140 VARIETIES OF THE HORSE 



distinct variety having the faculty of reproducing themselves; and the 

 idea has been well-nigh abandoned of attempting to establish a class 

 of Thoroughbred animals up to greater weight than the half-bred horses 

 now available for men who ride to hounds. Whether this is practicable, 

 experience alone can show, but unquestionably a move is being made in 

 the direction of the prevailing practice of sending mares to Thoroughbred 

 sires, and again repeating the process with the fillies that are thus 

 obtained. The results of the second cross are again sent to Thoroughbreds, 

 and so it may be continued until the foals are, A'irtually speaking, 

 themselves Thoroughbreds, though whether they will have retained the 

 substance of the original dam, together with the bone and size which she 

 may have possessed, is a question which can only lie rejalied to when the 

 experiment has been worked out. The rooted antipathy which exists 

 in many quarters to the half-bred stallion aflbrds a very probable cause 

 for believing that the manufacture of a breed of weight-carrying Hunters 

 would not be an exceptionally difficult task; l)ut until the prejudice 

 against the half-breds subsides breeders who are trying to raise animals 

 for sale, and cannot therefore afford to offend the susceptibilities of their 

 patrons, may be excused if they decline to digress from the beaten 

 track that has been traversed by their predecessors for generations. No 

 doubt, too, the course adopted liy the Eoyal Commissioners, who are 

 entrusted with the distribution of the money voted for the King's 

 Premiums, has exercised a very decided influence upon the feelings of 

 the public. According to the practice of, and rules laid down by, the 

 Commissioners, the premiums are only divided amongst Thoroughbred 

 stallions which are considered to be suited for serving half-bred mares 

 and breeding Hunters therefrom, but whether the conditions go far 

 enough or the reverse is a point ujaon which opinions differ very materi- 

 ally. To commence with, the judges are not informed of the pedigrees 

 or performances of the competitors for these premiums, and as many 

 of the horses are either non-stayers themselves, or descendants of such, 

 it is a debatable point whether they are likely to instil stamina into 

 their offspring. Secondly, as the selection of the districts in which the 

 horses are to travel for the season is left to their owners, and the competi- 

 tors are grouped in classes accordingly, it naturally follows that many 

 a fine stallion, which happens to have the bad luck to compete in a 

 strong class, fails to gain a prize, and his services ai-e thereby lost to 

 breeders in other districts, whereas, had he been entered in another 

 class, he might have won easily, and would thereby have done much 

 better public service during the succeeding season than the horses that 

 were awarded prelniums in that class. It appears therefore that the 



