VERMONT AND CONESTOGA HORSES. 55 



liarity runs throughout that strain of blood, but whether derived 

 from Alice Carneal or from Boston (who got both Lexington and 

 Lecompte, the latter the sire of Umpire) I cannot say. Neverthe- 

 less, unless the time-test is utterly fallacious both Lexington and 

 Lecompte must have been stout, for they .lave each done four 

 miles, under seven stone two, in seven minutes twenty-six seconds, 

 with a start similar to that adopted in England. Lexington, with 

 the same kind of start, has performed the same task in seven min- 

 utes twenty-three and a half seconds, and with a running start 

 against time, in the extraordinarily short time of seven minute? 

 nineteen and three-quarter seconds.* 



THE VERMONT CART-HORSE. 



A DISTINCT BREED of draught-horses under this name is de- 

 scribed by Mr. Herbert as existing in Vermont and the adjacent 

 country, though now, he says, less marked than it was prior to the 

 introduction of railroads. I cannot, however, find any other 

 authority for it, nor do I quite agree with the above writer in 

 thinking the breed, if he rightly describes it, as identical with the 

 Cleveland Bay. He says, " These are the very models of what 

 draught-horses should be ; combining immense power with great 

 quickness, a very respectable turn of speed, fine show, and good 

 action. These animals have almost invariably lofty crests, thin 

 withers, and well set on heads ; and although they are emphati- 

 cally draught-horses, they have none of that shagginess of mane, 

 tail, and fetlocks, which indicates a descent from the black horse 

 of Lincolnshire, and none of that peculiar curliness or waviness 

 which marks the existence of Canadian or Norman blood for many 

 generations, and which is discoverable in the manes and tails of 

 very many of the horses which claim to be pure Morgans. The 

 peculiar characteristic, however, of these horses,^ is the shortness 

 of their backs^ the roundness of their barrels, and the closeness of 

 their ribbing up. One would say that they are ponies until he 

 comes to stand beside them, when he is astonished to find that they 

 are oftener over than under sixteen hands in height." 



THE CONESTOGA DRAUGHT-HORSE. 



The last on the list of American horses is that known under 

 the above name, which was given to it from being produced in the 

 valley of Conestoga, within the state of Pennsylvania. It is a very 

 large muscular horse, often reaching to seventeen hands and up- 

 wards, and closely resembling the heaviest breeds of German and 



* In a race against time (October 17th. 1867), Kentucky, the famous 

 son of Lexington, then four years old, ran 4 miles in 7 min. 31^^ sec. The 

 first two miles were run in 3 min. 36 sec, the tirst three in 5 min. 29 sec. 

 Kentucky carried a weight of 120 lbs. 



