hawk, was one of the very best mares
of her day, one of the fastest walkers I ever drove, and would

APPENDIX. • 42&

put up as far from home with a day's drive as the best of
them.

Prince. Chestnut gelding from Vermont. A good speci-
men of the Morgans ; too high seasoned for general use, but a
great, never-tire, all-day roadster. I once drove him from New
London, Conn., to the Dimon Stock Farm in Pomfret, same
State, some seventy miles over a very hilly road one of the
hottest days of the year 1877 in less than ten hours and t.he
thermometer registered 97 degrees in shade, and I did not have
a tired-out horse by any means when I got home.

Cora Linn. Bay mare, two white feet, by Gage's Logan^
son of Rysdyk's Hambletonian, dam the fast Morgan trotting
mare Fanny King ; bred by B. F. Ilolley, Momence, 111., of
whom I purchased her for $500 when unbroken singl}^ She
came as near being an india-rubber animal as any I ever
owned. I frequently drove her from the " Dimon Stock
Farm " to Providence, R. I., and back same day, some sixty-
six miles, and frequently with quite a load one way, and some-
times both ways. She lived to be quite along in years, and
finally did a good day's work the very last day of her life.
She was the dam of the trotting horse. Gov. Dimon, by
Sprague's Hambletonian. (See Sprague's Hambletonian, Chap-
ter IX.)

Fanny Kenyon. A beautiful dappled gray mare, and one
of the handsomest I ever saw Avhen in her prime ; sired by
Rhode Island, 2.23i, son of Whitehall. I purchased her as one
of the brood mares for the "Dimon Stock Farm" in 1873.
She was the dam of the fast trotting horse. Col. Sprague, by
Sprague's Hambletonian. (See Sprague's Hambletonian,,
Chapter IX.)

Island Nellie. A sorrel mare with white stripe in facd,.
no other white ; bred by the author and taken to " Dimon's
Stock Farm " as one of the brood mares of that once celebrated
stock farm, and was the dam of " Dimon's Morgan," " Plow
Boy," etc.

Peerless. A light bay mare, some white in face, and one

430 • APPENDIX.

white stocking behind ; bred in Vermont, sired by Ethan Allen,
her dam a Morgan mare, pedigree untraced. One of the freest
drivers and greatest road mares I ever owned. I let Hon.
John E. Russell of Leicester, Mass., have her one season as a
driving mare and to breed to his stallion, Privateer.

Fearless. Sorrel mare, no white markings ; a well-bred
daughter of Fearnaught, by Young Morrel, dam untraced.
One of the best free driving mares I ever used, but too high-
strung and rattle-headed for anything but a driver.

IIuNKADORA was a dark chestnut trotting mare, bred in Ver-
mont, and sired by Osceola, son of Black Hawk. She was
something of a puller — ver}^ much so when I first bought her
- — but could come as near fij'ing as any horse I ever rode after.

Minnie Boston. Thoroughbred bay mare ; one of the
brood mares of the " Dimon Stock Farm," sired by Imported
Bonnie Scotland, dam Kate Boston, by Lexington, 2d, dam
Ann Stevens, by Imported Trustee. I paid Pierre Lorillard,
the great tobacco prince of America, $500 for her, she being in
foal at time of purchase to Imported Canwell, and produced
Lord Canwell, which I afterwards sold to go to South America
as a stock horse. She also produced Minnie Russell, by Priva-
teer, Minnie Dimon, and others.

Alma Dimon. A beautiful Morgan mare, brown, with
stripe and one white foot, colored and marked exactly like
Smuggler, 2.15J. I drove this mare in Boston and vicinity in
1883, and took her West in 1884. She was the dam of Midair,
by Midway, son of Almont.

KiTTiE "Walker. A dark chestnut mare of the Roj'^al
George stock of Canada, with a strong thoroughbred cross.
She was one of my driving mares during the time I had charge
of the Essex Stock Farm in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. I
consider her among the greatest driving horses I ever drew
rein over. I have driven her through the streets of Detroit
at a 2.30 gait in a buggy, and have very narrowly escaped
being fined for fast driving, and, perhaps, would have been
had they a mounted police with horses fast enough for the

APPENDIX. 431

purpose. When I took this mare in hand she was considered a
rank puller. I soon got her out of that notion by using a hu-
mane bit, and she proved to have one of the most sensitive and
best of mouths, and I could play any tune on it I wished with
the reins, just as a harper would play the harp with the strings.

EosA. A beautiful sorrel, without white, half-thorougbred
mare was another of my driving horses at the Essex Stock
Farm. She was put into my hands as being somewhat tricky
and unsafe, but proved with me a most excellent mare and
safe. I could talk her into anything, even to standing still on
the streets of Windsor, Out., while a troop of elephants be-
longing to Barnum's show passed by. With this mare I gave
a young man the surprise of his life who thought he had a fast
one, by driving completely around him within less than a mile
on the road.

Roan Prince. A roan gelding of the Koyal George stock
of Canada, was a very easy and pleasant roadster for a thirty
to fifty -mile drive.

KiTTiE Maxwell. Gray mare, by Informer, son of Jay
Gould, by Hambletonian, Avas about as handy ste}>per and easy
mover as I ever drove, but had been badly handled before I
bought her, and was considered very unsafe, requiring much
watching, still I never had an accident with her.

