THE HORSE 259 



inspected, and only superior individuals should be placed in tlie 

 stud. 



Purity of ancestry is an important factor in choosing the stal- 

 lion, for the capacity of a horse to produce superior offspring 

 will depend largely on his ancestors. Often it is a question which 

 factor should receive a larger share of attention, the individual 

 merit or the pedigree. Formerly great length of pedigree Avas 

 associated Avitli breeding quality, but the present evidence goes 

 to show that it is the immediate ancestors that are of most 

 importance. 



In breeding horses it is a serious but common error to sup- 

 pose that the bad points in one animal can be fully offset or 

 overcome by the good points in the mate. The popular state- 

 ment that the stallion controls outward characters and the mare 

 internal characters of the offspring has led many breeders to 

 think that the offspring ^dll resemble the paternal parent irre- 

 spective of the mother. Such is not the case. Errors in confor- 

 mation are not to be offset by choosing a mate that is abnormally 

 developed in the corresponding character. The foundation prin- 

 ciple of successful horse-breeding is to mate two animals both of 

 Avliich are as nearly ])erfect as possible. 



Season of the year in which to breed. — Mares breed naturally 

 in early spring. At this season their breeding condition is more 

 readily observed and they more frequently conceive than at any 

 other time during the year. The spring of the year is the natural 

 breeding season; but, because of the heavy spring work, it is 

 necessary on many farms that mares be bred so as to have the 

 colts come in the fall. 



Spring foals. — When convenient, the spring is the desirable 

 time to breed the mare. This season has many advantages. Not 

 only is the mare's breeding condition more readily noted and 

 her chances of conceiving greater, but the foal comes at a time 

 when it is much more easily managed. The housing is simpli- 

 fied ; if the w^eather is warm, the mare and the foal may be 

 turned into a small paddock or a pasture. The grass that she 

 eats will serve to keep her in good physical condition and to 

 stimulate the flow of milk. This practice gives the foal the 

 range of the field, so that it may take the much-needed exercise 

 without which no foal can develop endurance. Soon the foal 

 will learn to nibble the grass, and this will prove beneficial, for 

 grass is a good supplement to milk for a suckling colt. 



Aside from the inconvenience of the foal while the dam is 

 being worked, the chief objection to a spring colt is that it must 



