CHAPTEE XL. 



GRAY HORSES. 



The White Turk — Imported Messenger — Gray Eagle — Harris's Hamble- 

 tonian — Crack regiment of the British army — On the American tur^ 

 — Kittie Bayard — Emma B. — Joe Brown — Miss Russell — Pilot 

 Medium. 



THE color of horses, as of all other animals and objects, is 

 largely a matter of taste. It has been said that "a 

 good horse cannot be of a bad color." Many persons stren- 

 uously object to white and gray horses. Now, while I do not 

 wish to advocate the breeding of gray horses in preference to 

 those of other colors, I do not by any means approve of the 

 discarding of good animals of any breed because they happen 

 to be gray. 



Among the noted horses imported into England and which 

 exercised a powerful influence in the formation of the thor- 

 oughbred courser, we find many grays ; among these may be 

 mentioned the White Turk, imported by King James I; 

 Place's "White Turk, D'Arcy's Turk, Honeywood's Arab, Sed- 

 ley's Barb, Wellesley's Arabian, Bell's Arab, and Hutten's 

 Gray Barb. 



Imported Messenger, from whose loins descended our Ham- 

 bletonians, was not only a gray horse, but his sire, Mambrino, 

 was gray also. His full sister, Mambrina, was also a gray, 

 and many of his best descendants. Among these may be men- 

 tioned Ogden's Messenger, Bush Messenger, Young Messenger, 

 Coffin's Messenger, Winthrop Messenger, Stone Messenger, 

 Harris's Hambletonian, Messenger Duroc, Munson Mare, Lady 

 Suffolk, Chancellor, the Engineers, and many others that 

 might be mentioned. Gray is the family color of the Messen- 

 gers to a marked degree. 



The same may be said of imported Medley and his descend- 



(316) 



