The New York herald., 1922-12-17
What Lou Strauss Said of For
est King at First Sight of
Harness Champion.
BY G. CHAPLIN.

Richard f. Carman's designation OF
horses ever seen at the National Horse
Show. as told in the SUNDAY HERALD
few weeks ago. calls to mind many other
successful high steppers that would run
a close race with him If vote were
taken among horsemen who saw them
all in the great days before motor cars.
Perhaps the most widely popular
champion in the long history of the show
at Madison Square Garden was Forest
King. an English hackney stag imported
about twenty years ago by Judge Will
lam II. Moore of New York at a cost
approximating $4,000. The brown geld
ing was then 10 years old. He had been
kept In the stud as stallion for several
years before being converted into
harness horse and had left some note
worthy winners and sires of winners In
England. His arrival here had been
kept very quiet, which enhanced the
sensation he created when his owner
drove him into the ring for the first time
at the Garden. Partisans OF the native
trotting bred champion Lord Brilliant.
then little past the meridian of his
brilliant career. had to admit they had
never seen such action and style as the
English horse displayed.
Go as High as wild Geese.
"He can go as high as wild geese
fly" was the picturesque comment OF
John F. Gibson after seiHg Forest KING
parade in the shafts of park gate gig
Lord Brilliant and all the old favorltes
went down before the newcomer. Little
Brilliant wanted but one more leg on
the original Waldorf rf-Astoria cup for gig
horses to own that coveted trophy out
right. but the English high stopper came
in and took It away from him and all
the rest. including f. d. Jordan s
famous mare Hildred. j. w. Harriman's
$4,000 stallion Nala and AIRED "
Vanderbilt's trotting bred champion,
Rustling silk.
The shock occasioned by horse the
copnoscente had never heard or coming
into the Garden and bowling over All
the best ones in America-and there
were giants in those days--gave rise TO
the rumor that Forest King was ringer
ond not an English horse at all. but one
that George Green of the Rossmore
Hotel had raised at his Forest View
stud at Katonah. n. Y. Several promi-
nent horsemen. one of them n judge at
the Horse Show. fully identified him as
Mr. Green's Forest King, and. curlously
enough. the registered description and
nedigree of that horse seemed to con-
firm the story that Judge Moore hao
been saddled with a second hand one.
But the wiseacres were all wrong, as IL
tourned out later. Both horses were OF
the same name and color. and almost
exactIv the same white marks. while
thew also had the same sire. and yet
tbev were two different horses, one
foaied in England and the other In the
limited States.
Prestige Failed To Save Him.
Though Judge Moores gelding hyp-
notived the Judges as we'll as the spec
,ators and most Of the horsemen, there
was n respectable minority OF irrecon-
cilables who could never set the seal OF
their approval on the English circus
horse" as they called him. Among
,henn was Louis Strauss. dean OF the
dealers in high stepping harness horses
and Judge second to none In the coun-
try 7 shall never forget his exclama-
tion NJ astonishment and disgust as ne
stood at the rail In the Garden and saw
Forest King for the first time. rms
was after the gelding had swept every
thing before him at one National Horse
SHOW and was at the very height OF his
fame. But his prestige could not save
him in the eyes OF Strauss.
"And iS that fOrest fNlHk ~ "SN'N
with seeming incredulity, as the un-
beaten champion was pointed out On
beIns assured that he was looking upon
The winner of the Waldorf-Astorin cup
he Instantly inquired do you know
where he beiongs?" and when drawn out
with. well. where do you think he be-
Iongs2" this recognized expert re-
ioined: ION one of Altman's delivery
wagons"
That was n terrific slam AZ the most
successful show horse in the country.
though not quite so severe as II would
seem, for Aitman's wagons In the days
when Frank w Darrin horsed them
with high stepping pairs from Gipson.s
sales stable and turned them out with
harness and appointments like those OF
prlvate carriages. were often drawn by
closely mated. richly colored, finely
formed. highly conditioned horses that
would have more than look In at some
Of the leading horse shows OF to-day
II was Forest Kings lack Of quality
that offended the eye OF the Broadway
dealer accustomed az IL was TO trot-
ting bred harness horses having almost
The fineness Of fiber Characteristic Of
fhe rscehorse or the Arab The English