DOMESTIC ANIMALS, 

 DAIRYING, ETC. 



PARTI 



INTRODUCTION. 



HORSE breeding is one of the most important lines of work 

 that animal breeders of this country have undertaken. As 

 all classes of people are largely dependent, and in the ma- 

 jority of cases, entirely dependent upon the labor of horses 

 for the necessities and comforts of life as well as many of its pleas- 

 ures, the efforts of the breeder become of great importance not only 

 to himself but to the country at large. A little improvement in the 

 horses of a country may mean a considerable increase in the wealth 

 and comforts of its people. 



The first systematic attempt to improve the horse came through a 

 desire for larger animals for war purposes. When the war horse 

 was required to carry a rider protected by heavy coats of mail and 

 himself to be protected by heavy metal plates, it was found that 

 larger animals were needed. Later, improvements were attempted 

 to better fit the horse for pleasure and for agricultural purposes, 

 which gave him greater speed, endurance and beauty, and also 

 brought a greater degree of intelligence. These improvements were ef- 

 fected largely through the importation into England of horses, mostly 

 sires from the Orient. Godolphin Arabian (Barb.), Darley Arabian 

 and Byerly Turk were among the most noted of these early importa- 

 tions. The crossing of these sires on selected English mares together 

 with the skill of the English breeder resulted in the production of 

 the English Thoroughbred, which is distinctively a running horse. 

 Through the Thoroughbred has been developed the American Thor- 

 oughbred, notably of Kentucky, and the American Trotter. The 

 Russian trotters have in a similar way been developed through the 

 English Thoroughbred and by the importation directly into Rus- 

 sia of Arabian horses that were crossed on selected Russian mares. 



Many of the improved breeds of horses owe much to the in- 

 fluence of Oriental blood on the foundation stock of each breed. The 

 characteristics that have been especially developed through this in- 

 troduction are alertness, symmetry, or beauty of form, stamina or 

 endurance and intelligence. Even many of the heavy draft horses 



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