THE INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM
OF THE HORSE
The Legacy of the Horse
Chapter Three
A Chronological History of Humans and Their Relationship With the Horse
Table of Contents
1680 - 1840
Racing in England - The Demise of the English Stage Coach
- SPORT OF KINGS
- 1660-1685, Charles II Restores Racing to the Realm
- A Revolution in Vehicles: Carriages of Regal Elegance Have Popular Appeal
- COLONIAL HORSES
- An Irish Clergyman Praises American Horses
- The Narragansett Pacer - the First Truly American Breed of Horse
- Rhode Island - America's First Horse Center
- January 22, 1673 - The First Post Rider in America
- 1674 - Plymouth Law Prohibits Running Horses in the Streets
- Colonists Demand Horses of More Quality
- The 1700s....."No One Walked Save a Vagabond or a Fool"
- THE QUARTER HORSE
- Janus, the Father of the Quarter Horse, 1756
- ORIGINS OF THE BLOODED HORSE
- Queen Anne Helps Establish the Thoroughbred, 1702 - 1714
- The Thoroughbred Foundation Stallions
- The Off-spring of the Foundation Stallions
- First Steeplechase- 1752
- The Fox Hunt
- Colonial Travel in America
- Horses Were Crucial in Creating an Independent America
- THE THOROUGHBRED HORSE IN AMERICA
- America's First Race Course - 1668
- Racing Reached Great Popularity by the 1700s
- In the 1700s, Virginia Emerged as the Pre-eminent Horse Breeding Area
- The 1700s Culminated in the Establishment of an Independent American Breed of Blood Horse
- Significant American Thoroughbreds
- Early Kentucky Horse Industry
- HAULING THE GOODS
- 1733 - The Conestoga Wagon
- Ferrying a Horse
- Assembling a Packhorse Train
- "Horse,"the Post Rider
- BUILDING THE ROADS TO SETTLEMENT
- THE PUBLIC STAGE WAGON
- Justin Morgan - Figure of Greatness
- STAGE TRAVEL IN BRITAIN
- The Fast and Efficient Transportation of Goods and People Depended on the Construction of Improved Roads
Few monarchs could rival the enthusiasm for horsemanship of England's Queen Anne. During her reign from 1702 to
1714, she frequently hunted from horseback and gained the title of "the mightiest huntress of her age." When ill
health prevented her from riding her horses any longer, she followed her hounds through Windsor Forest in a carriage, dashing
down drives cut through the forest at her command. Queen Anne kept the Royal Foxhounds at Ascot, and in 1711 she also
ordered that a race track be laid out there, Ascot remains to this day one of the most prestigious tracks in the world. She
personally kept a stable of racehorses and instituted races for trophies. Queen Anne's encouragement of racing undoubtedly
acted as an incentive for better breeding; and during her reign the Darley Arabian was imported to England. In fact, in 1704,
Sheik Mirza II allegedly sent Queen Anne a letter complaining that British sailors had "foully stolen" the sheik's prize
horse. (Actually, Mr. Darley had paid for the horse and the sheik was reluctant to hand over the animal.) Queen Anne's reign
was short, but influence on horse racing and equine sports endured long after her death.
The Byerly Turk

