PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING 5 



more Importance than the second. A horse without 

 good breeding may be a fine animal, but he is a freak 

 and is not Hkely to reproduce himself. A stallion well 

 bred on both sides, but defective himself, is more apt 

 to produce good colts than a stallion who traces back 

 to inferior ancestors but is himself a good specimen. 

 However, the only safe way is to have both — breeding 

 and individuality. 



In estimating the value of a stallion it Is more im- 

 portant to become familiar with his colts than with him- 

 self. His colts may be free from a defect which is 

 very apparent in himself. On the other hand, he may 

 transmit to his colts a fault which he does not have 

 himself but which he inherits. There was a trotting- 

 bred stallion In Maine some years ago whose colts had 

 a very marked type of head, and it was a bad type, 

 being narrow between the eyes and between the ears. 

 The head was so distinctive that you could tell one of 

 this horse's colts at a glance, but the stallion himself 

 had a very good head, not at all like the head which 

 he transmitted with remarkable uniformity. 



These facts and many others are summed up In the 

 old saying that a horse produces his like or the likeness 

 of some ancestor, and you cannot tell which It will be 

 until you see his produce. 



A stallion that has any important defect in shape, 

 action, or disposition should be rejected. This does not 

 apply to forms of unsoundness produced by hard work — 

 especially by such excessive work as race horses, 

 whether trotters or runners, are called on to perform, 

 unless the animal also shows that he had a natural 



