558 Ttejport on the Horses Exhibited at Windson 
possibly less like a hunter than some of the others, is a great 
favourite in the North of England, and looked remarkably well ; 
while "Scherzo" and "Silver Crown" have, perhaps, come on 
as much as any of the sires passed last February. Criticism, as 
everybody knows, has been liberally meted out, both on the 
horses themselves, and on the scheme determined upon by the 
Horse-breeding Commission ; but, so long as a tenant farmer can 
secure the services of sires such as those seen at Windsor, for 
the nominal sum specified, he is a bold man who would say that 
the farmer has not something to be thankful for. Mr. Gilbey's 
" Pedometer " lived to appear at Windsor with the rest, but 
unfortunately he has since died. 
An attempt has already been made on a previous page to give 
an outline sketch of the progress of horse shows ; but it is curious 
to note how, in some instances, opinion has completely veered 
round, and suggestions made a long time ago have been adopted. 
The class for thoroughbred sires is as old as the Royal Show itself, 
though the Judges of an earlier day had to decide upon the horses 
with reference to their aptitude for getting hacks and carriage 
horses as well. I find, however, that in 1839 there was a condition 
annexed to the stallion class that the horses should have served 
during the season at a fee not exceeding 3?. ; but the prize was 
withheld for want of merit in the competitors. In course of time, 
however, this proviso as to fees appears to have been withdrawn, 
and eventually two classes of sires (exclusive of coaching and 
hackney sires) were catalogued, one for thoroughbred and one 
for hunting stallions, in which division half-bred sires competed. 
In 1860, Mr. J. E. Welby, writing about the Canterbury Show, 
pointed out that, as the prize at Leeds in 1861 was to be lOOZ., 
it was useless to give that sum to horses whose fees were 501. 
and 25/., at which sums the first and second prize winners at 
Canterbury respectively served; and he proposed that no sire 
should compete for the Society's prizes unless his fee did not 
exceed 51. 
Hunters. 
The Hunter Mares and Foals were pronounced a very excel- 
lent class as soon as they came into the ring; yet, curiously 
enough, out of the twenty-three mares comprised in the first 
two classes, five only had foals by sires who have won premiums 
in this or the two preceding years, the sires represented being 
"Baldur," "Escamillo," "Truefit," " Pedometer," and "Pepper- 
mint." Upon the principle of nothing succeeding like success, 
the chances of the famous chestnut mare " Marion," by " Grand- 
