The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1900-06-26
What of the Hackney?

To THE BREEDERS GAZETTE
Your complete aud highly interesting
report of the recent Philadelphia
Horse Show In last weeks issue ought
to convey q salutirv lesson to breed
ers OF heavy harness or carriage hor-
ses. And that lesson simply is that
of all breeds of light horses-Edrope-
an and American-the Hackney not
only still leads as sire tut stands
| to-day head and shoulders 10 advance
of all others in the production of
high class show horses. THE GA
zETTE in critically reporting the vsri-
Gus horse shows, both East and West
in recent years, has very properly and
persistenuy empha, Il ID The necessity
of more subt lance and truer all
around action in our heavy harness
horses and has frequently recommend
ed and demonstrated the wisdom Of
using Hackney sires to that end.
Probably nine-tenths of THE GAZETTE
leaders have never had the privilege
of seeing a high class horse show and
without THE GAZETTE's teachings
would be at loss to comprehend just
what constitutes a show animal. Let
such read or re-read last weeks re-
poit on the "Horses at Wissahickon"
and they will find in forceful but not
exaggerated language a most excel
lent description Of the class OF horses
that is actively in demand at high
prices and which our intelligent far
nIers should try to produce according
as they have opportunity.
But lest it be supposed that The
GAZETTE 5 report is in any respect BIZ
ased, which it certainly IS not, l
quote from another journal;
mot only did the Hsckneys COM
pete and display grand form in their
respective depal tments, which were
interesting, picturesque and int uct-
i've, but they likewise entered into
open competition against every conner
and pranced out with the flying COL
ors of victory. A hslf-breed Hack
ney for example won the champion
ship over all the larger harness hor-
ses exhibited throus bout the show,
and not only did he thus cover him.
self and his owners with glory, but
he set the standard of type and action
80 high that it will be long while
before his righteous dethronement
can be proclaimed. Ia another open
harness class three out of the four rib
hons were attached to the brides OF
horses with the Hackney pedigree be.
hind them. And in this instance at
ia the other ii was not case of nc
other entries, but battle royal a.
mong the finest animals ever brought
together IN show ring. Surprising
rs these statements must appear to
many of our readers and astonishing
as they were to the beholders of the
demonstrated fact, they are neverthe'
less incontrovertible."
Now am sometimes asked this
question: Why do so many OF our
horse buyers and dealers disparage
the Hackney horse For exactly the
same reason that cats do not subsisl
on fresh butter-becsuse they can not
easily get it. Grade Hackneys are
still scarce, and buyers have to pay
substantial prices for them, while
pure-bred animals are virtually out
of their reach. Those dealers there
fore naturally crack up" the kind
they have and can easily replenish
their stocks with, and these are usu-
ally dock tailed trotters or imitation
HsCkneys. ..-s. .-...-
Many Of these dealers assert that
the Hackney is lacking in speed, bu
no one familiar with the breed will
ever make such groundless ssser-
ton. At Philadelphia the Hack neys
won almost invariably in the open
harness classes, both large and small
sizes, whether for park use or road
work and that with bench Of judi
yes the msjority OF whom prefer he
rotling horse. Such victory tor
the Hackney is almost without prece-
dent, and is all the more noteworthy
because it was won against very hea-
Wy odds.
Allen GALBRAITH,
Rock Co., Wis.
The champion harness horse at the
Philadelphia Show was hslf-breG