Happy Friday! Here is a First Friday Flashback, written for us by Betsy Curler:
The 1856 Vermont State Fair was held at Burlington, VT and was heavily attended with 20,000+ spectators on the first day alone. “The display of horses [was] superior to any local exhibition of the kind ever before witnessed in New England. …. The horses were the chief attraction, and among them the old Green Mountain Morgan, now twenty-three years old, the now “father” of the Morgan race, was accorded the post of honor; the renowned horse Ethan Allen, now visiting in Vermont, was also present and much noticed.—More than four hundred horses were present…”
The writer then quotes a letter published by the Boston Traveller: “On the grounds to-day the centre of attraction has been the race course, where all the horses were examined by the committees. At ten this morning was the grand cavalcade, all the different animals being brought up and passed around the course twice, first at a walk and afterwards at a trot. To the eye of an admirer of “horse flesh,” a more beautiful sight could not have been presented—nearly four hundred of the best horses (taken as a whole) to be found in the United States, [all but 35 being Vermont horses]—extending nearly or quite around the half mile track. They passed by the Judges stand in the following order: Sherman Morgans, Woodbury Morgans, Bulrush Morgans, Hambletonians, and other bloods, matched horses, geldings and mares, foreign horses. After the cavalcade had proceeded around the track twice, a few of the more celebrated steeds were exercised.”
(Pictured is Green Mountain Morgan.)
