112 THE PERFECT HORSE. 



the bedding they stand on. Big-headed, big-legged, 

 but-ended things, they point the satire on human cre- 

 duUty that could be persuaded into breeding even a 

 third-rate mare to them. The fact is, the Hambletonian 

 family, great and worthy of patronage as it is, is 

 worthy of patronage only in the case of its finest repre- 

 sentatives. If Dexter had not been castrated, he would 

 have been about my idea of a stock-horse in every thing 

 but his temper ; and I am inclined to think that that was 

 naturally excellent : but Dexter is the result of that 

 one especial cross with a star-mare which Hambletonian 

 ^^hit" well with. A son of the old horse with a star- 

 mare, or indeed any thorough-bred mare, for its dam, is, 

 generally speaking, a good horse : but it is a notorious 

 fact that Old Hambletonian (Rysdyk's) does not cross 

 well with the average run of mares ; neither do his sons. 

 With the exercise of proper discrimination in respect to 

 the dam, this family of horses does well ; if not, not. 

 If this is true as regards the finest types of the flimily, 

 what must be the chance in reference to the coarser 

 specimens ? I reply. No chance at all ; and I look 

 upon it as most unfortunate for the country, and sure to 

 result in the disgrace of the family, — whose fame, prop- 

 erly guarded, migh], endure indefinitely, — that so many 

 of the third-rate colts of this horse's get are now being 

 advertised for the stud. With a great many people it 

 is enough that a horse is a son of Hambletonian ; failing 

 to make the distinction, that it is better to breed to the 

 most perfect specimen of a poor family than to the 



