THE GREAT EXPANSION OF THE '80 's 239 



extensively said: "Almost everyone was disappoint- 

 ed in the Brilliant colts when foaled, as they were 

 too small. They never quit growing, however, and 

 they always retained that smoothness of form which 

 made them real beauties." Mr. Ferrell, in comment- 

 ing on the estimate in which the horse and his de- 

 scendants were held in the community, remarked 

 that it was quite a common thing to hear people 

 remark at farm auctions whenever an extra good 

 draft horse was put up for sale, "I'll bet that horse 

 has some of Old Brilliant's blood in him." 



This testimony is enough to show that the horse 

 was a remarkable sire, both in Prance and in Amer- 

 ica, and it is a calamity that so great a sire was not 

 found by a breeder of Percherons who could have 

 put him at the head of a purebred stud. The tes- 

 timony of men who knew him at Independence was 

 that he weighed a ton "in pretty good condition," 

 and such supplementary information as has been ob- 

 tained indicates that he was about 16.3 to 17 hands 

 in height and weighed about 1,900 pounds when in 

 breeding flesh. He was a deep-chested, wide-breast- 

 ed horse of unusual style, symmetry, finish and 

 quality, and with a head whose contour and char- 

 acter would delight any Percheron breeder living. 

 By great good fortune a photograph of the old horse, 

 taken when he was well over 20, has been obtained 

 and is reproduced herewith. 



Brilliant 1271. — Generally considered as the great- 

 est sire ever used in improving the Percheron breed 

 in this country and held by the majority to be the 



