Forbes main objective is to improve the quality of the light driving horse, which, before the advent of the automobile, was in great demand throughout the country.
Forbes made national headlines by paying Senator Leland Stanford of California the enormous sum, at the time, of $125,000 for the stallion Arion.
He added the legendary undefeated mare Nancy Hanks, model for the horse and sulky weathervanes one sees today.
Forbes owned and skippered the yacht Puritan which successfully defended the America's Cup in 1885.
In 1885, Forbes led the first of three successful America's Cup defense efforts for the New York Yacht Club.