THE PARIS HORSE SHOW.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1575, 7 March 1879, Page 3

THE PARIS HORSE SHOW.

Curiously, though the horses were all in their places at Paris on Sunday, judging did not commence until Wednesday, and occupied the remainder of the week.

[The amount offered in prizes is £6600, and the collection of the equine breed is the largest and best ever brought together. The arrangements, in contrast to those of the cattle show at the Exhibition, are very unsatisfactory. The horses, instead of being arranged in accordance with the catalogue, are placed in order of nationality ; the catalogue itself is badly compiled, and it is not easily apparent why the judging should have been delayed for*three days after the animals wore assetn bled. The stables in which er; shown the Russian horses of the Grand Duke Nicholas and the animals belonging to the Emperor of Austria are great centres of attraction, but this may be in a measure due to the curiosity excited by their grooms, who are arrayed in their national costumes. The Russian horses comprise the two chargers which the Grand Duke Nicholas rode during the late campaign in Bulgaria. The catalogue contains 1058 entries in all. France owns about eight-tenths of the lot, the other countries represented being Belgium, Great Britain, Austria and Hungary, Russia, Italy, and Denmark. Belgium comes next to France in point of numbers, while from Great Britain there are about sixty exhibits, twothirds being draught horses, and one-third light legged horses. Of the former eight hailed from Scotland, seven fine Clydesdale mares being shown by Mr Lawrence Drew, Merryton, and one of the same breed by Mr John Waddell, Bathgate. The eight classes of draught horses were divided into four sections, one jury consisting of five to eight foreigners, and one from England or Scotland being set over each. The British jurors in these sections were Messrs Montgomery, Borelands, OustleDouglas ; McCulloch, London ; Crisp, Suffolk ; and Seaton, Suffolk. In the draught mare class, Great Britain has been very successful.

In the class for three-year-old draught mares over 16 hands high, some sixteen animals were entered, but of these only four came forward —one from England, two from Scotland, and one from Belgium. The English mare is Matchet 11., a handsome specimen of the Suffolk breed, owned by Mr Capon, Dennington. Two first prizes were expoctod to go to two Scotch mares, Barbara and Lucy, from Merryton, but their owner gets only a second and a third for them —a silver medal and 400 francs, and a bronze medal and 200 francs. Barbara, it may be mentioned, was third at the Royal Show at Bristol. Mr Drew was invincible in the class of aged draught mares over 16 hands high with Countess, first at Bristol, and third at Dumfries ; Queen, that was second at Dumfries, and Regina, that was fourth at Dumfries. Queen got a silver modal and 400 francs. Tbe other (wo got a first prize each —a gold medal and 600 francs each. Mr Waddell’s fine mare Maggie, which, when in the possession of Mr Moikle, Scafield, Bathgate, was second at Glasgow last spring, appears in this class, and gets only a third prize. The national character of the contest was also maintained in the class for three-year-old draught mares under 16 hands high, Mr Drew again getting the top of the tree, and winning the gold medal and 400 francs. His mare in this class was Lovely, that has won some local prizes. In the class for aged mares under 16 hands high, there are seven British entries, and of these animals, three were considered so very much superior to all the others in the class that the jury unanimously recommended that the Government should award each a special first prize. First among these three favourites was Mr Drew’s Myra, the other two being Poppet, a heavy, well-built mare owned by Mr Stanford, Ashurst; and Maggie, a good brown mare belonging to Mr Wilson, High Park, England, and bred in England. An object of art, of the value of 3000 francs (£120), is offered for the best group of horses, the group to consist of at least two stallions or four mares. Among the groups competing for it were a grand lot shown by Mr Drew, consisting of seven mares; one by Mr Crowther, including bis two prize stallions, and one by the Stand Stud Company, Manchester.

Our correspondent, writing on Saturday evening in reference to the last mentioned contest, says;— “The group prize was, I think, finished last afternoon, but the result is kept secret. I am, however, all but certain that it Ims been given to some French group—at any rate to a lightlegged group—though there caunot be the shadow of a doubt that Mr Drew’s seven mares form by many degrees the best group ever seen, not only here, but in any horse show. It is a grand sight to see them together.” Our corespondent’s anticipations have been realised, though he and other Britishers present would have given the group prize to Mr Drew. It has, however, gone to a French exhibitor, M. Odosse Berquet.