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[Page 360]
Report - 7
Mr. Reynolds, of Tocal, Mr. Dines, of Singleton, Mr. Hetherington, of Morpeth, Mr. Busby, of Cassilis, Messrs. Wyndham, of Bukkulla, and Messrs. White, of Upper Hunter. Messrs. Cheeke and Tait have also furnished racehorses that have achieved distinction in the Peninsula. There are five descriptions of horses that find sale in India, -
1. Cavalry remount. - For this purpose is wanted a compact well-bred horse, from 14 hands 3 inches to 15 hands 2 inches. The price in the Calcutta market is about £65, and in Madras about £57.
2. Artillery. - For this purpose the horses are required to be of the same height, but rather stronger, and the price is about the same.
3. Gentlemen's hacks and chargers. - These are required to stand from 15 hands to 15 hands 3 inches, and their prices range from £100 to £150.
4. Racehorses. - These fetch a fancy price, which has ranged from £300 to £600.
5. Carriage-pairs. - Horses of this class, from 15 to 16 hands high, have realized from £200 to £300 per pair.
Horses at the Exhibition. - There were altogether 130 animals shown, of which no fewer than 46, or more than one-third of the whole, were blood stock. These constituted the real attraction in this section, and, as may be inferred from what has been said above, were the only horses that really justified admiration. Not only in number, but in quality and condition, they were in the highest degree creditable to the Colony, and proved that breeding racers was a sufficiently profitable, or a sufficiently stimulating, pursuit, to maintain the art in a high degree of perfection. There were 19 blood-stallions of three years and upwards, and these did not constitute the whole, perhaps did not even include the best, that the Colony had to exhibit. The close proximity of the Randwick races kept away several. The chief prize was awarded to Tarragon, a Colonial-bred horse, and the second to Yattendon, a younger horse, and also a native. It is worthy of remark, as showing how nearly the two animals are considered equal, that in the previous year they both competed for the same honor at the Agricultural Society's Show, and were differently ranked, Yattendon then being awarded the prize. They won their honours this year in competition with four English thoroughbreds, namely - Velocity, Coroebus, Livingstone, and Stafford; and also against one imported Arab, namely - Farhan, imported by Mr. A.A. Dangar. Out of the fourteen Colonial-bred horses in this class six were by New Warrior, and three by Stafford. Of younger blood stallions, there were exhibited 7 of two years old, and 5 yearlings. Among the former the most noticeable was the imported horse, Grandmaster, son of the celebrated Gladiateur. All the others were Colonial-born.
Of female stock there were only 15 shown, and only one of these was imported. From the earliest days our blood stock has been weakest on the female side. The importation of mares has been very scanty, compared with that of horses, and breeders have trusted to sires to work out the inferiority on the female side. This is a process, however, that has never been accomplished; and one great reason for the scarcity of good hackneys has been that the sires have not been properly matched with worthy mares.
In heavy stock there were forty exhibits, the display, both in number and quality, being inferior to that of blood stock. The prize-takers were Mr. A. Town, of Richmond, Mr. Ward, of Bankstown, Mr. Downes of Brownlow Hill, and Mr. Elliott, of Kiama. Among the farming stallions there were four importations, two of whom took prizes; but there were no imported mares; and amongst the heavy draught stock there was only one imported horse, and this took the first prize.
Among the thirteen light-harness-horses there were no imports, and the one that took the prize was of unknown lineage on both sides, although several of his competitors had something to boast of in the way of descent. There was but one pair of carriage-horses exhibited, and they were only adjudged worthy of a second prize.
There were four hunters, and the two that took the prizes were aged, and one of them of unknown descent. Ten gentlemen sent their hackneys, all of them showing the effect of good stabling, but by no means displaying such points of breed as ought to be seen in the Colony. The prize-taker was again aged, which does not speak well for the rising race, and he was descended from Modesty, by Little John.