Il8 MY HORSE; MY LOVE 



their value in the United States to such an extent that 

 the supply far exceeds the demand.' 



Then it is not a fable that we pay from five to seven 

 millions of dollars annually to England and France for 

 the importation of brood-stock ? 



'Yes, those are the figures. The types are destroyed 

 at once by crossing, and dealers in Europe profit by 

 this continual mistake — the destruction of the types — 

 and are naturally not averse to its encouragement so long 

 as their animals continue in demand. As soon as the 

 various types of English horses are brought over, they 

 are mongrelised by constant crossings, and thus the types 

 cannot be sustained.' 



But is there no fixed type? 



' There is the " Standard-bred," but the term is entirely 

 arbitrary, and means that the only excellence in the 

 horse to be considered necessary is s/>eed at an established 

 rate. If he can trot a mile in 2.30, he is entitled to be 

 considered " Standard-bred ; " or if, having been gambled 

 in races, he has beaten some other horse, he may aspire 

 to the dubious distinction. The term describes no type, 

 belongs to no family, it can prove no ancestry, and 

 is, at best, only a convenient term adopted for want of 

 a better, and to cover possibly many difficulties.' 



But is not the light harness horse of America a type? 

 It has a great many admirers. 



' When carefully bred from thoroughbred sires and 

 dams, their blood-lines are distinctive. They again prove 

 the blood cause, and for general worth and utility have 

 few rivals. When properly broken and trained, they un- 

 doubtedly make fine and valuable specimens of equine 

 beauty, and are deservedly admired.' 