SoKKEL Bill. Sorrel gelding, breeding unknown ; still it
must have been good, as he had the " ear marks " of a well-bred
one. An extra good buggy and livery horse. I used him in my
livery business in Detroit. A great favorite with my lady
customers.

Maggie Dimon. A jet black mare, star, snip, and one white
foot behind, extra well-bred. Took her to Indiana as a brood
mare. The dam of Maud Bayard by General Bayard, son of
Bayard, by Pilot, Jr., the sire of the dam of Maud S, 2.08f .

Minnie Morgan. Seal brown mare with tan muzzle, no
white, a veritable old-fashioned N". E. Morgan. I took her to
Indiana with me for a brood mare and kept her seven years ;
she was a very good mother and grew her colts very fast ; was

432 APPENDIX.

the dam of Pilot Morgan, Bayard Morgan, Morgan King,
etc.

JSTellie Feaenaught. Bay mare, without white, sired by
Sawtelle's Fearnaught, dam Nellie Bashaw, by Black Bashaw.
Good road mare, very handsome and stylish, and a good brood
mare.

Golden Rule. Bay mare, with star and snip, bred in
Michigan, sired by Shadeland Prince, son of Enchanter, by
Administrator, dam by Golden Bow, sixteen hands high, an ex-
cellent mare for all business, very intelligent and level-headed.
Has proved herself a good brood mare, is now my driving
mare, and I take but little dust from any of them.

Amanda Brown. Gray mare, by Joe Brown, 2.22. One of
the most resolute go-ahead driving and business mares I ever
owned or used.

Blanche Wayne. Light bay mare, white stripe and one
white stocking behind, sire Anthony Wayne, 2.31 i, son of Andy
Johnson, by Henry Clay, dam by Blue Bull (75), a medium
size all-around good one, perfectly at home in all harness, and
one of the best single field horses I ever owned. She is dam of
'• Queen of the West," by Stockton King.

Belmont Maid. Black mare, by Belmont Prince, was a
game easy-going driving mare, and is mentioned among the
sagacious ones in this book. (See Chapter XXXIX.)

Maud Bayard. Gray mare, by General Bayard, now five
years old, dam Maggie Dimon. I bred her and still own her,
and consider her among the best for general use, driving in-
cluded, I ever bred.

Mary Brown. Solid black mare, four years old, at this
writing with a fine Stockton King colt " Dimoneer," at foot, and
again in foal to same horse. She was sired by General
Baj'^ard, and is standard-bred and recorded.

CLASS II. MATCHED TEAMS.
Charley and Tiger were sorrel geldings with white stripes
in faces. They were matched by myself, and were my first

APPENDIX. 433

pair of really matched ones, and of which I felt quite proud.
They were young, sound, and quite speedy, and sold for a good
price to go to Newport, R. I.

DoLLiE AND Nellie were black mares bred in Vermont, and
sired by Vermont Black Hawk. They were handsome, kind,
and good drivers and workers in all harness. I finally used
them as brood mares, and " Nellie " was the dam of " Island
Nellie," Class I, this Appendix.

Majoe and Colonel were bay geldings of good weight and
a first-class and valuable team for general use.

Mary Lee and Hattie C. were dapple gray mares, bred in
Canada. I owned and drove them on the road somewhat in
1859. They were good trappy roadsters and attracted consid-
erable attention.

Charlie and Prince were sorrel geldings, and quite well-
matched. Charlie was a southern horse and was used in battle
as a war horse, and was ridden by both a southern and northern
officer. Captured by northern army and brought to Provi-
dence, P. I. Prince was a Phode Island production.

Fanny Fern and Dollie Hale were bay mares with white
stripes in faces and white stockings behind, were own sisters,
extra well-bred, sired by Imported Consternation, bred in
Herkimer County, N. Y., and purchased at a long price as
brood mares for the " Diraon Stock Farm." They both proved
to be excellent in all places. " Fanny Fern " was the dam of
Confidence, Fanny Allen, etc., and Dollie Hale was the dam of
" Dimon's Pathfinder " and Goldfinder.

Calzadilla and Canzonet were beautiful dapple gray mares,
bred by Henry S. Hutchins of Pomfret, Conn. They were
from good stock and among the best of their day. I remember
them to-day with feelings both of pleasure and of sorrow. I
traded this pair to a gentleman in the State of New York, even,
for twenty-two head of cattle.

Brown Bess and Indiana Belle. Seal brown mares with
tan muzzles, the former bred in Canada, and the latter in Indi-
28

434 APPENDIX.

ana. I matched this pair of mares when many miles apart, and
they were as near a perfect match as could well have been. I
sold them in spring of 1882 to the Storrs' Agricultural School
of Connecticut.

Frank and Fred, sorrel geldings bred in Canada. They
were good general purpose horses, both double and singly.

Charley and Ben were a very good pair of well-matched
black geldings bred in Indiana. Good in all harness and good
drivers, double or single. I sold them to Hoffman Bros., Fort
Wayne, Ind.

