444 THE HORSE 



to supply sufficient military horses even for the commence- 

 ment of some future war. This object can only be attained 

 by improving the quality, increasing the value of the article 

 produced, and making the industry remunerative. It has 

 been the endeavour of the above-named Societies not only to 

 keep this end in view, but also to organise such a system of 

 national horse-breeding as may be handed down to future 

 generations. It is therefore interesting to trace the steps by 

 which the system is being constructed. 



" A motion, brought forward early in 1903 in the Council 

 of the Hunters' Improvement Society, to try the experiment 

 of acquiring and placing out in selected districts a number of 

 suitable brood mares, though rejected at the time, led to the 

 formation towards the close of that year of the Brood Mare 

 Society, which was instrumental in calling together an 

 influential meeting at Bridgewater House in 1905 under the 

 Presidency of the Earl of Minto, and which collected by 

 voluntary effort sufficient funds to inaugurate its system and 

 try its machinery. 



"On i6th July 1906 the Earl of Donoughmore, President 

 of the Brood Mare Society, brought forward a motion in the 

 House of Lords, urging His Majesty's Government to give 

 effect to the recommendations of the Royal Commissioners 

 on Horse-breeding, as set forth in their Tenth Report to Parlia- 

 ment, especially with reference to the provision of mares. 

 The resolution was accepted by the Government, and, on 

 3 1st October 1906, the President of the Board of Agriculture 

 summoned a Conference at Whitehall, which was numerously 

 attended by members of the Royal Commission, of the 

 Hunters' Improvement Society, of the Brood Mare Society, 

 of the Royal Agricultural and of many other Societies, all of 

 which are interested in this important question. 



" An interesting and instructive discussion, initiated by the 

 Rt. Hon. Henry Chaplin, ensued, which resulted in an impor- 

 tant memorandum being prepared, setting forth the conclu- 

 sions arrived at by certain representatives, who took part in 

 the Conference. The proposals in that memorandum are, 

 briefly, that the Government should set aside some ,25,000 

 a year in addition to present expenditure, and lay it out 

 under the following heads: (i) A portion to be spent on 

 purchasing suitable mares, and placing them out with the 



