IN QUEST OF GREAT OLD BROODMARES

There are no photos of Lute Boyd, but this color rendition of Lute Boyd’s son Harrison Chief 1872 gives an idea of what she must have looked like. Harrison Chief is important in his own right, because he is the sire of Bourbon Chief, who in turn is the male ancestor of many great broodmares and both modern sport-Saddlebreds featured in this article.

Tom Bass’ famous High School mare Belle Beach traces in four lines to Queen, and in one line to Black Hawk 1833. There are no conformation photos of Belle Beach; this restoration of her appearance was made from several photos showing her in movement. There are no photos at all of Queen, but Belle Beach probably looked very much like her.

This color rendition of Annie C is based on a contemporary photo. Note the substantial bone and large, well-formed joints. The hind limb is relatively straight, with wide-open angles at stifle and hock, and the croup and pelvis are not level but sloping. This combination is to be looked for in selecting horses that can jump. Annie C’s withers are moderately high and carry well back, and the back is of medium length with a short, very strong coupling, a combination that assists collection. The neck is no finer or longer than average for a Thoroughbred mare and shaped similarly. The shoulder is long but rather steep, another feature found in almost all good steeplechasers and three-day event horses. Saddlebreds characteristically have long forearms, and the humerus or arm segment (between the point of shoulder and the elbow) is also typically long and steep; this combination conduces to big, scopey forelimb movement. Annie C’s chest is deep and she shows one other feature peculiar to Saddlebreds: a prominent breastbone.