St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-04-26
DIR. wEBBAND THE MoRGANHoRsE.

A correspondent OF the. American
Horse Breeder writing from Wey-
bridge tells how DR.. Webb is losing
his interest in the Hackney horse and
favoring the popular Morgan. The
writer says:
Probably the wealthiest breeder
of fine horses in New England is DIR.
Seward Webb OF Shelburne Farms,
Shelburne. Here the doctor has one
of the finest and best.equipped breed
ing esta blishments in the world.
For several years he has made
speciality of breeding the Hackney
horse, and has purchased in England
and imported to Shelburne Farms
the very best stations and mares that
money could buy. Here they and
their progeny have had the very best
care and training that it was posi-
Bile to give them.
The doctors exhibition of this
breed at the New York Horse Show,
where he has always taken his full
share of the blue ribbons in the va
rious classes, has probably been
more extensive than that of any
other single breeder, and when he
condescended to make an exhibition
at our Vermont State Horse Breed
ers' Meeting, Ye Gods how we small
breeders stood back and looked on
at all the gold and silver lace, etc.
but when the bell tapped for the ex-
hibition of speed, courage and endur-
ance which we all so much admire in
the horse, the doctors string was
conspicuous for its absence. The
horses were only shown to bride be-
fore the grand stand, with all their
gilt and high.colored trappings on,
and all will allow in that way they
made very attractive appearance.
For some time the doctor has been
in the habit of making coaching trips
from New York City to Shelburne
Farms, taking a number of horses
and leaving them along the route, in
relays of four, at about eight or 10
miles apart, and changing horses at
each Of these relay stations. This
was followed by train that took
the horses left either back to New
York or on to the Farms.
These trips are made with heavy
tally-ho drawn by four horses, while
inside are several portly gentlemen
of the New York 400" type. The
principal feature of these trips seems
to be quick time, as the horses al
ways come into town on the run un.
der the crack of the drivers whip,
who is usually DR.. Webb himself.
In looking at the horses used in
these trips lately we have noticed
that they bear much more striking re-
semblance to our native Morgans
than they do to imported Hackneys,
and we made up our mind that the
doctor was using more Morgan than
Hackney blood on these tours.
A short time ago there appeared
all over Rutland and Addison coun-
ties [ which counties, by the way, are
the first in the state in the produc-
ton Of hne-bred Morgans), large
posters stating that several gentle
men from New York, who wished to
make extensive coaching trips the
coming summer, would be at the va
rlous places for the purpose of buy.
ing horses suitable for that business.
The writer was at Middlebury
when the train, which proved to be
DR.. Webb's private car, with a pala-
tial car for the accommodation of
horses attached, arrived with the
gentlemen horse buyers, who were
none other than the doctor himself
and one other would-be purchaser,
also two veterinary surgeons and a
groom or two. | was interested to
know what class of horses the
wealthy breeder of Hackneys would
select, and was not surprised to find
that it was exactly our Morgan type
oftoday, closely made, blocky horses,
standing from 15.1 to 1873 hands
high, weighing from 1000 to 1850
pounds, with good action and at
tractive appearance, which traits our
Vermont Morgans are known to
possess equal at least to any other
breed.
This looks as ii the doctor, as well
as Others, was beginning to appreci-
ate what to our mind is the best race
of horses in the world. In fact, il
has been reported that DR.. Webb has
remarked that hereafter he woulc
breed nothing but Morgans
Whether this report is true or not
cannot say, but assure all such
men of wealth that for the purpos,
for which the doctor uses his horse:
they can make no mistake in breed
ing or buying, with judgment, the al
wayS henutilul md ayar ,,sai,,l Mo-.