THE HORSE-HISTORY. 515 



The Trotting Ability Discovered. But, coming back 

 to the influence of Messenger blood on the mongrel stock of the 

 country, we note that the colts of Messenger were used for 

 running horses or the studs. Breeding trotters had not been 

 commenced. The value of Messenger blood in the trotter was 

 a discovery, and not the result of skillful planning. The thorough- 

 bred stock was imported for sporting purposes. 



The colonists north of Delaware Bay were religious people, 

 and thought horse-racing smacked of aristocracy and immorality, 

 and breeding race-horses was not encouraged among them so 

 much as south of Mason and Dixon line. Laws against horse- 

 racing became so stringent in the Eastern States that the lovers 

 of good horses found a new means of gratification in the develop- 

 ment of fleet roadsters. The fashion of wealthy men driving 

 a single fast trotter, became a powerful factor in stimulating the 

 development of trotters; smart business-men wanted smart busi- 

 ness-horses. The light hickory wheels of New England made a 

 light wagon for the road, and a means of pleasure with an active 

 horse of lively gait. The thorough-bred horses on the mongrel 

 stock of the time gave spirit and pluck and speed. The com- 

 mon horse stock of the country came from as many European 

 countries as did the mixed population. England, Holland, 

 France, and Spain furnished the major part. The influence of 

 the French or Norman blood we may note in the Canadian horse, 

 or Canucks. The horses from England were of the heavy draft, 

 in part, but mainly the thorough-bred. The Spanish blood gave 

 the handsome and stylish saddle-horses. But a people of com- 

 mon interests and no aristocracy soon commingled the bloods of 

 the several breeds of horses, and the result was the base for a 

 trotter, on which such grand horses as Messenger, in 1788 to 

 1808, Mambrino, still later, Hambletoniari and Abdallah, all 

 thorough-breds, made their impress. 



Description of great Sires. MAMBRINO. named after the 

 sire of Messenger, was a thorough-bred, a bright bay, sixteen 

 hands high, long-bodied, and like his sire, upright in shoulders. 

 He was not only large, but also a coarse horse, badly string- 

 halted, as have been many of his descendants. He had a free, 



