Early patterns of the TB.

[diomed]

I thought that it would be cool to note the breed's beginning noting various patterns of inbreeding and suspected breeds, etc.
I figured since Louis is posting his findings(probably in the wrong thread.LOL!!), I would only post my "observations" and not try to come to conclusions.
Perhaps a group project for anyone who wants to participate.
This would include male and female lines, etc.
This should be fun and since we have a whole database here, what the heck?

I will start with the forming of the famous trio of Eclipse, Matchem and Herod..
Starting with Eclipse and his pedigree...

Eclipse was 3x4 to the MARE Sister to Old Country Wench through half siblings Squirt and Grey Robinson(a mare).
He was also 4x5x4 to Snake and 5x6x5 to Hautboy.

If you go back even further in these pedigree you will see numerous inbreeding patterns to various Turks, Barbs, Arabians and "Royal" mares, many of which are not known due to the restoration and some lost lines.
Many of these mares had know "running" lines and the Belvoir and Rutland strains are suspected to be in these royal mares. They were prized for their ability to produce "fast" horses.

There is also some new findings on various female families due to the lost records of that time. This research connected and separated certain female families due to mtDNA and the biggest family impacted was the ever so famous family #6.
More of this later..
To continue....

[diomed]

The mystery of family #6.

The early breeding of mares in family 6 has been the subject of discussion among Thoroughbred historians since the GSBwas first published. This is the family of the Old Morocco Mare, "sometimes called Old Peg," according to the GSB, "...out of Old Bald Peg, who was got by an Arabian, out of a Barb mare." Old Peg was bred at the Helmsley estate formerly belonging to George Villiers, that favorite of James I. Helmsley was given to Lord Thomas Fairfax in 1651 for his services to Oliver Cromwell during the Civil War. It reverted to Buckingham control when the second Duke married Fairfax's daughter in 1657.

Family 6 Pedigree Tree
Family 6 Pedigree Tree, derived from "History and Integrity of Thoroughbred Dam Lines Revealed in Equine and MtDNA Variation," Animal Genetics 33: 287-294. ©Blackwell Publishing.
According to the GSB, Old Peg produced Spanker, "the best horse at Newmarket in Charles II's reign," and three daughters, one of whom was recorded as a filly by Spanker, Old Peg's son, making her inbred 2 x 1 to her dam. This filly had two daughters through whom most of family no. 6 descends, one called Cream Cheeks and the other Betty Percival, both by the Leedes Arabian.

The Hill study was only able to test three horses from this family. Two of them, who traced back in female line to Betty Percival had the "C" haplotype, and one, who traced to her supposed sister, Cream Cheeks, had a different haplotype researchers labeled "N." Cream Cheeks, then, had a different dam from Betty Percival, based on this very small sample population; testing of more individuals will be required to confirm the anomaly, but it lends credence to material unearthed by historian C. M. Prior, which some subsequent historians have been loath to embrace.

Some historians have had no problem believing late seventeenth century horse breeders would plan or allow such inbreeding. There are, after all, a few other examples of this sort in the GSB. This particular breeding, however, is attributed to James D'Arcy, who was a sophisticated and highly influential breeder of running horses.

Prior found evidence in the stud book of Cuthbert Routh which refutes the accepted inbreeding, at least in regards to Cream Cheeks. Routh's stud book gave the pedigree of Flying Childers, who springs from this family. That pedigree stated Flying Childer's grandam [Cream Cheeks] was by the Leedes Arabian and out of a "famous roan mare of Sir Marmaduke Wyvill's." Wyvill's stud was less than ten miles from that of Routh, and there is ample evidence they knew each other well. This roan mare is a mystery, since, as far as we know, she is not recorded in the GSB, and no further historic information has come to light regarding her, other than one small tidbit Prior also unearthed. He found that there was a "Wyvill Roan" mare in the Duke of Devonshire's stud at the time of his death in 1729, when an inventory was taken of his horses. Devonshire owned Flying Childers, both as a racehorse and as a stallion. Thus it appears that Cream Cheeks may trace, as the Routh stud book said, to this famous roan mare, who, according to the mtDNA study, appears to have no relationship to Old Peg. The genetic sequences do not negate the inbreeding of the Spanker mare as far as Betty Percival is concerned, and perhaps the inbreeding dispute as it relates to Betty Percival will remain unresolved.

