^6 Breeds of Horses 



one that has won a few prizes, for example, or that has bred some 

 good horses, he will have to give a big price; but if he keeps his 

 eyes open he may very easily pick up a young Hunter mare " that 

 has happened something" at a reasonable price. It is certainly 

 preferable, where possible, to begin with a well-bred weight-carrying 

 brood mare, and it is better to begin with a young one, six years 

 old or even younger. It is impossible to be too particular in 

 selecting a brood mare of this type, and the best plan is to begin 

 at the beginning with the feet. It is of immense importance that 

 tlie mare should have good open feet, with tough horn, and that she 

 should stand absolutely correctly on her joints. That she should 

 have size is of importance, but size does not necessarily mean 

 height. I do not think she will be any better for standing much 

 over i6 hands; she will certainly not be unless she is wide in pro- 

 portion. That is, after all, the great point in a brood mare — 

 balance. It stands to reason, of course, that she must move well. 

 Her hocks must be big and near the ground, and well let down, 

 and she must get them well under her. A mare of this type will 

 do a great deal of light work on the farm, and in that way earn 

 her keep, but it must be remembered that it will not do to set 

 any rough lad with her. A friend of the writer adopted the plan 

 of keeping his young mares well, and always putting them to the 

 horse at three years old. It answered well in the main, and I re- 

 member him selling a couple of four-year-olds off two of these young 

 mares at ;^I50 each. 



At one time weight-carrying Hunters were as plentiful in York 

 shire as leaves in Vallombrosa. This was when the old-fashioned 

 light, clean-legged cart horse and the Cleveland Bay were plentiful 

 Unfortunately, the former has disappeared, whilst the numbers of 

 the Cleveland Bay have become sadly depleted. Of course it was 

 the formation of the breed societies that extinguished the old- 

 fashioned cart horse. One of the prices we have to pay for breed 

 societies is that everyone immediately tries to grade up anything 

 he has which at all appertains to the type in order to get it into 

 the Stud Book. At first a stud book has a sort of charm to 

 some breeders, but they soon find that without the animal stud- 

 book registration is not of such great importance. 



Weight-carrying hunters of great value were bred from these 

 old-fashioned cart mares if they were properly crossed. I think 

 it is highly probable that they were descended from the old breeds 

 of the country, and perhaps it was that which made them breed 

 such good hunters. If any reader has a mare of the sort — there 

 may be an odd one here and there — he cannot put her to a more 