At the siege
of Buda, Captain Byerley captured a horse from the Turks which would carry his name into history. The horse became known
as the Byerley Turk and was the first of the three foundation stallions to come to Britain. Reputedly ridden at the Battle of the
Boyne in 1690 by Captain Byerley, this horse distinguished himself as a sire although he was not bred to many mares. In spite
of his name, he was probably an Arab. The Byerley Turk founded a line of Thoroughbreds, the most distinguished of which was
Herod, who was foaled in 1758, and proved to be a very successful sire himself.
The Darley Arabian
The second of the three foundation stallions to be imported to England was the Darley Arabian. He was foaled in 1700 and
bought by Thomas Darley in Aleppo (Syria) in 1704. The horse was shipped to Yorkshire, England where he was bred to
numerous mares. The most successful matings were with Betty Leeds, which resulted in two very important colts: Flying
Childers and Bartlet's Childers. Through the Childers line, the Darley Arabian was the great-great-grandsire of Eclipse who
gained the description "Eclipse first, the rest nowhere." The Darley Arabian is the most important of the three
foundation stallions in terms on his influence of the Thoroughbred breed.
The Godolphin Arabian
The last of the foundation stallions to come to England was a horse foaled in Yemen. After being shipped to Syria and then to
Tunis, he was given to the King of France as a gift. One story tells of the horse pulling a lowly water cart in Paris. The cart
horse was admired and bought by an Englishman named Edward Coke, who brought him to England. The second Earl of
Godolphin acquired the horse and bred him to several distinguished mares. Mated to Roxana, he sired Lath, the greatest
racehorse in England after Flying Childers: and another mating of these two produced Cade, the sire of the great Matchem
who carried on the line of the Godolphin Arabian. In 1850 it was remarked that "the blood of the Godolphin Arabian is
in every stable in England."
Keeping in mind the fact that the foundation stallions were Oriental horses, it should be noted that the descendants of these sires
were the first actual Thoroughbreds. They were the progenitors of the breed as we know it today. The foundation sires stand
at the beginning of the Thoroughbred bloodline, but a number of generations were required to create horses which could
consistently pass on the distinguishing characteristics of the Thoroughbred horse. Out of some 200 Oriental horses imported to
England between 1660 and 1750, only the direct descendants of these three foundation stallions contributed to the breed's
greatness.
Herod
The offspring which fixed the influence of the Byerley Turk as a foundation sire was named Herod who was foaled in 1758.
He was owned by the Duke of Cumberland, the third son of King George II, who was an important breeder of horses at
Newmarket and in Hanover. Although Herod was not an outstanding racehorse, he did prove to be a superlative sire.
His descendants were extremely important in the development of the Thoroughbred throughout Europe and America.
Among the most notable descendants of Herod were Diomed (winner of the first Epsom Derby in 1780), Sir Archie, the
Flying Dutchman, and Epinard.
Eclipse

1764 was the
year of a great eclipse and this astronomical event became the name of the horse who was a star in the history of the
Thoroughbred. Eclipse, as we know him, was by Marske out of Spiletta and was bred for the Duke of Cumberland. He
began racing in 1769 at age five, when he ran away from his competition in his first race at Epsom. It was at this race that the
famous Denis O'Kelly remarked, "Eclipse first, the rest nowhere." Eclipse won 18 races in his career-and he was
never whipped or spurred. He went on to a distinguished career at stud, siring Pot-8-O's who passed on his influence to such
descendants as American Eclipse, Hyperion, Kelso, and Sea Bird. The list of Eclipse's distinguished descendants is virtually
endless, and he is the reason for the predominance of the Darley Arabian line over the lines of the other two foundation stallions.
Matchem
Most racehorses are noted for their speed, but the speed often comes at the price of an excitable temperament, and even
viciousness. The horse Matchem foaled in 1748 was the grandson of the Godolphin Arabian. Besides speed, he supplied an
excellent disposition to his descendants. The horse Snap was compared to the gentle Matchem: "Snap for speed and
Matchem for truth and daylight." (Snap was a grandson of the Darley Arabian.) When we consider Matchem's blood
heirs, we find many even-tempered yet fast horses. Matchem's influence was not as widespread as his famous peers, but his
offspring had a particular influence on American horses. Ten of Matchem's descendants were brought to America by the
owner's son, Edward Fenwick, who emigrated to South Carolina in 1755. Brutus, one of Matchem's sons, dominated racing
in South Carolina for some time.

As British
agricultural land was enclosed in the eighteenth century, hunters had to learn to jump hedges, stone walls, and post and rail
fences. Faster horses and faster hounds were also being bred at this time, which led to argument over the horses' abilities.
To prove the owners' boasts, race matches were run across country. The first recorded match was in Ireland in 1752, when
Mr. O'Callaghan raced Mr. Blake from Buttervent Church to St. Leger Church. Church steeples were prominent landmarks
so matches were frequently from one Church to another and came to be called steeplechases. The first recorded race over a
prepared steeplechase course with made-up fences was at Bedlam, England, in 1810. In 1837, the Grand National
Steeplechase was established at Liverpool, England, and owners began to use professional jockeys.

