THE HACKNEY HORSE. 3! 



apparently increased. Attention may, however, be here 

 directed to the fact that up to a comparatively very recent 

 date the Hackney classes at the annual shows of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society of England were only open to horses 

 not exceeding 15.2 hands in height, but happily this absurd 

 restriction has been removed. Early in the present century 

 there must have been some very big Hackneys about, as a 

 reference to the Society's Stud Book shows that Fireaway 

 (West's) known as Silver-tailed Fireaway who was foaled 

 in 1807, stood 16 hands ; and he in turn begot the dappled 

 grey Phenomenon Fireaway, whose height was 16.2 hands, 

 out of a mare by Hazard. West's Fireaway, it may be men- 

 tioned, was a g.g grandson of Shales the Original, and being 

 a Norfolk bred horse, as may be supposed, came out of a 

 trotting mare by Pagan by Spectator, Pagan's dam by Blank 

 by Godolphin Arabian, Spectator by Arab by Alcock's Arabian. 



It is somewhat remarkable, however, to note the circum- 

 stance that most of the successful stallions, both as sires and 

 exhibition horses, of the present and past generations, have 

 stood 15.2 hands. Fireaway (Triffit's) was of this height, as 

 was Mr. George Bourdass's Denmark, and the latter's scarcely 

 less illustrious son, Danegelt, is also 15.2. Mr. W. Flanders' 

 celebrated horse Reality, the absolute winner of the first of 

 the Elsenham Challenge Cups for stallions which were pre- 

 sented by Sir Walter Gilbey to the Hackney Horse Society, 

 is likewise of this height, as is Star of the East ; whilst the 

 famous black Prickwillow (Tice's), and his equally renowned 

 son Confidence (D'Oyly's) were also 15.2 at shoulder. 



Having thus endeavoured to briefly trace the existence of 

 the Hackney horse, so far as his origin and stature are 

 concerned, to the remotest period in the history of the 

 breed, the attention of the readers of this chapter may be 

 directed to the purposes for which the horse was primarily 

 produced, as thereby some light may perchance be thrown 

 upon what may be regarded as the correct type of Hackney 

 to select. At this point, again, Mr. Henry F. Euren, in his 



