What a horse!
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Old blood and stocky...LOVE IT!!
I know who the Hatfields and McCoys were in legendary feud...
But since we are in West Virginia area what "breed" of horse would they have sat on....
🐴....
I know who the Hatfields and McCoys were in legendary feud...
But since we are in West Virginia area what "breed" of horse would they have sat on....
🐴....
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479 Posts
Definitely looks annoyed
Cool horse but he dont look very balanced, his hind-end dont match his front-end much, I like seeing a bigger butt, but of course this horse was not bred to be judged he was just a vehicle for getting around, just my 2 cents worth 
Looks gatied!!!
Looks gatied!!!
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8,243 Posts
He didn't agree with the feud.
Definitely walking horse in that big boy.
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8,243 Posts
In other words, Devil is on his back. Sorry, couldn't help myself!!
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1. The horse, according to authoritative writing was a Kentucky Saddler, alleged forum er to KMSHA’s.
The Hatfields had the means to buy the best horses and most comfortable saddle horses in the late 1800’s and they allegedly owned over 7,000 acres (25 square miles) so buying stock with an easy gait makes sense.
2. Devil Anse is sitting on an ancient form of plantation saddle and the bit is what was used on ”smooth riding” horses in those days— the lady I bought Joker from had one of those old bits.
3. Devil Anse was documented to be 6’ tall when he died at age 82. Knowing we all shrink with age, he was not a small man in his youth. If he is sitting on his favorite horse Fred, Fred was a good sized horse.
4. The expression on the horse indicates he is ready for whatever might happen but that is a gorgeous big ole head that also looks to be the forerunner to the modern day Tennessee Walker — which was not established as a breed until sometime in the 1920’s.
5. The documented information on the Hatfields and the McCoys is far more interesting than the movies and the documentaries that I have watched.
^^^This site is not secure so maybe not the wis3st thing to open if one doesn’t have some sort of strong antivirus.
The Hatfields had the means to buy the best horses and most comfortable saddle horses in the late 1800’s and they allegedly owned over 7,000 acres (25 square miles) so buying stock with an easy gait makes sense.
2. Devil Anse is sitting on an ancient form of plantation saddle and the bit is what was used on ”smooth riding” horses in those days— the lady I bought Joker from had one of those old bits.
3. Devil Anse was documented to be 6’ tall when he died at age 82. Knowing we all shrink with age, he was not a small man in his youth. If he is sitting on his favorite horse Fred, Fred was a good sized horse.
4. The expression on the horse indicates he is ready for whatever might happen but that is a gorgeous big ole head that also looks to be the forerunner to the modern day Tennessee Walker — which was not established as a breed until sometime in the 1920’s.
5. The documented information on the Hatfields and the McCoys is far more interesting than the movies and the documentaries that I have watched.
^^^This site is not secure so maybe not the wis3st thing to open if one doesn’t have some sort of strong antivirus.
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17,450 Posts
See to me, that horse is on alert and "listening" intently to his rider in voice and body posturing cues...
A bit aggressive/annoyed look, but....horses are not dumb and know what would be a normal day of work & feuding could mean and be...
The animal is also already feeling the bit and hands of his rider...
Bet a picture of him with ears forward would be startling in how really nice a animal he was...
🐴...
A bit aggressive/annoyed look, but....horses are not dumb and know what would be a normal day of work & feuding could mean and be...
The animal is also already feeling the bit and hands of his rider...
Bet a picture of him with ears forward would be startling in how really nice a animal he was...
🐴...
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6,670 Posts
Actually, looking at the picture again, I feel like he and the horse sort of have the same face. So, yeah. Maybe they've been partners for a while and the horse just picked up the nasty face from his rider! You know, how people and their dogs supposedly start to look similar...
I really don't think he has a nasty face, can't say the same for the rider, I think he is feeling some contact on the bit, see his mouth is just open a little and he has his ears back to listen to any commands that might be coming.
If his rider is heavy handed that might account for the awareness in the horse..
If his rider is heavy handed that might account for the awareness in the horse..
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I see it and think he’s simply a nervous horse chewing on the bit. He’s probably a pretty ambitious sort. A picture is just a brief glimpse into time. You can make any horse look great or awful by specifying that moment.
I think he’s a big dude, or the guy is small. It seems like a lot of the pictures from the old days make the horses look big, but those antique trees are really small. I think people used to be a lot smaller. The old beds at the ranch seem child sized.
I think he’s a big dude, or the guy is small. It seems like a lot of the pictures from the old days make the horses look big, but those antique trees are really small. I think people used to be a lot smaller. The old beds at the ranch seem child sized.
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When Devil Anse passed at age 82, he was documented at 6’ tall. He was likely a bit taller in his younger days, so that horse is pretty big. Thoroughbreds had been introduced into Virginia in the 1600’s by England, so there’s a chance the horse also has some TB in it.
The horse is pretty, IMO. I’ve seen that foto elsewhere — the horse appears to be solid black. His hooves look pretty good given it’s 1888.
I tried to enlarge the pic to see more of the saddle and I couldn’t. Even for 1888, the saddle looks almost like a home made plantation style saddle - it’s an ugly thing, lol
Did you notice the big wide stirrups? Looks like they’ve been around a whole lot longer than the ones that have come on the market in recent years, lollol
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Based on size (not just height), time period, geographic location, popularity in the eastern US, and availability (being the most popular military mount with Southerners in general and with most General officers in both Union and Confederate armies...R. E. Lee's mount, Traveler, was one...look at one of his pictures) I'd say that it is a what became known as the Saddlebred (once it was given a name as a breed). Today the breed, like the TWH (the Saddlebred predates the TWH and was one of the breeds used in creating the Tennessee Walking Horse), is nothing more than a pale shadow of what they originally were. At the time all Saddlebreds were gaited (having been created by the original crossing of Narragansett pacer and later "saddler" mares (a gaited type of horse, not an actual breed as "breed" was not a big deal back then and what become the Saddlebred were often referred to as "saddlers" early on) and the gaited offspring of a TB crossed with saddler. The goal had been to create a gaited horse that was taller than a saddler and larger (in size, not height) that TB had started becoming. Hugely popular during the War of the Great Rebellion and would have been commonly known about and available to Anse Hatfield (Lee's Traveler came from that general part of the country).
Depending on when the photo was taken the TWH may not have existed yet (the late 1880's) or would have been in its infancy and more common in Tennessee. Not as likely to be found in WV much at that time.
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