Golden Rule and Shadeland Queen were a pair of beauti-
ful bay mares sixteen hands high and weighing 1,200 to 1,300
pounds each. I purchased them of their breeder in Pontiac,
Mich. They were, taken all in all, when five years old — at the
time of purchase — about the best coach team I ever saw (or at
least one of the best). I purchased them* for brood mares — as
they were exceptionally well-bred — and took them to " Fern
Hill Stock Farm," Fort Wayne, Ind. I had the misfortune to
lose Shadeland Queen soon after the purchase. Golden Rule I
still own at this writing — Aug. 7, 1895, and but few men ever
owned a better mare.

Jim Blaine and Fritz were a good pair of bay geldings,
matched by myself. One was bred in Indiana and one in Ken-
tucky, both from trotting-bred stock. They were good drivers
and splendid workers, double and single, and safe.

CLASS III. STALLIONS.

Bengal Tiger. A beautiful buckskin or dun-color with
striped legs, a black stripe running length of back with black
mane and tail, was my first. I purchased him in 1851, when a
tliree-years old, and broke him myself. While pedigree was
of but little account in those days, and in that section, as
compared with the present, the pedigree of this colt was con-
sidered to be very good, and traced back to the Xarragansett
Pacer. (See Chapter IV.)

Black Highlands. A beautiful jet black horse with star

APPENDIX. 435

and one white foot behind, a grandson of Yermont Black
Hawk, was my next purchase, and no man ever yet owned a
handsomer one. He prov^ed himself a good stock horse and im-
proved the stock of Southwestern E-. I. quite considerabl}^.

Emanuel. A beautiful dapple gray, was my next. He was
the grandson of an Imported Arabian mare crossed on a
Morgan stallion, and was quite a popular horse of his time,
locality considered.

Narragansett. a red-roan was my next stallion. He
was quite a good horse, and traced to the JS^arragansett pacing
family.

Uncle Tom, (black and all black,) was a black Morgan
horse of the old Yermont stock, tracing in an unbroken line to
Justin Morgan.

Main's Morgan was a brown Morgan horse with no white,
was considered quite well-bred and sired good stock, " Island
Nellie " among others.

Island King was a buckskin with full black points, quite a
fine horse, and tracing to the j^arragansetts with a Morgan
" toj) cross " — as the short-horn breeders would say.

, Dimon's Pathfinder. A bright bay horse without white,
one of my own breeding and one of the finest of his day. He
was a cross between the best branch of the Morgan family,
and the thoroughbred, his dam being Dollie Hale, by Imported
Consternation.

Confidence. Black with white stripe and one white stock-
ing behind, bred similar to Pathfinder, his sire being the
Morgan Stallion " Potter Horse," and his dam Fanny Fern,
sister to Dollie Hale, by Imported Consternation. He was also
bred by myself.

GoLDFiNDER. A mahogauy bay, solid color, bred at Dimon
Stock Farm. Sire Figaro, by Imported Consternation, dam
Dollie Hale, by Imported Consternation. A blood horse and
showing his breeding. A fine animal.

Hampton Court. Imported thoroughbred. Foaled in 1864.
Bred by Mr. C. C. Greville at Hampton Court Paddocks, Eng-

436 APPENDIX.

land. Imported by R. W. Cameron of Clifton, Staten Island,
in 1865. Got by Young Melbourne, dam Durindana, by Or-
lando ; second dam. Dispatch, by Defence ; third dam, Xan-
nette (sister to Glaucus), by Partisan ; fourth dam, JS'anine, by
Selim ; fifth dam, Bazarre, by Peruvian ; sixth dam, Yiolante,
by John Bull ; seventh dam, sister to Skyscraper, by High-
flyer ; eighth dam, Everlasting, by Eclipse ; ninth dam, Hyaena,
by Snap ; tenth dam, Miss Bulsea, by Regulus ; eleventh dam,
by Bartlett's Childers; twelfth dam, by Honey wood's Arabian ;
thirteenth dam, Byerley Mare, bred by Mr. Bowes, the dam of
the two True Blues.

Hickory Star. A chestnut horse, by Hickory Jack, son of
Ethan Allen, dam crossed on thoroughbred stock. A hand-
some horse of the Ethan Allen type.

Lord Canwell. Thoroughbred. Sire Imported Can well;
dam Minnie Boston, by Imported Bonnie Scotland. He was a
natural trotter. Solid bay in color. I sold him to go to South
America for stock purposes.

Sprague's Hambletonian. Brown bay horse, without white.
One of the best individual sons of Alexander's Abdallah ; dam
a Morgan mare, pedigree untraced. He was formerly called
]^ew York, and was, with his mate. Belle Brandon, at one time
the fastest road team in 'New York city. He sired Gov.
Sprague, 2.22| (five-years'-old record), in 1870 ; Gov. Dimon
and Col. Sprague in 1875. His stud services were very limited,
and he died in Pomfret, Conn., in 1876. He also sired Boston
Boy Hambletonian, 2.25, and a few (very few) others.

Boston Boy Hambletonian, 2.25. A bay horse sired by
Sprague's Hambletonian (see above) ; dam Boston Girl, etc.
Stood for mares at Dimon Stock Farm season of 1877, and I
drove him some on the road. A strong'-moving horse.

