MESSENGER DUKOC. 423 



and in July, 1835, he went to Kentucky, where he died, but at what date I do 

 not know. 



He was a very dark chestnut, legs, mane and tail the exact color of his body, 

 — looked almost brown. He was large and powerful, a wonderful trotter 

 untrained. I have driven him in a cutter 5l£ miles in 23 minutes, with two 

 in the cutter. His get also trotted. He had been foundered, and his feet were 

 badly contracted and needed great nursing, but if nursed he was all right. 

 He was the best saddle-horse I ever backed — and in 1830 and in 1831, I often 

 Tode him in a gallop 20 to 40 miles a day, and have driven him in a cutter 

 from Batavia to Buffalo, 39 1^ miles, in three hours and twelve minutes. His 

 get were apt to have bad feet, if they took his or a brown color — bays and 

 •other colors would escape. The bad feet in the get would come on at four or 

 five years old if it took the form of contraction — but if they were born with 

 it, the feet were rather large and soft shelled and flat, and they were always ten- 

 der in feet from foals. 



Messenger-Duroc was a very large, commanding horse, straight in his neck, 

 not carried high, very characteristic, had a square head, and full of will and 

 courage. He was very level in his body and full muscled, his trotting action 

 very fine, no knee action (like Lady Thorn in that regard), had a most wonder- 

 ful constitution. Could always eat a bushel of oats (32 lbs.) per day. Could 

 work all the time and never show fatigue. He wanted beauty and airiness 

 ■und style, but lacked nothing in real excellencs. 



In all his get of a chestnut color — he was very dark chestnut — no white 

 "hairs ever showed. I never knew any of them but dark chestnuts, bays, 

 ^reys and browns. In all the bays the white hairs showed, and a grey toned 

 leg in the bays and the browns was occasional; have seen it on all four legs. 

 The horse's dam was a grey without white (I never saw her.) His colts 

 matured very early, and were natural trotters as he was. While he had a Duroc 

 look, he had no Duroc action, nor temper. He was a Messenger in temper, 

 "will and courage. He was as steady in temper as a machine, and would go 

 to his death. He was game to the last, and would, on call and forever, give 

 you all there was in him, and there was in him all the material of a great 

 horse. His get were like him, and were all fit to loork at three years of age. 

 He was plain in his head, which was square, angular, clean and courageous, 

 not big nor vulgar, and set well on his straight neck. On coarse, big-headed 

 mares, his colts were apt to get the dam's coarseness, and his plainness, and 

 ■often from low-bred dams they showed general plainness, but always great 

 substance, and fine size, even out of small mares. They often wanted style. I 

 knew Mambrino Chief, both here (in Kentucky) and in New York. If I had 

 been told that Mambrino Chief was a son of my Iwrse, and time had consorted, 

 I would not have dpubted the assertion. My horse's colts, like himself, had all 

 great levelness of trot, but no knee action. There was no difli"erence in the get 

 of my horse arising from color as to merit, but the chestnuts were very apt 

 to have bad feet, contracted, while the bays and browns tcere apt to go large in, 

 the feet. The greys always came right in the foot — and he often got greys 

 (nearly always) out of grey mares, and his bays were often roaned somewhat, 

 and now and then a full bay roan. This was a marked feature of the get of 