The sport of
fox hunting in America can be traced back to 1650 when Colonel Robert Brooke brought hounds to Maryland from England.
The sport grew to enjoy a great popularity in colonial times. Many of the founding fathers were avid foxhunters. George
Washington, who hunted from the age of 16, kept a splendid pack of hounds and blooded hunters for the chase. It is recorded
that Thomas Jefferson was as eager after fox hunting as Washington, himself. Although fox hunting has been pursued in virtually
every region of America, it gained its greatest popularity in the middle-south, which maintained many of the traditions of
aristocratic England and which had land favorable to the chase. A Kentuckian wrote in 1852: "Fox hunting in the middle
and southern states is quite as much a subject of enthusiasm as it has been in England..." Among the most famous hunts in
America, the Iroquois Hunt in Kentucky ranks as one of the finest. Founded in 1880 by Roger D. Williams, it is named after the
first American horse to win the Epson Derby in England, Pierre Lorillard's Iroquois. The "Bluegrass" region of
Kentucky offers particularly favorable land for fox hunting due to its fine turf and the absence of wire fencing, the anathema to
fox hunters.
Before the construction of improved roads in the American colonies, both people and goods moved by horseback, because
carriages and wagons could not negotiate primitive paths. Even travel in towns was difficult, as demonstrated by the fact that in
1761, Philadelphia - a major center of population and wealth - contained only 38 carriages. It was customary for travelers in
colonial times to buy a horse at the beginning of their journey and then sell it once they reached their destination. One real
difficulty of colonial travel was the limited amount of goods which could be carried on a pack horse. At most, a pack horse
could carry only 200 pounds over a long distance, and therefore, individuals moving from one place to another were seriously
limited in what they could bring with them. The inconvenience involved in travel by horseback added to the slow settlement of
America's interior. It was difficult to carry even necessary goods over such rough paths. Once roads were constructed,
westward expansion soon commenced in great earnestness.

The rebel
colonists used their own horses in the war, but the British had to steal theirs since it was very difficult to ship horses across the
rough Atlantic from England. The British were particular about the horses they stole, too. One British commanding officer
reported that his cavalry troop of some 400 men were, for the most part, mounted on "blooded horses which were quite
uniformly kept by gentlemen in Virginia." Since the British fought in a formal European manner, the success of the
outnumbered Revolutionaries depended on swift "hit and run" tactics. The horse provided the means of surprise,
and cavalry forces under the command of men such as "Light Horse" Harry Lee and Francis Marion, "the
Swamp Fox," contributed greatly to the Colonists' victory. At the Battle of Cowpens, for instance, the colonial cavalry
cut off the British retreat and only 50 of the original British force of 500 escaped. Since horses represented a military advantage,
the British were not kind to captured colonial horses. Reports show that the helpless horses were frequently shot or drowned in
rivers to ensure that they would not again fall into the hands of the Patriots. Most historians agree that if the colonists had not
had the fast-striking cavalry, the Revolution would have dragged on, perhaps ending in disaster and dashing the hopes for an
independent America.
April 18, 1775 - Paul Revere's Walk

Few events in the
history of America have received more attention than the famous ride of Paul Revere on the night of April 18, 1775. Certainly
this ride also deserves a place in the history of the horse. Revere was dispatched to warn the Minutemen that British troops
were coming to seize their stores of arms in Concord. Revere's mount was probably a Narragansett Pacer mare, borrowed
from Deacon Larkin of Charlestown. Most of us have visions of Revere galloping through the countryside summoning sleeping
villagers from their beds. But by Revere's own account, his ride really amounted to a walk and only occasionally did he spur on
his horse. In fact, Revere and Samuel Dawes, another messenger, never reached Concord. They were captured by British
sentries on the road to Concord and had their horses commandeered. Ironically, Dawes was captured after falling off his horse.
They were told by the sentries to "hoof it" back to Lexington on their own. Luckily for the revolutionaries, Dr.
Samuel Prescott - with whom Revere and Dawes were riding quite by accident - rushed on to tell the Minutemen of the
oncoming British troops.
George Washington's Horse "Nelson," Hunter and Hero

