Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-04-28
From the Register.l
PercherOn or Norman Horses

the Norman UrdlL morse is matter
of establishment to all strangers who
sec them. 5000 is the usual load
for four-horse team in France.
They haul this from sixteen to TWEEN
ty-two miles per day over the coun-
try roads. This is at least twice
the load of four four horse teams
over our country roads.
10 show the action of this breed
OF horses, 1 will give the time and
distance of some of the best that
were made in France. Remember,
these are heavy work horses, not
trotters Or running horses. AT
Montdondleau in 1S64,twenty-nine
horses trotted one and a quar- ter
miles under the saddle. The fast
est horse, Julia, made this distance
in three minutes and thirty seconds,
Godina, second best, in three min
utes So seconds. The slowest
horse, Lansquenet in seven minutes
and torty-eight seconds. The av-
erage time OF the whole twenty-nine
four minutes and twelve and one
half seconds. Forty trials were
made at Illiers from 1850 to 1861,
of two miles trot. The fastest
horse, CocJtte made the two miles
in six minutes and five and one
half seconds, at the same time a
mare named Sarah made it in six
minutes and two seconds, Balzane
the slowest horse in ten minutes
and thirty seconds. Average time
of the forty horses seven minutes
and twenty seconds. In sixty-fve
trials at Langon in 1865, the aver
age time of the sixty-fve horses for
the two and one-haIf miles, nine
minutes and fifteen seconds. The
fastest time was seven minutes and
thirty seconds made by Sarah. The
slowest time was thirteen minutes
and twenty-slx seconds made by
Marmotts. OF fourteen trials at
IlIier in harness the best time made
was two and one half miles in eight
minutes and thirty seconds, De-
cidee made two and three-eighth
miles at Rouen in 1864, drawing
three hundred and eighty-six
pounds, in nine minutes and TWEEN
ty one seconds and in '65, draw
ing four hundred and eight pounds
in ten minutes and forty-nne sec
onds,
A gray mare belonging to N.
Montreuil harnessed to a travelling
tilbury was driven from Berney to
to Bordeau tifty-fve and three
eighth miles in four hours twenty
four minutes. Another mare, sew
en- years old, belonging to NJ, Con-
struur of Flenrysur-Andello,in 1864
harnessed to tilbury travelled over
the difficult and billy road from
Lyons-la- Foret to Pont Andermens
ftty-eight miles one day in four
hours and one minute and back the
next day in four hours, one minute
and thirty seconds. These two
tests show wonderful powers of en-
durance, and were remarkable ami
mails of this noted breed. These
accounts much resemble a big fish
story but both tests are authentica-
ted in France and l do not doubt
them in the least. | have frequent
ly heard my father, G. H. Chris
man, speak of a wonderful instance
of the power of endurance Of horse
flesh which came under his own OBJ
servation. His father, John Chris
man, who lived on Linville creek,
in this county, mad thorough bred
running horse which had been for
sometime in training for big race
in Eastern Virginia. Soon after get
ting him home, his negro man, Ben,
ran away and rode this horse. He
started from home about dark in
the evening. and was arrested the
next morning, before sunrise in
Fredericksburg, one hundred and
fifteen miles from home. 1t was in
the fall OF the year when the roads
were good, the nights cool and OF
considerable length. The horse
was not, apparently, injured by the
ride.
Excel is of this running blood,
and as welibred as any horse in the
United States, His get out of
good mares, well gated, would make
horses OF great value for the saddle.
| am much encouraged with the
chances now presented for the i'm
OF our horses. l learned
on yesterday with much pleasure,
through a letter from Mr.. S. w
Ficklin, that at the request of Messrs!
S. Ii. Meyers. Al. Meyers, j. +.
Branner, Jos. Bowman and others
he would send his first premium
Percheron stallion, Apollo, to these
gentlemen to stand in their country,
and the black Clydesdale, Wauke-
gan, back TO his stands of last year.
This imported Percheron stallion,
The Colonel, to Mr.. Pittman to
stand in the country around New
Market, Mt. Jackson and Wood