"Lady" Carries Blood of Great, "Saturday"
By W. J. Carter
Richmond -- Instances of mind reading horses are of rare occurrence; in fact, this writer does not recall one of record in Virginia's equine history except it be that of the chestnut filly Lady Wonder, and her development seems due to the creative genius of Mrs. C. D. Fonda at whose home in Chesterfield county this equine prodigy has attracted the attention of scientists being now subjected to the tests of professors from Duke University.
To this writer, however, Mrs. Fonda appears to wield an hypnotic influence over a horse akin to that exerted by Svengali over Trilby, so vividly portrayed long ago by George Du Maurier in his book, which attracted wide attention back in the nineties. Lady Wonder is a very dark chestnut in color, profusely marked with white on her legs and in the face, with a white strip extending downward to nostrils and over both lips. She is on the small order, pony built, under 15 hands high and weighing around 800 pounds.
By means of letters and figures on blocks, touched with her mouth, she answers questions usually, though on occasion a wave of the head or extension of a forward foot are mediums of assent. Her constant companion is a tiny Shetland pony, under a year old, that is also being taught to do things by the fair owner of both Lady Wonder and this midget of the horse world.
Though not particularly attractive in conformation and sullen in manner except to the command of her mistress, Lady Wonder bears evidence of her infusion of warm blood, inherited through both sire and dam coming from Saturday, thoroughbred son of the mighty Hanover and Vacation, daughter of Tom Ochiltree and Minnie Me, she by the renowned race horse Planet, son of Revenue and Nina by Boston, he Virginia's native son and a power in turf and stud book annals.
Lady Wonder, witch of Endor like in human kind, was foaled in 1925 and an incestuously bred. Some 10 or 12 years ago Saturday roamed at will with a band of Texas mares on the farm of C. B. Crowder, near South Richmond, and from natures own promoting came a chestnut colt and some fillies. Left untouched by the surgeon's knife, this colt self mated to a sister begat a filly, who left an orphan when two months old by the death of its dam on a railroad track nearby, passed to Mrs. Fonda, who reared the motherless filly by hand an achievement of which to be proud, as illustrated by results |