Most portraits of George Washington show him majestically mounted on a brilliant white charger. But in fact, Washington's
favorite mount was a chestnut hunter named Nelson who was a gift from the Governor of Virginia, Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Washington rode Nelson to fox hunts for ten years before the Revolution and took his horse with him on his many campaigns
during the war. Some of General Washington's other mounts died from exhaustion carrying him through furious battles. But
Nelson survived the rigors of near-starvation at Valley Forge and relentless marches from Boston to the Carolinas. During
Washington's term as first U.S. President, Nelson remained his favored horse. He too remained "first in war, first in
peace..." - if not first in the memory of history.
June 1781 - Prince Charlie Foils King George's Men
Thoroughbred hunters are noted for speed and endurance. But few hunters could have matched the courage of the horse
named Prince Charlie, ridden by Captain Jack Jouett of the Virginia Militia during the Revolution. In what one authority calls
"probably...the most difficult feat of horsemanship known to history," Prince Charlie and Captain Jouett saved
Thomas Jefferson from capture by the British! At a Virginia tavern in June, 1781, Jouett secretly overheard a British officer
discussing a shocking plan. He and his cavalrymen intended to ride the 60 miles to Monticello to capture the Virginia Governor,
Thomas Jefferson. As the British force set out on their mission, Captain Jouett proceeded cross-country to Monticello to warn
Jefferson. Jouett and Prince Charlie traveled over very tough terrain and the dark night made their ride doubly dangerous.
After crashing through dense forest, crossing ditches and fences, and falling twice, they covered the 60 demanding miles in time.
Jouett awakened Jefferson, who took to the woods and eluded capture. Captain Jouett forever carried the scars, but he and
Prince Charlie joined the gallery of American Revolutionary heroes.
The New York Governor Laid Out America's First Race Course on Long Island
Only one year after the English captured New Amsterdam from the Dutch, the first English governor of New York laid out the
first formal race course in America. The new race course was constructed two miles long on Salisbury Plain (later known as
Hempstead Plain) on Long Island. In contrast to the dense virgin forest which covered most of the eastern seaboard, Salisbury
Plain offered a tract of grass four miles wide and sixteen miles long. Governor Nicolls explained that the purpose of the race
course was "not so much for the divertissement of youth as for encouraging the bettering of the breed of horses which
through great neglect has been impaired." To induce competition in the importing and careful breeding of horses, Nicolls
offered trophies at the spring and fall meetings.
The population of Williamsburg, Virginia tripled during race week. Students at the College of William and Mary were prohibited
from keeping race horses "under Pain of ye severest Animadversion and Punishment." Even the small colony of
Maryland maintained some 20 racing centers before the Revolution. At the beginning of the Revolution, colonists were
admonished to turn their attention from horse racing and to the matter of America's political future.
In 1765, a British officer noted that "there are established races annually at almost every town and considerable place in
Virginia...Very capital horses are started here, such as would make no despicable figure at Newmarket." To supply the
horses demanded for quality racing, a breeding industry steadily grew in Virginia. By the time of the Revolution, there were 27
important stud farms in the vicinity of the James, York, Rappahanock, and Potomac rivers.
In the years following the Revolutionary War, the United States became independent in the world of horse breeding as well as in
politics. The improvement of the Thoroughbred breed progressed with cross fertilization of American and English stock, but
American Thoroughbreds demonstrated such excellence that they came to hold a central position in the history of the
Thoroughbred breed.
The Mount Airy Stud Farm of Virginia
The estate built by John Tayloe II, in 1747, and later maintained by his son, John Tayloe III, was among the outstanding stud
farms of colonial Virginia. The Tayloes owned and raced such important horses as Childers, who was imported in 1751 and
proved to be a sire of great mares. Childers returned to racing after six seasons at stud. At the ripe old age of 13, he carried
180 pounds, and finished a five-mile race in 12 minutes 27 seconds to win 500 pounds. Another Mount Airy horse was
Leviathan, who was the first champion gelding in American turf history, winning 23 consecutive races. In 1802, he conceded
70 pounds to an opponent, yet won a five-mile "dash." The younger Tayloe bred his imported mare, Castrinira, to
the great Diomed, and the resulting foal was Sir Archie, one of the greatest sires in American Thoroughbred history. The
eminence of Mount Airy is evidenced by the fact that between 1791 and 1806, the farm's 141 entries won 113 races - a
fantastic record.
1798 - Diomed, The Horse Nobody Wanted

