228 THE TROTTING-HORSE OF AMERICA. 



7s. It had, however, been surpassed under saddle by Suf- 

 folk herself. Two days afterwards, Suffolk and Rifle per- 

 formed a feat which long stood on the books as the best of 

 its kind. They went in double harness against Hardware 

 and Apology, two-mile heats. Hardware was a big, tall, 

 bay horse, with a short switch tail. Apology, when he 

 came to me in 1835, was one of the handsomest horses I 

 ever saw. 



In those days it was the fashion to have horses pricked 

 and docked ; and so he was deprived of the long tail that then 

 adorned him. It was a foolish fashion. The long tails of 

 the present day not only make the horses look stylish, but 

 are of great service in the heats of summer when flies 

 abound, and, do what you will, cannot be kept off the sides 

 and flanks of our animals, except by the switching and 

 lashing of their own tails. Still, I am not in favor of hav- 

 ing them trail the ground, like the trains of ladies in their 

 full dresses ; for then they are an inconvenience and unne- 

 cessary bother to the trotter and his driver. There is a 

 moderation in the matter which should be followed. Some 

 people now-a-days seem only to look for a tail, '- a long, 

 big, luxuriant tail. If they find that, they seem altogether 

 careless as to what sort of a horse is before it. Now, I 

 advise buyers and breeders to look the horse over first, and, 

 if they find him suitable, take him, no matter about the 

 tail. Old Abdallah, rough, raw-boned and uncouth to look 

 at, but a king among horses, had nothing but a rat-tail. 



Now, to come back to the double-harness trot at Hunting- 

 park Course, from which I have been thus led away : Suf- 

 folk and Rifle distanced Hardware and Apology the first 

 heat in 5m. 19s. It was justly considered a very great per- 

 formance ; and, though we have seen Mr. Bonner drive 

 Palmer and the Flatbush Maid two miles in his road-wagon 

 in 5m. ls., we must remember that twenty-four years ago, 

 when Lady Suffolk and Rifle did their feat, driving in 

 double harness was not much followed, and they had next 



