HORSE BREEDING. 1309 



all cases be careful to ascertain that both parents are not affected with 

 any disease the predisposition to which will probablj be transmitted to 

 the progeny. Diseases or malformations that can be traced directly to 

 injuries, of course are not transmissible. Undesirable traits of disposi- 

 tion, as viciousness, stubbornness, etc., are as much to be avoided in 

 breeding animals as disease. The classes of horses that at the present 

 time are in demand at fair prices are: heavy draft, carriage, saddle 

 horses and hunters, and good, strong, clever roadsters. Other classes 

 that cannot be produced by any special line of breeding are good 

 chunks of 1300 to 1100 pounds, and cobs with extreme action. 



In selecting stallions to sire any of these classes out of the mares at 

 our disposal we should insist upon both individuality and pedigree. The 

 time when pedigree alone was considered is fortunately past. A horse 

 with a good pedigree but poor individuality, a poor or inferior animal 

 of his class, is of course not a suitable animal for a sire. Get both if 

 we can, but I would sooner sacrifice pedigree than individuality. In 

 mentioning the classes of horses that the farmer can produce I have 

 purposely omitted race horses. I do not consider it is the province of 

 the ordinary farmer to try to produce horses to race at any gait. The 

 percentage of horses produced that are fast enough to win money at any 

 gait on the race track is very low, and if a farmer of ordinary means 

 should produce one it will cost him a great deal to develop his speed. 

 My observation has been that the farmer who has attempted this has 

 generally ruined himself financially unless he has sense enough to see 

 how things were going and given it up before he has spent his all in 

 trying to produce a world-beater. Therefore, I say, leave tlie produc- 

 tion of race horses in the hands of the millionaire, and endeazor to pro- 

 duce an animal that has a fair value at four or five years old without 

 much development or handling. Let the dealer educate the horse for 

 the city market. Of course this applies to the lighter classes of horses 

 that require a considerable amount of education to fetch the fancy 

 prices occasionally paid. If the farmer has time and experience in such 

 matters it will probably pay him to put the finished article on the 

 market; but as a rule it pays him to sell the young horse in the green 

 state to the dealer for a reasonable price, and let him take the trouble 

 and chances of giving him manners and action and selling him for a 

 fancy price, provided, of course, he develops into a superior animal. 

 The light classes of horses, as carriage horses, cobs, saddlers and hunt- 

 ers require good manners and willingness and ability to perform cleveriy 

 the functions peculiar to the class before they can be put Lpon t^« 

 market as a finished product. The education of such horses is, we may 

 say, a business by itself, and the faruier who attempts it, even though 



