BREEDING OF HORSES. 59!) 



What Qualities are Desirable in the Breeding 

 Mare "Blood from the sire and beauty from the dam," is an old 

 axiom, and offers a good rule. The first things to be regarded in the 

 mare are symmetry and soundness. Next, detail should be looked to: 

 she should have a roomy frame, hips somewhat sloping; a little 

 more than the average length; wide-chested; deep in the girth; 

 quarters, strong and well laid down; hocks wide apart; wide and 

 deep in the pelvis. Then the temper must be regarded: she should 

 be gentle, courageous, and free from all irritability and viciousness. 

 Previous to putting her to horse she should be brought into the 

 most perfect condition of health not overfed, nor loaded with 

 flesh, nor in a pampered state, but by judicious exercise, abundance 

 of food and proper grooming, she should be brought into the very 

 best condition. Finally, during gestation she should have generous 

 and nourishing but not heating diet. For the first three or four 

 months she may be worked moderately, and even to within a few 

 weeks of her foaling she may do light work with advantage. 



The Chief Point to be Aimed At The great point to be 

 aimed at is, the combining in the same animal the maximum of 

 speed compatible with sufficient size, bone, strength and solid 

 power to carry heavy weights or draw large loads, and at the same 

 time to secure the stock from the probability, if not certainty, of 

 inheriting structural deformity, inability or constitutional disease 

 from either of the parents. The first point is only to be attained: 

 First, by breeding as much as possible to pure blood of the right 

 kind ; second, by oreeding what is technically called among sports- 

 men and breeders, "up not down," that is to say, by breeding 

 the mare to a male of superior (not inferior) blood to herself 

 except where it is desired to breed like to like, as Canadian to Cana- 

 dian, or Percheron to Percheron, for the purpose of perpetuating 

 a pure strain of any particular variety which may be useful for the 

 production of brood mares. 



Descent of the Great Trotting Horses The trotting 

 horse will reproduce himself if there is a fast strain in his own 

 blood by being coupled with a speedy mare, if she also has speed 

 in her descent. Sometimes speed will show itself when neither sire 

 nor dam is fast, and there is no apparent purity of blood on either 

 side. But all the great horses have " blood" somewhere, and the 

 closeness with which they have been -bred is proven by the fact that 

 the entire race is the product of a few high-bred roots. 



A brief consideration of the descent of the origin of the great 

 trotters on the American turf will show of what careful breeding is 

 capable: 



MAUD S. (2:8|) descended from Messenger, and imported Shark. 

 GENERAL KNOX descended from the Sherman Morgan, united with 



Messenger blood. 

 TRINKET (2:14) possesses the same strain of blood as Maud S.; 



both are of Messenger, SourJcrout and Pilot blood. 



