98 The Horse-hreeding Jndustry in YorfcsJiire. 



Ramsdale's Pretender (Wroof s), through a mare called Poll I, 

 which he got from an old-time breeder at Shipton in the Market 

 Weigliton district, Robert Smith by name. This mare was the 

 granddam of the noted Poll III, Mr. Henry Moore's principal 

 foundation mare which bred some of the leading Hackneys of 

 their day, including Moore's Conjidetice, foaled in 1880, 

 Ccindidate, Ca.i'ion, and Empress, the two former sired by 

 Denmark, and the last two both by Triffit's Fireaivay. Con- 

 fidence sired some good stock, and won many prizes for Mr. 

 Moore, eventually lieing sold for a big figure to the Italian 

 government. Candidate was bought by Mr. Burdett-Coutts, 

 and played a conspicuous role at the Brookfield stud, while 

 Sir Gilbert Greenall purchased Caxton for his Hackney stud 

 at Walton Hall, Warrington. Kmpress became a successful 

 brood-mare at Burn Butts. Probably the best stallion 

 Mr. Moore ever had was Rufus, foaled 1885, by Vigorous, 

 dam Lady Kitty, whom he bought from the well-known 

 Hackney breeders, Robert Peacock and Sons in Norfolk. 

 He twice won the Championship with him at the London 

 Hackney Show. Three thousand guineas was subsequently 

 bid for this horse, but Mr. Moore refused the offer, only to 

 lose him later on through some fatality when he was only 

 six years old. He had at the time of this stallion's death 

 over a hundred mares booked to him at a ten-guinea fee, 

 so experie iced a heavy loss in respect of stud fees alone. 

 Rufus was a very fine stamp of Hackney, combining substance 

 with quality, and quite in the front rank as a stallion at the 

 time. This early loss was a distinct calamity for the breed. He 

 sired some excellent stock in the course of his brief stud career, 

 amongst the best of his get being the noted Hedon Squire, of 

 whom more anon. Mr. Moore's stud continued to retain its 

 leading position until quite recentlj'. Like many another 

 breeder, he found foreign buyers to be among his best 

 customers, and sold a good many colts and stallions for export, 

 principally to the agents of the Italian, French, Austrian, and 

 other Continental Governments, while he was one of the first 

 to sell a Hackney stallion to go to Australia. 



Among other old breeders who were prominently associated 

 with Hackney-breeding in Yorkshire from the sixties or seven- 

 ties of last century onwards, may be mentioned Mr. J. P. 

 Crompton, who had a stud at Thornholm, two other brothers 

 of the Crompton family, and Mr. Thomas Reed, of Upton. The 

 fii'st named owned as one of his foundation mares the historic 

 Crompton's Hay Mare, one of the original mares entered in 

 the stud-book, by *SY. Giles (Rickell's). Of the various stallions 

 he bred, i)robaV)ly the most notable were Postill's St. Giles, 

 a son of Rickell's St. Giles, foaled in 1864, and who was 



