BREEDING. 335 



as a brood-mare. This, however, is a great mistake, and 

 should be carefully avoided. 



Breeding in and in, as it is termed, — that is, forming a 

 constant union of the same blood, is always attended with 

 bad results However good both sire and dam may be, 

 if too closely allied, the progeny will in all probability turn 

 out weak, and become liable to all those diseases to which 

 delicate constitutions are subject ; but where parties have 

 a predilection to a particular stock, these evil consequences 

 may be obviated by occasionally introducing fresh blood, 

 either by crossing with the sire or dam. 



A good brood-mare should be selected with a rather long 

 carcase, so as to give sufficient room for the growth of the 

 foetus ; at the same time she should be compact in the make, 

 and rather short than otherwise in the leg : while the 

 stallion should be somewhat opposite in his form, which 

 ought invariably to be short, with as many of the good 

 points which we have before enumerated contained within 

 a small compass. The inclination of the shoulder is also 

 an essential point to be attended to. A large stallion with 

 upright shoulders never got a good hunter or hackney ; but 

 for a draught-horse, this form is desirable. 



To secure a good and healthy progeny, youth on the side 

 of both sexes is very essential. Both ought to be in the 

 prime of life, and in full health. From three to four years 

 cf age is a proper time to commence breeding from a mare, 

 but to begin sooner, before their form has assumed its full 

 strength and vigour, cannot fail to produce very bad conse- 

 quences. It rarely happens tliat mares bred from at an 

 earlier period ever attain full vigour. Mares that are little 

 worked, may be safely bred from, until they attain the a^e 

 of eighteen or twenty, and instances have occurred where 

 they produced splendid foals at the latter age. But, on the 



