58 THE FRENCH CANADIAN HORSE. 



French Canadian stallion, dropped five colts to Hambletonian, 

 all of whom trotted better than 2.30, and three of which are 

 on record. 



Surry, dam of the world-renowned Henry Clay, the founder 

 of the Clay family, and the maternal ancestor of those old-time 

 whalebone trotters, George M. Patchen, Lucy, and American 

 Girl, was a Canadian. George M. Patchen was the founder of 

 the Patchen branch of the Clay family of American trotters. 



Gift, one of the most promising colts of Mambrino Pilot, 

 was out of a French pacing mare. Mambrino Gift had a 

 French cross, as did his grandsire and his dam's grandsire ; he 

 also had the gift of trotting in 2.20. 



Corbeau, St. Lawrence, Gray Eagle, Canada Chief, Whirl- 

 wind, Snow Storm, and Coeur de Leon were all French trot- 

 ting or pacing stallions, and all crossed the border to the 

 United States for stock purposes ; but we do not claim as much 

 for the French Canadian horse as a fast trotter as we do in the 

 way of being a most useful animal to all classes of men having 

 use for horses adapted to all purposes for which horses are 

 wanted. Their sound body, wind, and limb is a constitutional 

 inheritance that is propagated from generation to generation, 

 thus giving them advantage for hard service over other breeds 

 of less constitutional vigor. 



Their feet and legs are almost exceptionally good, and they 

 are usually free from all kinds of disease to which horseflesh is 

 heir. They are short-coupled from the knees and hocks down, 

 which gives great purchase power. Their strong, muscular 

 thighs and forearms complete the limbs and make them strong 

 enough to support the body under heavy loads, over hills and 

 through dales, without tiring out or breaking down. 



In horse-dealing, years ago, I have handled these animals 

 by the carload with usually satisfactory results to myself and 

 to my customers ; but now I expect it would be as difficult to 

 purchase a carload of French Canadian horses in Canada as it 

 would be to procure a like number of Morgans in Vermont or 

 New Hampshire, as the breeders of these horses have, perhaps 



