20 OREGON FARMER 



There are in the state of Oregon some 275,000 horses, with a 

 total value of about 37 million dollars. These horses, as is shown 

 by the accompanying map, are scattered pretty well throughout 

 the state. They are rather more numerous in the more thoroughly 

 tillable portions, such as in the Willamette Valley and Columbia 

 basin, yet we find them everywhere; on the grain and hay farms, 

 the fruit farms, the wheat farms, the alfalfa farms, and on the ranges. 

 The larger portion of the horses in Oregon are raised by the farmer 

 who has a few mares to do his farm work and who sells a few colts 

 each year as a by-product. Nearly all of the farmers in the grain 

 and hay districts raise a few colts, but there are not very many who 

 are in the horse business on a large scale. The raising of colts on 

 these small farms has always been a fruitful source of income. In 

 Western Oregon, a large portion of the farmers interviewed reported 

 that they could sell a four-year-old colt for $150 or less and make 

 a good profit. A considerable number stated that they could do 

 well at selling colts at from $100 to $125. In actual practice it 

 has been a good many years since a good four-year-old colt in Oregon 

 was not worth more than $150. By a little care in the selection of 

 a good stallion it is possible to raise colts from common mares which 

 will sell from $200 to $250 each. Most of our farmers, who have been 

 breeding their common mares to good pure bred stallions for several 

 years, are selling their colts for these prices. The wheat farms of 

 the Columbia basin are among the most favorably situated for horse 

 production. Nearly all of these farms have some waste land which 

 in connection with the straw and stubble fields are especially useful 

 in raising a few horses; second, the big, strong draft horses which 

 the market demands are just the kind of horses which these farmers 

 need to pull their heavy machinery; and third, the man who raises 

 a good many horses can afford to keep enough to do his farm work 

 at the right season and for that reason raises larger crops. 



In Central Oregon we have horses raised on the farms in the manner 

 outlined but in addition have large numbers raised on the ranges. 

 It will be noted from the table that a good many farmers of Eastern 

 Oregon reported the price necessary for a four-year-old horse at about 

 $75. The men giving this price were practically all range stockmen. 

 These horses are allowed to run out on the open range for the greater 

 part of the year. Some do not feed at all during the winter, but 

 most feed a little hay. At the other extreme we find men who have 

 their ranges fenced and who feed both grain and hay during the 

 winter. Under the latter system the cost is greater than $75 per 

 head but the price actually received is much greater, in many cases 

 twice as much. There are not a great number of stockmen raising 

 horses exclusively but all of the cattle and sheep men raise a good 

 many after the manner indicated. In former years, little attempt 

 was made at better blood and such improved stock as was introduced 

 was of the light breeds as the standard bred and thoroughbred. 

 More recently, however, much draft blood is being introduced and 



