The same view must be taken in regard to success of the Hackneys. The
progress made with this breed is perhaps more noteworthy than that made
with the Shires, as in the absence of so much patronage from the
greatest people in the country, the breed has been brought to a
wonderful state of perfection, and evidence of the same sensible and
scientific breeding can be easily traced. Moreover, signs were not
wanting to show that the foreigners are keener in their endeavours to
get possession of our Hackneys than they are at present to purchase our
Shires. Two large Government commissions were noticeable, at any rate,
namely from France and Germany, for the purchase of a goodly number of
stallions, and Holland took the champion of the Show for 1,000 guineas.
This desire to get the best of English sorts is not due entirely to the
demands for cavalry breeding, but the wise councils of other European
countries consider that an industry to give the means of prosperity to
thousands of subjects is well worth cultivating. This, too, on
circumscribed lands with little or no colonial extension; but England,
with her millions of acres in all parts of the globe, possessing better
animal stocks than all the rest of the world put together, is neglectful
of her opportunities. Why cannot her sons be set up in far-off lands to
breed horses for the world? But to these magnificent Hackneys: It cannot
be denied that the Dutch have got possession of a very grand specimen in
Diplomatist, whose lot it must have been to do good in a variety of
countries. He was first of all shown at the Hackney Society’s Show as a
yearling; then, after doing some service in England, he was sold to
America, where he got some stock of note before Mr. Heaton brought him
back to England and sold him to Mr. Ramsey, of Kildalton, Port Ellen,
Islay, N.B. And here let it be said that Scotch breeders have done
uncommonly well at this Show. Mr. Ramsey, a prominent breeder in the
northern country, won the Champion Cup last year at the London Show with
Diplomatist, and now repeated the victory before selling the dual
champion to Holland. Diplomatist is a very beautiful horse of about
15.2, with extraordinary action; his pedigree contains some of the best
blood in the Hackney Stud Book, for he is by His Majesty out of Garton
Birthday, by Garton Duke of Connaught. There were several fights in the
Show between the North and the South. Sir Walter Gilbey equalised the
pretensions of Yorkshire and Norfolk, when he brought Danegelt down
South, at a cost of 5,000 guineas. Since then the champions of Essex and
Norfolk have held their own with those of the many-acred county. Sir
Walter has won the championship twice with Royal Danegelt, a son of
Danegelt, and it looked as if the Essex baronet might score again in
another generation, as Bonny Danegelt stood in a long time with Langton,
a grand twelve-year-old horse by Garton Duke of Connaught, and many
thought should have won. It was not to be though, and this particular
prize went to the north, Langton being the property of Mr. E. C.
McKibbin, of the Heaning, Windermere, though bred by Mr. Thomas Hall, of
Copmanthorpe, the owner of the great Garton Duke of Connaught, who was
summed up to me last year at the Yorkshire show as the greatest hackney
sire in the world. He was certainly in the full order of success now, as
the Messrs. Hall, father and sons, showed some beautiful stock by the
veteran, including the two-year-old colt winner, Copmanthorpe Performer,
a truly symmetrical animal with singularly beautiful action. There was
also Administrator, owned and exhibited by Mr. Walter Burnell Tubbs,
another son of this Duke of Connaught, a wonderfully handsome horse who
showed grandly in harness. Last year and the year before he won the
Champion Cup for his then owner, Mr. Galbraith. He is nearly, if not
quite, as good as Diplomatist.
[Illustration:
MR. T. SMITH’S PINDERFIELDS HORACE.
Champion Hackney Pony Stallion at the London Show.
_Photo by F. Babbage._]
]
The points that struck one throughout the whole show was, that breeders
have got to a type that comes down quite as regularly as in the
thoroughbred horses of the General Stud Book. Royal Danegelt was the
copy of his sire, Danegelt, and the former at this Show had a number in
precisely the same form in shape and action. They are getting a bit
bigger, as in Class 8, for horses over 15.2, there were sixteen in the
ring, and several must have been very close on 16 hands. It is notable
that the foreign buyers were very interested in this class, and made two
important purchases from it in Forest Star, who was placed third, and
the above-named Diplomatist. A suggestion is given here that the size
attained in the Hackney is a useful element in regard to success. It was
generally thought that the horses made a better show than the mares;
and, in truth, there were fewer mares than usual, but whether from the
fact that a great many were sold last year, or that breeders are chary
about sending their valuable breeding stock to shows in the spring, it
is difficult to say. Many of those that were seen though, were beautiful
animals. Sir Gilbert Greenall’s Colleen Rose, by Garton Duke of
Connaught, could scarcely be excelled as a fine carriage mare of
quality, and Menella, the champion harness mare, was a great beauty with
action of a most superb order. An extraordinary horse must be her sire,
Mathias, as, to judge him from a photograph he gets all his stock
exactly like himself, and with the same wonderful movement. Another as
remarkable in this respect is Sir Gilbert Greenall’s Sir Horace, under
14 hands, as he had nine winners at the Show all looking the exact types
of perfection—bloodlike heads, beautifully laid shoulders, round
barrels, moulded quarters, and limbs set under them in the same stamp.
What has the breed come to from the shapely Diplomatist and Bonny
Danegelt, to the ponies, Pinderfields Horace and Little Woman, for all
these and many more the word beautiful cannot be misapplied—and the Show
might well have been watched for the full four days to see by the
pedigrees, the make and shape and the action more real now than
artificial, and to wonder whether the present conditions of the
so-called Hackney can ever be surpassed.