CoMus. Chestnut horse, without white. A beautiful son
of Green's Bashaw and Topsy, by Prophet, son of Black Hawk.
I kept him at the Dimon Stock Farm for mares and for driving
purposes, and while his duties in the stud were quite light, he

APPENDIX. 437

was one of the finest and most beautiful gaited road horses I
ever drove. I bred several mares of my own to him in 1877.

Midway. A beautiful seal-brown horse, sired by Almont,
son of Alexander's Abdallah ; dam Madam Cowper, by Mam-
brina Chief. He was a beautiful-dispositioned horse. I han-
dled and drove him in Boston in 1883. He could trot better
than 2.30, but was never raced. I bred to him.

Beacon Light. A beautiful bay colt, by Daniel Lambert ;
dam Emma, by Columbus. I raised him. He was of the
Ethan Allen style and pattern. I took him West. Took first
premium in his class at the great Canadian fair in Toronto,
Canada, in 188-1.

Cute. Bay horse, by Strathmore ; dam a well-bred mare ;
quite a gamey little horse. Name afterwards changed to De-
troit. Not very successful either as a sire or trotter.

H. G. Bay horse, by Rysdyk and half brother to Cling-
stone, 2.14. Quite a showy horse and a fair driver, and his
stock quite good.

Adonis. Mahogany-bay horse, sire the thoroughbred horse
Gen. Custer, dam a well-bred Canadian mare.

Dandy. Brown bay. Imported Exmoor pony, imported
from England in 1881 ; formerly belonged to the Queen's stud.

Romulus. Dapple-gray imported Percheron stallion. [See
cut in this book.] Imported in 1881 from Perche, France. I
took the gold medal with him at Canada's great fair at Toronto
in 1884, over all draft horses.

Marquis. Gray imported Percheron. Imported in dam
Cozette, sire Romulus, as above. A very good specimen of this
breed.

Hugo. Black imported Percheron stallion, weighing 1,900
pounds at maturity. Good type and quite a good sire.

Midair. Brown stallion, sire Midway, son of Almont, dam
Alma Dimon, etc. [See driving and business horses.]

General Bayard. Gray horse. Best individual son of
Bayard, 2.31 J, the best son of Pilot, Jr., sire of dams of Maud
S., 2.08|, Jay-Eye-See, 2.10, etc., etc. Bayard sired Kitty

438 APPENDIX.

Bayard, 2.121-, the world's trotting record on half-mile track ;
dam of General Bayard, Adalia, by Administrator; second
dam by GilFs Vermont. A natural trotter and good sire.

Thornhedge. a beautiful bay horse of the Morgan type,
sire Yenture, by Aristos, son of Daniel Lambert ; dam the
great brood mare Nannie Thorne, by Hamlet, and dam of
Thornless, 2.15|, and Little Thorn, 2.22^, etc.

Decoration. Sorrel, white stripe, and two white stockings ;
sire Strathmore, dam Folly, by Billy Denton, son of Hamble-
tonian, etc.

Pilot Morgan. Bhick colt ; sire Gen. Bayard, by Bayard,
son of Pilot, Jr., dam Minnie Morgan. (See Roadster Class.)

Bayard Morgan. Gray colt ; sire Gen. Bayard, dam Min-
nie Morgan, as above — own brother to Pilot Morgan.

Indiana Chief. Bay colt; sire Gen. Bayard, dam Golden
Rule, by Shadeland Prince, son of Enchanter, etc., second dam
by Golden Bow, etc., etc.

Stockton King, 22,407. Blood bay horse, foaled May 4,
1890 ; bred by Hon. L. U. Shippee, Stockton, Cal. Sire Cam-
paign, 9,801, the best trotting-bred son of the great Electioneer,
with 155 in the 2.30 list, 35 of that number in the 2.20 list, four
in the 2.12 list, and of Sunol, 2.0Si ; dam Right Motion, by
Motion, 2.29, son of the great Daniel Lambert, with 38 in the
2.30 list ; second dam Columbus Mare, by Columbus (95) with
11 in the list. This young horse represents the Hambletonian,
Clay, Morgan, Mambrino, American Star, Columbus, and Pilot,
Jr., families and is unquestionably intensely trotting bred, as
shown by the records. Bred in the purple but feebly expresses
the quality of his breeding.

Above I have named a few of the many I have owned and
handled in my lifetime. Many, and, in fact, most of them, are
dead, but none, as I am aware of, have had shafts of marble
erected to their memory like Hambletonian and some few
others, although some of them may have been quite as de-
serving.

APPENDIX. 439

Are horses immortal ? Do they have souls ? Shall we
meet them again?

I dare not say they do, and you cannot say they do not, for
"we neither of us know.

In adding this Appendix containing this galaxy of some-
what celebrated and useful horses, my object was not to set
forth their merits above others or to boast of their ownership,
but give it as history intended to act as an object-lesson to the
breeder, and hoping it may be of interest to the general reader
of this book.

In conclusion, I feel that I have a right to claim that I have
been honest in my intentions, and that I have endeavored, and
I hope succeeded, in giving to the world a true and impartial
history of the horse. I feel that the writing and publishing of
this book has been the one great eifort of my life, and that the
book itself will be a lasting monument to my memory and will
do far more towards perpetuating the same than any granite
or marble monument could possibly do. I have confidence
enough in the work to believe it will become the leading and
standard work on the horse in America and the world.