Should the two different genetic sequences be confirmed by future testing of other individuals that spring from Cream Cheeks and Betty Percival, horses who have descended from these different mares can no longer be considered related. Those who belong to the Betty Percival maternal line, still presumed to descend from Old Peg, include * Diomed, Grey Sovereign, Selene (dam of Hyperion, *Sickle, and *Pharamond II). Those who descend tail-female from Cream Cheeks, and may not descend from Old Bald Peg at all, include Flying Childers and his more influential brother, Bartlett's Childers, great-grandsire in male line descent of Eclipse, and U.S. Triple Crown winner Count Fleet. Both mares have many English classic winners among their descendants.

I quote this from the TB Heritage web site.
Very valuable information.
If they do further testing to confirm this early error in the stud book it will and should change the family number and some early pedigree patterns in the stud book.

[diomed]

Old Bald Peg

Said to be "by an Arabian, out of a mare by a Barb", however, the info came from Chaney's Racing Calendar and is considered to be less than accurate. Many believe the "Arabian" and the "Barb" were imaginary, and that she was pure Old English Running-Horse.

There is no proof of this last speculation, however, there is also no proof that she was Arabian or Barb.
I suspect the former(running horse) to be more likely and the possibility of Barb blood more likely than Arabian.
Barbs were easier to acquire and were used via Spanish importations long before the thoroughbred was formed.
I have long believed that the source of "speed" or "turn of foot" has always come from the "running horse" foundations that made the Belvoir and Tutbury mares so revered.
The Quarter Horse was a very early creation and there were many "dashes" run in towns around the country in England during the 15th and 16th century.
Early English breeders had very fast little horses.

[diomed]

Spanker Mare
This incestuously inbred mare is 2x1 to Old Morocco Mare, a daughter of the famous Old Bald Peg(assumed "Running Horse" or Barb).
Her sire, Spanker is by a "Turk" with "unknown" parentage(I assume at least 1/2 Turkomene). Old Morocco Mare is by Fairfax Morocco Barb(assumed to be a Barb), therefore making Spanker Mare also 3X2 to him through the inbreeding.

Slicing it down to strains, Spanker mare is 3rd Generation Turkomene, Unknown(Barb, or Running Horse?), Barb, Running Horse(or Barb), Barb, Barb, Running Horse or Barb, Running Horse or Barb.

[diomed]

Back to Eclipse....
Noting the assumed "strains" for his 9 generation breakdown..
Top to Bottom:
32 Arabian?(through Darley Arabian)
2 Turkomene, 2 Unknown, 2 Barb, 2 Running Horse, 8 Barb, 8 Arabian, 1 Turkomene, 1 Barb, 1 Running Horse, 1 unknown, 2 Barb, 2 Running Horse, 16 Turkomene, 4 Turkomene, 4 unknown, 8 unknown, 8 Turkomene, 8 Unknown, 16 Unknown, 32 Barb, 8 Turkomene, 2 Turkomene, .5 Turkomene, .25 Running Horse, .25 Barb, 4 Unknown, 4 Tukomene, 4 Unknown, 4 unknown, 4 unknown, 4 Turkomene, 4 Unknown, 8 Barb, 1 Turkomene, 1 Unknown, 6 Unknown, 1 Turkomene, 3 Unknown, 1 Turkomene, 3 Unknown, 2 Turkomene, 2 Unknown, 4 Arabian, 1 Turkomene, .5 Barb, .5 Running Horse, 1 Barb, 1 Running Horse, 4 Turkomene, .25 Turkomene, .125 Barb, .125 Running Horse, 2 Unknown, 4 Barb, 1 Turkomene, 1 Unknown, 1 Turkomene, 1 Unknown, 64 Barb?(Godolphin Barb), 16 Barb, 4 Barb, 4 Unknown, 4 Unknown, 4 Galloway, 8 Tukomene, 2 Turkomene, 6 Unknown, 4 Turkomene, 12 Unknown, 18 Turkomene, 12 Unknown, 16 Turkomene, 4 Arabian, 4 Barb, 1 Turkomene, 7 Unknown, 32 Unknown, 8 Turkomene, 8 Unknown, 2 Turkomene, 14 Unknown.

Based on what is available, the totals are:
Arabian-48
Barb-144.875
Galloway-4
Turkomene-120.75
Running Horse-6.875
Unknown-177

Many assume that the "Unknown" has a high probability of being at least 25% native...Running Horse or Galloway, with the other high probability being Barb and perhaps some unrecorded Turkomene and Arabian.
I think Arabian is probably the lowest of these.

