THE STALLION 487 



after she comes in season, it is an excellent practice to give her a 

 second chance in a day or two, or just before she goes out, and 

 she should be kept quiet and away from other horses for a 

 few days to prevent excitement and the consequent repeated 

 attempts by ''showing" to discharge the contents of the 

 uterus and vagina. If this be attended to there is no 

 necessity for douching her with cold water, which is surely an 

 unnatural and unnecessary practice under any circumstances. 

 It also appears to be wrong to put a mare to two horses 

 within two days, though the practice of "crossing" a mare with 

 a second horse, if there be any doubt about the potency or 

 ability of the first stallion, tends to increase the number of 

 successful connections. When a mare fails repeatedly to 

 conceive she should be examined for stricture of the passage 

 into the uterus, and, if necessary, the opening extended by 

 inserting a finger or thumb. If she be in a plethoric con- 

 dition two or three pints of blood may with advantage be 

 drawn from the jugular vein at the time of service if she has 

 not been breeding for some years. 



A stallion can serve eighty mares, the number approved 

 by authority, in the season, and get on an average forty to 

 fifty foals, if he be not made to travel too great distances to 

 find the mares. Some valuable horses, that are such sure 

 foal-getters that mares "settle" after the first connection, 

 may cover a hundred and some even a hundred and thirty. 

 A horse with one stone down can get foals, but he cannot 

 do so if both testicles be carried out of sight. Cantharides, 

 or " Spanish fly," is given by ignorant grooms to entire horses 

 under the mistaken impression that, because it increases 

 sexual excitement, it increases sexual power. The other 

 effects of the drug are frequent urination and blood-stained 

 diarrhoea. " Treatment. Give demulcent drinks and small 

 doses of laudanum, but avoid oils." 



It is frequently difficult to notice when small pony mares 

 are in season, as they are not so demonstrative at this time 

 as large animals. They should if possible be turned out to 

 graze with a stallion. As a mare approaches twenty years of 

 age, the chances of her conceiving, if she has never bred, or if 

 she has not bred for some years, are not great. When a 

 mare is in the habit of breeding regularly she will sometimes 

 continue to do so till she is very old. "Old Stager" (Plate 