If my teachings shall have the effect of ameliorating the
abuse of this noble animal during his short life as the faithful
servant of man, I shall feel that I have accomplished a mission,
perhaps the mission of my life.

While steam and electricity are fast usurping tlie horse,
there are yet, and ever will be, many, very many, things, busi-
ness-wise and pleasure-wise, Avherein his place will never be
filled, and the breeding of horses in the future, as in the past,
will ever be a legitimate, permanent, and, when properly and
scientifically conducted, pro^tahle business. Steam travel has
usurped stage travel, and electricity will soon usurp steam, but
the horse has come to stay.

440 APPENDIX.

THE OLD TURNPIKE.

Selected.

" We hear no more the clanging hoof,

And the stage-coach rattling by,
t'or the steam king rules the travel world.

And the old pike's left to die.
The grape creeps o'er the flinty path,

And the stealthy daisies steal
"Where once the stage horse, day by day,

Lifted his iron heel.

*' No more the Tveary stager dreads
The toil of the coming morn ;
No more the bustling landlord runs

■ At the sound of the echoing horn ;
For the dust lies still upon tlie road,

And the bright-eyed children play
Where once the clattering hoof and wheel
Rattled along the way.

" No more we hear the cracking whip,

And the strong wheel's rumbling sound ;
And ah J the water drives us on.

And the iron horse is found !
The coach stands rusting in the yard,

And the horse has sought the plow ;
We have spanned the world with an iron rail,

And the steam-king rules us now.

*' The old turnpike is a pike no more ;

Wide open stands the gate ;
We have made us a road for our horse to stride.

And we ride at a flying rate ;
We have filled the valleys and leveled the hills.

And tunneled the mountain side,
And round the rough crag's dizzy verge.

Fearlessly now we ride.

" On — on — on, with a haughty front,
A puff, a shriek, and a bound ;
While the tardy echoes wake too late
To echo back the sound ;

APPENDIX. 441

And the old pike road is left alone,
And the stagers seek the plow ;

We have circled the earth with an iron rail.
And the steam-king rules us now,"

THE ELECTRIC.

The warning bell is sounding ;

The moving air I feel ;
The car goes by me bounding

O'er throbbing rails of steel.

My mind it doth bewilder,

These wondrous things to scan.
Awed not by man, the builder.

But God, who made the man.

INDEX.

Abdallah, .

. 84

Bars of the Foot, .

321

Ability to Match Horses,

. 283

Barnum, P. T., .

340

Accident to Autlior, .

. 240

Bashaw (Green's),

107

Acute Founder, .

. 367

Bashaws and Clays, .

106

Administrator, .

. 88

Battle of Bunker Hill,

41

Administering Chloroform,

. 403

Bayard, ....

317

Advertising Quack Medicii

les, . 340

Bay as a Color, .

404

Age

155, 306

Beacon Light,

. 437

Age as Shown by the Teetl

1, . 300

Beautiful Bay, .

61

Ailments, and How to Doct(

)r them, 351

Beautiful Bells, .

227

Alexander, Robert A.,

. 90

Belle Brandon, .

91

Alexander's Abdallah,

. 90

Belfounder,

83

Alexander's Norman,

. 57

Belmont Maid, .

. 313

Allen, Caleb/_

. 64

Big Head, ....

. 272

Alma Mater,

. 228

Birth of an Arab Foal,

39

American Clay, .

. 107

Bishoping, ....

. 305

American Girl, .

. 223

Biting, ....

249

American Star, .

. 87

Black Bashaw, .

. 107

American Trotter,

. 117

Black Douglass, .

204

Andrew Jackson,

. 106

Black Hawk,

65

Andy Johnson, .

. 107

Black Highlander,

. 434

Appendix, .

. 425

Black Horse of Flanders, .

138

Arion, .

. 186

Bladder, Inflammation of, .

376

Arabian Horses, .

. 35

Blanche Wayne,.

432

Arabian the Primitive Blooc

1-horse, 36

Blankets, ....

261

Arabian Horse Breeders,

. 39

Blindness, ....

356

Arabs as Foundation Stock

. 36

Blistering, ....

358

Arabian Horse Darley,

. 37

Blister Ointment,

348

Arabs at World's Fair, 1894

t, . 43

Blue Bull, ....

109

Author's Remarks,

. 21

Bone Spavin,

351

Author's Experience, .

. 21

Bonner. Robert, .

222

Author as a Judge in Racef

. 271

Boot, James,

82

Author's Experience in Swt

ipping

Boston, ....

49

Horses,

. 292

Boston Boy Hambletonian,

91

Bots,

357

Backman, Charles,

. 93

Box Stall, . . .

159

Balancing, .

. 326

Bowen, Henry C,

21

Balking,

. 243

Breaking Foals, .

175

Bandages, .

. 278

Breaking and Training,

229

(443)

444

INDEX.

Breathing,

Breeding a Scientific Study,

Breeds

Breeding a Progressive Science,

Breeding Stock

Breeding Stylish Roadsters,
Breed for a Purpose, . . 145,
Breediua; the American Trot-

ter,
Brighton, Mass.,
Brittle Hoof,
Bronchitis, ,
Brood Mares,
Brown, George E,,
Buying Horses, .
Buying and Selling,

118.