[louis finochio]

Are those white patches found on TB inherited from the Arabian influence?

[Bill from WA]

Great stuff Diomed.
A book that I can recommend to those interested in the formation of the thoroughbred as a breed is "Speed and the Thoroughbred, The Compete History" by Alexander Mackay-Smith. Very in-depth and informative.

Bill

[xfactor fan]

Can anyone find a link to a picture of a English Hobby? I imagine they must have been short sprinter type horses, maybe like quarter horses?

Great thread.

I think the Turkoman strain popped up in Man O War, that high head carriage and high headed running style screams Turkoman to my eye.

Also ran across a website that claimed based on genetic markers that the modern TB was most closely related not to the Turkoman warhorse, but to the Turkoman packhorse. These were a closely related strain that were bred to carry the entire contents of a Turkoman family camp plus keep up with the traveling pace of the warhorses. Speed and weight carrying ability with stamina.

[Shammy Davis]

Great idea.

If I might make a suggestion though. Threads directed at the development of the TB tend to be replete with a broad spectrum of historical information. I, for one, am very interested in the history of the TB, but for the most part, don't have time to do the reading or research on-line. Further, if I were to tie up our dial-up access, my wife and youngest daughter would hang me from the nearest and highest barn rafter. To be honest, I buy used books on the breed and allocate my TB reseach to the bed in a prone reading position and my family is precluded from complaints.

If we were to reverse the research from present to past looking at significant progenitors in a specific line or family, our glimpse of the breed might be more helpful and enlightened.

Just a thought.

[Bill from WA]

From "Speed and the Thoroughbred"

Before the Restoration of Charles II (1660), most racing in the British Isles was organized to attract large crowds of buyers---in Ireland at the great fairs, and in England (c. 1512-1642) at annual town races. So that everyone could see every horse from start to finish, races were for sprinters over short courses.

The earliest Thoroughbred sprinting speed strain, known as the Hobby, traces back to Irish fairs in pre-Christian times. There was racing at the Curragh of Kildare (still the center of Irish racing) in King Conari’s reign (first century A.D.). The speed of this bloodline is unique, not achieved by any other country. Preserved by female lines, it is this strain that continues to make the Thoroughbred the world’s fastest horse. Irish Hobbies were imported into England by Henry VIII, by Yorkshire breeders, and by James I (reigned 1603-1625).

About 1635 at Helmsley, the fifth Earl’s niece, wife of the first Duke of Buckingham, bred Old Bald Peg, the most important Hobby strain Thoroughbred foundation mare. Old Bald Peg appears in the extended pedigree of virtually every present-day Thoroughbred.

In the book “Breeding To Race” by Sir Rhys Llewellyn, it is stated that the fine racehorse and sire Big Game had Old Bald Peg’s name 367,162 times in his pedigree.

Bill

[diomed]

Are those white patches found on TB inherited from the Arabian influence?

I highly doubt it, I believe spotted or unusual markings are found to be from Spanish origin.
Just look at the mustang, basically a wild Spanish horse.
I am not an expert on color, markings and their origins however.
Perhaps someone else could help out here.

[diomed]

Great stuff Diomed.
A book that I can recommend to those interested in the formation of the thoroughbred as a breed is "Speed and the Thoroughbred, The Compete History" by Alexander Mackay-Smith. Very in-depth and informative.

I have the book and LOVE it!!!
He clearly tries to investigate the source of speed in the Thoroughbred and the fact there is NO WAY that they could have that much true Arabian blood since the Arabian isn't near as fast even after centuries of selective breeding for speed.
They are still a tad bit slower at shorter distances than the Akhal-Teke.

About the Hobby Horses
Here are some references:
There are references to Galloways in Shakespeare (1597):—

Doll Tearsheet: For God's sake, thrust him down stairs: I cannot endure such a fustian rascal.

Pistol: Thrust him down stairs! know we not Galloway nags? (Henry IV part II)

Dr Johnson later construed the term "Galloway nags" as "common hackneys", carrying the modern sense of "we can spot rubbish when we see it". And in a satire by Bishop Hall also published in 1597:—

Dost thou prize
Thy brute beasts' worth by their dam's qualities?
Say'st thou this colt shall prove a swift pac'd steed,
Onely because a Jennet did him breed ?
Or Say'st thou this same horse shall win the prize,
Because his dam was swiftest Trunchifice
Or Runceval his syre; himself a galloway?
While like a tireling jade, he lags half way.

