220 THE HORSE. 



is aficb'.ed, that the foal will not inherit, or, at least, the predisposition to 

 It : even the consequences of ill usage or hard work will descend to the 

 progeny. We have already enlarged on this, but its importance will be a 

 sufficient apology for tlie repetition. We have had proof upon proof, that 

 blindness, roaring, thick-wind, broken-wind, spavin, curbs, ringbones, and 

 founder, have been bequeathed, both by the sire and the dam, to the 

 offspring. It should likewise be recollected, that although these blemishes 

 may not appear in the immediate progeny, they frequently will in the next 

 generation. Hence the necessity of some knowledge of the parentage both 

 of the sire and dam. 



Peculiarity of form and constitution will also be inherited. This is a 

 most important, but neglected consideration ; for however desirable, or even 

 perfect, may have been the conformation of the sire, every good point may 

 be neutralized or lost by the defective form, or want of blood, of the mare. 

 There are niceties in this, of which some breeders used to be aware, and 

 they employed their knowledge to great advantage. When tliey were 

 careful that the essential points should be good in both parents, and that 

 some minor defects in either should be met and got rid of, by excellence in 

 that particular point in the other, the result was creditable to their judgment, 

 and highly profitable. The unskilful or careless breeder will often so 

 badly pair the animals, that the good points of each will be, in a manner, 

 lost : the defects of both will be increased, and the produce will be far 

 infei'ior to both sire and dam. 



Of late years, these principles have been much lost sight of in the breed- 

 ing of horses for general use ; and the following is the explanation of it. 

 There are nearly as good stallions as there used to be. Few but well- 

 formed and valuable horses will be selected and retained as stallions. 

 They are always the very prime of the breed ; but the mares are not what 

 they used to be. Poverty has induced many of the breeders to part with 

 the mares from which they used to raise their stock, and which were worth 

 their weight in gold ; and the jade on whicii the farmer now rides to mar- 

 ket, or which he uses on his farm, costs him but little money, and is only 

 retained because he could not get much money for her. It has likewise 

 become the fashion for gentlemen to ride mares, almost as frequently as 

 geldings ; and thus the better kind are taken from the breeding service, until 

 old age or injury renders them worth little for it. An intelligent veterinary 

 surgeon, Mr. Castley, has placed this in a very strong light in the third 

 volume of the "Veterinarian," p. 371. 



We vvould wish then to impress on the minds of breeders, that peculiarity 

 of form and constitution are inherited from both parents ; that the excel- 

 lence of the mare is a point of quite as much importance as tliat of the 

 horse ; and that out of a sorry mare, let the horse be as perfect aa he may, 

 a good foal will rarely be produced. All this is recognised upon the turf, 

 ahhough poverty or carelessness have made the general breeder neglect or 

 forget it. 



It is recognised in the midland counties in the breed of cart-horses ; and 

 tlie strict attention which has been paid to it, has brought our heavy horses 

 to almost the same perfection in their way as the blood-horse. It is strange 

 thai in our saddle-horses, our hunters, and, to a great degree, our carriage- 

 horses, this should be left to chance. Tlie breeder begins to care little 

 about the quality of the mare, and the progeny is becoming comparatively 

 of little worth. Experience, it is said, will make fools wise, but experi- 

 ence will here be bought at a very dear rate, both as it regards the breedei 

 and the community. 



That the constitution and endurance of the horse are inherited, no 