The pedigrees
of American Thoroughbreds rarely can be traced before the Revolutionary War. The War haphazardly scattered horses
throughout the country and their pedigrees were lost. The future of Thoroughbred blood in America was largely based upon
imported stock. Among the most important horses imported after the Revolution was Diomed, foaled in 1777. He was the
winner of the first Epson Derby in England in 1780. A great winner in his youth, Diomed's career later floundered. He was
bought by an American, Colonel John Hoomes, in 1798. Diomed had a reputation in England as "a bad foal-getter.
" But Tayloe put a number of his mares to Diomed, and he liked the results. Diomed sired some of the most famous
horses in American turf history. Among them were Haynie's Maria, who beat every horse until she lost one race as a
nine-year-old. Andrew Jackson declared that Haynie's Maria "can beat any
thing in God's whole creation."... Diomed also sired the undefeated Ball's Florizel, Potomac, Duroc, and greatest of all,
Sir Archie, who became a singularly important influence in American Thoroughbred history. He sired the line which extended to
Timolean, Boston, and Lexington. When Diomed died at the age of 31, one historian reports, "...there was as much
mourning over his demise as there was at the death of George Washington."
Bulle Rock
An event of central importance in the history of American horse racing was the importation of Bulle Rock to Virginia in 1730.
A son of the Darley Arabian, Bulle Rock is remembered as the first Thoroughbred to reach American shores. He was 21 years
old when he arrived, and had been a successful race horse in Britain in his youth. By 1800, Bulle Rock was followed by a
succession of 338 other imported equine thoroughbreds.
Monkey, Janus, and Fearnought; Pre-Revolution Imports
Of the 63 identifiable Thoroughbred imports before the Revolution, the most important were Monkey, imported in 1747 at the
age of 22, who sired some 300 colts in Virginia; Janus, imported as a ten-year-old by Mordecai Booth in 1756, who had a
profound influence on the Quarter Horse; and Fearnought, imported as a nine-year-old by John Baylor in 1764. Fearnought
had a stud fee that was five times the amount charged for other good sires, and he was the most important Thoroughbred sire in
America until Diomed was imported after the Revolution.
Sir Archie

