OBJECT OF ENCOURAGING TIE BREED. 81 
our greater demands, is the absence of the material to meet them. A hack 
that is not pretty well bred is now neglected, except for high weights, 
because his paces are not soft and pleasant, and he does not satisfy the eye, 
But how many of the fashionable sort will bear constant use on the road 
without becoming lame? And how many sound horses are there to be 
met with out of a hundred, taken at random from the ranks of any kind 
tolerably well bred? Every horse proprietor will tell you, scarcely five 
per cent. ; and some will even go so far as to say, that a sound horse is 
utterly unknown. In considering the principles and practice of breeding, 
I shall again refer to this subject ; but I wish now to impress upon my 
readers that while the race-horse of 1860 is as fast as ever, as stout as 
ever, and as good looking as ever, he is made of more perishable materials 
in proportion as he comes to maturity at an earlier period. Any of our 
modern two-year-olds would probably give two stone, and a beating to 
Eclipse at the same age, but if afterwards they were put to half-bred mares 
for the purpose of getting hacks, chargers, or hunters, the stock of Eclipse 
or Childers would be much more valuable than any which we have 
at present. We are sadly in want of sound and well bred stallions for 
general purposes, and if the government of the country does not soon 
interfere, and adopt some means of furnishing these islands with them, we 
shall be beaten on our own ground, and shall have to import sound useful 
horses from Belgium, France, Hungary, or Prussia, whichever country can 
best spare them. The old-fashioned and sound thoroughbred horse has been 
the means of improving the above three breeds ; and even now we possess 
horses which are perfect in every other respect but soundness, being ex- 
cellent hacks, hunters, and light carriage-horses, and often allin one. This 
last kind is the perfection of the horse ; and if many such could be produced 
it would be a great advantage, because most people would like a horse which 
could “make himself generally useful,” if such an animal could be obtained. 
Without high-breeding, however, this is impossible ; and yet with most 
of our purest strains, though it is attainable for a time, the condition in 
which it exists does not last long, in consequence of the effect of the hard 
road upon their soft legs or contracted feet. Consequently, as I have already 
remarked, there is a necessity for Government interference to produce 
such a breed of thorough-bred horses, by careful selection, as shall give us 
the above three kinds of horses useful in civil life, from which may be 
culled a plentiful supply of cavalry horses, whenever wanted ; for the 
very same qualities are demanded in all, and what will suit the one will 
be equally advantageous to the other. 
But even though the thoroughbred horse is well fitted to compete with 
others in all cases where speed is the chief point of trial—as in flat-racing, 
steeple-chasing, hunting, &c,—yet he is not so well qualified for some 
kinds of harness-work, or for road-work of any kind, as the horse expressly 
bred for these purposes. There is no doubt that thorough-bred horses might 
be selected and bred expressly for this kind of work, and would excel all 
others, because originally their limbs and constitutions were at least as 
sound as, or perhaps even sounder than, any other class of horses ; but 
while they are selected and bred solely for speed, without much reference 
to these other qualities, it is useless to expect much improvement; 
but, on the contrary, they may be expected to become yearly more 
and more soft and yielding. For many purposes the Eastern horse is 
wholly unfit—as, for instance, for heavy and dead pulls; here his high 
courage, light weight, and hasty temper are adverse to the performance of 
the task, and he is far excelled by the old English, or modern improved 
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