CLYDESDAYE HORSES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3808, 14 September 1936, Page 7

CLYDESDAYE HORSES

INTELLIGENCE AND LONGEVITY. (Continued.) There is also allied to the horse intelligence, which is required in the draught or plough horse. Once when staying in Blackpool, I was introduced to a Mr Gudsome, a Russian, who I had seen the previous night performing some astonishing feats of horsemanship at a circus. I had never seen anything to equal Mr Gudsome’s performance on horseback. He was much interested in what I had to say concerning horseflesh, and I on him. He told me that the performing horses he rode were all of Irish birth, and that the Irish blood horse excelled for brain power and was the most intelligent of all breeds of horse in the world. He went to Ireland, he said, and selected his own horses and then trained them himself. We have in the horse four unbounded merits strength, swiftness, brain power and longevity combined. There appeared in an agricultural paper in June last a letter relating to a picture of a horse named “Old Billy,” 61 years of age. The picture shows Old BiUy along with his driver, Mr Henry Harrison of Manchester, 76 years of age, who had known the horse, for 59 years, having assisted in training him for the plough when he was about two years old. Isn’t 61 an almost incredible age for a horse? Mr Gudsome had also a French blood stallion, bought in France after the war. Let that horse loose in the ring and he did some most wonderful performances, proving the unlimited understanding and brain power of the horse, showing that the horse’s highest endeavour for man is his love to serve and his will in strength and speed to give. ROYAL DARLING AND AUCHENFLOWER. Now we come to the mating of Royal Darling with Auchenflower (12007) —a horse full to the hilt ci Darnley’s best blood, through his sire, Montrave Mac, and his grandsire Macgregor, as well as on his dam’s side, the dam of Auchenflower being by Lord Lothian. Lord Lothian had not only had an exceptional sire in Top Gallant, but his dam’s sire, Lord Lyon had been equally distinguished in every respect of the word. An eminent writer on the Clydesdale has left on record that Lord Lyon was “a very heavy, powerful, high standing roan, with great bones and good body.” His dam was a grey Shire mare, Puppet, by Iron Duke. In the showyards in the later ’seventies and early ’eighties we had no difficulty in recognising the “Lord Lyons,” and the place to look for them was at the head of the class. No wonder that Auchenflower has sired not only a few outstanding draught mares, but also a few male=. The second dam of Auchenflower was by Gartsherrie, the famous breeding son of Darnley, and the third dam was by one of the most important leading lights of all time in the breed, namely Sir Walter Scott. All this roped together makes a threefold cord which is not easily broken. Hence Royal Darling, when mated with Auchenflower, produced Dunure ideal that became the dam and chief cornerstone of Dunure Footprint. “DUNURE FOOTPRINT.” I once wrote in a notebook that I would name what I thought the best Clydesdale stallion ever I would, or would be likely to possess, “Dunure Footprint.” “Lives of great men all remind us, We can make our lives sublime; And departing, leave behind us, Footprints on the sands of time.” Hence the name “Dunure Foot print.” I had at that time named Bonnie Buchlyvie “Dunure Footprint,” before the late Mr Robert Brydon of Seaham Harbour bought him from me—which proves the high opinion I had of Bonnie Buchlyvie. Mr Brydon wrote me some time after he had got him asking if I had any objection to his changing the name to Bonnie Buchlyvie, and I agreed to the change. Thus the remarkably appropriate name, as if by some unaccountable reason, was to be reserved for the unprecedented stallion, Dunt.re Footprint. JUDGES AND JUDGING CRITICISED. His dam, Dunure Ideal, was first exhibited at Maybole in October as a foal in a very warm class, and she was fourth, although a perfect little model. I expressed my opinion that day that she was the plum of the fiur; and at that time I had them - .&1I bought. The first time I exhibited Dunure Ideal was at Kilmarnock as a three-year-old when she was first. The late Mr John Pollock. Paper Mill, looking at her with me before she

