HORSE PARADE AT PATEA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 47, 22 September 1880, Page 4

HORSE PARADE AT PATEA.

[ST. OVR 6FBOIAI> BBPGHTIB,]

We remember to have heard of a very popular sporting coctor up in Yorkshire, wWwas fond of a good nag, and prided himself on being a fair, judge of the noble animal, but whose practice was ruined, his popularity destroyed, and nine-tenths of bid friends turned into the bitterest of enemies, because in a weak moment h. undertook to report upon and criticise the horseflesh shown at a local •how. In fact, if a. reporter speaks his mind out freely, praising* the good points, and criticising the defects of horses according to the best of his ahflifcv, £he -chances are that he will please »o one. Most owners ol abuci horses hare what may be called an owner's eye, which is conveniently blind to any defect in a horse belonging to him. He would be a bolder man than the writer who would volunteer to perform a war-dance upon the corns of all the exhibitors of the horses shown at the parade on Saturday last, by actim? the part of the captious critic. Besides, so much quality was shown by the horses, and such a really grand display of horseflesh was the result of the appeal to the district, that such severe handling would be by no means justifiable. The first horse to catch my eye on entering the ring was Patriarch (No. 7. 0n the card), and shown by Messrs. Hearn and Kennedy. A rich dark bay horse, with certainly one of the 'grandest heads ever seen on a highclass racehorse. He is bound to attract the attention of the veriest tyro, and well repays a closer investigation. His short back, deep girth, broad loins, and powerful quarters at once proclaim him a real weight carrier, and as he was turned out in tip-top condition, moves with great freedom, and carries himself nobly, it was no wonder that he found a whole host of admirers. Even those who had other favorites on the ground, were forced to admit that he was a grand horse, and the worst thing his detractors had to say against him was that his knees and' hocks wanted letting down a little. To my mind there are very few horses standing over 17 hands high that would not be the better for aa inch or hwo less leg. ItoMowing immediately behind Patriarch on the parade was Mr. Mcßae's Furiri, and his friends and admirers seemed to be quite as numerous as Patriarch's The dark chestnut is a sweet horse, and lost little or nothing by comparison with his chief rival. It is dangerous to say anything about bone in a thoroughbred sire; I hardly ever saw one who was supposed to measure less than " about 85 inches " below the knee, although show yard judges will tell you that not one winner in a dozen will do it. However, Puriri's broad, flat legs and short cannons formed the subject of much favorable comment. A well-made horse, compactly built, with a clean, handsome head, well set on, reminding me much of Gladiator's, a horse he somewhat resembles ; blessed with good shoulders, a short back, well ribbed up, and nice quarters, he is sure of plenty of work. Both these horses seemed to me to be too high class and too high-priced for ordinary half-bred rriares, or hacks, but in this I may be mistaken. Another son of Towton's, and consequently a half-brother of Puriri, was on the ground — a little horse named Cocksure, a neat, compact little brown horse, displaying lots of quality, but showing somewhat less bone and substance than the chestnut. His action indicates that he has suffered from hard work, and in the ring, spectators like a horse to show himself to advantage. Menelik, a fcfcree-year*o2o% ownsoToy the president of the association, I had the bad taste not to admire. He is a bright chestnut, with plenty of bone and substance, but in spite of his having taken two first prizes, I thought him deficient in quality. His sire, Papapa, had the reputation of being the fastest horse New Zealand ever produced, and as Menelik's fee is very little more than half Puriri's, breeders cannot complain. St. Albans, another dark chestnut, was* liked by most. Up to weight himself, he seems a good hardy looking sire, well put together, with good legs and wellproportioned frame, he ought to throw* useful, weight - carrying horses. The country would be the ■better for more of bis sort* Seen in the stable, Papawai, shown by Mr. Owen, is a big, upstanding Drown horse, with plenty of substance. But in the ring he had comparatively few admirers; possibly this was because the spectators lacked wisdom to appreciate his merits properly. By some oversight, I omitted to take a note of Hawthorn while on the ground, and prefer not to trust to memory only for my facts : I must therefore apologise to the owner for an unintentional omission. I purposely avoided referring to Mr. Powdrell's two handsome halfbrothers, Hailstorm and Tally-Ho, because seeing that they were clearly in training and not in stud condition, I prefer to class them separately. All thorffl who were fortunate enough to see Hailstorm in the Wellington Cup race last year mnst have been pleased to see so good and game a race horse looking so well. Pluck to the backbond, this truly built son of Pacific had a host of admirers, his splendid limbs and large clean powerful hocks alone distinguish him above his fellows, and- we venture to predict a grand Oifcure for him._at th^ stud*

But I sincerely trust that he may earn many fresh laurels on the turf before retiring to the stud. His halfbrother Tally-ho is a nice horse, bearing a strong resemblance to Hailstorm ; he certainly ought to have a good turn of speed; long and low, and with plenty of timber under him, he must have a great stride, and looks like racing ; nevertheless I much prefer the elder brother.

THE CLYDESDALES.

There were five of this class in the field, and only three out of the five could be said to be in show condition. This one fact somewhat spoilt the competition. It has often been remarked that not one horseman in a, hundred can judge a horse in. dealer's condition.. Beef coverß a multitude of sins, and adds immensely to the apparent value of a heavy horse. On Saturday, Conqueror and. Knockdon, belonging to Messrs. Chalmers and Donald, were brought out in beautiful condition, and the roan President was well made up. Neither Sir William Wallace nor Prince of Canterbury had had anything like the same care bestowed upon them, and consequently they suffered by comparison. We are quite prepared to admit that Conqueror carried off the palm in the eyes of the spectators. He moved grandly; his action being wonderfully smooth and free, and his long stride and swinging walk was thoroughly characteristic of the breed. In the stable, his companion, Knockdon, had perhaps even more admirers. A regular nugget, with a short back, deep chest, round barrel, and quarters as broad as a stable door, it is impossible to deny his excellence. I could not help wishing that Wallace had been equally well treated. His outline is quite as true, and his timber is, I think, equally heavy ; he has a grand shoulder, and is compact enough, though not so short in the back, or so well coupled, as Knockdon. With Dainty Davie and Young Scotchman in the show-yard in November next, I look forward to a keen contest for first honors, at which time I hope they may be all placed on a more even footing as to condition. A Clydesdale of a roan color is certainly nncommou, but President seems a smart, active, useiul horse, and he had. many admirers. Prince of Canterbury is a well-topped little horse, showing a good constitution, but I did not like him below the knee.

I cannot say much for the pony sires shown. Merrylegs is a pretty little cob, but he did not show much pace or action. Tom Thumb is a sort of toy-terrier in horses, not as big as an ordinary rocking-horse. My task is now at at an end, and in conclusion I can only add that I am quite prepared to hear from you shortly to the effect that nine-tenths of your correspondents declare that your reporter scarcely knows a horse's head from his tail.