404 A HISTORY OF THE PEECHERON HORSE 



had to be made for a new sire. The Robison policy 

 of obtaining tried sires had proved so successful 

 that it was continued. Every horse-buyer of note 

 in Illinois was communicated with and attempts were 

 made to locate stallions that already had proved 

 of more than average merit in improving horses 

 in the communities where they had been standing. 

 After long search and the following of many blind 

 trails Eabelais 52564 (43442), foaled in 1897 and 

 imported in 1899, was located. He was a son of 

 Theudis, of Oaklawn fame, and out of Biche (28196), 

 a daughter of Seducteur. Mr. Robison and his son 

 Archie rode for 3 days looking at the grade colts 

 which this horse had sired; he had not been used 

 on any purebred mares. At the conclusion of this 

 careful investigation it was concluded that if Rabe- 

 lais would prove as prepotent on purebred mares 

 as he had already proved on grade mares, he was 

 exactly what the Leslie Farm stud wanted, and 

 as he was of exceptional breeding and closely akin 

 in bloodlines to the horses already in the stud he 

 was purchased and placed in service at Leslie Farm 

 in 1906. Results were all that had been hoped. 

 Rabelais' colts were uniform in type, possessed 

 ample size, and were of the deep-bodied, well-ribbed, 

 massive kind, heavy in bone and of very drafty 

 type. He remained at the head of the stud until 

 his death in 1914. 



The use of these 3 tried sires resulted in steady 

 improvement at Leslie Farm. Very few studs made 

 more consistent progress in improving the weight, 



