268 THE MORGAN HORSE 



Bellanie La Bonte, born at Vercheres, 1815, now living near St. Hyacinthe, 

 and whose mother married the father of Xavier and Baptiste Prive", said : 

 " My father, Antoine Begiard La Bonte, had a black stallion, when I was a 

 boy, that I think he raised. The horse was about my age. My father 

 lived at Vercheres, where I lived for many years. The dam of the 

 stallion was, I think, a brown mare, fifteen and a half hands high, a pacer 

 that father gave afterwards to an older brother. Father had a work horse 

 beside the stallion, but no other stallion. All these stallions at Vercheres 

 were well-built horses, with small straight ears, une belle tite, nice neck, well 

 cut up, full breast, good legs, smooth hips, round partout, ten hundred 

 pounds. Dansereau's first stallion was'four or five years old when father sold 

 his stallion and I think father's stallion was the sire. The Dansereau Horse 

 resembled father's very much. Dansereau sold his first stallion to Vassar, at 

 Grand Maska. Father's horse going slow would trot, but when fast would 

 pace, the same with Dansereau's. They were the fastest horses about. Dan- 

 sereau drove and worked his horse. I was twelve or fifteen when Dansereau 

 sold his horse. Dansereau raised these stallions right along, all the same 

 color and pattern, pacers. I have been here fifty years ". 



Bellanie La Bonte in second interview said : " Prive bought a mare of 

 Xavier Tetrault of Vercheres, an ugly mare and a pacer. She had a colt in the 

 spring, which we called Petit Coq, golden sorrel, two white feet behind. He 

 sold him when six years old for fifteen hundred and fifty dollars. Tetrault lived 

 about seven and a half miles from Prive. Chicouagne was a son-in-law of Prive. 

 When I was seven or eight years old my father raised, I think from an 

 English mare that soldiers had, a trotting mare, a little balky (which makes 

 me think she was English, though I do not know her sire), a black pacing 

 stallion, fifteen and a half hands high, no marks, a pretty well built horse. 

 My father swapped him when seven or eight years old to a man named 

 Jourdoin at L'Assomption (La Petite Fannie) for a work horse and some 

 boot. The party that got him drew wood with him and he ran away and was 

 spoilt. He was high-lifed and a puller. Canti came with Jourdoin when he 

 traded with father ; these men were about forty-five years old. The first 

 stallion that Dansereau raised was not ugly. I think a PVenchman bought 

 him of Dansereau. The one father sold would pull very hard ; my mother, 

 who was a large woman, used to help hold him. He had a nice neck, nice 

 mane and tail, not so very heavy. When father swapped him away Danser- 

 eau had his. Dansereau sold his seven or eight years after. He raised colts 

 from this horse. We lived in Contre-Cceur about four and a half miles from 

 Dansereau. Vassar of Grand Maska bought the first Dansereau pacer. 

 Father's horse was a pacer and very fast. I think he got the Dansereau horse 

 that was sold to Vassar. I do not remember any other stallions kept from him. 

 Father's horse and Dansereau's looked very much alike. Father had a line 

 made one and a half inches wide to hold his horse. Tetrault couldn't drive the 

 dam of Petit Coq. She was turned into pasture and got in foal by one of 

 Dansereau's horses ". 



