1308 CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK ANP COMPLETE STOCK DOCTOR. 



ing with the hopes of producing speea, I think it well to speed the mare 

 for short distances at whatever gait we expect to produce, as I think 

 the offspring inherits to a certain extent the habits of the dam, espe- 

 cially those exercised during the period of gestation, but she should on 

 no account be speeded for sufficient distances to produce fatigue. The 

 food and water should be of the very best quality, the food easily 

 digested and given in reasonable quantities. The premises in which 

 she is kept during cold weather should be roomy, thoroughly clean and 

 well ventilated. All undue nervous excitement should be avoided, also 

 the absence of all nauseous odors, and all operations that necessitate 

 the casting of the animal or the letting of blood. The administration 

 of drastic purgatives should also be avoided, if possible, for these 

 have a tendency to produce abortion. When the time of parturition 

 approaches she should be carefully watched and, if necessary, skilled 

 assistance called in. As before mentioned, the prospective breeder 

 should carefully consider the class of animal he will endeavor to repro- 

 duce, and, having decided that point, he should provide himself with 

 one or more mares of that class, of the best quality his means ^'M 

 allow. Unless he can provide a mare or mares of at least fair qK^ility 

 he had better not breed at all, as the results will surely be disappomtijiig 

 from the reasons already stated. I do not consider it necessary to secure 

 pure-bred mares ; of course it vnll be all the better if such can be got, 

 but the price of good pure-breds of any class is beyond the means of 

 the ordinary breeder. Having secured the dams for our prospective 

 stock, the next point is to select a sire. Unfortunately, there are many 

 owners of stallions who think it is the duty of their friends to patronize 

 them. This is altogether a mistake. The breeding of horses is a busi- 

 ness matter, and must be considered purely from a business standpoint 

 in order to make it a success; and the man who breeds his mare to an 

 unsuitable stallion simply because he is owned by a friend, not only is 

 doing himself an injustice, but his friend an injury. The result will, 

 with very few exceptions, be the production of a nondescript, and as a 

 stallion's value in a community is determined largely by the quality of 

 his stock, the production of a colt of this kind will injure his reputation 

 to a much greater extent than can be compensated by the stud fee 

 received. A breeder must carefully study his mare in regard to con- 

 formation, temper and general peculiarities, and, remembering the law 

 that "like begets like," select a sire that should be suitable. If the 

 mare be deficient in some particular point, select a stallion that is well 

 developed in that point; if she have hyper-development of any point, 

 see, if possible, that the sire is rather deficient there. If she be of 

 iiyoer-nervous disposition, select n phlegmonous sire, and vice versa. la 



