OUR SADDLE-HORSES. 27 



to by those who competed for the increased 

 bounties. One of the many advantages result- 

 ing from this plan is its simplicity, requiring 

 Government only to determine the nature of 

 the tasks to be performed; namely, the dis- 

 tances to be run, and the weights to be carried, 

 leaving all the rest to be worked out under the 

 principle of competition by the owners of the 

 horses. 



One consequence resulting from this plan 

 being carried out would be the certainty of the 

 best horses being imported that were obtain- 

 able in the East, as some of the persons who 

 breed our race-horses would go there them- 

 selves to select horses, while others would send 

 competent judges there for that special pur- 

 pose. No allowance of weight should be made 

 in order to encourage the system of late years 

 so much indulged in of running horses too 

 early, diminishing by this practice their con- 

 stitutional vigour, and disposing them to early 

 infirmities; evils which we know, by experi- 

 ence, extend to all our mixed breeds of saddle- 

 horses. Though it would be well not to neglect 

 this precaution, it is not however likely to be 

 required, seeing that if our race-horses were 



