INTRODUCTION ix 



blood. An improved and established reproducing 

 type has hitherto been, and probably always will 

 be, the result of the mingling of similar and ho- 

 mogeneous blood, crossed and recrossed until 

 the similar becomes consanguineous. The Arab 

 and Barb, I have said, are the foundation in 

 blood of all the great types from the Percheron to 

 the Thoroughbred. To be sure, other and dissim- 

 ilar blood was used in the beginning of the mak- 

 ing of all the types, but there was such crossing 

 and recrossing, such grading up by a selection of 

 mates, that the blood became similar, and the 

 rule: "Like begets like," being constantly follow- 

 ed a type becomes established. 



When a type has been established and is of un- 

 questioned value to the world, it should be pre- 

 served most carefully. The French, the Russians, 

 the Germans and the Austrians do this by means 

 of Governmental breeding farms. The English 

 accomplish the same result by reason of the cus- 

 tom of primogeniture and entailed estates. Con- 

 tinuity in breeding is essential to its complete suc- 

 cess. In this country when a breeder dies, his col- 

 lection of horses is usually dispersed by sale to 



