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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



grouud wheu ia motion, aud the saddle should be so set that 

 it will not interfere with the motiou of the shoulders ; and the 

 weight should be so carried that it will not balauce over the 

 fore-legs, aud make him tumble forward. The chief poiuts to 

 attain this are, that the withers and forehand should be high 

 and thin. The shoulders should have much obliquity from 

 the top to the point, and a line drawn vertically from this 

 point should drop at the toe wheu the animal stands in his 

 uatural position. The second-class has to pull heavy weights 

 at a slow rate, therefore, its shape should be quite the con- 

 trary to the first-class. The animal should be able to throw 

 its whole weight into the collar, and to overbalance its centre 

 of gravity, so that it has to step forward to avoid coming 

 down. When the hackney or saddle-horse is in the collar he 

 cannot pull a weight beyond the power of its biud-quarters. 

 The shape of its fore-quarters rather prevents thau help him 

 to pull ; while the draught-horse, by the peculiar shape of his 

 fore-parts, is able to throw his whole weight into the collar to 

 assist the muscles of the hinder-parts. It is common with 

 waggoners, when a horse is not able to pull or start a load, to 

 jump on his neck or withers, and by the weight overbalancing 

 him, the load starts easily. The proper shape of the draught- 

 horse, in contradistinction to the saddle-horse, then, should be a 

 low and thick fore-hand and withers. The shoulder should be 

 comparatively upright, aud consequently the line drawn verti- 

 cally from the point of the shoulder will fall considerably in 

 front of the toe. The draught-horse should, as the saying is, 

 "stand over his legs," and you now see that what is an excel- 

 lent point in one horse is the worst that can be for another. 

 Class 1 may be divided into— A, the race-horse for galloping ; 



B, hunters, for galloping across country, and jumping, &c. ; 



C, hackneys, for trotting and cantering on the road. Class 2 

 may also be divided into — A, the town dray-horse ; B, the 

 farm draught-horse (both pull heavy weights and go compara- 

 tively slow ;) C, the carriage-horse (he goes on the road, pulls 

 heavy weight, and must go fast, therefore in many respects 

 his shape should approach the saddle-horse). I have already 

 said that I should be out of place in dwelling upon the proper 

 shape of animals— it would form a subject for an interesting 

 lecture of itself. I now merely draw your attention to the 

 fact that there is a peculiar shape adapted to perform any par- 

 ticular work, and it is essential that the young man should 

 make himself thoroughly acquainted with those before he can 

 expect to be a successful breeder. Starting then upon the 

 great law of nature, that like produces like, and being prepared 

 to guard against variations by breeding from animals of the 

 same sort, &c., breeding good stock becomes a simple matter 

 of course. First ascertain what animals your land is best 

 adapted for. Secondly, what have the readiest sale in your 

 markets. Thirdly, having decided upon the purpose of your 

 animal, study the best shape and conformation calculated to 

 attain your object in a most perfect manner ; if you wish to 

 breed fat stock, study the shape most disposed to lay on fa 

 with the least food, and to arrive at early maturity ; if you wish 

 to breed milk cows, study the proper shapes for them ; if you 

 breed horses, study the proper shapes to perform their various 

 duties. Fourthly, don't breed from an animal, whether male or 

 female, whose shape is not well-adapted to perform the 

 work it is intended for : let them be of the most perfect 

 shape you can get of their kind. Fifthly, beinjj accinainted 

 with the law of attavism, or breeding back, you will not be 

 satisfied unless their ancestors were also of the same sort, 

 and equally good ; in fact, thorough-bred, and free from 

 hereditary evils. Remember that I do not confine the terra 

 thorough-bred to the race horse. It may be equally well ap- 

 plied to the cart-horse, or hunter, or pony, or carriage-horse, 



&c. It means those whose pedigree for a considerable time 

 back were of the same class, and adapted for the same purpose 

 as themselves. Unless you commence to establish a new 

 breed, you should never breed from a half-bred animal. Let 

 them all be castrated, and treat all such mares and geldings. 

 There is too much risk connected with it ; it is based upon a 

 wrong principle; you should carry the right principle out 

 thoroughly. Why should you breed from a half-bred mare 

 more thau from a half-bred cow ? I know many excellent 

 horses bred from half-bred mares, but there are many more 

 failures. Some of you may say that you have no pure or tho- 

 rough breeds, except racers ; therefore, you ask how can you 

 avoid crossing. Well, " It is never too late to mend." Sup- 

 pose Messrs. Bakewell, Adney, Smith, and other eminent 

 breeders, had listened to such an excuse ? We never should 

 have had the improved Leicester sheep, nor the improved 

 Shropshire down. Though you may not have good distinct 

 breeds of coach-horses, hackneys, &c., now, you may soon 

 have by following the directions I lay down. Unless breedera 

 will reform, that useful animal the hackney will soon become 

 extinct. The present system of breeding hunters and coach- 

 horses is a bad one ; because by putting a race-horse to a 

 half-bred mare you may get a good hunter, and you often fail ; 

 you may get a hack, you may get a useless one. By putting 

 a hunting-horse to a Cleveland mare, you may get a carriage- 

 horse, or you may often get a good for nothing. You have no 

 law to depend upon. By breeding exclusively from animals of 

 the same shape, and, therefore, adapted for the same purpose> 

 with careful attention to pedigree, you may easily establish a 

 breed for any purpose whatever. At first, when originating 

 the breed of hunters and carriage-horses, of course we cannot 

 avoid using crosses or half-bred animals, and such was the 

 origin of the race-horse. They will soon bear the name 

 thorough; and when, in after generations, a progeny will show 

 the original cross, by breeding back, it must not on any ac- 

 count be used for breeding purposes. I should recommend 

 you to breed from your own stock exclusively, only as long as 

 you cannot find a better male than your own, and your stock 

 improves. I do not object to a cautious admixture of blood, 

 but you must not cross the breed. I do not object crossing 

 two families, but those families must be of the same breed. 

 That word " breed" is very comprehensive, and has many dif- 

 ferent meanings. By those of the same breed I wish it to be 

 understood those of the same shape and adapted for the same 

 work, with good pedigree. They may or may not be related. 

 For example, you must not breed between a thorough-bred 

 draught-horse and a thorough-bred hunter or racer. You 

 would get a good-for-nothing mongrel, too weak for draught, 

 too ugly for harness, and not the shape for saddle ; yet our 

 fairs are overstocked with such animals, which prove that the 

 present system of breeding is a wrong one. I can countenance 

 no crossing of the breeds. Keep them distinct. Have 

 thorough-bred draught-horses, thorough-bred hackneys, tho- 

 rough bred hunters, as well as thorough-bred racers. Each 

 has its own peculiar shape, suitable for its particular purpose. 

 Why should they be mixed ? As to the qualities of the brood 

 mare, there are some peculiarities essential for all breeds. 

 She must be what is called roomy, allowing sufliicient space to 

 carry a foal, aud for its passage into the world. For this pur- 

 pose the carcase should be long, and the back ribs deep, the 

 pelvis or hips (hould be wide and deep. The forehand is usually 

 lower in the mare than in horses of the same kind. This, as 

 Stonehenge observes, " gives the whole framework of the trunk 

 a larger proportion than is always desirable in the race-horse, 

 which may easily be overtopped ; and here many good runners 

 have failed aa brood mares, whilst a good number of bad run- 



