THE HACKNEY. 215 



stags, but they were a home product and the 

 invasion of the Hackney was resented in such 

 a partisan spirit that he could not or at least 

 did not get half what was coming to him, if that. 

 Even with the importation of very high-class 

 horses and mares — London Hackney Show and 

 Royal champions — ^^the Hackney labored under 

 the stern refusal of the judges to take him 

 seriously. Some show yard decisions rendered 

 about that time must lie very heavy on the con- 

 sciences of the men who rendered them, espe- 

 cially in the light of these later days. 



Still the Hackney men stuck to their guns. 

 The theater of importation was removed large- 

 ly from the West to the East and by sheer force 

 of inherent merit the Hackney began to force 

 recognition. Times mended and men began to 

 grow richer. Simultaneously the supply of old 

 stags of trotting breed began to die out. Im- 

 portations of hig'h-class performers, perfectly 

 mannered and gifted with superb action and 

 conformation were made, and the Hackney set 

 out on the triumphal march which has since 

 culminated in his victory in almost all of the 

 important challenge prizes at all of the great 

 shows. There is no gainsaying that the Hack- 

 ney has fully come into his own as the recog- 

 nized park horse in the United States as well 

 as England. Extensive importations of the 

 breed are made annually, not so much for breed- 

 ing purposes as for showing in harness and in 



