The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-04-22
IMPROVEMENT OF CARRIAGE
HORSES.

fHteen or twenty years ago the
following, without exaggeration, would
have been tolerably accurate descrip-
of the average American carriage
horse: long, leggy, narrow chested
animal 10 or II hands high, with flow
ing mane and tail, neck set almost
perpcndicuiarly on the body, and kept
so by the tightest OF bearing g-reins
long back, generally reached, a badly
ribbed up body, light wasted and
tucked up nine times cut of ten goose
rumped quarters; straight, slovenly
action speed, about six miles an hour
and a lazy, sluggish disposition.
Who does not remember seeing dozens
of such pairs before the glass fronted
family coach or rockaway in New York
and elsewhere2
The accepted type of the carriage
or harness horse OF to day in this
country is certainly a very different
animal.
No better description of it, | think
can be found than the one contained
in Youau on the horse: An animal of
good height, deep chested, rising in
the wlthers, slanting in the shoulders,
with substance we'll placed, deep and
well proportioned body, fiat in the
legs, and sound, open, tough feet.
Add to this a fine and finely set on
head and neck, high we'll rounded knee
and hook action, with speed and
endurance, and we get, perhaps, a
somewhet ideal description.
But we have come at last to learn
that this is the type required and that
we are not so very far from it, is proved
by the class OF horses exhibited at the
recent New York Horse Shows, and by
comparison often quite favorable to
us, Of the horses and turnouts in
Central Park with those of Paris or
| London.
Jus! how we have been educated up
to the point of knowing that our old
type of coach and harness horse was
all wrong, and that what we now want
is an entirely different article, it is hard
to say. | am inclined 10 think that
the introduction Of public coaching in
New York had a good deal to do with
it, and, more recently, the annual shows
OF the National Horse Show Associ
alton.
The first public coach, the Tally no.,
was started in 1876 and ran daily from
New York to Pelham. For this coach
small, compact, we'll ribbed up horses,
with good substance and bone, were
purchased. Many of them came from
Maine, and though rather coarse, and
what we should to day call chunks and
blocks, they accomplished their work
so easily, and were evidently superior
for speed and endurance 10 the old
style of leggy, long backed animal that
they at once took with the public, and
when sold, at the end of the season
brought good prices.
Since then the public coaches have
been put on the road out of New York
during the seasons of 1877, 1850, 1881
1882, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1890, 1892
by Colonel Kane, Colonel Jay, Messrs
Fritsch, Bronson, Iselin, Rlves, Beach,
Taller, and others.
Each year has seen vast improve
ment IN the stamp of horses purchased
by these gentlemen and dispersed a
the auction sales at the conclusions o
of the season, the type OF horse no
only gaining in conformation, substanc'
and endurance over those first used II
public coach, but showing also
remarkable advance in quality, style
and action, the highest average eve
made at an auction sale of coach
horses being the last sale of the Tantiv
horses in 1890.
Perhaps it may be going too far tt
say that the success of the class O
horse used in the coaches was th
cause of the change in popular opinion
but certain 1t IS, that this change bega
shortly after the introduction of publ
coaching IN New York, and has steadil
! grown, up to the present time.
The dealers very soon discovere
the drift OF the public, and the Who'll
country is now ransacked and SECURE
for knee actors, and horses shown
substance, style, and quality.