88 ENGLAND S HORSES, 



As a set off, however, to this theory of the farmers, Colonel 

 Maude teUs us that he considers in " Cumberland, Westmore- 

 land, and Lancashire there are more horses bred now than were 

 bred twenty years ago." He admits there is a difficulty in 

 buying the big horses, the Cleveland bays, used in the Eoyal 

 carriages, but he attributes this to the fact that, smaller and 

 lighter carriages being used now than was the case formerly, a 

 lighter class of horse is required. But he says — 



" I think there are more horses in the country than there ever were hefore. 

 I think that there is a tremendous demand for horses — an increasing demand. 

 There is an immense goods traffic on all the railways, and light carts and 

 wagons, and so on, are used greatly in excess of what there ever was before. 

 The farmers in some districts are not breeding to the extent that they used to 

 do, but I do not know what you can do beyond giving a little reward in the 

 shape of prizes to the farmers who breed ; that would be a little stimulant, 

 perhaps, to the breeder." 



In that concluding sentence is embodied the almost universal 

 opinion of all the witnesses as to the means whereby horse 

 breeding and rearing may once again be established on the old 

 footing throughout the country — premiums given by all the 

 agricultural shows, local as well as general, not only for sires, 

 but also for their produce. Let all the sires, those that travel 

 through and those that are permanently located in the various 

 districts, be first examined and approved as to their soundness. 

 One witness, Captain Owen Slack, whose experience is chiefly 

 in Ireland, suggests that this should be done by taxation : — ^ 



" In the first place, I think that some action might be taken on the part of 

 the Government to encourage breeding generally, and for that reason I think 

 that an experiment might be tried in certain breeding districts with sires, in 

 such counties as Kildare, or Meath, or Tipperary, or Waterford, or some of 

 them, and these horses could be located in the district, and let out to certain 

 approved mares at the rate that is given now by the farmers for these brutes 

 that they have, say a sovereign. I think that would do good in one way. I 

 think, then, that 1 would put a tax upon all stallions that did not receive a 

 certificate; and if they received a certificate of soundness I would exempt 

 them, but if not I would put the tax upon them. Then, if a man had an un- 

 certified stallion, he would soon drop off getting mares ; and you would pre- 

 vent a great number of those horses being bought, for the way in which they 

 are bought is this — it is generally some stallion that is bought at a county race 

 meeting, perhaps a selling race, or something of that kind, and he is broken 

 dovm, and £25, I should say, is the average price paid for a good number of 

 them." 



* The author's views are entirely concurrent with Captain Slack's ; know- 

 ing that officer's assertions to be an accurate recapitulation of facts, and 

 believing his principles to be sound and practical. 



