BREEDING. 45 



in the other relative to that defect. Great care should be exercised that 

 the same defect does not exist in both. 



Some knowledge of the parentage of the sire and dam is therefore 

 indispensable. 



For ordinary business purposes the best form of a mare to breed from 

 is a short-legged beast, with a deep and roomy chest, wide hips, and 

 so built in every way as to indicate a robust animal with a strong con- 

 stitution. Always avoid, if possible, selecting a mare for breeding 

 purposes which has ringbone, spavin or any disease that will render the 

 offspring liable to be afflicted with the same, by hereditary descent. 



The "breed " should be taken into consideration also. If it is desired 

 to raise a carriage beast select a mare with a good, animated counte- 

 nance, sprightly, not too nervous nor too sluggish, but with a general 

 muscular structure. The head of the brood-mare is a point which should 

 be always regarded, for a mare that has a large head, with a dull, stupid 

 countenance, will not breed a good foal, unless it might be from a very 

 sprightly, ambitious horse. The shoulder blade should be wide and 

 long, extending nearly to the top of the withers, and so well covered 

 with muscle as not to present any undue prominence. 



The neck should come out from the top of the withers and not low 

 down ; the fore-leg should be perpendicular so that the point of the 

 shoulder and the toe will be in a right line ; the foot should be sound 

 and of good, symmetrical shape. 



The hips should be long, oval and broad ; the hock joint should be 

 well formed and not of the " cow-hock " or " sickle-hock " kind. 



In selecting a stallion the rules which we have already given should 

 be observed, remembering that compactness is quite essential, that 

 much goodness and strength may be condensed into a small space. The 

 shoulder should be well back, with the shoulder blade lying obliquely, 

 except that when it is desired to raise a slow, draught-horse a large 

 stallion with upright shoulders should be selected. 



In summing up the whole matter we would say, if you would be suc- 

 cessful in breeding do not breed into the same family and blood, but 

 select a horse of different blood unless it should be eight or ten genera- 

 tions removed. 



Avoid using a horse which is defective in any particular, when the 

 mare has the same defect, but select one as nearly perfect as possible in 

 that point. Do not breed small mares with very large horses, for there 

 should be mutual adaptation in size and form, as we have before stated. 



