IMA GIN A TION— INBREEDING 



absence of chestnuts is associated with a small head, the 

 heads being larger when the callosities are present. 



Imagination. — The horse can scarcely be credited with 

 a great amount of imagination in the ordinary acceptation 

 of the term, and, unfortunately, when he does develop the 

 gift, it often takes the form of his seeing some imaginary 

 danger which causes him to shy or try to bolt. There is, 

 however, another form of imagination which is liable to 

 affect in-foal mares, this being the influence exercised upon 

 them by surrounding objects which may be transmitted to 

 their unborn foal. How far this influence may extend there 

 can be no saying, but it is unquestionably the fact that 

 pregnant females can be so affected by what they see about 

 them, or by a sudden fright, that their young come into the 

 world showing the results of the impression their imagination 

 has caused. Doubtless, such cases are comparatively few, 

 but the knowledge that they do occasionally occur should 

 render breeders careful to avoid all chances of their mares 

 becoming scared, and it is likewise as well to prevent their 

 associating with ill-looking specimens of their own breed, 

 lest the latter may influence the appearance of their foals. 



Inbreeding. — Beyond all doubt the practice of inbreed- 

 ing is a valuable assistance to many horse raisers if the 

 principles which regulate it are properly understood, and 

 the experimenter possesses the power of not making too 

 much of a good thing. Assuming that the subject of heredity 

 has been studied, and the breeder has satisfied himself as 

 regards the predominant peculiarities belonging to a particular 

 strain of blood, he is likely to obtain the most satisfactory 

 results by inbreeding, but he ought to know when and 

 where to stop. Otherwise he is liable to injure the stamina 

 and weaken the constitutions of his stock, a great danger 

 being that the mischief may occur before he notices it, the 

 result being that his strain may be affected and all the 

 benefit of earlier experiments thrown away. Probably the 



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