HORSE BRF.KDING. 1313 



qualifications whatever. It applies to the one animal and to him alone. 

 The thoroughbred, we may say, without danger of successful contra- 

 diction, is the purest domesticated animal produced. He has been care- 

 fully bred in certain lines for centuries and careful records have been 

 kept. Doubtless he originated by intelligent crossing; but crossing 

 ceased so long ago that he may truly be called thoroughbred. On account 

 of his careful breeding and strong individuality he has greater pre- 

 potency than any other sire. (By prepotency we mean the power or 

 ability to transmit to his progeny his own characteristics.) On this 

 account we need to be even more careful in selecting a sire from this 

 class than from others — as if there be any undesirable points or charac- 

 teristics, whether of conformation or disposition, in the sire, they are 

 liable to be even more marked in the progeny. Therefore, we must not 

 breed to a thoroughbred simply because he is thoroughbred, but be 

 careful to select a sire that is of the required size, sound, of o-ood con- 

 formation and disposition. We can, as already stated, breed a coarser 

 mare to this horse than to others. His progeny, except from very 

 coarse mares, seldom lacks quality and ambition. Of course even with 

 this sire the cross must not be too violent. Violent or too well-marked 

 crosses in any case are seldom followed by satisfactory results. The 

 produce of the thoroughbred generally excels in the saddle and makes a 

 fair harness horse. He is the best all-round horse. The market for 

 the good sized half-breed is, always has been, and I think it probable 

 always will be, good. He, with the carriage horse, is the rich man's 

 horse, and when we are able to supply the animal men of this clasf 

 want, price will not prevent his sale. It is not a hard matter to produce 

 snudl animals of this class, called light weights and medium weio-hts, 

 but the production of a heavy weight hunter, one able to carry up to 

 220 pounds or over, is a more dithcult matter. For this purpose we 

 should select a large mare 1200 pounds or over with as much quality 

 and ambition as possible, and breed her to a good big thorouo-hbred, 

 one of 1200 or 1300 pounds. If we have a mare of reasonable quality 

 to cross with a stallion of this description the results will in most cases 

 be satisfactory. While there is a good market for the light weio-ht 

 saddler or hunter of good action and manners, a much lono-er price can 

 be obtained for the big fellow of the same class. We may say that the 

 larger the animal of this class is, provided, of course, that he has 

 quality, the more money he is worth. There are many large men who 

 enjoy an hour or two in the saddle, either on the flat or in the huntin» 

 field, and especially for the latter purpose it requires a laro-e, strong 

 horse to carry a man of say 220 pounds or over safely across country, 

 and when a man of this weight, with money and huntino- Droolivitiea 



