A BD ALL An. 159 



tion of Amazonia, his dam, it would explain in great degree, perhaps 

 ■wholly, where Abdallah obtained such a concentration of Messenger 

 roughness and high quality, surpassing, in the outward display of these 

 traits and his ability to impress the same on his offspring, all of 

 his ancestr}^ Her origin might shed light on his qualities, and in the 

 absence of such definite knowledge, we must in his qualities seek 

 for some light as to her origin. 



A close study of Abdallah must be the first point for consideration, 

 and I here present a descriptive account of him, by one of the ablest 

 writers of his own day; and from the dim light then shed upon the 

 real points of inquiry, we are led to estimate the accuracy and value 

 of most of the descriptive accounts we have of horses even in our own 

 day. While in Kentucky the following account appeared: 



The great characteristics of Abdallah are fresh in our memory, but as we 

 hope to see him again in the course of a few weeks we will only undertake to 

 say at present, that he is a rich mahogany bay, and measures about fifteen 

 hands three inches under the standard. He has a star, and very possibly one 

 white foot. He is presumed to be thoroughbred, but the pedigree of his dam 

 is lost. He was bred by the late John Tredwell, Esq., at Salisbury Place, 

 Long Island, and was got by Mambrino (a fine son of the renowned imported 

 Messenger — sire of Eclipse's dam and a host of good ones) out of Mr. Tred- 

 well's celebrated trotting mare Amazonia, by Messenger. He is probably now 

 in his teens. His action is superb ; in his three-year-old form Mr. Tredwell 

 considered him equal to a mile inside of three minutes, but as there were no 

 public purses offered at that time for trotting horses, Mr. T. resolved, in con- 

 sequence of his form and blood, to otfer his services to breeders ; consequently 

 his abilities have never been tested on the course ; in the stud, however, his 

 success has been most remarkable — equal to that of Medoc, Leviathan and 

 Priam, on the race-course. A great number of his get have been trained, and 

 on our trotting courses they nearly equal in number that of all the other sires 

 of trotting horses whatever. Abdallah's great excellence of form consists in 

 this, that he is " a pony built horse " of nearly sixteen hands high. Without 

 an ounce of superfluous flesh, his bone, muscle and strength are placed precisely 

 where each are wanted. Of course his loins are well arched and supported by 

 strong fillets; his quarters are broad and deep, his second thighs running 

 quite down into his gaskins ; his thigh and stifle unusually muscular, and his 

 limbs are broad and flat in an eminent degree, the tendons standing out in 

 bold relief; his hocks, like his knees, are very broad, and he stands clear and 

 e^en on feet of admirable form, jointed to oblique pasterns of the utmost 

 flexibility. His barrel is a model of beauty and strength, being of good 

 length and ribbed out strongly from the elbow to the stifle ; he is well let 

 down in the flank also, so as to present no indication of " tuck," or what is 

 sometimes termed "fiddle-flanked;" many horses that have wide hips — an 

 •excellent "point" in itself— present such an appearance; no man or horse can 

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