28 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



from gumminess or swelling even in his old age. It is 

 hardly necessary to add that his tail was set low and 

 carried low, for there was nothing ornamental about 

 Rysdyck's Hambletonian. His hind quarters were 

 very powerful, and he had great length from hip to 

 hock. The rump was rather round than sloping. 

 Altogether he presented the appearance of a service- 

 able, practical beast, fit, when well warmed up, to trot 

 for a man's life, as the phrase is, but neither beautiful 

 nor lively. In color he took after the Bellfounder 

 strain, being a rich, deep bay with black points, and 

 this color was transmitted to his descendants with 

 singular uniformity. 1 



The Hambletonians, indeed, have a marked family 

 resemblance. They are almost always big bay horses, 

 with large ears, drooping tails, a long, wide gait, and 

 a sleepy disposition. Thus it appears that they are 

 ill adapted for roadster purposes, whether in form, in 

 action, or in character ; and the predominance of the 

 family is, on the whole, to be regretted. It has in- 

 creased the speed, but lessened the beauty and dulled 

 the spirit of our average harness horse. Hambleto- 

 nian himself had no record, but he was undoubtedly 

 fast. His chief points of excellence were his long 

 trotting gait, his muscular development, the fine qual- 

 ity of his bones and sinews. It is estimated that he 

 sired about 1,340 foals, and of these only forty made 

 records of 2.30 or better. Hambletonian's reputation is 



1 The following measurements of Hambletonian may interest 

 certain of my readers. He stood 15.1 at the withers, and 15.3 at 

 the rump. His knee was 13| inches in circumference, his hock 17^ 

 inches. From the centre of the hip-joint to the point of the hock 

 he measured 41 inches ; from the point of the stifle to the point of 

 the hock, the length of his thigh was 24 inches. 



