46 THE AMERICAN BLOOD-HORSE. 



as a perfectly purely-bred horse of any breed, whether cart-horse, 

 hack, or race-horse ; all have been produced from an admixture 

 with other breeds, and though now kept as pure as possible, yet 

 they were originally compounded of varying elements. As, 

 however, the thorough-bred horse as he is called, has long been 

 bred for racing purposes, and selections have been made with 

 that view alone, it is reasonable to suppose that this breed is 

 the best for that purpose, and that a stain of any other is a de- 

 viation from the classical stream into one more muddy, and 

 therefore impure. Indeed, in actual practice this is found to be 

 the case ; for in every instance it has resulted that the horse 

 bred with the slightest deviation from the sources indicated by 

 the stud-book, is unable to compete in lasting power with those 

 which are entirely of that breed. Hence it is established as a 

 rule, that for racing purposes every horse must be thorough-bred j 

 that is, bred of a sire and dam, whose names are found in the 

 stud-book. 



The external form of the blood-horse is of great importance ; 

 it being true, other things being equal, that the horse will 

 be the best runner which is formed in the mould most like that 

 of the greatest number of good race-horses. Still, it is ad- 

 mitted on the turf, that high breeding is of more consequence 

 than external shape, and that, of two horses, one perfect in 

 shape but of an inferior strain of blood, and the other of the 

 most winning blood, but in shape not so well formed, the latter 

 will be the most likely to give satisfaction on the race-course. 

 Hence originates the proverb, " an ounce of blood is worth 

 a pound of bone." Yet, in spite of all this recognized superi- 

 ority of blood, it is indisputable that for the highest degree of 

 success there must be not only high purity of blood, and that 



