The Country Gentleman's Magazine 



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BREED OF HORSES IN IRELAND. 



THE following is an extract of a report 

 to Government by Professor Fergu- 

 son, on the modern breed of horses in Ire- 

 land, compared with that of a former 

 period : — 



Although there has been much difference 

 of opinion expressed respecting the alleged 

 deterioration of the breed of horses in 

 Ireland and the contrary, it would seem 

 that the change has been deliberately 

 wrought to adopt the modern thoroughbred 

 horses to the requirements of modern racing, 

 more than from either negligence or natural 

 causes. The degeneration, if such it can 

 under such circumstances be called, of the 

 modern thoroughbred horses, consists in a 

 diminution of weight-carrying power and 

 endurance, to speed and an early maturity, 

 such as enables the animal to compete in 

 public at a younger age as a racehorse. 



The great difficulty now experienced of 

 procuring good horses in Ireland of the re- 

 quired stamp, and the high prices for which 

 they arc sold, must not, however, be received 

 as evidence of the degeneration in the breed. 

 The demand for such horses for exportation, 

 not alone or fully matured first class, but of 

 all ages from two years old up, has of late 

 years so much increased that there is a de- 

 ficiency of supply, and consequently a pro- 

 portionate increase of their value. Nor must 

 the scarcity of such horses at the great fairs 

 and in horse repositories be taken as a criterion 

 as to the amount of the deficiency of supply 

 in proportion to that of demand — the facili- 

 ties of travelling being of late years so great 

 that the dealing and other purchasers are 

 enabled to purchase at the stables and pad- 

 docki5 of the owners without being obliged to 

 wait for the competition of the public mar- 

 kets. So great has the demand become for 

 first-class weight-carrying hunters, that now 

 purchasers or their agents are indefatigable 

 in their searches throughout the country for 

 the required article ; instead of, as formerly, 



VOL. IX. 



the sellers being obliged to seek for pur- 

 chasers at the different fairs and horse marts. 

 The number of horses exported from Ire- 

 land is greater now than it has ever been. 

 The excellence of Irish horses^ particularly 

 as hunters, has long become justly proverbial, 

 not alone as clever performers which may 

 be accounted for in "made" animals, by 

 the nature of the fences over which they have 

 been ridden, but also as possessing greater 

 liardihood of constitution and endurance or 

 lasting power. As Irish horses in England 

 and elsewhere still maintain their high cha- 

 racter, it may be argued that they cannot have 

 degenerated, otherwise they would be no 

 longer so eagerly sought after, for England is 

 a country in which it is universally admitted 

 the finest thoroughbred horses in the world, 

 with perhaps an occasional and very rare ex- 

 ception in France, are at present bred, and 

 in the greatest number. Such an argument 

 is, however, untenable. The same cause 

 which effected the deterioration in Ireland 

 of the class of horse most generally ap- 

 preciated and valued has also had a similar 

 influence in England and everywhere else 

 where the object of racing has become the 

 increasing of its transactions and of its sphere 

 of betting speculation, instead of for what it 

 was first instituted under Royal auspices — the 

 improvement of the breed of horses, and 

 subsequently the maintenance of the 

 country's superiority in that truly national 

 feature. In former years the weight to be 

 carried by each horse was regulated by 

 the age alone, an allowance being made to 

 mares and geldings. In some very excep- 

 tional cases there were penalties of additional 

 weight on account of some previous victory, 

 often to prevent one horse carrying away all 

 the prizes at one meeting. There was also 

 in some races, principally intended for lialf- 

 bred horses, an additional weight to be 

 carried by thorough-bred ones, so that the 

 breeders of the former might be induced to 



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