(Chalmers' English Poets, vol. v. p. 275. book iv. satire 3.)

Gervase Markham in 1660 wrote:

"Also in Scotland there are a race of small nagges which they call Galloways or Galloway nagges which for fine shape, easie pace, pure metall and infinit toughness are not short of the best nagges that are bred in any country whatsoever; for soundness in bodie they exceed the most races that are extant, as dayly experience shows in their continuall travellings, journeyings and fore-huntings." (Markham)

John Spreull (1646-1722) in 1706 wrote that he bought and sold "fine Scots galloway horses". He stated:

"Search the custom books at Port Glasgow where I myself entered and payed [export] dutie for 50 or 52 mostly ston'd horses and maers which I shipped in a great ship of 400 Tunn for Surinam an Dutch Plantation for a brood of horses, and they were almost all Highland Galloways excepting some few ...

"And for certaintie the borderers on both Scots and English side came oft to Dunbarton fair and bought small droves of them when they carried up their cattle. And what gentleman did ever ride post in any or all of the roads of England and never met with a Scots galloway, if they have not, I am sure I have, and I have frequented the roads there ... and still when I had some Scots galloway it was coveted and often bought from me. And I can aver as a truth that an Scots galloway of 40 or 50 shils ster [sterling] per piece will ride farder and kill and beat and founder an English Geldin of 20, 30, 40 or 50 £ ster price. If they continue long I know them ride 40 or 50 miles a day; and then they are kept easilie and can feed upon the Orts [leavings, leftovers] of others. It's true English Geldings 30, 40, or 50 £ ster price may run [gallop], and course [race] and do wonders, yet I shall kill them with a Scots galloway of 40, 50 shil or 5 £ ster price, through long fatigue and time, scarcity and wants incident."

Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) wrote in his "Tour Through Scotland":

"Besides the great number of sheep and runts, as we call them in England, which they breed here; they have the best breed of strong low horses in Britain, if not in Europe, which we call pads, and from whence we call all small truss-strong riding horses Galloways. These horses are remarkable for being good pacers, strong, easy goers, hardy, gentle, well broke, and above all, that they never tire, and they are very much bought up in England on that account."

So we have two views of the value of the Galloway: one, that he's "common", both in the sense of numbers and by direct comparison with the high class racehorse; and the other, that he is short, strong and infinitely useful. He is a Toyota pickup or a twelve-year-old Ford or Vauxhall hatchback, as opposed to a Ferrari.

Source: http://www.fellpony.f9.co.uk/fells/17_18C/galloways.htm

More from the website:
RACING ADVERTISEMENTS: Newcastle Courant

The "Courant" was the nearest thing to a Cumbrian local paper at the time.

PENRITH RACES in Cumberland, 1736.

ON Wednesday the 16th Day of June next, will be run for on the usual Course on Maidenhill, a Purse of 15 Guineas, by any Horse, &c. not exceeding five Years old this Grass, to be certify'd for; three Heats, each Heat 3 Miles; five Year olds to carry 9 Stone, four year olds 8 Stone; One Guinea and a half Entrance.

On Thursday the 17th Day of June, will be run for a Purse of 8 Guineas by Galloways, 14 Hands to carry 9 Stone, all under to have the usual Abatement; three Heats, each Heat 4 Miles; Fifteen Shillings Entrance.

On Friday the 18th Day of June, will be run for a Purse of 12 Guineas by any Horse, &c. 14 Hands to carry 9 Stone, all above or under to carry more or less, as is usual in give and take; three Heats, each Heat 4 Miles; Twenty Five Shillings Entrance.
BRAMPTON RACES In the County of Cumberland, 1736.

ON Wednesday the 9th Day of June, will be run for by Galloways, a Plate Value 5 Guineas, given by the Right Honourable the Earl of Carlisle; 14 Hands carrying 10 Stone, and all under that Size to have Allowance of Weight for Inches, as is usual in Galloway Plates; three Heats, each Heat 4 Miles, carrying 10 Stone, and so in Proportion. Entrance one Guinea.

On Friday the 11th Day of June, a Plate Value 5 Guineas, will be run for by Hunters, that can be proved to be Hunters last Season; each Horse, &c. carrying 10 Stone, three Heats, each Heat 4 Miles; And that no Horse, &c. shall run for the said Plate that has won the Value of 10£ at one Time; Entrance 7s 6d.

