CHAPTER VII

THE HORSE STOCK OF OHIO

It is a matter of great difficulty to trace the horse stock in Ohio. Good horses were introduced into different portions of the state at a very early day, but most of the stock produced in Ohio previous to the introduction of railways, that gave any indications of superiority, was at once transferred from the East. The first horses in the state were brought by the Marietta settlers, but the introduction proper began about 1807, and came chiefly from Pennsylvania. This immigration of horses reached a very high tide between 1820 and 1830, and they they were distributed principally through Columbiana, Stark, Wayne, Richland, Huron, Harrison, and Jefferson counties,1 and from them spread throughout the state. The original horse was of large size, heavy and slow gait, perhaps of Flemish origin, and of the breed known then as Conestoga. The Dunkards and Memoirists lived in these counties,-two religious sects, whose

1 Ohio Agricultural Report, 1857, page 350.

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members were invariably agriculturists, and The whose excellent stock and neat farms were Stock of know as in proverb,-being interested in Ohio improving stock, introduced the best of this early stock of horses. In 1828 some of the French settled in Stark county, bringing with them excellent crosses of the French horses. There were in the same county about the same time some native crosses, and these bred with the French draft horses produced a strain of excellent farm horses.

New England people came in greatest numbers to Ohio from about 1815 to 1820, while the Pennsylvania and Virginia people came to central and southern Ohio at an earlier date, fixing in a degree the type of horses of the brawny Flemish blood of the Dutch farms of Pennsylvania, while the lighter and better breeds came with the Virginians. This early stock composed the native stock of Ohio. As Ohio was the earliest settled of the Northwest territory the original type of the horses of Ohio was diffused over the great West.

One writer says: "It was a notorious fact that most of the earlier settlers had no

The Horse Stock of Ohio

just appreciation of the superiority of a well-bred horse over any animal called by that name, even though as ungainly as a kangaroo, and bred downwards until they had as little heart and loin as a newly dropped merino lamb."

Of the blood stock first brought to the Scioto valley region were several mares introduced from the south branch of the Potomac, Virginia, by John I. Van Meter, and later the stallion "Spread Eagle" from the same region. The stock of this stallion seems to have been most diffused and esteemed of any single horse's ever brought to southern Ohio. He was afterwards. owned by Felix Renick of Chillicothe, and after further service in Ohio was taken back to Virginia, on account of the popularity of his stock in that region. Virginia also furnished a stock of horses which were esteemed especially for their value as saddle horses. There was also another horse in Franklin county of saddle type that was very popular for years, known as "Punter," of a bayish body, muscular and low, and similar to the Morgan breed in build and action. They were excellent in short

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races, but were too light in bone. These The strains of horses were the principal ones in Stock of fixing the type in the Scioto valley. In Ohio the eastern part of the state was introduced another class that had much to do with fixing the style of the early Ohio horses. In the vicinity of Steubenville and eastern Ohio a large French draft horse, called "Salisbury," was bred to the heavy Flemish and Conestoga mares of the teamsters and wagoners of this region, who carried on the conveying and transfer business into Ohio from the Eastern cities. This stallion was well known in this section, and his diffusion was spread far and wide. Other stallions in this same district, but of less importance than the above, were "Shylock," a stallion of fair size, but popular as a roadster; and "Pirate," an animal smaller and belonging to the running strain.

An early writer in the Ohio Cultivator says: "There were classes of horses which were diffused all over eastern Ohio and western Virginia whose popularity is still known. They are the Tuckahoe,' the Heatogo,' and the Timelion.' These are well kept, lively, serviceable horses.

The Horse Stock of

Ohio

Most of the good mares in eastern Ohio are based upon Consul' blood; the Elipose' stock is considerably interwoven, and the kindred of Sir Archy' and 'Duroc.'

The first blooded stock appeared about 1825, when a few good stallions were brought into the state; but we have no authentic date of any good brood mares having been introduced.

1

Northern Ohio was even worse off in the way of horses than the eastern and southern sections of the state. The immigrants were from the Northeastern states, and had brought quite a miscellaneous assortment of horses. Harris says, "There was more ill-breeding done in this section than in any other part of the state. They seemed to be, in too many cases, scrub breeding from runout English and Flemish mares, showing a great number of narrow-chested, leggy, pale dun, and sorrel animals, without constitution, or action. Many of the first settlers in all the sections of the state brought good teams with them, but for want of suitable stallions the race was not kept up."

1 The Horse of America, Vol. II, page 76.