WHAT SORT OF HORSE TO BREED 215 



the best blood is prohibitive ; the cost of the worst 

 is cheap : therefore the worst is used. 



The Indian Commission recommends breeders to 

 breed horses from 14.2 to 15.2 hands. Mr. Gal- 

 vayne's book says they should not be over 1 5 hands, 

 though from 14 to 14.2 hands was better. 



'Hackney' (July 28, 1900) writes that both 

 Germany and Russia were buying this ' nuggety ' 

 stamp of horse, about 15 hands high, for cavalry 

 purposes. 



G. L. Singleton (^AMstralasian) maintains that, 

 if the States were to import entires for the improve- 

 ment of our saddle-horse, they should be of Arab 

 blood, and suggests that without great expense a 

 commencement could be made by purchasing Arab 

 entires for our agricultural colleges. 



Mr. Tattersall, in a paper read before the 

 Farmers' Club in England, so long ago as March, 

 1 87 1, cited by Mr. De Vere Hunt, says that ' the sort 

 of animal wanted to carry troopers was a short- 

 legged, active hunter . . . not the Leicestershire 

 horse,' and, referring to this paper, Mr. De Vere 

 Hunt affirms the justice of Mr. Tattersall's theory 

 as to degeneracy of our general breed of horses, 

 and sets out a letter from the Master of the Horse 

 to the King of Italy, stating that it was necessary 

 that horses should not exceed 1 5 hands high. 



Mr. Day, while lauding the thoroughbred, now 

 a high, leggy horse, admits that it is singular that 

 such gameness, as well as physical power of 