left the field said, “What a typical brood mare. She ought to have been champion here to-day.” I never had such "luck—if we may name it luck to win the laurel. She could only play second fiddle at that game. It is well known that mostly all kings in the animal world have all got their own disciples, and one of the tribal laws, when exhibiting is to choose their own judges; or at least try with all the powers that be, through those universal policemen al nearly all the shows when judges are being appointed. There, I would say, was Dunure Ideal’s misfortune, being without a henchman. When some important agricultural exhibition is going to take place, after the judges are selected we too often hear a continual bellowing arise, bells being rung and whistles blown long before the competition takes place, that, such and such an animal will win, owned of course by some important member of the association. Is not everyone exhibiting against collective action? Therefore no one in honourable competition ought to throw out such a challenge of provocation, in defiance, to the other exhibitors. It is too much like shaking a red rag in front of a bull to draw his attention—throwing out a feeler with a view to bait the judge. It is really unbecoming demeanour towards the other competitors as these contests are meant to encourage friendly rivalry in the interests of improving the breed; whereas some exhibitors, with only self'forestalled, are never satisfied unless, like spoiled children, they (or their representative) are always awarded the blue ribbon. A Society is a body collective of its members, not a oneman business operation until the victory is won. The worship of force coes not make the best animal exhibited. Influencing parties to get on one’s own judges should, like bombing from the air in wartime, be branded as illegal barbarity; and the sooner those rings are burst, the better for the breed. If cart horses were judged or placed on the same merits and standards as the race horse, no doubt some-of them would be looking for their own winning post, over and above their own judge. Some men never mean to judge, or to give a candid opinion of an animal, but lend their soul to some special friend, and their spirit to the crying down of some important specimen of the breed. AUSTRALIAN CRITIC CRITICISED. Not long ago I saw an article written in 1913 by a Mr Thomas Patterson, who at that time had been, he says, for a period of thirty years, secretary to the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria, which holds its shows at Melbourne. This gentleman expressed his worthy self as an enthusiastic lover and good judge of Clydesdale or draught horse; but as well, I think, from the tone of his language, would be considering himself a rather smart Jeremiah observer in the horse world. He had seen Dunure Footpflnt as a three-year-old at the Highland Society Show, and in giving his varied and cheap opinion of him, he says “I am here to state facts”; and then put in black and white his wicked and blind idea of him, just as if he would like to celebrate the victory of darkness over light. He says that Dunure Footprint was “a horse with great ungain - ly feet and pasterns elongated almost, to weakness and a light body built up right off the ground, with about four feet of daylight underneath.” Let us imagine a horse standing on legs tour feet long! What a freak he would be! Then he goes on to state what a ridiculous colour he was—“a blue roan, with four white legs right up, part of his body also white, and more than half his head, involving a white or ‘glass eye.’ ” These are deplorable and fiendish statements, which I should have thought no sane man would have the audacity to utter. For Dunure Footprint was black, with face and three legs white, with no white on the side of his head nor had he any white on the near fore leg, and when shown as a three-year-old at the Highland Show was big and bulky for his age and a bit stripped of his hair, not showing as much pastern as when in his best form in the spring of the year; and he always had an extra strong wall ed foot, and at no time drawn. Furthur, Mr Patterson says he had a companion with him, a Mr Smith, who, he says, “was an all round judge of stock,” and who agreed with him that Dunure Footprint “had far too much white and should never have been kept for a sire.” Let us pause and think over “never have been kept for a sire” ! No doubt colour is one of the most beautiful things in the world and when judiciously placed on canvas by an artist it often becomes a pearl of great price. I wonder if this Mr Patterson came all the way from Australia for a feast of colour scheme in Scotland, or was he attempting to throw a flash of light on our weakness in Clydesdale breeding .... Here, continued Mr Dunlop, is a photograph of Dunure Footprint taken at 11 years of age at the end of his season, which will give some idea of his conformation and colour When Mt William Brown, Lanark, took the photograph to the late Mr A. MacNeilage of The Scottish Farm-

