8 ORANGE COUNTY 



While the breeding of miming horses has been in 

 vogue for years, and their contests upon the turf is a 

 time-honored and ancient amusement, the first stallion 

 that we ever saw advertised as possessing trotting qual- 

 ities was Imported Bellfounder, in the year 1832. He 

 was a bright bay, with black main, tail, and legs, 

 standing fifteen hands high ; and his superior blood, 

 symmetry of form, and action, excelled all other stal- 

 lions. He was allowed, by the best judges in Norfolk, 

 England, to be the fastest and best-bred stallion ever 

 sent out of that country. No doubt he was, for, as a 

 proof, he stayed here only one year, and was then 

 taken back. Bellfounder made the season at Wash- 

 in gtonville, with full pedigree given, at twenty-five 

 dollars to insure a mare in foal. And here, well may 

 we mention, that forty years ago, twenty-five dollars 

 made the farmers of Orange County open their eyes, 

 for at that time, it is a fact well known, that the price 

 of service was looked at, not pedigree. 



Bellfounder at that time was said to have trotted 

 seventeen miles in an hour. Notwithstanding what 



