480 



THE AMERICAN TROTTINO HORSE. 



the other, go equally fast in that ; so that they may properly 

 enough be classed together, and designated by the common title of 

 American Trotters. 



Though trotters are derived from so few sources as to be nearly 

 all related to all the others, there are certain families that claim 

 especial notice. The most popular of these is the Hambletonian 

 family, descendants of a horse of that name that was bred in 

 Orange county, N. Y., and owned there by William M. Rysdyk 

 (pronounced Risedick). 



Hambletonian was foaled in 1849, and died March 27, 1 876. He 

 was the sire of one thousand three hundred and twenty-four foals. 

 For the last five or six years of his life the fee was one hundred 

 dollars cash, in advance, and four hundred more when the mare 

 was known to be with foal. He served 217 mares in 1864, at $100 

 to insure, and had 148 foals. In 1865 he served 193 at $300, and 

 had 128 foals. As $100 was charged that year, and every subse- 

 quent year, for each mare in advance, his fees in 1865 amounted 

 to $44,900; in 1866 the fees were $10,500, but in 1867 his 

 power began to fail. He served 77 mares that year, and begot 

 only 53 per cent, with foal ; whereas, in former years, the percentage 

 was about 70. In the following year he was entirely withdrawn 

 from stud service, but resumed it again in the next, and continued 

 to serve about 20 each year while he lived. His owner received 

 for his stud services over $200,000. 



Hambletonian begot Dexter in the year when he covered 87 

 mares ; Bruno, when he served 1 06 ; Gazelle, Nettie, and Aber- 

 deen, when he served 193; and Startle when he served 107. 

 These are among the very fastest of all bis get. He was only two 

 years old and served 6 mares the year when he begot Alexander's 

 Abdallah, the sire of Goldsmith Maid, Rosalind, Almont, Bel- 

 mont, and Thorndale. This was his best son as a trotting sire, and 

 the next best, Volunteer, was begotten when he was four years old 

 and served 101 mares. Happy Medium was one of 111 foals that 

 were begotten when Hambletonian was 13 years old and covered 

 158 mares. 



Wallkill Chief is one of the sons- of Hambletonian that has dis- 

 tinguished himself in the stud, and he was begotten when his sire 

 was 15, and served 217 mares that year and begot 148 foals. 



The average number of mares covered was about 88 a year during 

 the whole time of his stud service ; and the average number covered 

 in the years when he begot the celebrities mentioned was 121. 



In comparing the success of one horse with others in the stud it 

 should always be remembered that no two have had just the same 

 opportunities. Hambletonian had a splendid chance. He was in 

 a locality where several of the best trotting sires of the preceding 



