Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-03-01
MAGMA CHARTA.

secure the only correct likeness of the
famous sire of brood mares, Magma Char
ia, and our artist has taken pleasure in
faithfully reproducing it with an atten-
ton to outline and detail that presents
the remarkable individual merit of this
grand old horse. Our earliest personal
experience with the American trotter is
connected with Magma Charta. In the
year of 1859 we were comparatively
youthful, but will never forget the feel
ing of pride and exultation we expert
enced when we were placed upon the
back of this equine king and permitted
to ride him in his paddock. While his
temper and disposition was at that time
called good, there was nameless some
thing in the eye of this superb four-year-
old that did not invite intimate relations
or inspire implicit confidence, and it was
not without some misgivings that we ac-
cepted the post of honor accorded us,
but our innate love of horse and our
appreciation of the envy our position in
spired in the minds of various small
boys, our associates, triumphed over our
fears, and we soon felt at ease in our
proud position. From that time until
his death we never lost our interest in
Magma Charta, and we have always been
one of his most earnest and consistent
admirers. He was one of the most beau
tiful horses we have ever seen. lie was
but little more than Is hands high, but
his majestic and imposing manner caused
him to appear much larger. He was SYM
metrcally fashioned, and was one of the
best balanced horses we have ever seen.
His head and neck were fine, his Shout
ders were heavily muscled and oblque,
his body was round, full and well-ribbed,
his coupling was strong, and his stiles
full and well muscled, while his legs and
joints approached perfection. With a re-
markable persstency he impaired these
characteristics to his foals, and Magma
colt could easily be distinguished from
all others by reason of its marked re-
semblance to its sire. 1t is within the
bounds of reason to state that consider
ing the number of his foals, he sired
more stylish, hardy, speedy roadsters
than any horse in the West. With meagre
opportunities in the stud he sired five
trotters with records from 2:221 to 20,
and fourteen of his daughters have pro-
duced fifteen trotters with records from
2:l53 to 2:3O, two of them having records
better than 2:20. The remarkable pro-
ducing qualities of his daughters is at
tested by the fact that the fifteen trot-
tiers they have produced are by nine diff
ferent stations, and of the fourteen
daughters which produced trotters, nine
or more of them were not even techni-
cally standard, and "a number of them
were from mares of no established breed
ing.
Belle F., 2:l5i, is from mare by
Magma Charta, dam by Mambrino Chief
Jr. she also produced Kitty Van, 2 "a
George ", 2:20 is from fine Magma
mare, whose dam was runningbred, and
Jack, :l94, is from little Magma mare
which was only 144 hands high, and
could not trot mile in four minutes
We are well informed as to Magma mares
and know that few of them are out OF
standard or even well-bred mares. Many
of them are small, and for that reason
until late years, few of them were bred
to horses of any special reputation. Nc
one can claim credit for discovering OF
advocating the merit of Magma mares
1t simply happened that a few of them
were bred to Masterlode and other horses
and when the produce showed great trot-
ting-action, and subsequently became
distinguished on the turf, Magma mares
were sought for brood mares. Magma
Charta was endowed with the trottine
instinct, and sired trotters from all kinds
of mares. Belle of Lexington, :26a, was
from dam by Richard ILL.,, a horse
which we fail to recognize as of any
special value as sire of brood mares
She was beautifully gated, and coulG
trot in about 2:23. Hannah D., 2 :22t
won about $4,000 in one season, anC
could trot close to 2 20. She was from
a mare of unknown breeding or trottine
qualities. Molly, 2 ~, was from mare
by Young Florizel, a horse of no merit
as sire of brood mares. Her dam wa;
of no particular quality, and was never
heard of except AS the dam of Molly. Ye
this Magma mare, with no maternal an
cestry, trotted many hard races, ant
produced Shamrock, 2:27, by Volunteer
and Magma Wilkes, 2:294, by George
Wilkes. Sally Scott, 2 :2S4, was out of {
mare by Hambletonian 10, and Young
Magma, 2:29, was from mare of un
known breeding. In addition to thes,
five trotters with records, we know o.
five or six more which trotted in race,
on half-mile track from 2 :22 to 2 80, bu
which, in accordance with the senseles
custom prevalent ten years ago, wer,
prevented from obtaining records as fas