152,

349

145

33

118
177
178
177

177
292
356
355
164
127
283
281

56

Canadian Horses, . . 28
Canadian Blood in American

Trotter, .... 57
Care and Management of Stallions, 159

Care of Brood j\Iares, .

. 164

Care of the Mouth,

259, 276, 349

Care of Warm Horses,

. 288, 277

Care of the Foal,

. 168-171

Care of Weanlings,

. 175

Capped Hocks, .

. 362

Capet, Hugh , .

. 129

Cassius M. Clay,

. 106

Castration, .

. 401

Cataract,

. 358

Chance Trotters,

. 121

Charles Kent Mare, .

. 82

Check Reins,

. 267, 332

Chloroform,

. 403

Clamps,

. 402

Cleveland Bay, .

. 125

Clydesdale, .

. 139

Clydesdale Society of America, . 140

Climatic Influence,

28. 56

Coachman, .

. 287

Color of Horses, ,

. 182, 315

Collar Galls,

. 372

Cofiin Joint,

. 354

Colic, ....

. 360

Col. Jenifer,

. 41

Col. Sprague,

. 91

Columbus 57

Columbus, Christopher, . . 26
Comparati\ e Age of Horse and

Man, 306

Conditioning, .... 403

Connecticut Cavalry, ... 40
Connecticut Original Home of

American Trotter, ' . . 123

Controlling the Stallion, . . 163

Corn as Food 257

Corn Meal, 257

Cora Linn 313

Corns 364

Cough, 363

Country Circus, . . . .399

Crane Horse, .... 73

Curbs, 363

Cut Feed, 360

Color and Weight of Morgans,

63

Daniel Lambert,

Darley Arabian,

Decker, John B.,

Delaware Maid,

Dentition,

De Soto,

Dexter,

Diamond,

Diarrhea,

Dimon, John J., .

Dimon Stock Farm,

Dimon's Black Oil,

Dimon's Condition Powders,

Dimon's Colic Remedy,

Dimon's Leg Wash, .

Dimon's Pathfinder, .

Dimon's Spavin Cure,

Dimon's Stable Liniment,

Diomed,

Distemper, .

Doble, Budd,

Docking (Illus.),

Dollie, .

Draft Horses,

Driving long distance.

Driving by the watch,

Drooping of the head,

Drying up the Sweat,

Dusky Jane,

67
. 45
. 211
. 202
. 300
. 31
. 221
. 61
. 365
. 354
. 241
. 346
. 347
. 346
. 347
. 435
346, 353
. 347
48
. 364
221
406
228
135
266
279
349
366
195

211,

INDEX.

445-

Early Foals, ....

184

French Canadian,

56

Early Importations, .

48

French Coach, .

128

Early Maturity, Early Decay,

273

Frog,

320

Early Training for iSpeed, .

237

Ears

849

Galaxy of Celebrated Horses,

425

Electioneer, ....

93

Galls,

372

Roll of Honor, .

96

Gangrene, ....

374

Elliot, Eli

143

Gen. Bayard,

437

Emma B.

246

Gen. Grant's Fourth of July Visit

Endurance of Morgans,

76

to Connecticut,

2S

English Draft, . . . .

137

Gen. Putnam,

41

English Shire, ....

137

Gestation Period,

165

Ethan Allen, . . 66-80

209

Getting Doubtful Mares in Foal,

164

Eyes,

349

Gentlemen Horsemen,

401

Exhibition of Horses, .

318

Geo. M. Patchen,

106,

215

Exercise the Stallions,

160

George Wilkes, .
Giving Medicine,

87,

216
345

Fame,

400

Glanders, ....

373

Families of Arabians, .

38

Godolphin Arabian, .

45

Fanny Fern

311

Golden Rule,

242

Fanny Kenyon, ....

312

Goldsmith, Alden,

211

Farm Teams, ....

262

Goldsmith Maid,

211

Fastest trotting records all ages.

411

Good Care Secret of Success,

185

" " all ways

Gov. Dimon, ...

91

going,

411

Govt. Studs of France,

128

Fastest pacing records all ages,

412

Grand Bashaw, .

41

106

" " " all ways

Grassing the Stallion, .

161

goitg

412

Gray Horses,

42

315

Fastest running records,

413

Great Age of Horses, .

306

Fearnaught

47

Great Trotting Brood Mares,

226

Feeding the Foal,

173

Grease Heel,

385

Feeding and Stable Management,

256

Green's Bashaw, .

106

Fever,

356

Greek Mythology,

30

Fireaway family of trotters.

83

Green Mountain Maid,

95

226

First Importation to Canada,

27

Green Mountain Morgan, .

78

" " " Mass.,

27

Grooms

255

341

" " " New York,

27

Grooming, . . .

163

" U. S.,

26

Guard Against Overwork, .

238

" " " Virginia, .

27

Fistula,

367

Hambletonian (Rysdyk's), .

82

Fits,

370

Hambletonian's Stud Career,

86

Flanks,

349

Handling the Reins, .

