41 



one of these three Eastern sires wrought 

 the greatest influence on our breed of horses, 

 and did most towards the establishment of 

 the reputation England has obtained for her 

 thoroughbreds ; but there is no question as 

 to the one of the three which was most 

 beautiful in make and shape ; and that was 

 the Darley Arabian, imported about 1706 

 from Aleppo, by Mr. Darley. A portrait 

 of this celebrated horse is here given. 



Shales, the original (699), says Mr. Henry 

 Euren after a painstaking review of the 

 history of this family, was the first note- 

 worthy trotting Hackney Stallion ; and con- 

 cerning Shales' ancestry he writes : — 



" There would appear to have been a large pro- 

 portion of English blood in the dam of Blaze (Con- 

 federate Filly) though no one can say what was its 

 character — whether running, trotting or ambling. 

 The preponderant element in Blaze, however, was 

 Barb and Arab blood, the trotting tendency of which 

 would appear to have mixed freely with, and to 

 have added to that inherent in the ' strong common- 

 bred ' dam of the Original Shales' horse. The fact 

 that in the seventh generation from Blaze on each 

 side, the reunion of the blood in Rysdyk's Hamble- 

 tonian, the sire of so many fast trotting American 

 horses, should have proved to be of the most im- 

 pressive character, would appear to warrant the 

 conclusion that there was a strong latent trotting 

 tendency in the near ancestors, on one, if not on 

 both sides of Blaze." 



Shales is mentioned as " the fastest horse " of his 

 day. 