12 June, 1736

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, being the First, Second, and Third Days of July, will be run for on Brampton Moor near Appleby in Westmoreland, three Purses of Gold of Ten, Five, and Twelve Guineas, raised by Subscription, and run in Manner following.

THE first Ten Guineas given by Walter Plummer and John Ramsden, Esqrs. Members for the said Borough, on Thursday the First of July, by Galloways, 14 Hands carrying 10 Stone, and Weight for Inches over and under, 4 miles to a Heat.

On Friday Five Guineas, by Ponies, 13 Hands carrying 9 Stone, Weight for Inches under, 4 Miles to a Heat.

On Saturday Twelve Guineas, give and take, 14 Hands carrying 10 Stone, weight for Inches over and under, 4 Miles to a Heat.
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A new local newspaper, the Cumberland Chronicle, details races held in West Cumberland in 1777:

4 July - "a Match of FIFTY POUNDS, and a Purse of FIVE POUNDS, by any Horse, Mare, or Gelding, that never won Fifty Pounds, Matches excepted". 4-year-olds to carry 7.5 Stone; 5-year-olds 8.5 Stone; older horses 9 Stone. Best of 3 heats (4 miles each)- "Three to run, or no Race."

5 July - "a Match of Fifty Pounds, and a Purse of Five Pounds, by any Horse, Mare, or Gelding"; 14 Hands to carry 8 Stone; "higher or lower, Weight in Proportion". Best of 3 heats (4 miles each) - 3 to run or no race.

Both days - "a SADDLE will be Run for"; "A HAT, of Ten Shillings and Six-pence, for Footmen".

"All Horses, &c. to appear, and enter" before 4pm on 3 July "at JOHN DALE'S, of Lamplugh-Cross, or at JOHN ASKEW'S, of Millgill-Head, where proper Attendance will be given and Care taken of all Horses, &c. and be Subject to Articles then produced."

"No Person to have either Tent, or Booth, &c. without Consent of the
Stewards of the Course." Horses to be on the ground, ready for starting, at 1pm on race days.

Notice that the terms of the races vary - 4 July [1777] is weight-for-age, and 5 July is weight-for-height, where 14 hands is the mean. The distances were quite usual for the time: three heats of 4 miles.

The much shorter distances of today were introduced as tests or "futurities" to determine the ability of horses younger than four years and their suitability for longer races in adult life. Fast single races between 5 furlongs and 2 miles have now become the norm due to economic pressures (over shorter distances, horses can compete sooner). Hence the earlier maturity of the modern racing Thoroughbred, when compared with mountain and moorland breeds of pony. It is sometimes forgotten, when discussing the foundation sires of the TB, that the Darley Arabian, Byerley Turk and Godolphin Arabian could not reproduce themselves in a vacuum! They were crossed onto British mares, the "running horses" and "Galloways"; that is, sisters of the ancestresses of our present native breeds. The Curwen family of West Cumbria (see below) were breeders of horses for similar races to those in the advertisements shown here, and their animals were known by the name of "Galloways".

Surveys

However, Andrew Pringle, writing in official mode for the Board of Agriculture in 1794, noted that "The (Westmorland) Commons are numerous, extensive and valuable ..." and added that they were mainly stocked with Scotch sheep, black cattle and geese. He observed frustratingly briefly that "a few ponies of the Scotch breed are reared upon the commons, but the practice not being general, need not be dilated upon." (Pringle) Fortunately small newspaper advertisements of the period give us more detail about the "Scotch" type of pony. It seems reasonable to assume the "Scotch" pony is the same as the "Galloway", given that Galloway, Scotland, is just across the Solway from Cumbria; Pringle did not seem to think it necessary to explain his term, which suggests it may have been in common use and widely understood.

Support for this comes from Tuke, writing, in the same national survey, of the North Riding of Yorkshire: "Horses constitute a considerable part of the stock of the high parts of the western moorlands; the farmers there generally keep a few Scotch Galloways, which they put to stallions of the country, and produce a hardy and very strong race in proportion to their size, which are chiefly sold to the manufacturing part of the West Riding and Lancashire, to be employed in ordinary purposes." (More notes on the 1794 surveys of Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmorland can be found on the Countryside half of the site.)

