The Horse-hreeding Industry in YorksJure. 99 



subsequently owned by Robert Postill, of Foston, near Driffield ; 

 and Dorrington, by Denrnm^k, foaled 1877, a horse on the big 

 side for that period, as he stood 15'3 hands high. The stud 

 was finally dispersed, some time after Mr. Crompton's death in 

 the middle eighties. 



A leading Hackney stud in the eighties and nineties was 

 that of the late Lord Londesborough, which he established at 

 his place near Market Weighton, largely upon a foundation of 

 Denmark blood, by using Danegelt, Candidate, and other sires 

 .of that breeding. He was above all a believer in action, and 

 ■did much to develop that feature in the breed. Among the 

 many good horses he bred were the well-known Polonius 

 and Mathias, two of the leading sires of the present era, 

 both out of his famous mare Ojjhelia, a very brilliant mover. 

 The breeder of this great mare, which ranks as one of the best 

 females, either in the show-ring or at the stud, in modern 

 Hackney history, was Mr. William Deighton, of North Duffield, 

 Selby. She was either by Denmark or Danegelt, her dam 

 being Jenny Bother 'em, and is still alive, but close on thirty 

 years old. Another notable mare of Lord Londesborough's was 

 Meg Merrilies (hy Wildfire) which he bred himself. Polonius 

 was got by Wildfire (Wreghitt's), a horse of extravagant action, 

 and a prominent stallion in Yorkshire some twenty years ago. 

 This latter horse was sold to go to America in 1895. Mathias, 

 now standing in Scotland, is by a horse called Grand Fashion, 

 one of Lord Derby the Second's get. On the death of Lord 

 Londesborough in 1898, a memorable sale of his stud took 

 place, but the stud farm was subsequently taken over by 

 Mr. Robert Whitworth, who is one of the biggest breeders of 

 the present day, and now owns Poloniiis. This notable stallion, 

 who has been such a successful sire of prize-winning Hackneys 

 and show harness horses, was originally bought by Mr. Burdett- 

 Coutts at Lord Londesborough's sale for something like (jOOZ., 

 and stood at the Brookfield stud for some years. After that he 

 returned to his native home, having been bought back by 

 Mr. Whitworth for a couple of thousand pounds, and he has, to 

 use the latter's own words, been the best investment he ever 

 made. Polonius shows most typical Hackney character, and is 

 a very compact and shapely horse, with a good shoulder and 

 deep through the heart. He is on the small side, standing 

 some 15 hands, and is of a chestnut colour. The* underlying 

 feature of his success as a stud horse has been his remarkable 

 capacity for imparting action to his stock. Another very suc- 

 cessful sire at the Londesborough stud is Beckingham Squire, 

 a son of Polonius, and bred by Mr. Burdett-Coutts. While he 

 does not himself care much about showing, Mr. Whitworth, 

 who generally has from 1^0 to 150 horses at his stud, is the 



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