1U92 New York State Breeders' Association 



breed, most liimters being made up of a thoroiiglibred sire crossed 

 with a mare of more or less outward pedigree. It is scarcely 

 complimentary to the hunter, he adds, that he should be the only 

 variety of horse whose admirers confess themselves unable to 

 produce him as a distinct breed. On the other hand, the con- 

 fessed inability of most hunter breeders to work without the 

 direct assistance of the thoroughbred is a testimonial to the 

 value of the latter horse. 



Until recently, any sort of mare was promiscuously put to 

 thoroughbreds by enterprising farmers who chanced to try their 

 fortune; and the produce of the union was re-crossed with the 

 thoroughbred or not, just as luck would have it. Professor Axe 

 says this system has no doubt been practiced with varying results 

 in the past as at the present time. He quotes John Lawrence, whose 

 work was published in 1809, as bearing out this cross of thorough- 

 bred and cart horse in Ireland. Others have used the thorough- 

 bred upon all sorts of light mares from the cold mares do\vn. 



" Nimrod," another famous authority, admits that a hunter 

 may be put to many purposes in addition to those of the field, as 

 he can carry a man to battle or be used for draft ; but he advo- 

 cates a cross of Arab blood. He went, however, no further into 

 the breeding problem than to lay down for the guidance of his 

 readers that they observe the peculiarities of the horse and mare 

 and cross accordingly — a tall horse to a low mare, etc. 



The rooted antipathy which exists to the half-bred stallion 

 affords a very probable cause for believing that the creation of 

 a breed of weight-carrying hunters and general-purpose horses, 

 would not be an exceptionally difficult task. Professor Axe adds, 

 after discoursing upon the advisability of establishing the pure 

 breed of hunters, by more care with respect to the selection of 

 dams, tliat cart blood may be a capital thing in its way, but asks 

 how about the offspring of a union, if a filly? Unquestionably, 

 he says, the prepotency of the thoroughbred is great but this cir- 

 cumstance gives no guarantee that the cart blood will not assert 

 itself, and until the breeder provides himself with a stud of mares 

 that possess some good back breeding for several generations he 

 must expect some disappointment as a result. 



It is my opinion, however, that a well-bred mare of any of 



