SOMETHING ABOUT THE HORSE.
761
THE STEEPLE-CHASE.
his reign they became national in
England. From this time only are the pedigrees of English horses at
all reliably authenticated. The Godolphin Arabian, the founder of the best
blood, appeared in the reign of George II. In the commencement of that of
George III. Eclipse was foaled, and not until that time was racing, as now
understood, really established.
The definition of thorough-bred
is difficult to give. In England it means a pedigree traced without flaw
through the best sources for eight generations, all ending with horses of
Eastern origin, the Byerly Turk, the Godolphin Arabians, and the
Darby Arabian. For want of attention to this matter, this can not always
be done in this country, though some of our most celebrated horses can be
traced back to a period long anterior to the Revolution. The Arab of the
desert, though he keeps no register to record the descent of his horse,
knows his precedents for five hundred years. With the Arab it is a proverb
“ That a horse of pure race has no vice.”
For more than a century the
breeding of the “thorough-bred,” and the amusements of the turf, have been
pursued in this country. As early as 1609 valuable stock was imported from
England into Virginia, which, together with the colony of Maryland, was
early famous for fine horses and spirited cavaliers. At the time of the
Revolution Washington, and many of his Southern compatriots, possessed
remarkably fine horses; yet it is a singular fact, that the
war-
steeds used by the “Father of his
Country” seemed to make no impression upon the chronicles of the
times that “tried men's souls.” Washington was the most perfect of
equestrians, and probably when mounted and at the head of his army,
presented the most imposing spectacle of a man ever seen. It is possible
that the steed, so prominently associated with other commanders, sunk
into insignificance when brought in contact with his personal
presence.
Careful investigation clearly
shows that horses do not degenerate in America compared with the best
produced abroad. What our turfmen gain by “lighter weights” is more than
counterbalanced by the elastic turf and straighter shape of the
English race-course when compared with our circular tracks, generally not
carefully wrought, and always wholly denuded of turf. Our trotters are the
best in the world, as well as the most enduring, and when tried upon
English ground, have always maintained their superiority. No
horse but an American one ever trotted in harness twenty miles within the
hour. The contest between the race-horses of the two countries is yet to
come off; when that exciting event takes place, we have no doubt but that
the result will be in our favor.*
* Flying Childers's time, of
which there is some doubt, has been beaten by Lexington. Childers ran a
furlong in 141/3 seconds. Lexington ran a furlong in
131/2 seconds, running four miles in 7 minutes
193/4 seconds. The often quoted exploit of England's
Eclipse was, that he ran four miles in 8 minutes.