Driver and horse trotting to right in image. Remainder of title: Black Trotting Stallion; bred by Amasa Sprague, Providence, R.I./By Rhode Island, (formerly Dan Rice) Dam Belle Brandon, By Rysdysk’s Hambletonian. Record 2:20 1/2, Poughkeepsie, NY Aug. 22, 1876″
The black trotting stallion, Governor Sprague, was bred by Amasa Sprague of Providence, Rhode Island. The horse is pulling a high-wheeled cart called a sulky which was used in harness racing. Harness racing dates back to ancient times and became a popular pastime in America at the end of the 18th century. Initially, horses were raced on country roads. In the 19th century, tracks for harness racing were constructed. By the mid 19th century, harness racing appeared at hundreds of country fairs across the nation. Avid horsemen, Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives earned a reputation as knowledgeable men about “trotters,” horses used in harness racing. For this reason, as well as in response to the horse-racing craze of the nineteenth century, Currier & Ives created many images related to this great American pastime.
