238 A HISTORY OF THE PERCHERON HORSE 



formation obtained by the Percheron Society of 

 America in 1915 from Mrs. P. C. Fockler and Messrs. 

 C. E. Kirkner, R. F. French, Becker, Myers, Leming 

 and Stevenson, all of whom knew the horse and 

 owned colts by him, indicates conclusively that the 

 Percheron breed has suffered a great loss through 

 failure to put this grand old sire at the head of a 

 stud of purebred mares in this country. 



All of the parties interviewed remembered the 

 horse well and knew him as Old Brilliant. They 

 knew nothing of the history-making character of 

 his blood on the Percheron breed, but they were 

 unanimous in considering him the greatest horse ever 

 brought to their community. Colts sired by him 

 were sold at remarkable prices, considering the de- 

 pression which prevailed in values in the early '90 's. 

 John Myers, a brother-in-law of Mr. Fockler, testi- 

 fied that he sold a three-year-old grade filly by Bril- 

 liant 1899 for $300 when an ordinary work horse 

 could be bought for $60. Mr. Becker stated that he 

 sold a three-year-old filly for $250 when values were 

 correspondingly low. C. R. Kirkner knew of a Colo- 

 rado man who came to Independence and bought 

 40 fillies sired by Brilliant; in fact, this man bought 

 every filly he could find by the old sire, regardless 

 of price. Mr. Myers spoke of an Idaho ranchman 

 who came in and bought carloads of his colts, and 

 added, "It did not make any difference what kind 

 of a mare was bred to Old Brilliant, the offspring 

 was always a typical Brilliant colt." John Steven- 

 son, an aged horseman who patronized the old sire 



