THE COXESTOGA HOESE. 179 



As the new States of the west became settled and cultivated, the western 

 farmers drove large numbers of horses and mules to the eastern part of Penn- 

 sylvania, a considerable portion of which were purchased by the farmers of 

 Lancaster county ; the former, as being better suited to the business of the 

 times, while the latter were well calculated for heavy draught and endurance of 

 labor, at less expense of feed and provender than the horses formerly used, 

 being less liable to disease, and capable of sustaining labor at a much greater 

 age, they have in a great measure superseded horses; and, at the present time, a 

 good western horse finds a readier market even on the banks of the Couestoga 

 than one that has been raised in the immediate vicinity. 



The construction of railroads, locomotives, steam engines, and telegraph 

 communications has infused a spirit of activity and energy into all business 

 circles. Numerous light vehicles are now daily used on our common roads in 

 the ordinary transaction of business, as well as for the purpose of travelling and 

 the interchange of friendly visits betwixt neighbors and relations ; and "Young 

 America" can no longer endure the slow, steady, but sure and regular gait of 

 the " Conestoga horse." A " two-forty" nag is more highly valued and seems 

 more in keeping Avith the rapidity with which business of all kinds is driven at 

 the present day. Notwithstanding, there are still a great many fine teams in 

 the Conestoga valley, and in despite of youthful opinions and modern innova- 

 tions, many of the old fashioned farmei'S cling to the use of the faithful horse 

 that has so long been the boast and the pride of Lancaster county ; and on 

 occasions of public demonstration, such as cattle shows, fairs, political conven- 

 tions, &c., these teams may be seen parading the streets of Lancaster city un- 

 der the merry jingle of their well-chimed bells, and champing their bits with 

 all the pride and fervor of days of yore. 



From the preceding considerations, I come to the conclusion that the Cones- 

 toga horse is not a distinct species or strain of that noble quadruped, but 

 belongs to a class that has attained a great degree of efficiency for a partic- 

 ular purpose ; and that the appellation by which this class is so widely known 

 denotes superior excellence in the class of di-aught horses, although the indi- 

 viduals composing it may have sprung from a crossing or mixture of various 

 breeds or families into which the horse family is at present divided. 



There is, however, one distinguishing characteristic in the history of this 

 animal that has been but slightly adverted to, which deserves, perhaps, a more 

 extended notice ; and that is the high condition in which the animal is usually 

 kept in the region of country from Avhich he derives his name and his fame. 



The farmers of the Conestoga valley, (which includes so large a portion of 

 the county of Lancaster as to be almost synonymous with it,) as a general 

 rule, are in the habit of feeding more grain to their horses and keeping them 

 in higher condition than those of any other section of country known to the 

 writer of this article. Indeed, the keeping of very fat horses has become a 

 passion with them. This passion, stimulated by pride, as is frequently the 

 case, has a tendency to deteriorate rather than improve the animal ; for being 

 encumbered with an unnatural load of flesh and fat, the horse becomes slug- 

 gish, unwieldy, and incapable of undergoing or enduring the same amount of 

 labor that he might otherwise do. This morbid condition of the system ren- 

 ders the animal more liable to disease, and in various ways detracts from his 

 merits and impairs his usefulness. 



But in this as in other things "passion rules the hour," and the individual 

 who neglects or refuses to keep his horses plump, sleek, and fat, is deemed 

 careless and thriftless, or exceedingly penurious, loses cast with his compeers, 

 and becomes an object of ridicule and contempt. I do not mean to intimate 

 that every fat horse is a Conestoga horse ; but I never knew that flattering 

 term to be applied to a lean, gaunt, half-starved-looking animal, whatever his 

 merits, good points, or other qualifications may have been ; and hence we fre- 



