THE VERMONT CART-HOUSE 53 



country, we have no means of comparison beyond the time-test, which is 

 not a reliable one ; firstly, because we have no time-races here ; and, 

 secondly, because none of our long distances are run from end to end. 

 As far as I have had an opportunity of seeing, and with the single exception 

 of Charleston, all Mr. Ten Broeck's horses were extremely narrow, the 

 crack Umpire in particular being " like two deal boards nailed together," 

 as the " men of stable mind " say here. His hips were the narrowest I 

 ever saw in a horse supposed to be of first-class, and those of Prioress are 

 not much more developed. The celebrated horse, Lexington, who was out 

 of the same mare as Umpire, was also reported to have been very narrow 

 in the hips, so that probably this peculiarity runs throughout that strain of 

 blood, but whether derived from Alice Carneal or from Boston (who got 

 both Lexington and Lecompte, the latter the sire of Umpire) I cannot say. 

 Nevertheless, unless the time-test is utterly fallacious, both Lexington and 

 Lecompte must have been stout, for they have each done four miles, under 

 7 stone 2 Ibs., in 7 minutes 26 seconds, with a start similar to that 

 adopted in England. Lexington, with the same kind of start, performed 

 the same task in 7 minutes 23 J seconds, and with a running start against 

 time, in the extraordinarily short time of 7 minutes 19f seconds. The 

 American Journal, /Spirit of the Times, says (1893), "The success of 

 imported English sires within the past twenty years, beginning with 

 Lennington, has certainly impressed many breeders with a belief in their 

 superiority. Glenelg, Australian, Bullet, King Bon, The Ill-Used, Great 

 Tom, King Ernest, Bonnie Scotland, Rayon d'Or, Prince Charlie, Phaeton, 

 Eclipse, St. Blaise, etc., have well-nigh driven the native stallions into 

 exile. Virgil may be said to be the only stallion who was native bred on 

 both sides of his pedigree, and who has held his own against the imported 

 horses. Longfellow, Spendthrift, Enquirer, Eolus, King Alphonso, and 

 other successful native sires were the sons of imported horses. The English 

 mares have also succeeded in a great degree." This native testimony to 

 the superiority of the English horse for racing purposes must not be under- 

 stood to imply all-round points, for both American and Australian horses 

 are in some respects better (see Australian horses, p. 36). 



THE VERMONT CART-HORSE 



A DISTINCT BREED of draught-horses under this name is described by 

 Mr. Herbert as existing in Vermont and the adjacent country, though 

 now, he says, less marked than it was prior to the introduction of railroads. 

 I cannot, however, find any other authority for it, nor do I quite agree with 

 the above writer in thinking the breed, if he rightly describes it, as identical 

 with the Cleveland Bay. He says, " These are the very models of what 

 draught-horses should be ; combining immense power with great quickness, 

 a very respectable turn of speed, fin show, and good action. These animals 

 have almost invariably lofty crests, thin withers, and well-set-on heads ; 

 and although they are emphatically draught-horses, they have none of that 

 shagginess of mane, tail, and fetlocks which indicates a descent from the 

 black horse of Lincolnshire, and none of that peculiar curliness or waviness 

 which marks the existence of Canadian or Norman blood for many genera- 



