Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-12-14
slIpERs AND ROLLERS.


rwo Gifted Breeds Of Horses Found Only
in the KsukA Lake Region.
'sTo look at this horse coming here"
said Maj. Gardner, pointing to an or
binary, everyday looking bay horse
thst man was driving toward the
Fairchild house, ''you wouldn$ think
he had any points out of the usual run
of horses, but if you happened to be
driving him and should come to hill
in the road, especially steep hill,
that horse would undoubtedly sur
prise you. He is one of breed of
horses that is known nowhere except
along Keuka lake. The origin of the
breed was queer. Down the lake about
twelve miles is Bluff Point. 1t rises
500 feet high on the west shore. and
is as steep as the roof of q house.
There are farms on its summit and
vineyards on its slopes. 4 man that
owns a farm on top of the Point
had a mare pasturing there years ago.
She fed along the brow of the hill,
and when she got to the very highest
and steepest point she commenced to
slide, and she kept on sliding. and she
never stopped till she had slid feet
first clear to the bottom of the hill
and brought up on the edge of the
lake.
Folks that saw the mare shooting
down that great cscarpment like a
falling star thought, OF course, that
when she stopped, il she ever did, she
would be of no further service except
as meat for eats or ready bait for bull
heads. But when her owner had
worked his way down by an easier
route and rowed up along the lake to
the spot where he expected to shovel
up the remains OF the tobogganing
mare, his surprise was greater than
his ioy, for he had tried to sell her
for twenty shillings alive, and could
nit. and had hoped 10 get twice that
for her dead. and there she was, after
her 500 foot slide. browsing on the
overhanging bushes along the lake
with appetite unimpaired and skin
lulbroken. The only thing her owner
could do decently was to take her
around the bottom of the hill and lead
her back to her pasture.
"A few months after that the mare 8
owner found a colt at her side one
morning, am. nice and lively one it
was. The colt grew to be horse that
its owner was proud of, but the first
time he drove him after breaking him
to harness he noticed All extraordinary
thing about him. The first hill he
came to, which was very steep one,
the horse stuck his fore feet out and
lust slid to the bottom like streak,
and then went on like any ordinary
horse. He repeated this at every hill.
It was simply hereditary slide, a pre-
natal impression from his mothers re-
markable performance on Bluff Point.
That slide was just the thing for the
short, almost perpendicular hills that
are a peculiar feature of the roads that
run along Keuka lake. Tcamsters
dreaded to go down those hills with
loads, for few horses were sure footed
enough to do it safely The slide that
this horse developed made the descent
not only safe, but quick, if it could be
reproduced in strain OF stock. II
was, and the slider stock OF horses had
the call every time along Keuka lake
for years, and advanced the interest OF
the region almost as much as a double
track railroad.
'fBut an event happened few years
ago that ruined the strain. Bricout.
the champagne man, up here in Ham.
mondsport Glen, had an old one eyed
mare that wasn't used much except
for breeding purposes. She had the
run Of the Bricout place, and one day
wandered to the top of one side of the
glen, and the first thing she knew she
fell and went rolling over and over
down the face of the glen, and kept
on rolling until she came to q shelving
rock 200 feet below where she started.
and half way to the bottom Of the
glen. They got the old mare down
from her perch by ropes and things,
and there wasn't a spot on her that
needed any salve or ointment She
had colt after time, and from the
way he looked folks thought he would
be credit to the slider stock, for his
dam and his sire were way back
sliders from the old boss. But the
first time he was driven he disappoint-
ed the community. When he came
to his first hill--and it was dandy
instead of doing a slick and thorough.
bred slide, he simply tumbled over in
the road and went rolling down the
hill like a log on rollway. Rolling
horses were worse than useless, oil
course, and in spite of everything the
slider stock got corrupted with the
roller, and today you can't find q
thoroughbred slider, except now and
then an old one like the bay yonder
The stock is played out But 200 fee
down the face OF glenl That was 9
wonderful roll for one eyed mare
even if it did break up good strait
of blood, wasn't ita''
1T was" said /. Il suppose If tn,
mare had had two eyes she'd hay.
rolled 400 feet. $
''Sure!'' said the major. Ham
mondsport On. " Cor. New Yorl
Sun