Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-01-29

on ladies' side-saddle, the first day to
Plaintield, 80 miles, the next day to
Hartford, 40, staid there two days, then
rode to New Haven, 10, from thence to
New London, 49, and then home to
Narragansett, 40 miles more. She says
she experienced no sensible fatigue.
"Horses and the mode of travelling, like
everything else, have undergone a
change of fashion"
The latter reasons, presume. assigned
for the extinction of this breed are prob
ably the nearest to the truth; for one
would imagine, how great socver the
Spanish demand, and however large the
prices the agent might be willing to pay,
there would be some persons of sufficient
foresight to retain animals enough TO
support breed, which must naturally
have become the more valuable the great
err the demand for it.
The fact seems to be that, up to the be-
ginning of the present century IN this
country, much Is it was half century
yet farther back in England, the roads
were 50 bad As to be, except in the fines
weather, wholly impractcable for wheel .
ed carriages ;and that, except on the great
turnpike roads and in the immediate vein
ity of large cities, private pleasure vehic-
les were almost unknown. All long Jour
ncys, at that time, with few exceptions,
and all excursions for pleasure, for ordi-
/ /. 4
ation to the post town ON market days.
and all visiting between friends and neigh
bors, were performed by both sexes
on the saddle.
At that time there was, therefore, II
demand, not as IL matter of pleasure or
display, but as an actual necessity, for
speedy and above all, for pleasant and
ea>y-going saddle horses-Sincc to ride a
bone-sctting trotter a journey of success
i've days over the country as it then
was would have been Il veritable pcine
forte Il lure. No horse, kept constantly
at harness work, particularly at farming
work, can possibly be an agreeable, if ev-
en- Il safe, saddle horse to ride. For the
use of hanging on the collar accession
, the horse to depend on it as if for sup
port. although in truth it can afford none
and when ne cannot feel it, he is sure to
bear heavily on the hand, and is likely. if
not dclcatciy handled, to come upon his
head.
Hence persons who are particular-not
to say fanciful-about their saddle hors-
es never allow them to look through "a
collar: and as, when the possession of an
easy-goiug saddle horse was IA matter of
"a much consideration as that of an easy
fitting shoe, every one was as particular
about his riding horse; PAGERS, whenever
, they could be found, were more than Il
luxury, and almost Il necessity to mel
| and women who were used to be much
: in the saddle.
, The expense of this was, of course
t considerable, since the PAGER was useleS,
2 for any other purpose. So soon, there
fore, rs the roads improved in proportion
: to the Improvement of the country and thu
, general increase of population. wheeled
: the draft horse supplanted the saddle
horse. AZ the same time, As property be
= came subdivded among many heirs, tn,
e fortunes Of the country gentlemen dim
t inished, and, in process of time, country
f gentlemen resident on their own estates
. in afllucnce approaching to luxury, ceas
= ed to be.
e 1t was soon found that, whereas on,
= could not have tolerable saddle horse
/ if he were allowed to work in the pillow
= or the team, the same labor in no degre,
5 detracted from the chaise or carriag,
5 horse.
!. Hence the PAGER was superseded by
f the trotter; and the riding horse, frou
o being an article of necessity, becam,
r one of exclusive luxury; to such de
t gree. that, until comparatively yer!
j. recent period, when ladies again began
!. to take up riding, there have been very
: few distinctively broken riding horses
4 and still fewer kept exclusively as such
: in the Northern States of America.
e Probably there never was country
i in the world, in which there was sucl
5 IA large numerical proportion of horses t
). the population, and in which the habit
1 of the people are so little equestrian a
= the States to the east and north of Ma
/, son and Dixon's line.
In days journey through any of the
e rural districts one will meet, beyond ;
e doubt, "A hundred persons travelling il
e light wagons, sukies or chaises for five -
| | hardly think should err, if were tC
e say for one-on horseback.
a And this unquestionably is the cause
G of the decline. or rather the extinction
1 of the PAGER.
e For, although there have been, since
e my own recollection, pacing horses il
. this section of the country, professedly