Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-09-12

mails, which in late years pass here under the
name Of Canadians, such as Moscow, Lady Mos
COW, and many others of name, are Canad ms
only BY title, and differ only from other Ameri.
can roadsters in the fact, iha, they have. it is
probable, for the most part only two crosses, OF
the Norman and pure English blood. while the
ordinary road-horse of the United States is per-
haps a combination Of several English distinct
families with French, Spanish and Flemish
crosses, beside strain of thorough blood.
Of uotters it is now certain that there is no
distinctive breed or family, or mode Of breeding
he power the style, the action, the mode Of
going, are the things; and il is most probable
that the speed and the endurance both Of weight
and distance depend, more or less, on the great
er or inferior degree of blood in the animal.
There is no doubt whatever in my own mind,
that allowing such men as Hiram Woodruff,
George Spicer, and others of the same kidney,
to select such horses as they should pick for
shape, bone, action, movement and blood, out Of
the best hunting stables in England, and TO train
and drive themselves, after their own fashion,
they would find an equal, or even larger propor-
ton Of anlmals-owng to their superiority in
| blO01-capable OF making as good time as has
been made here. 1t is to the fact that no favor
| has been ever attached to trotting, either as
/
ier casses-io the fact that all the best and most
promising animals, which would in this country
be used on the road or the trotting course, are
there employed in the hunting field--to the fact
that lrolIing rules, troting-traning, and trotting
riding, or driving, are all, in England. imper-
feet, inludicious and inferior and lastly TO the
fact. that the animals used as trotters, themselves
Of inferior quality, are almost entirely in the
hands Of persons OF inferior means and equal
character, that must be ascrbed NE infeiority
of the English trotter no such distinction being
dscoverabe against the English hunter. car
riagehorse, cavalry horse, riding hack, or race
horse.
And it is 10 the great popularity of ,roiing in
this country, to the grea, excellence Of the trot-
tlng-trainers, drivers and riders, arising from
that popularity, and to the employment Of all
the very best MALT aud three quarier-part bred
horses in the land for trotting purposes-none
being diverted from that use for the hunting
field. or park -riding-that we must ascribe the
wonderful superiority of the American roadster.
1t may be added, that this view Of the subject
is confirmed by the fact, that in the Southern
and South western States. ahere the persons of
wealth and horse-owners are, for the most part,
agriclItursls and rural proprietors, rather Than
dwellers in cities, many oi them owners Of race
horses, and most of them more or less addicted
to fox-huning or deerhuntlng, trotting has new
er taken root TO ANYTHING like the extent it has
to the North and Eastward and that, on the con-
trary, where troting prevails it is as difficult 10
procure handsome, we-brokcn and well-bted
galoper, with stylish action a good turn of speed,
and able to stay distance under weight, as it
is easy to find an undeniabe trotter of equal APP
pearance and performance, that shall 20 his mile
low down in the thiriles. or his fifteen miles in
the hour, on square trot.
The effect of all this, as have said, probably
mol lilic the result Of the very mixture of
breeds has been to produce in America a gen.
eral horse for all purposes, omitting only the
huuting-feld and park, or paIade-ground-for
which there is no demand-that cannot, think,
he .'qualled in the world.
On nv first arrival in this country, when the
eve is more awake to distinction, than after it
has become used by years of acquaintance to
what it has daily before it, and forgetfu of what
it has ceased to see, was particularly struck by
the fact that the American general horse. as
compared with the English horse, was inferior
in height of forehand in the lofliness and thin
ness OF the withers, and in the setting on and
carriage of the neck and crest, while he was su-
peror in the general development of his quar-
tiers, an the let down of his hams, and is his height
behind, and farlher remarkable for his formation,
approaching to what is often seen in the Irish
: horse and known as the goose-rump. | still
think that these are prevailing and characteristic
differences of the horses in the two countries.
Even in the race-horse, purely of English blood,
f,ncy that | can perceive the same distinction
prevailing, the American racer standing very
much higher behind, and lower before, than his
English congener.
My judgment on this pnint seems to be con-
4 1f
the Spirit of the Times Of many celebrated Eng-
lish and American horses, by which it appears
that Boston, Wagner, and Shark, measured ex
actly the same at the withers and the highest
point of the Group that Black Maria, in draw
ing of little under six and half inches, meas
ures two-tenths of an inch iooer before than be-
hind, while all the English horses are from one
to iwo-tenhs higher before.
To what this difference in construction is ow-
ing, do not pretend even to conjecture, nor
whether il has or bas not any effect ON compar-
ative speed believe the difference to be yet
more conspicuous in roadsiers than in thorough
breds. 1t is certain that breast plate, thing
commonly in use in England to prevent the sad
die from slipping back, is never seen in Amer
lea and that, in the former country, a horse
which would not carry his saddle without a crup-
per, would be considered fatally deficient in
FORM while here it is not unusual, nor, believe,
considered a serious disadvantage.
Another point in which the American horse
of all conditions differs extremely, and here, most
advantageou from the European animal, is
his greater urefootcdness and freedom from the
dangerous and detestable vice of stumbling. 1t
is only necessary, in order to convince himself
that this is real and not an imaginary differ
ence in favor of our horses, to examine the knees
of the hack-bOrses let for hire either in the cit