TWELFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VL 323 



the breeders and to the Fair Associations. The day was when breeders 

 raised their horses and tried them out in friendly contest witli little or 

 nothing at stake, except to ascertain which was the best one. They were 

 proud of their product. With the almost finished product we should be 

 able to do much ipore with the horse than was then accomplished. Most 

 of the great fairs 'have instituted horse shows. These shows are for the 

 encouragement of saddlers, drivers and various others for fashionable as 

 well as useful purposes. For the encouragement of breeders more atten- 

 tion should be paid to the various breeds and classifications and more 

 classes in the horse shows should be devoted to their interests. The breed- 

 er who can train a stable of horses and carry with him others for pre- 

 mium and show purposes, would occupy an ideal position in the horse 

 world. It would elevate the business and tend to solve the problem of 

 starters in races. The public will never weary or grow tired of the speed 

 horse whether shown on the race track, in the show ring or when led or 

 driven out for a class pi'emium. 



There seems to be an almost impossible barrier between the horsemen 

 who fancy the standard-bred and those who fancy the thoroughbred. The 

 former seems at times to forget how much he owes to the blood of the 

 thoroughbred and just because he personally fancies the line of breeding 

 which has lead to the high class standard-bred of today, rather than the 

 branch that continued the development of the thoroughbred, he should 

 not hate the latter. The thoroughbred also has his place and that place 

 should be accorded with a hearty good will. Probably one of the greatest 

 reasons why the thoroughbred has fallen into disrespect by many is be- 

 cause he has not been handled as has the standard-bred. He has not had 

 the protecting care of racing associations as has the standard-bred. No 

 standard-bred racing can exist without being conducted under the rules 

 of the American Trotting Association or some similar organization. The 

 thoroughbred has been misused and abused, but that does not detract 

 from the nobility of the horse himself. It is an insinuation against those 

 who have prostituted him. To serve the baser proposes of the baser ele- 

 ment. There are as high class breeders of thoroughbreds as there are 

 of standard-breds (though of course not so many of them,) principally be- 

 cause the thoroughbred cannot be put to so many useful purposes as can 

 the standard-bred. No breed of horses in the world dan boast of the 

 princely sums that have been paid recently for thoroughbreds. The 

 thoroughbred is not passing. His popularity has waned, but it will be 

 regained. He has a place in the making of the great American horse 

 a,nd will retain his place on the American turf. As a proof I will cite 

 to an article in the November Breeders Gazette: 



"As a contrast to the sales of thoroughbreds in the United States with- 

 in the last two years are some sales in other parts of the world. At a 

 sale in Sidney, Australia, in Easter week 1910, 38.5 thoroughbred yearlings 

 were sold for an average of over $972 each. At Doncaster yearling sales 

 in September 1911, 298 lots made an average of $1,905. In Argentine 

 recently 188 yearlings sold at an average of nearly $6,500; twelve Cyl- 

 lene colts made an average of $15,000 and eight fillies made an average 

 of $7,500. Thirteen Polar Star colts made an average of $9,500 and ten 