Described as
the equine "hero of heroes," one of the great native Thoroughbreds of America was Sir Archie. The horse was
originally named Robert Burns, but John Tayloe, III changed his name to Sir Archie in honor of his friend who owned a half
interest in the colt, Captain Archibald Randolph. William Ransom Johnson, "the Napoleon of the Turf," once
owned Sir Archie and described him as "the best horse I ever saw." After no more challengers could be found, Sir
Archie's racing career ended and he went to stud. In 23 years at stud, from 1810 to 1833, he sired such magnificent horses as
Timolean, Sir Charles, Henry, and Lady Lightfoot. Sir Archie was also the great grandsire of Lexington. One authority claimed
that Sir Archie "filled the hemisphere with his blood."
Messenger
In May of 1788, another Thoroughbred was imported from England who put his stamp on the future of American racing.
This horse was Messenger, who first stood at stud in Philadelphia. After having been sold to Henry Astor of New York and
later to Cornelius Van Ranst, he sired a number of superior race horses. His greatest descendant was his great-grandson,
known as Rysdyk's Hambeltonian who became the foundation sire of the Standardbreds.
Messenger's Stud Poster
"TO BE LET TO MARES THIS SEASON"
"At Mr. Philip Platt's on Long Island, Queen's Country, and State of New York, within about fifteen miles of the city of
New York, and within about three or four miles of the town of Jamaca, and in the neighborhood of the Township of Newton
and Flushing.
At five pounds the season for each mare, the money to be paid by first of September next.
Any Person wishing to bargain for a sure colt, will be treated with at the above mentioned place on reasonable terms, as he was
proved himself a noted sure foal getter, where he has formerly bred, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The Full Blooded Horse, Messenger
Imported in May, 1788
Messenger is a grey, full fifteen hands three inches high. He was bred by John Pratt, E. of New Market, and was got by
Membrino, who covered at twenty-five guineas a mare, in 1784. Membrino was got by Engineer, who was got by Samson,
who was the sire of Malton, and several other capital racers. His dam by Furt; his grand-dam Regulus. This mare was sister to
Figerant, and was the dam of Leviathan, a capital racer.
Messenger won the following sums (in Guineas) in the years 1783, 1784, 1785 as may be seen by the Racing Calendar
Frontier Horsemen

In 1769,
Daniel Boone brought some pack horses to Kentucky on a hunting trip. These were soon stolen by the Indians. Early settlers
came to Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap on foot or by horseback, since the trails were not made wide enough for
wagons until 1795. Harrodsburg was settled in 1774 and Boonesborough followed in 1775, with the site of Lexington named
the same year. Racing the horses which brought them to Kentucky soon became a pastime of the frontiersmen. The
Shallowford race track at Harrodsburg was established in 1775, and used a portion of the straight road from there to
Boonesborough as the track. In 1780, the first circular race track was established by William Whitley near his home in Lincoln
County, Kentucky. A staunch supporter of the Revolution, Whitley insisted that horses race counter-clockwise, as opposed to
clock-wise as was the custom in England.
October 21, 1793 - Hold Your Horses in Lexington

Horses were
an important commodity in the early Lexington, Kentucky area. The 1790 Fayette County tax rolls accounted for 9,607 horses,
56 stallions, 2,522 slaves, and nine taverns. The horses were not necessarily Thoroughbreds, but it is certain that many were
raced. When arguments arose among early Kentuckians, they were usually settled by a horse race. Races were usually
quarter-mile dashes on straight paths or a town street. By 1791, an annual three day race meet was already an October custom
in Lexington.
In 1793, street horse racing threatened Lexington's peace. Therefore, it was proclaimed by the majority of the townsmen
that "jockeys racing their horses through the streets" were troublesome. The trustees issued strict orders
confining racing to "the lower end of the Commons (West Water Street) where stud horses can be shown."
Breeding for Quarter Horse Racing
The first evidence of horse breeding in Kentucky is an advertisement for a horse named Pilgarlick which appeared in Bradford's
"Kentucky Gazette"of February 16, 1788. The appearance of another advertisement for Darius reveals the extent
of Janus's influence in the area. Of course, this also reveals that the early Kentuckians were especially interested in raising
horses for quarter racing.
The First Kentucky Thoroughbreds
By 1789, a race "course" had been laid out in Lexington. A notice in the "Gazette" of August 22,
1789, announced the running of "heat" races over a distance of three miles to be run in October of that year. Races
of an extended distance created a need for Thoroughbred horses. To that end, we find that in 1797 an imported English
Thoroughbred named Blaze, foaled in 1786 and imported to Virginia in 1793, was standing at stud in the Bluegrass. With the
growing interest in distance racing and a growing supply of Thoroughbred horses, race courses were quickly constructed
throughout Kentucky. By the end of the century, there were courses in Georgetown, Danville, Bardstown, Shelbyville,
Versailles, Winchester, and Maysville. The future of Kentucky's eminence as a horse breeding and racing country was obvious.
For more information on the origin of the Thoroughbred in America, visit the National Museum of Racing's exhibit,
"The History of the Thoroughbred Horse in America."