Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-08
THOROUGErBRED sTEEDx
Pen Picture OF the Greatest H0rSe
Market Of the World.
Correspondents Of the Philadelphia Press.

Correspondents Of the Philadelphia Press.
LExIN TON, Kr., Nov. 2.-"Here IL the
greatest horse market in the world" said
United States Senator James b. Beck to me
while sitting upon the porch Of the leading
Motel OF this little city few days ago. "our
people get more here for horses than they do In
New York. There are at least two scores Of
foreign horse buyers here constantly" One
need not spend more than an hour here to as
certain the truth Of Senator Beck's remark, for
from first to last you hear nothing but '''hor Sc
anywhere In this community. Pictures of fine
horses are the principal decorations Of private
as wei as public houses; and 1t Ia the am
oition OF every man to breed q horse,
runner or trotter, that will astonish the
world. They live upon that hope as the gold
miner lives upon his dreams Of wealth being
just beneath the last stroke of his pick do
haphazard in their hopes Of fame for their
horses, or supersttious In their methods. Nor
do they breed horses upon merely theoretical
principles. 1t Ii the practicalman who achieves
success here, as everywhere else. Almost every
man here who owns a farm breeds blooded horses;
1t is the one industry that overshadows all the
rest, and leaves It's distinctive marks upon the
nomenclature and business Of the community
the same as manufacturing does upon New
England, or the iron industry does upon Penn
syivania. To be sure, they raise corn and make
the finest Of whisky, and gather good deal Of
wheat from their fertile acres. but these seem to
be simply Incidents of business for these people
rather than general occupation.
THE home OF THE HORSE.
Nature really seems to have combined her
gifts TO make this region peculiarly adapted to
the breeding Of fine horses. The blue grass
seems to be OF peculiarly nourishing char
acter, and 1t keeps green and is good pasture
the whole year round. Whilethe frosts OF win
ter destroy most other heritage, this famous
grass seems like an evergreen. and In the midst
of winter stock feed upon it with avidity. The
people here claim that the characteristics Of the
grass make 1t easier to raise stock here than
anywhere else in the world. and that and the
fact that both brood mares and colts can get
fresh grass all winter, together with the salubri
Gus climate, develops colts twice as rapidly as
In any other part Of the country. Whether this
be true or not, certain it is that yearling colts,
as well as two and three-year- olds, are further
developed here than colts year older bred at
at the North. Then, too. the climate or the
grass or both combined, seem to give warmth
to the blood, style and spirit to the animal
that are rarely found IN horses bred In q more
vigorous climate.
Lexington ia the center Of this blue grass re-
gion, the point at which all this valuable horse
interest has Its focus, and, therefore you get
the essence Of the whole horse business In this
pretty little city and Its environs. Within the
radius OF dozen miles are a score or more ia
nous breeding establishments. Some of them
breed trotting horses exclusively. some breed
trOtters and runners alike, while others breed
only thoroughbreds. The old breeders look
with misgivngs upon the growth of the trot-
ting horse Interest," they look upon this region
as the natural home of the American thorough
bred and they do not like to see the mixture of
the cOarser blood necessary to produce trotters
mingled with it. Many of them rather regard
with contempt the breeding and DEVELOPMENT
of the trOtter, vet this does not hinder the
growth Of the trotting horse interest. and every
year witnesses its increasing importance. 1t is
Impossible to convey with the pen the peculiar
lties OF this section and Its breeding establish
ments, or of the almost fabulous sums of money
that are paid here every season for horses and
colts.