RYSDYK'S "HAMBELTONIAN" 457 



had not a complete pedigree record. There was in this cir- 

 cumstance an opportunity afforded for the introduction of 

 trotting qualities and tendencies from the English Trotter of 

 the day, while at the same time the preponderating share of 

 blood was derived from the Thoroughbred connection. 



It is acknowledged by all the best authorities that great 

 uncertainty exists as to the ancestry of many of the founders 

 of the trotting breed, but well-authenticated instances of 

 the introduction of Norfolk Trotter blood nevertheless exist. 

 " Imported Bellfounder," the sire of the dam of Rysdyk's 

 " Hambeltonian," generally conceded to be " the greatest of 

 all American trotting progenitors," is believed to have been 

 of Norfolk blood. "Hambeltonian" was foaled in Orange 

 County, N.Y., in 1849, "and began his career as an obscure 

 cross-roads stud horse," standing at a fee of $35. He and 

 his dam were bought for $125 by Wm. M. Rysdyk, a farm 

 labourer, from his master, Jonas Seeloy, the old Bull's Head 

 cattle drover who hired him. As the horse's own record was 

 probably not more than 3.15, it was not till he was thirteen 

 years of age in 1 862 that he began to be noticed as a pro- 

 genitor of first-class trotters. His stud fee then jumped to 

 $75, $100, $300, and $500 in successive seasons. He 

 ultimately earned $288,000 at the stud. At twenty-five 

 years old he measured 15.0^ hands at the withers and 

 1 5.2 J at the croup. " He was a long horse, but all his fastest 

 progeny were short in the body." His get was extremely 

 irregular in size, and " unstable in conformation." Many of 

 the best trotters have been about this height 15 to 15.2 

 hands. 



The New York Herald recorded that " * Hambeltonian ' 

 died in 1876, having begotten about 1333 foals. Forty 

 of them gained trotting records of 2.30 or better ; one hundred 

 and fifty of his sons got 1478 trotters of standard speed, and 

 eighty of his daughters produced no trotters in the 2.30 list. 

 In the succeeding generations, the achievements of the 

 family are still more remarkable, and it is estimated that 

 nearly, if not quite, 15,000 of the 17,625 trotters in the 2.30 

 list are descended from the ' old hero of Chester,' through 

 either sire or dam, or both. Since * Dexter's ' day, every 

 trotter save one that has lowered the world's record has 

 carried the blood of * Hambeltonian.' The exception is 



