21 



Stamina and Longevity. In modern times the Hackney has become 

 prominent chiefly through his showy action and his unrivalled value 

 as a high-class carriage horse, but in times gone by he was 

 essentially a trotter famous for his feats of endurance and his 

 ability to carry weight in good style at a fast pace. Taking some 

 of the stallions already referred to : Driver (187) is said to have 

 trotted 17 miles in an hour, while .one of his daughters the great- 

 granddam of Prickwillow (624) trotted 15 miles within one hour 

 carrying 15 stone. Wroot's Pretender when five years old 

 is said to have covered 16 miles in an hour with 16 stone on his 

 back. West's Driver (188) is credited with 17| miles in an hour 

 carrying 15 stone, while the Norfolk Cob (475), whom his admirers 

 described as " completely master of 20 stone," covered two miles in 

 5 minutes 4 seconds. Marshland Shales, one of the most famous of 

 all trotting horses, trotted 17 miles in 58 minutes carrying 12 stone. 

 Norfolk Phenomenon (522) was trotting in matches when he was 

 nearly 30 years old. Instances of noteworthy performances could be 

 multiplied almost indefinitely, but those mentioned are sufficient to 

 show that the old trotters could show exceptional records at a fair 

 collected trot. The longevity and wearing powers of the breed are 

 well known and many cases of both modern and bygone horses could 

 be mentioned in support, e.g.^ Gentleman John (3624) whose dam 

 was 33 when she died was honoured at the London Show of 1911 

 when he was 21 years old. Rosador (4964) was champion (for the 

 third time) at the same show when 15 years of age. With changing 

 demands the Hackney, like other breeds, has been modified to meet 

 modern requirements. The modern requirement is not for a horse 

 to travel long distance?, or at a high speed but for a showy, elegant 

 animal with high action. 



Characteristics of the Modern Hackney. The height as a rule is 

 from 15 to 15*2 hands but Hackneys are found up to 16'2 

 or 16*3 hands, occasionally even more. The general appear- 

 ance shows compactness and strength. The head should be neat 

 and well formed, with a bright intelligent eye and a pair of 

 well set-up, alert-looking ears ; it should be easily and gracefully 

 coupled to a long neck, clean and well-defined at the throat and 

 terminating (without any signs of weighting or lumpiness at the 

 sides), in a pair of lean, deep and sloping shoulders. The junction 

 of the neck and shoulders should be clearly marked, the shoulder 

 points well defined and the withers fairly prominent but not 

 too narrow. The back must be strong, the loins firm, the 

 croup of good length, straight, and surmounted by a highly 

 carried tail a drooping croup and a low set tail are most 

 objectionable. The ribs should be deep, round and well sprung; the 

 quarters deep and shapely. The forearms and thighs should be well 

 clothed with muscle ; the knees and hocks flat and large ; the cannons 

 short with plenty of hard flat bone ; the pasterns nicely sloped and 

 ending in a set of strong hard-wearing hoofs. From a front view 

 the Hackney should be a big, boldly set-up horse having a firm grip 

 of the ground ; well rounded in the ribs and strong and deep through 

 the shoulders and breast, without being too wide between the fore- 

 legs. Excessive width there is apt to cause the horse to go wide, 

 or in a rolling manner, though on the other hand a narrow chest 