222

Flax Seed for Horses,

261

Handling and Managing Trotters,

271

Flora Temple

199

Handling the Foal,

175

Food and Climatic Influence,

28

Harness Galls,

373

Foot,

319

Hawkins, Jonathan, .

221

Founder,

367

Heaves, ....

375

Fractures or broken bones,

370

Henry Clay,

106

446

INDEX.

High Heels,

Highland Maid, .

High Prices for Hambletonians,

Hill, David,

High Prices for American Trot-
ters, .....

High Prices for Thoroughbreds

High Stallion Fees,

Hitching to Carriage, .

Holcomb, J. W.,

Horse Ailments and How to
Doctor, ....

Horse Breeding, .

Horse in Slings, .

Hugging the Lines, .

Hunter, Dr. John,

329
204

87
66

186
50
51

267
66

362
145
368
250
339

Immortality of the Horse, . . 30
Imported Belfounder, . 82, 88

Imported jMesseuger, . . 47, 244
Imported Rambler, ... 53
Impt)rted Traveler, , . 46, 61

Index to Illustrations, . . 15

Indian War Bridle, . . .251
Indigestion, .... 377

Inflammation of the Bladder, . 376

" Bowels, . 379

Eyes, . . 378

" " Kidneys, . 378

" " Lungs, . 379

" Womb, . 378
Influence of the Dam, . .156

Injections, .... 172, 379
Introduction, . . . .19
Ishmael Pacha, . . . .41

January 1st, Age Commences, . 185

Janus, 46

Jealous Mothers, . . .170

Jenifer Arabian, .... 41

Jockey Tricks 290

Joseph the First Horse Dealer, . 1

Jogging 275

Johnny ]\Iorgan, .... 208
Justin Morgan, . . . 41, 60

Kate 57

Kicking in Harness, . . . 247
Kidneys, 256

King Thomas,

. 50

Kitty Bayard,

. 316

Lady Franklin, .

. , . 207

Lady Suffolk, .

. 195

Lady Thorne,

. .212

Lampas,

. 380

Lameness, .

. 380

Language of Horses, .

. 317

Lancet,

. 207

Last jMessage of Ethan All

en, . 81

Lexington, .

. 49

Lice, ....

. 381

Light and Ventilation,

. 261

Lindsey Arabian,

. 39

Linsley, Daniel C,

. 61

Linseed Meal,

. 265

List of 2:10 Trotters, .

. 414

" " " Pacers,

. 416

Little Neck Beach, R. I.,

. 54

Location,

. 282

Locked Jaw,

. 381

Lowering the Records, Tro

tting, 421

Pac

ing, . 423

Lung Fever,

. 380

Lying Down,

. 349

Maggie Diraon, .

. * . 313

Mahomet, .

. 35

Management of Farm team

s, . 262

'■ Teams on

the

Road,

. 264

" " Road and

Driv-

ing Hors(

es, . 266

'■' at Foaling tin

le, . 168

of the Foal,

• 171

Mange,

. 382

Mares of Mahomet,

. 36

Marking the Foal,

. 165

]Marvin. Charles,

. 96

Membrane of the Nose,

. 348

Messenger, .

. 47

Miscellaneous,

. 400

Miss Russell,

. 227

Molar Teeth,

. 301

Molburn, Rufus,

. 313

]\Iorgan Ca?sar, .

. 73

Horses,

. 60

INDEX.

447

Morgans as Roadsters,

. 60

Pilot Medium,

. 317

" Stagers, .

. 74

Phm of this Book,

. 23

" " Trotters, .

. 79

Pleuro-Pneunionia,

. 382

Mouth, . . . 339-2'

6, 349

Pointing with the Nose,

. 350

Motion, ....

. 67

Fore Foot,

. 350

Mount Hope, R. I., .

. 19

Poll Evil, ....

. 383

Positive Breeders,

. 156

Naming the Colt,

. 175

Potency of Belfounder,

. 83

Narragansett Bay,

. 53

Preface

, 17

" Beach, .

. 53

Prince Albert,

. 425

Pacer, . . 5

2, 123

Percherons as Draft Horses,

. 136

National American Trotter,

. 118

" Road Horses,

. 137

" Trotting Horse, .

. 118

Priam, ....

. 48

Studs of France, .

. 128

Principles of Breeding,

. 146

Nature's great law,

. 145

Proud Flesh,

. 382

Nellie Bly, ....

310

Pulse

. 348

Nippers, ....

301

Pulling on the Halter,

. 250

Nose an Indicator,

348

Purchase of Ranger, .

40

Noted Sons of Hambletonian,

- 87

Pulling on the Bit,

239

Number of Mares to a Stallion,

162

Quacks, ....

342

Oats as Food,

257

Quack Medicines,

340

Old Abb, ....

211

Quittor, ....

383

" Abdallah, .

84

" Age, General Signs,

305

Raising by Hand,

173

" Dolly, . . ...

228

Rambler, ....

53

" Country Circus, .

399

Ranger

40

" Time Trotters,

189

Rarey, J. S., . . . .

243

" Turnpike,

440

" cord.

253

One 'Eyo

84

Rat-tail

394

Overdraw Check, . . 24

8, 333

Reducing the Records,

123

Opening of the Heels,

327

Richards, A. Keen,

43

Origin of the l!jarragansett Pacer

52

Ringbone, ....

