BREEDING STUDS 



variety of horse, may be absolutely unfitted for the breed he 

 wishes to keep. For instance, the Fen country, though most 

 suitable for Shires, is not a good one for the Hackneys, the 

 soft, heavy land being conducive to the development of hair 

 on the legs, but it does not assist in producing a corre- 

 sponding hardness of bone, though there may be plenty of 

 this latter. 



Many people, moreover, make the mistake of providing 

 an insufficiency of land for the accommodation of their 

 breeding and young stock, the result being that the horses 

 suffer from the effects of overcrowding, and the land itself 

 becomes poor through never being allowed a rest, for every 

 meadow should be permitted a respite, as the ground will 

 become sick if horses are always on it. When the horses 

 are removed it is desirable that some bullocks or sheep 

 should be put on the land to finish it off. 



In arranging his stable buildings the breeder should 

 bear in mind that in addition to putting up boxes for his 

 brood mares and providing straw yards with sheds attached 

 for the accommodation of his stock when necessary, proper 

 precautions should be taken for ensuring the comfort and 

 well-being of the stallions. It is often the practice of breeders 

 to keep these horses in very dark, uncomfortable boxes, where 

 they pass miserable existences in perpetual twilight, with 

 absolutely nothing to decrease the prospect of their con- 

 tracting vices which reduce the value of many stallions, and 

 undoubtedly influence the prices of their foals. 



It is necessary, too, for a breeder to satisfy himself that 

 the available water supply is sufficient and of good quality, 

 that the land is free from ergot, which will induce abortion 

 amongst his mares, and that the fences are in good order and 

 capable of keeping the animals within bounds. There should 

 be some meadows lying well back from the high roads so 

 that the in-foal mares which are of a nervous disposition 

 should not be frightened by strange sights and sounds at a 

 critical period ; but, on the other hand, a field from which a 

 good view of traffic can be obtained is quite suitable for 



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