BROOD MARE 



Brood Mare. — Although it very often follows that a mare 

 that has been a first-rate worker develops into a successful dam 

 it is not invariably the case, and as often as not the failure 

 is due to an absence of proper care in the selection of the 

 stallion. Ill - judged motives of economy on the part of 

 her owner, or a disinclination to search too far afield for a 

 suitable sire, have ruined the reputation of many a mare, 

 which has done far better later on in other hands ; hence 

 the necessity of exercising discretion in choosing a horse 

 to put her to. 



The principal points to be sought for in a brood mare, 

 irrespective, of course, of her breeding, which is a most impor- 

 tant matter, are a sound constitution, a good roomy middle 

 piece, and a set of short flat legs, whilst it is essential that 

 she should be free from the taint of hereditary disease. Her 

 style of going, too, is a matter for consideration in the case 

 of most varieties ; but it may here be pointed out that it 

 very often occurs that a beautiful riding or harness mare 

 may possess faults which are calculated to depreciate her 

 merits as a brood mare. A light-boned, narrow, tucked-up 

 mare may make a fine show under saddle, or between the 

 shafts, but she is not the stamp to breed from, and hence 

 the mistake so many judges make when they confuse a 

 brilliant display on the part of a sensational mover with the 

 sort of merit that should attach to a mare whose duty it is 

 to shine as a breeder. On the other hand, a mare which 

 has proved herself a good worker usually throws a good foal. 

 It may be pointed out, too, that the tendency of the day 

 is to favour the stallions which possess their full share of 

 quality, the prevailing belief being that the horse has more 

 to do with the finish of the foal than the dam, the latter 

 being thought to be chiefly responsible for the internal 

 organs of the foal. It is therefore doubly incumbent upon 

 breeders to select the old-fashioned, long, low stamp of 

 brood mare, so that her substance may counteract to some 

 extent any tendency towards lightness that may exist on 

 the side of the stallion. The parents which lack substance 



51 