His counterparts Bailey and Culley wrote of the horses of Northumberland: "those bred in the county are of various sorts, descended from stallions of various kinds, from the full blood racer, to the strong, heavy, rough-legged black. From the full-blood stallions and country mares, are bred excellent hunters, road and carriage horses, and from the other kinds of stallions are bred the draught horses, which in general, are middle sized, active animals, well adapted to the husbandry of this county."
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In his own part of this 1794 survey, for the Galloway region, Webster wrote that: "Tradition states that the antient Galloway horses sprang from a Spanish breed, which escaped from a vessel of the Armada that was wrecked upon the coast. Some of these are yet to be met with; their shape, which is in general good, does not exceed their other properties, being esteemed high spirited, very hardy and easily maintained."

On the Scottish side of the Border, similar Parish surveys were conducted between 1791 and 1799 in which it was noted: from Twynholme (Kirkcudbright, Galloway region): "The old breed of Galloways, so highly valued for spirit and shape, and which continued a long time after the wreck of the Spanish Armada, when several stallions were thrown upon this coast, is almost entirely, if not totally extinct." [How much trust one can put in the "Spanish Armada" story, I am not sure; it crops up in other breed backgrounds as well, and to believe it as a source for all of them stretches credulity quite a long way. It may in reality reflect a continuous tradition of trade along the Atlantic seaboards from very early times, that has by default become attached to this one seaborne historical event.]

These Parish surveys in the Dumfries and Galloway areas yield almost no other comment on specific horse breeds, though from Wigtown (Wigtownshire, Galloway region) it was reported: "… the breed of horses has been greatly improved. The little galloways, the native produce of this place, are totally worn out; and a breed much larger, and abler for the purposes of agriculture, brought originally from the West of Scotland, has been introduced."

A further survey in 1814 drew the following remarks on Galloways:

The province of Galloway formerly possessed a breed of horses peculiar to itself, which were in high estimation for the saddle, being, though of a small size, exceedingly hardy and active. They were larger than the ponies of Wales, and the north of Scotland, and rose from twelve to fourteen hands in height. The soils of Galloway, in their unimproved state, are evidently adapted for rearing such a breed of horses; and in the moors and mountainous part of the country, a few of the native breed are still to be found. The true Galloways resemble the Spanish horses in some very characteristic features, particularly in their faces. This similarity makes it probable, that the breed has been indebted for its improvement, to the Spanish horses that are supposed to have escaped from one of the vessels of the Armada, that had been wrecked on the coast of Galloway. This ancient race is almost lost, since farmers found it necessary to breed horses of greater weight, and better adapted to the draught. But such as have a considerable portion of the old blood, are easily distinguished, by their smallness of head and neck, and cleanness of bone. They are generally of a light bay or brown colour, and their legs black. The name of Galloway is sometimes given to horses of an intermediate size between the poney and the full-sized horse, whatever may be the breed. (Sinclair)

130 years after Gervase Markham's observations, this type of strong, clean-boned pony had more or less vanished as a breed.
Gait

Advertisements of the 18th C indicate that the term "Galloway" was also applied locally to smaller ponies, down to 11 or 12 hands. As we saw above, there were races in Cumberland for "Galloways" of 14 hands, and also on the same day for "horses" of 14 hands, so the distinction cannot have been solely one of height but must have been based on type, breeding or perhaps the gaits at which they worked best. Although Defoe mentioned that they were "easy pacers" he may only have meant that they were a comfortable ride; we can't be sure from this whether they trotted "square" or were "gaited", ie, moved laterally in the pace, or in four-beat time in a running walk, singlefoot or rack.

Height or Type?

As for the "ponies" of 13 hands, while the earliest use we know of the term "pony" is recorded in the mid-17th C (1659, powny, from Scottish, apparently from Fr. poulenet "little foal"), Lawrence asserted in 1829:

A horse below thirteen hands in height … is styled a poney; above that height, and below fourteen hands, a galloway. Fashion, however, rules the roast in all things, and of late it has become the ton to nickname galloways, and almost sized horses, ponies, quasi pets; and I have lately heard Tattersall [horse auctioneer in London] himself announce, from the pulpit, a poney for sale, which bordered very nearly on fourteen hands. The word or term has also been, of late years, curtailed, as I humbly conceive, of its fair orthographical proportion. It is now spelled pony, a literal abridgement, according to my observation, by that celebrated journal The Times, by way of the laudable economy of a single letter in an advertisement.

Galloway seems to have begun life as a breed-type appellation, then been adopted as a generic term based mainly on height - rather as the term "hoover" has been adopted for "vacuum-cleaner".

