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THE HACKNEY PONY. 



The Hackney Pony is frequently described as a small Hackney, 

 but this description is incorrect. It has, it is true, the typical 

 action of the larger breed in its most brilliant and perfect form, but 

 the true Hackney Pony is also essentially a pony with pronounced 

 "pony character" or "pony type." This peculiar and almost 

 indefinable attribute is easily discerned in almost every movement 

 and point, but is perhaps most noticeable in the head (particularly 

 about the ears, eye and muzzle), the neck and limbs, and in the 

 action. 



The most famous family, if not practically the race as it is known 

 to-day, was founded by Mr. C. Wilson, of Rigmaden Park, 

 Westmorland, and began with a brown pony stallion, Sir George 

 (778). This pony was a son of a 15'2 hands Hackney horse, 

 Sportsman (796) ; no one appears to know exactly what his dam 

 was, but by judicious in-breeding of his stock, aided by matings 

 with animals of the blood of the famous Norfolk Hackney, 

 Confidence (158), a tribe of high-stepping and high quality ponies 

 was established. 



The Hackney Pony, to be enabled to compete in pony classes, 

 must not exceed 14 hands high, although some good breeding 

 animals just exceed this limit. Like the larger breed, the pony is 

 found in all colours, but the prevailing ones are bays and browns, 

 and with these colours black legs and slight tan markings round the 

 muzzles are favoured as being rather characteristic and often seen 

 in the best specimens. Chestnuts are also common. 



THE CLEVELAND BAY. 



The Cleveland Bay is the oldest type of the large-size carriage 

 horse, and has existed probably without much variation in the 

 North and East Hidings of Yorkshire for more than 200 years. 

 Hayes traces its origin to Yorkshire cart mares, descended from the 

 old English Black Horse or War Horse, and from a Barb stallion, 

 which latter introduced the universal bay colour, and the dark 

 dorsal stripe very often found. The evidence is not very exact but 

 it is almost certain that Thoroughbred blood was introduced about 

 the middle of the 18th century through a horse called Old Traveller, 

 believed to be a Thoroughbred that travelled in the Yarm district. 



Points oj the Cleveland Bay. The points are briefly detailed in 

 the Cleveland Stud Book, the first volume of which appeared in 

 1884, as follows : *' From 16 hands 1 inch to 16 hands 2 inches in 

 height, he should be possessed of good, sloping shoulders, a short 

 back, powerful loins, and long quarters. His head is rather plain 

 than otherwise, and on the large side, but it is well carried, and his 

 general appearance denotes activity and strength combined in a 

 manner not seen in any other breed. His action is not remarkably 

 high ; but it is the kind of action for getting over the ground. In 

 colour he is bay either light or dark with black legs, clear of 

 hair ; and black zebra-like stripes on the arm and above the hock 

 are sometimes seen. These are known as the " black points " and 

 are supposed to denote special purity of breeding. White, save a 



