THE BREEDING OF GOOD HORSES. 95 



and leave the rest to themselves; — under ordinary 

 circumstances it is almost impossible to throw these 

 animals. 



Such is the breeding that I should be inclined to 

 cross with that of the powerful English race-horse as 

 sire, taking blood as nearly pure as possible in both 

 parents, for the purpose of securing valuable stock, 

 which would in time be dispersed over the country, 

 and replace the progeny of those weedy thorough-breds 

 which, in Ireland especially, have done much towards 

 the decline in power and endurance of the present 

 generation of so-called Irish hunters. The parentage 

 might, of course, be reversed between sire and dam. 



As to the question of climate, any one really inter- 

 ested in discovering its possible effects might be curious 

 to know what would characterise the produce of a high- 

 bred English racer and Irish huntress foaled and reared 

 in France. 



As far as we can judge from the peculiarities of those 

 horses with which we are most familiar, extremes of 

 either heat or cold are unfavourable to the development 

 of size; whereas, under both conditions, a vast amount 

 of endurance seems to be natural. 



The Norwegian and the Arab, differing materially in 

 point of swiftness, are both notorious for endurance. 

 The plodding perseverance of the first is well known ; 

 while the Arab, ridden at an even gait with a fair 

 weight, will go with impunity a greater distance, at a 

 rate of eighteen to twenty miles an hour, than the best 

 European can do. In sporting language, the Arab can 

 "stay " better than the European. 



Arab breeders rarely offer a really high-bred animal 

 for sale under four, and generally five, years of age ; 



