He still cherished his scheme for founding a Veterinary School, and
his abilities now being recognised, it was taken up by the Odiham
Agricultural Society. In 1791 Sainbel had the satisfaction of seeing
the school established, in the shape of a farriery with stabling for
fifty horses. He did not live to see the success that was destined to
attend his enterprise, as he died in 1793 in his fortieth year. During
the two years of his work as principal, however, he had laid down the
lines on which scientific veterinary practice should be conducted; in
the words of his biographer, "Sainbel may justly be looked upon as the
founder of scientific veterinary practice in England" (_Dictionary of
National Biography_).
GEORGE IV. (1820-1830).
In George IV. the Turf had, perhaps, the most ardent supporter it ever
boasted among our sovereigns, though the unfortunate Escape affair
caused him to renounce the sport altogether for many years (1791-1810):
The King was passionately fond of horses, and never wearied of trying
hacks and hunters; he got together a splendid breeding stud at Hampton
Court. In the last year of his reign he increased the number of Royal
Plates to 43, of which 27 were run for in England, Scotland and Wales,
and 16 in Ireland: he was also instrumental in bringing about vast
improvements in the royal buckhounds. The legislative measures of
George IV. were a bill to entirely relieve agricultural horses from
taxation, the duties thereon having been reduced by George III. in the
last year of his reign; and a bill to relieve horses let for travelling
of the duties that had been imposed upon them by his father.
WILLIAM IV. (1830-1837).
William IV. had no great love of racing, and his personal attitude
towards the sport is well reflected in his oft-quoted order to "start
the whole fleet" for the Goodwood Cup of 1830. He was, however, fully
alive to the national importance of racing, and did something to
encourage it, presenting the Jockey Club in 1832 with one of the hoofs
of Eclipse set in gold, which, with £200 given by himself, was to be
run for annually by horses the property of members. "The Eclipse Foot"
appears to have brought fields for only four years, and then remained
an ornament of the Jockey Club rooms at Newmarket.
In the same year, 1832, a new schedule of weights was appended to the
Articles for the King's Plates; this shows that the weights to be
carried varied somewhat according to the places where the races were
run. No scale was prescribed for Newmarket, the conditions being left
for settlement by the Jockey Club. In 1837, the last year of William's
reign, the number of Royal Plates had again increased and stood at 48,
34 in England and Scotland, 14 in Ireland.
The king continued the breeding stud at Hampton Court which his brother
had bequeathed to him; if his affection for the Turf was slight, he
deserves the greater credit for having maintained it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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