BREEDING. 43 



cover fuch an infinity of mares, as not 

 uncommonly terminates in the irretrievable 

 lofs of his eyes, but the inevitable lofs of his 

 reputation alfo, as ''■ a certain foal-getter ;^* 

 for the great number of mares covered by 

 him ivithout produce^ brings his chara<5];er the 

 following feaibn into difrepute, fliould even 

 the ftate of his bodily ftrength, conflitution, 

 or chance, prcferve his eyes from the great 

 probability of annihilation : this remark 

 appertaining only to the owners of ftallions 

 wbo attend the markets of different towns 

 every day in the week during the whole 

 feafon, exclufive of the additional portion of 

 bufinefs in their own neighbourhood on the 

 Sunday morning. 



Of thefe there are {o great a number, and 

 in their performance fo general a failure, that 

 it is abfolutely wonderful how fo many can 

 become dupes to the cuffomary infatuation, 

 of leading a mare to any market town, to 

 be ferved by a horfe who is continually 

 covering from four or five, to eight or X.^n 

 mares in every twenty-four hours during the 

 feafon ; with the additional confideration, that 

 thefe extra exertions are moft frequently 



made 