Before making any judgements on usefulness or commonness by height it is helpful to have some data about the heights of horses in, for instance, military use: the British Army's 2nd Dragoons in 1813 (Morgan) employed animals of the following heights:

16 hands, 57 horses
15.2 hands, 256 horses
14.2 hands, 340 horses
14 hands, 55 horses

More than half the Dragoons were mounted on horses of "galloway" size.
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William Youatt wrote in 1831:

"A horse between thirteen and fourteen hands in height is called a GALLOWAY, from a beautiful breed of little horses once found in the south of Scotland, on the shore of the Solway Firth, but now sadly degenerated, and almost lost, through the attempts of the farmer to obtain a larger kind, and better adapted for the purposes of agriculture."

"There is a tradition in that country, that the breed is of Spanish extraction, some horses having escaped from one of the vessels of the Grand Armada, that was wrecked on the neighbouring coast. This district, however, so early as the time of Edward I, supplied that monarch with a great number of horses."

He does not call the Galloways "ponies" although in other places he talks later of Exmoor and Dartmoor ponies, both of which fit the "under 13 hands" criterion (and which, he says, are ugly!).

"The pure Galloway was said to be nearly 14 hands high and sometimes more; of a bright bay or brown with black legs, small head and neck, and peculiarly deep [body?] and clean legs.Its qualities are speed, stoutness and sure-footedness over a very rugged and mountainous country."

Again, the term "clean" legs is used - which probably implied the flat, flinty quality of bone that we see in a good Fell or Dales pony today, not that the legs carried no feather. (The preference for large amounts of feather is a modern one, and a small amount of feather was probably an old characteristic of all the British natives; see the discussion on horses in Chaucer's time.)

Although Youatt and Sinclair both said that the pure stock was nearly impossible to find by the 1820s, the term "galloway" was still in use in Cumbria in very recent times (I heard it in spontaneous use by farmers in 1985) for any stout general purpose pony, but particularly the Fell, often under the combined expression "fell-galloway". It seems very likely that the ancestors of our modern Fells included Galloways.

Youatt adds that "many of the galloways now in use are procured from Wales or the New Forest; but they have materially diminished in number." Here he is probably using the term in its generic sense rather than a breed name.
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Youatt also quotes Dr Anderson:

"There was once a breed of small elegant horses in Scotland, similar to those of Iceland and Sweden, and which were known by the name of galloways; the best of which sometimes reached the height of fourteen hands and a half. One of this description I possessed, it having been bought for my use when a boy. In point of elegance of shape it was a perfect picture, and in disposition was gentle and compliant. It moved almost with a wish, and never tired. I rode this little creature for twenty-five years, and twice in that time I rode a hundred and fifty miles at a stretch, without stopping, except to bait [feed/water] and that not for above an hour at a time. It came in at the last stage with as much ease and alacrity as it travelled the first. I could have undertaken to have performed on this beast, when it was in its prime, sixty miles a day for a twelvemonth running, without any extra-ordinary exertion."

Literary references

Sir Walter Scott in The Fair Maid of Perth (1828) describes a smith riding a "strong black horse of the old Galloway breed, of an under size, and not exceeding fourteen hands, but high-shouldered, strong-limbed, well-coupled, and round-barrelled … A judge of the animal might see in his eye that vicious temper which is frequently the accompaniment of the form that is most vigorous and enduring, but the weight, the hand, and the seat of the rider, added to the late regular exercise of a long journey, had subdued his stubbornness for the present." Scott contrasts it satirically with another's "great trampling Flemish mare ... with a huge piece of hair on each foot and every hoof full as large in circumference as a frying pan".
Endurance: the same tale twice told

Jonty Wilson, the Kirkby Lonsdale blacksmith, wrote in 1978 of a feat of endurance performed in the 18th century by a Galloway based in Kirkby Lonsdale. Edward Linsay (a Scot who is said to have arrived in Cumbria with the Old Pretender's army in 1715) went into partnership with Thomas Singleton as a carrier using packhorses. They were based in Kirkby Lonsdale at the rear of the Queen's Head inn. (Wilson)

Singleton was evidently the more sporting-minded of the two, being interested in cockfighting and dogfighting. He took a wager of 100 guineas that he could ride 1000 miles in 1000 hours. He rode for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and Wilson says it took him nearly 7 weeks -- although 1000 hours is just under 6 weeks. He rode one of the partnership's pack horses, a 13-2 Fell stallion named Black Sampson. When the pony died it was buried near Biggins, in Kirkby Lonsdale. Wilson wrote that he knew the exact spot.
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Note: F W Garnett (1910) and C Richardson (1990) both quote Youatt's version. They cite this as happening in 1701, and give the rider's name from that source as Sinclair:

"A galloway, belonging to Mr Sinclair, of Kirkby-Lonsdale, performed at Carlisle the extraordinary feat of a thousand miles in a thousand hours." This was performed on the "old Carlisle racecourse" (Fawcett, who differs a little again in that he states the wager was for 500 guineas and the date 1704).

