THE SADDLE BREEDS OF HORSES 123 



of the Thoroughbred. One source of importation was 

 Canada. There they had raised a hardy little horse, said 

 to be a cross of the French importations, generally with 

 such stallions as could be secured from New York and 

 New England. Incidentally, these stallions were most 

 often of German and Netherland breeding. The Cana- 

 dians had given much attention to the development of the 

 pace or amble. Many of these Canadian horses drifted 

 down into what were then the horse-breeding colonies. 

 They had something of the gait and stamina required, but 

 lacked in both beauty and courage. Some of these Cana- 

 dian mares were crossed with available Thoroughbred 

 stallions to produce a saddle horse, with most satisfactory 

 results, certain lines of Thoroughbred blood giving the 

 best product. The most satisfactory lines of the Thor- 

 oughbred blood were selected, and all others rejected. 



Most of the horses brought to Kentucky by the early 

 settlers were these " saddlers," and many of them the best 

 that had been produced in the older states. The natural 

 character of the Kentucky country led to the concentration 

 of the best of these new saddle horses within her borders. 

 The importance that attached to the efforts of the saddle- 

 horse breeders in Kentucky led to the name " Kentucky 

 saddle horse " being applied to these horses. 



Imp. Hedgeford was a brown colt, foaled in England in 

 1825 by Filho-de-Puta, out of Miss Craigie by Orville. He 

 was bred by a Mr. Mylton, imported in 1832 by William 

 Jackson of New York, and taken to Kentucky, where he 

 died in 1840. Among his get was the great Denmark, 

 which was foaled in 1839, out of Betsey Harrison by Aratus, 

 and bred by Samuel Davenport of Kentucky. He was 

 a game and consistent four-mile race horse, but not re- 

 markable for his speed. Denmark was bred to the Steven- 



