Shepherd F. Knapp The American Trotter and the best Roadster Stallion at the everley Meeting of the won the Chester Cup and other races. He went to America at the close of his career on the turf, and his only winner in this country is Annette, imported by Mr. Ten Broeck. in At the Islington Horse Show, in 1866, Shepherd F. Knapp, entered by Mr. Edwards, of Ealing Paddocks, took the first prize of 25 sove.,. as the best roadster trotter in single harness. At the same show, the year following, he took the third prize of £5 for roadster stallions, being beaten for first and second by Mr. Grout with Quicksilver Shields and Sportsman. Shepherd F. Knapp was subsequently purchased by Major Stapylton, of Myton Hall, and transplanted to Yorkshire. Here, at the Beverley Show of the Yorkshire Society, in the beginning of last month, he took the first prize of £20 as the best roadster stallion, a full report of which meeting will be found in another part of the present number. Shepherd F. Knapp stands fifteen hands one inch high. He is a rich chesnut in colour, getting much darker in the summer than during the winter months. He is a very powerful and showy nag, with a deal of blood, or "quality" as the phrase is, in his appearance; while he has much thickened since this portrait was taken earlier in the year. He has been on service in the Boroughbridge district, where he promises to nick well with the roadster mares of the country. The following amusing account, taken from the York Herald, we give word for word, even to the "its" and the "animals": "By the desire of a large number of the lovers of horseflesh, Major Stapylton, of Myton Hall, the owner of that celebrated American trotting animal Shepherd F. Knapp again afforded an opportunity of witnessing its beautiful symmetry and powers of locomotion, on Knavesmire. Several thousand persons were present. The animal was brought from its temporary quarters at the Turf Tavern, Dringhouses, in a sulky, and several times trotted at high speed-the pace in fact being about nineteen miles an hour-down the straight and back again opposite the Grand Stand, and clicited the wonder and admiration of every person who witnessed it. Not the least feature of the animal is its docility. From a walk, it gradually throws itself at the will of its driver into a trot and its full speed, and allows itself to be pulled up almost momentarily. When finishing its trotting this particular quality was singularly exemplified. When going down the course for the last time at full speed, the driver hearing something crack (which afterwards. turned out to be the fracturing of the splinter-bar), he threw his body slightly aside in the sulky to ascertain the cause. The wheel of the frail vehicle on the opposite side to that towards which the driver was leaning at the same moment passing over a slight elevation of ground, the sulky partially upset and the driver was thrown. Ordinarily such a circumstance would have been a source of fright to an animal, but Shepherd F. Knapp, the sulky having instantly righted itself, merely trotted along at an ordinary pace and allowed itself to be easily captured. In appearance the animal wonderfully resembles Blair Athol, being of chesnut colour and having white face and legs. Its speed is remarkable, some of its performances being amongst the wonders of trotting, and this is equalled by the regularity and beauty of its action. Such a piece of animated mechanism may never have been previously witnessed. Major Stapylton, the owner of the animal, was present during the time it was shown, and afterwards when the animal allowed itself to be caught the assemblage evinced their applause at the exhibition and, the driver being unhurt, at its fortunate termination." Shepherd F. Knapp was also on "exhibition" at the last Birmingham Show, where, however, there was no room for him to move. ENGRAVED BY E. HACKER, FROM A PAINTING BY H. WEEKES. With the head of the family accounted for, you may pick up the young birds one after another as you want them, and so get some very pretty shooting, if your pointer only behave himself properly. But, as General Hutchinson writes, Pray mind what is said about making your youngster point the dead bird staunchly, the moment you perceive that he first scents it. Should he be allowed to approach so near as to be able to touch it (instead of being made to point the instant he finds), the chances are that if hard-mouthed he will give it a crunch, if tender-mouthed a fumbling of the feathers, and, either proceeding satisfying him, that he will quit it, and not further aid you in a search. As 'pointing' is only a natural pause (prolonged by art), to determine exactly where the game is lying, preparatory to rushing forward to seize it, it would be unreasonable to expect him willingly to make a second point at game he has not only found, but mouthed. The evil, however, does not rest here. There is such a disagreeable thing as blinking a dead bird, no less than blinking a sound one. For mouthing the bird you may possibly beat the dog, or for nosing it and not pointing you may rate him harshly, either of which, if he be not of a bold disposition, may lead, on the next occasion, to his slinking off, after merely obtaining a sniff. You ought, in fact, to watch as carefully for your pupil's first 'feathering' upon the dead bird as you did upon his first coming upon the covey. You see, then, that your teaching him to point dead is absolutely indispensable, unless, indeed, you constantly shoot with a retriever. Pointing at a live bird or a dead one should only differ in this-that in the latter case the dog makes a nearer point. Begin correctly, and you will not have any difficulty; but you may expect the greatest, if you let your dog go up to one or two birds and mouth them before you commence making him point them. The following season, should you then permit him to lift his game, it will be time enough to dispense with his 'pointing dead.' I dwell upon this subject, because many excellent dogs, from not having been properly taught to 'point dead,' often fail in securing the produce of a successful shot; while, on the contrary, with judiciously-educated dogs, it rarely happens that any of the slain or wounded are left on the field. Moreover, the protracted search and failure occasions a lamentable loss of time. Were a sportsman who shoots over dogs not well broken to point dead' (or retrieve) to calculate accurately, watch in hand, he would, I think, be surprised to find how many of his best shooting-hours are wasted in unprofitable searching for birds, of the certainty of whose untimely fate his dogs had probably long before fully convinced themselves." |
