Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-06-22
A REMARKABLE MARE.

At the last exhibition of the Essex
Agricultural society, a mare, belonging
to DR.. Benz Haskell of Rockport, was en-
tered on the books of the society, not so
much to compete for premium, as with
a view to make known her peculiar mer-
its. The animal, however, did not ar
rive in season to come under the official
notice of the committee, and no mention
was made of her in their report. At our
request DR.. Haskell has furnished the
following account of this venerable mare
for publication in the Journal of Agri-
culture. a. w. ID.
The mare owned by me was raised in
Hopkinton, n. H., and was brought to
Rockport in the fall of 1892, being then
between five and six years old. She is
of deep bay color, about fourteen hands
high, and weighs in her best condition
scant 500 lbs. She has been owned in
this place, and used as let horse sue
cessively by Messrs. George Colt, Jr.,
Jabez Colt, Jr., and Choate & Hadlock.
until last June, when she came into my
possession. SO that her employment in
that capacity falls short of nineteen
years but a few months. Each of the
above named gentlemen are ready to
pecting her, and are willing to add lit
tie something on their own responsible
ty. Whenever horse is wanted for
journey that requires speed and endur-
durance, this mare was invariably called
for. TO carry two men in chaise from
Rockport to Boston and back, journey
of 20 miles, to drag "A carry-all with four
persons to Salem and back, ~ miles,
were common daily performances with
her. She has seen Boston and Rockport
two days in succession and Salem and
Rockport as many as five times in six
weeks. In her prime she was often hired
by a stone contractor who lived nearly
two miles out of this village. To his
house it was usual to send her in the
to Charleston bridge and back-not al
ways alone-and return her to the stable
in the evening. making the distance of
her travel upwards of 10 miles. Re-
Gently he assured me that he once drove
her to Charleston in three and a half
hours, stopping in Salem about half an
hour, and returning the same day; this
was at the rate of twelve miles an hour.
About this time, she came from Ipswich
to this place, Is miles, in an hour and IA
quarter. When about IL years old she
had seen so much hard work, and had so
many hard drives, that it was thought
she must be worn out, and she was offer
ed for sale for $50 without purchaser.
Subsequently, however, she was sold for
over 500; and since this latter period it
has cost nearly $500 to keep horse in
the stable by the side of her. Three
horses, valued at upwards of one humid
red dollars each, subject to the same SER
vice with her, and often favored at her
expense, have been completely used up.
One of them returning from Salem in
company with her at noon in the hottest
day of the summer in 1874, the mare hav-
ing the hardest of it, died within an hour
after his arrival, while the mare was in
harness the next day as if nothing had
happened.
In January, 1913. she went with a
sleigh to Salem in an hour and three
quarters, stopped there one hour and a
quarter, and returned in an hour and fiji
| ty-fiye mnutes-i2 miles in three hours
and forty minutes. Not long before this
period she carried four persons in a
heavy carry-all to Salem in the forenoon,
returned with them late in the evening,
and at midnight was harnessed to the
same vehicle aud sent back in haste to re-
turn early with two persons, thus in
scarcely more than twenty-four hours,
dragging that carry-all with its load 81
miles.
One of her journeys was from North
Yarmouth, Maine, whence she brought
home to Rockport two persons with as
much luggage as could well be attached
TO the chaise, distance of ll2 miles.
This journey, over very heavy roads, she
performed in 80 hours, and she expressed
her willingness to do the same over again
the next two days.