er, he immediately made the remark that it was faked. “Well,” replied Mr Brown, “it was William Dunlop who faked him before I snapped him.” This would-be very wise disciple in horse flesh, Mr Thomas Patterson, must have had a terrific liking for the azure blue, as he could not get enough of it without embellishing the dumb animal. And his book, jvith his remarks concerning some of my horses was printed and spread in one of our daughter Dominions—Australia. THE THOROUGHBRED. Every famous Clydesdale sire has had his own characteristics; his proper virtues and failings. WHen it was thought about fifty years ago that the Thoroughbred, the greatest and most perfect breed of horses in the world was going back, the great galloper Ormonde turned up, which some people thought the best horse of his breed ever bred. But he was a roarer, and herein was a national calamity, for it induced the Duke of Westminster to part with him to a foreign country. But before leaving, Ormonde became the sire of Orme that restored the breed to high watermark. From Bendor, the sire of Ormonde, a direct line of Derby winners has been got. No horse has passed through a racing career of normal activity and length without being beaten since Ormonde gained that distinction 49 years ago, until the present year when some would maintain that his equal has turned up in Bahram. I say no. Ormonde won 18 races, without being beaten, whereas Bahram has only nine wins to his credit. Therefore Ormonde still holds the palm; but I would venture to say that Bahram, from his temperament, perfect conformation from end to end, and from top to bottom, and his wonderful pedigree with performances combined is likely to prove one of the greatest sires of the breed for all time. One of his greatest redeeming points is that he is bred for plenty of weight and bone, which is essential in all breeds of horseflesh to carry on successfully a strong, sturdy healthy family. Just as with Ormonde and what he has done for the blood horse, so no one will ever be able to deprive Dunure ' Footprint of his birthright in what he has done for the breed of draught horses. His characteristics have mostly leaned to virtue’s side. He was no chance horse; but seemingly he did not please the Australian. PRINCE OF WALES AND DARNLEY. “Dunure Ideal” came home from the Kilmarnock Show in 1908, and the same night she foaled a colt foal. When I saw him on his feet and moving about a week hence, I said to my staff of horsemen “this is Dunure Footprint,” and Dunure Footprint he became. His dam was only once more exhibited, when eight years old and barren, along with her stable companion, Sarcelle. They were first and second among yeld mares at the Paisley Highland Show, and Dunure Ideal was reserve for the Cawdor Cup —■ her last appearance in public. We recognise and admit on every hand that the breed of heavy or Clydesdale horses have been stabilised by Prince of Wales (673) and Darnley (222). The dams of both were sired by Logan’s Twin, a very handsome little horse with exceedingly nice legs, but which put big size into his progeny. The names of Prince of Wales and Darnley are familiar not only all over broad Scotland, but in all distant lands where agricultural Scots are found; and where the minds, tastes and habits of the people prevail for the draught horse. Prince of Wiales without doubt marked many of his offspring with too straight hind legs, and undesirable in the walk, but on the other hand, he gave to the breed very compact, large, weighty bodies, wonderful ideal feet and elastic movement, at the trot to please the most fastidious, and this trait is inherited in some of the good pedigrees to-day. Last, but not least, he put plenty of rich sinewy bone, allied to an abundance of nice straight hair, into his stock. Too little bone is a delusion and a snare to the heavy horse, and even to any breed of the horse kind under the sun, down to the diminutive Shetland pony. PRESENT DAY LACK OF BONE. I emphatically maintain that during the last two or three decades we have been getting far too little bone into our Clydesdales; and it is being advocated at present on every hand that the main stream to draw .from is exceedingly small quality legs. If anyone is thirsting to invest in a good Clydesdale colt or filly, my advice is to purchase a big, weight, substantial, attractive cart filly or colt with superior strong feet and good, firm well-cut pasterns, with plenty of straight good hair, having the legs justly placed, and straight clean good movement, with abundance of that good strong flat bone that is requir - ed in a draught animal. You will

soon find out, however, if you present such an animal in company in a show ring, that it will have many more detractors than admirers, and in the exhibition will be beaten nearly everytime by those with the whippet legs, which your animal can beat hands flown in any other respect except in having the exceedingly small, narrow, tiny legs. Even one with a back like a switch-back railway, or drooping bad quarters, if it is really smallboned, is preferred to the former type for a draught animal mostly every time.

Where on earth we are likely going to finish with the draught horse is to me a conundrum, and I would say that the great key is not yet found to the mysteries of- this very imperfectly understood science. Eremon, which won the Grand National Steeplechase in 1907 under great difficulties - a lost stirrup-iron and harried by a loose horse—was a clean Thoroughbred as shown in the 19th Volume of the Stud Book. From his photo he shows more big flat bone, especially under the hock, more strength of arm, much longer and bet - ter-made stronger quarters, and broader thighs, than the majority of our prize-winning Clydesdales of today. We must keep an eye for strength, if we are to surmount those likely shortcomings in the Clydesdale, by mating and remating the right class of sires and dams to get an ideal stud horse. DARNLEY INFLUENCE ON TRUE MOVEMENT. One more step into the breeding list of good sires. My rigid and unfailing contention is that the Darnley families that have in general stamped the breed of Clydesdales today with straight, close, true movement, the fore-foot placed to perfection, pointing the toe a little when yearlings, with more strength of hoof on the outside of the foot than on the inside, and muscled down the inside of the thighs from the buttocks to the hocks, similar to the outside. Those thorough Top Gallant models cannot help going but with their legs as if they were clasped together. They require no steadying, and veryvery cautious struggle for balance on the move to keep themselves on the ■plumb. We want the horse that can get along. Further, with Darnley produce, we get plenty of bone and hair, a big, deep, wide carcase on short legs, and with big quarters, not the small droop-rumped ill-formed tribe, but animals with well-filled level proportions in every respect. Those are the gems that don’t require to be twisted right, and twisted left to balance fair in ilka quarter, with half or three-quarter shoes that we see on the hind feet of nearly all young Clydesdales to-day, with a view to getting them twined together out of their natural way of travelling to pleace the novice, blind to Nature’s conformation in the animal world, and so wasting the hind foot of the horse, until it has neither shape nor form. The frog of the foot is too often destroyed by such treatment. When we turn up the cloggylooking hoof and examine it, we find that, with its hollow decayed centre, it is very much like unto the foot of the cloven-footed race.