Wilson, however, says the Linsay-Singleton carrier partnership was struck up after the 1715 Rising and that according to parish records Edward Linsay married in 1736 while Singleton's wife and newborn son died in the same year -- so there is something like a 35 year discrepancy and the names do not match! Were there two wagers of this sort, the later following the example set by the first? Was Wilson mistaken in his facts, wherever he got them from?

It is hard to judge, because even Youatt was not contemporary with the 1000 hour feat performed in 1701. His first edition of "The Horse" is 120 years later ( "The Horse" was constantly in print from its first edition through to the 20th century; Garnett's copy was dated 1831, and the 4th edition is dated 1908). He is nearer to the ride in time than is Wilson; Wilson gives more detail. If anyone has access to the sources either is quoting, or to records from Kirkby Lonsdale we would welcome information to clear this up.
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A similar though less gruelling feat was performed in 1754 by a Mr Corker when he rode a Galloway pony 100 miles a day for 3 consecutive days over the Newmarket race course.

Terms: Ponies, Galloways, and Cobs

The real feature in all these tales is the remarkable endurance of ponies covering long distances without much rest. Partly this can be explained by the animals working long days in their normal job and being fit and conditioned to such stresses; but more than one writer has commented on the toughness of ponies, and the ease with which they enable people to travel, when compared with larger types of horse.

Encyclopaedia Brittanica, 9th Edition 1881, says a pony "must be less than 52" (13hh) from the ground to the top of the withers; else he is a Galloway." And a cob "should not exceed 14.1hh".

In Volume VIII of the Polo Pony Stud Book (1901), an introductory section "The Taproot of Polo Pony Breeding" quotes Mr S Burke who approves several ponies in history that were "not over pony size": the grey Bald Galloway (by St Victor's Barb), who was not only a sire of several top racehorses of his time, but a noted sire of mares in the Thoroughbred stud book; his daughter the Warlock Galloway; the Shield Galloway; and the Mixbury Galloway (Polo Pony Stud Book). The Mixbury Galloway was said to be a pony of 13-2 by the Curwen Barb (from a German magazine of 1825, "Zeitung für Pferdeliebhaber" 1825 Heft 18) owned by the Curwen family from West Cumbria. Whether such well-bred Galloways actually featured in the ancestry of Fell ponies, is very hard to decide; most likely the two strains existed in parallel as cousins through the female line.

[diomed]

Great idea.

If I might make a suggestion though. Threads directed at the development of the TB tend to be replete with a broad spectrum of historical information. I, for one, am very interested in the history of the TB, but for the most part, don't have time to do the reading or research on-line. Further, if I were to tie up our dial-up access, my wife and youngest daughter would hang me from the nearest and highest barn rafter. To be honest, I buy used books on the breed and allocate my TB reseach to the bed in a prone reading position and my family is precluded from complaints.

If we were to reverse the research from present to past looking at significant progenitors in a specific line or family, our glimpse of the breed might be more helpful and enlightened.

Just a thought.

That's funny(the story about your family).
I understand(kinda have the same problem) and do a lot of bedside reading myself.

All thoughts are welcome here...
I prefer to start from the beginning of the breed myself.
It give me more of an understanding of the patterns as they progressed and perhaps a clue as to why.
It seems like more work but it has worked for me through the years..
Because of this I just call certain horses their family background number.
For example....Storm Cat is an 8, Spectacular Bid is a Galopin/Hampton heavy nut, as is Round Table, therefore I call them Tens, Lyphard is a 3, Danzig a 7, etc....
I know, I am weird and don't even want to know how many hours of wasted time I have spent studying families(pedigrees).

[Shammy Davis]

Diomed responded:

I know, I am weird and don't even want to know how many hours of wasted time I have spent studying families(pedigrees).

I understand. I'll try to keep up.

[Bill from WA]

Great stuff Diomed.

Bill