Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-04-19
THE HACKNEY.

You feel that he thinks nothing of your
weight; his action prevents him from
tripping or tumbling, and as to coming
down with you, you do not believe he
could il he tried.
In all the great cities Of this country the
demand for horses suitable for gigs, phae-
tons, victorias. broughams and like car
riages, as well as for saddle horses for park
and road use, up to any weigh with man
ners, action, and good looks, has been
steadily increasing. This demand the
hackney has come to fill, and he viii be
welcomed by all who want such horses,
and who have experienced the difficulty, I
might almost say the impossibility, OF
procuring those OF the right sort.
Our breeders have neglected this stamp
OF horse. They have devoted themselves
to the thoroughbred end the trotter, and
while in some parts of the country coach
horses and heavy draught horses have
been raised in considerable numbers, no
attempt has, until recently, been made to
breed horses OF the hackney stamp. Those
of this class that are brought to market,
and occasionally excellent individual spec
linens can be picked up, have been chance
horses.
While in the earlier days hackney sires
may have been ,and probably were, brought
to America, the only notable instance that
we know of is that OF Bellfounder, who is
DtlleNcO TO nave nd0 0lucD 10 90 with tie
creation of the Morgan family. Old horse
men will remember the Morgans as pos
sessing many hackney characteristics and
must regret their almost entire extinction.
1t is only within the last ten years that
the hackney, as distinct breed, became
generally known in America. | believe the
horse, Little Wonder, imported in jan
uary, 1888, and exhibited at tine first show
of the National Horse Show Association
in New York, and Mr.. Prescott Lawrence's
grand mover, Fashion, imported one year
later, were the first hackneys that attract
ed public attention in the United States.
Since then the breed has rapidly grown in
public favor. In 1888 DIR. w. Seward Webb
brought over Brown Fashion and a splen-
did collection OF mares. Mr.. Fairfax con-
ferred a lasting benefit upon the hackney
interests of our country by the acquisition
of that good horse and most successful
sire, Matchless, now owned by DIR. Webb.
The great West has taken hand in the
work too, and during 1885, 1889 and 1880 we
find in the English Stud book records OF
Isl hackney stations sold in England for
exportation to the United States. The
great majority OF these went west of the
Ohio river.
In 1880 the American Hackney Horse So
cety was founded, having for its object
the estab.ishmentsndi improvement OF the
hackney breed in America and the publi-
cation Of a studbook. The first volume
is about to appear. 1t will contain the rec
ords OF so stations and 264 mares. This
alone will give an idea CT what has been
done in very few years towards intro
ducing ths breed. But the influence u
The hackney sire will not be confined 10
the narrow limits of the studbook. IN
the improvement OF the breed generally,
and in the production of useful general
purpose horses by crossing On native
mares, believe that he will prove himself
TO be the equal of the thoroughbred, and
superior to the trotter. Those who saw
the hackneys at the last New York Horse
Show must have been struck not only by
their uniformity of type, but by the re-
manner in which hackney sires
their characteristics upon theic off
spring from mares of OF her breeds.
As have said before, the hackney comes
to supply long felt want. There can be
no rivalry between him and the trotter;
they each have their separate and we'll
defined places, and where rivalry should
not exist, jealousy and aDtagonism are to
be strongly deprecated. A J. Cassctt in
Harpers Weekly.