478 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



horse product to the high plane possible as the result of intelligent breed- 

 ing and development. 



Many imported and home-bred stallions are unsound and transmit to 

 their progeny the predisposition to like unsoundness. This equally is 

 true of the mares used for breeding purposes throughout the state, for 

 many farmers have fallen into the grevious error of considering any 

 broken-down, halt, maimed, blind or otherwise unsound mare fit for 

 breeding purposes, when no longer able to work in harness. 



Every breeder should have a clear understanding of the diseases and 

 unsoundnesses that may correctly be deemed hereditary and transmis- 

 sible, either is fact or as a predisposition. On general principles it may 

 be confidently stated that blemishes and deformities due to accidental 

 causes are not hereditary or transmissible, and do not, therefore, rend- 

 er the individual animal unfit for breeding purposes. In this category 

 may Be set down unsightly scars from barb wire injuries, or similar acci- 

 dental causes; blindness, due to accident; lameness, due to injury; united 

 factures not implicating the pelvis; causes, apart from disease, unfit- 

 ting animals for labor. The greatest possible care must, however, 

 be exercised in deciding these matters and, where possible, it is much 

 the better policy to select for breeding purposes animals in the best of 

 health and free from every form of blemish or unsoundness, on the 

 principle that breeding material should be of the best procurable char- 

 acter and quality. 



With the latter statement in mind it may be said that the following 

 diseases should be considered hereditary, or transmissible as a predis- 

 position; eye disease, such as periodic ophthalmia or "moon blindness;" 

 cataract; amaurosis or "glass eye"; chorea, or "St. Vitus' dance", consti- 

 tuting "crampiness," or shivering;" "stringhalt;" "heavens" or "broken 

 wind"; spavin; ringbone; sidebone; navicular disease or "grogginess", 

 melanotic or pigment tumors; and peculiarities of conformation rendering 

 animal liable to disease or lameness, such as "sickle", curby-formed, 

 "crooked", "boggy" or "sprung" hocks; flat, weak, unsound hoofs; weak, 

 ill-formed knees; "washy" coupling" short upright pasterns, etc. 



Among communicable diseases should be included glanders, farcy, 

 "maladie du coit", infectious abortion, mange, leucorrhoea or "whites", 

 urethral gleet and simple pox. 



As a general principle it also is inadvisable and unwise to breed either 

 stallions or mares that are temporarily sick from any ailment that impairs 

 appetite, vigor, or constitution. The best results in breeding require 

 perfect bodily and constitutional health in each parent and sickness 

 of .all sorts should be properly treated and perfectly recovered from 

 before mating is permitted. A stallion's lack of success in begetting an 

 avei-age number of foals is often due to the poor or unhealthy condition 

 of his mates. The stallioner, therefore, should carefully examine each 

 mare, before service, for the protection of both the health and reputa- 

 tion of his horse while the mare owner should as carefully see to it 

 that the stallion he intends patronizing Is not only free from hereditary 

 disease but perfectly well otherwiee. 