384

Overwork

237

Ripton 7

9, 192

Road qualities of Percherons,

137

Pacers, 2:10,

419

Roaring, ....

384

Pacing Standard,

408

Rowell

391

Paddock,

159

Royal Morgan

72

Palmer, Thos. W., .

43

Runaway, to Stop,

407

Pampered Stallions, .

160

Russell, John E.,

30

Pastern Bones {Illus.),

354

Rysdyk, Wm. M.,

82

Patience in Training, .

229

Rysdyk's Hambletonian, .

83

Pawing in Stall, . . . .

251

Pearce, Daniel, . . . .

53

Saddle Galls, , . . .

373

Percherons, . . . .

135

Sagacity of Horses,

238

Perrin, Geo. E., .

202

Salt for " . . .

261

Physic Bail, . . . .

348

Sanders, J. C, .

126

Pilot

57

Sand Crack, . . . .

386

448

INDEX.

Scot Grays, 317

Scours, 365

Scratches, 385

Seeley's American Star, . . 87
Seeley, Joseph, . . . . 82
Selecting Breeding Stock, . 151, 181
Selecting the Stallion, . 151, 181
Selecting the Brood Mare, . 155, 181

Setons, 391

Shanghai Mary, . . .95, 226
Sherman, James, ... 64

Sherman Morgan, . . 54-64

Shetland Isles, . . . .141
Shetland Ponies, .... 141

Shoeing, 324

Shoe Boil, 389

Short Toes 329

Short Brushes of Speed, . . 237
Showing Sale Horses, . . . 286

Shying, 232

Skin, 349

Slavering, 388

Slings 368

Smith, Henry N., . . .212

Sole, 320

Sole Leather Pads, . . .330
Sontag, ..... 207

Sore Back, 372

Southcote, Mary L., . . .52
Spasmodic Colic, . . . 361

Splint 392,

Split Hoof, 386

Sprague's Hambletoniau, . . 91
Sprains and Strains, . . . 391

St. Bel, 338

Stanford, Leland, ... 94

Stamlard Admission, Trotting. . 408

Pacing. . 408

Stifle Joint 389

Stocking of the Legs, . . 387
Stockton King, . . . .438
String Halt, . . . .396

Strains and Sprains, . . . 391
Strain of Coffin Joint, . . 393

Stumbling 388

Suavity 281

Surfeit, . . . . .392
Surrey, 58

Sucking Colts, . . . .173

Sweat 366

Sweeney, . . . . . 390
Swapping Horses, . . . 28&
Swelling of tlie Legs, . . .387
Symptoms of Disease, . . 344
Swipe, 271

Tail Rubbing, . . . .394
Team Record Trotting, . .411
Team Record Pacing, . . 41S

Teamsters, . . . . . 263
The American Trotting Horse, . 117
The Bashaws and Clays, . . 106
The Coachman, . . . .287
The Electric, . . . .441
The 1st Chariot Cavalry, . . 26
The Flanks, . . . .349

The Fireaways 83

The Horse, 1

The Mouth, . . 239-276, 349

The Morgan Horse, ... 60

The Swipe, 271

The Thoroughbred Horse, . . 44
Thick Water, . . . .395
Thoroughbred Horses, . , 44
Thoroughpin, .... 395
Time to Succeed, . . .280

Thumps, 316

Topgallant, . . . .189

Tracks, How to lay out, . . 409
Train in Line, .... 235
Training for Speed, . . . 236
Training Circus Horses^ . . 253
Training Vicious Horses, . . 242
Trotting Records, present and

past 414

Trotting Standard, . . .408
True Britain, .... 61

Tumors, 394

Tushes, 301

Underbill, Bishop, ... 48
Unsound Mares as Breeders, . 157
Use of the Whip, . . .267
Use of the Brood Mares, . . 166

Value of Thoroughbred Stallions, 49
Value of Foods 259

INDEX.

449

Value of Horses in U. S
Vermont Cavalry,
Veterinary Science,
Veterinary Quacks,

WaU of the Foot,
Warranty, .
War Bridle,
Wash for Trotters,
Water Before Feeding
Whoa ! important to teach
Weaning Foals, .
Whip, .
White Turk,
Wild Air, .

30

78

337

342

319

407

251

278

259

233

175

238-267

. 46

47-61

Wild Horses,

2

7-31

Wilson's Blue Bull,

109

Wind Galls,

396

World's Fastest Record

trotting.

411

" " "

pacing,

412

Stallion "

trotting,

411

" " "

pacing.

412

Woodbury Morgan,

72

Woodruff, Hiram,

. 194,

240

Wounds,

398

Worms,

396

Worm Ball,

»

397

Yankee,

123

Young Bashaw, .

.

106

DIMON'S
Horse and Cattle Medicine

CAREFULLY COMPOUNDED AND SOLD BY JOHN DIMON,

AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER OF "AxMERICAN HORSES

AND HORSE BREEDING." "AMERICAN

CATTLE AND CATTLE BREEDING," Etc.

The following list of valuable Medicines, wlien
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warranted to do all that the originator claims for them:

'&"

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BY

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THE MOST COMPLETE, COMPREHENSIVE, AND INSTRUCTIVE
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