The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-06-20
TALK HORSE
OR NOTHING
Home of Thoroughbreds In
Fauquier and LOudoun.
EVERY ONE CAN RIDE
Small Boys Just Out of kits Are Met
Managing Spirited Animals With
Ease-Hunters and Jumpers.
Have Right Sor. of Bone.
EVERY ONE CAN RIDE


Especial from Staff Correspondent)
UPPERvILLE, FAUQUIER CO.. VA.
June 10.-One can hear more horse talk"
in Fauquler county than in any other sec
ton OF Virginia. II not in the United
States, Kentucky not excepted. Upper
willie, little town Of three hundred peo-
pie, is tho 'horsicst' place in Fauquier.
The horse Is the engrossing topic at all
seasons Where two or three citizens OF
Upperville are gathered together the horse
is as certain to be the theme OF discus
sion as Is politics when a half-dozen cit
zns Of Norfolk county meet in Richmond
about the time the Legislature Is choos-
ing electoral boards. Boys begin riding
before they discard kits. and ono meets
in the roads hereabouts at all seasons
little fellows on spirited horses, man
aging them as easily and as we'll as men
would do in sections where riding Is not
so nearly universal accomplishment
Turner Ashby, ono OF tho greatest cav
alrymcn Of modern times. was born at
Markham. about ten miles southwest OF
Upperville An old gentleman Of this sec
ton, who remembers General Ashby we'll.
said to-day that he was always distin-
gushed as a fine rider, but that In the
community at that time were many young
men who were about as expert IN horse
back exercises. lie recalled how Ashby
used to attend every militia muster, and
how his feats used to excite the applause
OF his assembled neighbours. Frequently
he would drop his handkerchief to the
ground, and then, galloping by at full
speed, would lean over and pick 1t up
with as much ease as he would have re-
turned lady's handkerchief In his par
lor at his old homo at Markham. Ashby,
by the way, is still very common fam
lily name In the neighborhood though the
IA miy does not now own the old home at
Markham.
N1osby's horsemen were largely Eau
quier men. The headquarters OF tho eel
ebrated command were hero in Upperville.
and thousand stories OF them are re-
lated by the inhabitants OF the town.
Colonel Mosbys headquarters were IN
house still standing on Main Street. a
few nights ago an old gentleman had just
finished telling me Of Colonel Mosby's
marrow escape from capture by Federal
command, which appeared In the street
efore he had had time to leave his quar-
tiers. He made his escape by running
out at the back of the building and get
ting on his horse and galloping away.
The story had hardly been finished when
there was a crash Of music and the mar
tial strains of Dixie danced on the night
air. It was tho Purcellville Band, which
furnished the music at the horse show,
ana was 6eEcilaullS tHe " ITO
town. The band was paraded In front OF
Mosby's old headquarters. The present
seemed to blend most oddly with the past
| and, with the aid OF Dixie. 1t was not
hard to picture the scene the old man
had been describing. Mosby's is name
to conjure with In Fauquier.
7 started to talk horses. but am being
ra pidly led away. Everybody raises horses
In Fauquler. A few raise nothing else,
and are distinctively breeders. but neaf'
Nv every farmer, besides raising cattle,
also has one or two standard ored horses 's
on hand all the time. Sometimes he
"handles' them himself, and when he has
Thoroughly trained his animal sells him
at big profit. Oftener he has his horse
trained by a professional trainer. ana
then. of course. the profit is not SO large.
Mr.. w. n Assheton. ono of the best
known breeders In Fauquier county, toto
me that he believed the counties OF
Fa.uouier and Loudoun were better adapt
ed to raising thoroughbred horses than
any other section of this country.
"This portion Of Virginia has been de-
monstrated to BIO much better suited to
horse raising than kentucky" he said
"The grass grown hero seems to nave
In 1t the quality which makes the pest
bone. The kentucky soil makes chalky
hone. and animals bred there, as rule,
are inferior " y - 6.A''I ~ ~ '''''~ -
this respect"
Mr. Assheton is OF the opinion that
horsemen everywhere will eventually re-.
| cognize this, and that Virginia VIII again
be the first State In the Union for fine
| and fast horses.
Colonel r, II. Dulaney. whose nne farm
! is near here, has probably done more than
| any other one man to improve the breed
| OF horses In Fauquer. He and several
other gentlemen are responsible for the
| introduction OF the celebrated Morgan
| blood In Virginia. Before the war they
| brought to Virginia from Vermont fine
| stallion OF this blood and his posterity
became scattered all over Virginia. Nor
| gan blood came to be syninym TOT
| aristocracy In the equine world, and
| traces of 1t yet distinguish horses for
sneed, and. especially for endurance.
| Hon. Henry Fairfax, who resides at
Aldie, In Loudoun county, makes spe'
ciayty of hackneys. His stables have be-
| come celebrated and his horses arc al.
| ways In great demand. But hunters ana
park saddlers are the horses chiefly ralseo
| in Fauuuier. 1t Is said that there Is mani
| fest now a decided tendency to return
| TO horse breeding more generally. a
| number of persons have recently gone
| into the business, and farmers who
| have heretofore grown cattle and
| grain almost exclusively are now raising
horses also There is n constant demand
for Fauquler horses at the north, There
are more hunt clubs OF recent years than
| ever before. and to have hunt clubs
hunters are necessity, The Virginia bred
anlmala stand higher than those OF al
| most any other State,
| Some of the principal horse breeders Of
thls section arc Mr.. w. II. Assheton
near warrenton; Joe Seibert. at Llango'
| Ian, near here; r. B. Lawson. r. Hunter
Dulaney, II, NJ Luttrell whose farm Is
near Delaplane, whore he has many very
fine animals; Robert Nevill. who has
specially f1no thoroughbreds; Logan Glib
son, at Delaplane; Shippers and Sons
near Paris; George Fraslor and Sons, and
Henry FrasIer, who also raise fine cattle
on their Loudoun farm not far from here
| Turner Ross whose farm Is near Trap iE
| Loudoum county; Fl. b. Male, large
| dealer and exhibitor, near Leesburs
! Henry Harrison, near Leesburg; Rober'
/ II. Gray. who has number OF magnlH'
cent saddlers: Elijah White, whose farm
is not far from I1eesburg.