200 THE HOUSE BOOK. 



Be it said here that it is no trick at all to 

 grow coach-bred colts to the proper size. The 

 fact is that it is easy to grow them too large. 

 According to the demands of the present-day 

 market, the big lubberly 16.3-hand horse is a 

 poor one to breed. With such size a horse is 

 rarely able to handle himself. This brings us 

 to a consideration of the coach stallion to 

 choose for breeding the carriage horses now 

 demanded. I count such a stallion of 1,350 

 pounds plenty big enough and right at 16 hands 

 tall enough. Perfection, which standing still was 

 the very beau ideal of a carriage horse sire, 

 just topped 16 hands a mere fraction of an 

 inch and his weight never exceeded 1,350 

 pounds. The sire of the half-bred pair which 

 King Edward recently bought from Mr. Van- 

 derbilt is a small horse. The great big ones 

 have never proved as sires the equals of those 

 of medium size. The lubberly kind is without 

 quality, and as quality is a prime essential 

 coarse stallions cannot succeed as sires of high- 

 class carriage horses, especially when mated 

 with mares lacking blood. 



A great many of the coach horses imported 

 have been too large and with too little quality. 

 A survey of the advertising files of THE BBEED- 

 EB'S GAZETTE will show that importers have 

 advertised coachers weighing 1,600 pounds and 

 upwards. I have seen mares in the show ring 

 weighing not a pound less than 1,700 and their 



