THE HORSE, HIS ORIGIN, ETC. 49 



degree, he is eagerly sought far and wide. In the selection of mares, 

 this vigor of constitution, combined with ample room for tli3 develop- 

 ment of the foal is sought. Hence the breeder seeks to breed to such 

 sires as shall endow their foals with their own special characteristics, be- 

 ing careful only that the cross shall not be a violent one, such as might 

 produce decided alterations of form from that previously had. 



XI. Value of Hereditary Characteristics. 



Intelligence, stamina, great muscular power, constitutional vigor, and 

 absence of congenital or hereditary disability, must all be taken into ac- 

 count in selecting sires. If the blood of an animal has been sul)- 

 ject to any hereditary disability, as consumption or other disease arising 

 from weak lungs, or has shown a lial)ility to form curbs, spavin or other 

 bone disease, such an animal should be Q'scardcd. Intelligence is a he- 

 reditary characteristic of special families which should be carefullj^ 

 looked to. Here again we find that this quality may be steadily increased 

 by careful training. This is especially noticable in dogs bred for a sin- 

 gle jjurpose, as shepherd dogs, pointers, setters, retrievers, etc. The he- 

 reditary instinct becomes at length so strongly marked in them, that the 

 young animal takes to its special task of its own volition, and before 

 the age for regular training is reached. In like manner certain breeds of 

 horses are nole^' for their wonderful intelligence, as are the Arab horses, 

 owing to hundreds of years of careful breeding, and to the training im- 

 parted by the maste ', who is the friend and companion of his horse. 



XII. A Careful Study Necessary. 

 To most surely and successful 1}^ compass all this, the breeder must 

 carefully study the horse from various standpoints. He must be familiar 

 with the anatomy, or hony structure, the muscular development, the vital 

 organs, the organs of digestion, and the other viscera of the animal. 

 Again, the outward conformation is of the utmost importance, since 

 from this a fair indication of all the rest may be arrived at. The girth 

 and the barrel will give a good indication of the heart, lungs and digestive 

 apparatus. From the head, the intelligence and docility of the animal 

 may be clearly established. The shoulders, the loin and the haunch will' 

 be the index to the muscular power, and the bone and sinew may be accu- 

 rately estimated from a proper examination of the limbs by one who will 

 carefully study the succeeding chapters. 



XIII. About Object Lessons. 

 Object lessons, the delineation of a subject by charts, plates and 

 figures, have come to be regarded as one of the most important factors 

 in modern education. They bring to the eye exactly what a thing is, and 



