liv GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 



were Shetland^ Iceland, Norwegian, and Highland ponies, 

 a New Forest pony and lier two-year-old mule foal, an 

 Exmoor pony, a half-Arab mare, and a small Clydesdale 

 mare. Four thoroughbred mares were rather the worse 

 than the better of being allowed out during the warmer 

 part of the day. A light cream-coloured, half-bred mare, 

 though apparently well in the evening of the 9th of 

 December, was found dead on the morning of the 10th, 

 apparently from a sudden chill. This mare (in foal to 

 the zebra) was in good condition, but, though she carried 

 a fairly heavy coat, she was thin-skinned, — very light 

 duns have probably weak constitutions. During the pre- 

 sent autumn (1898) I have had further evidence that 

 the thoroughbred constitution is veiy delicate. Early 

 in August we had three cold, wet days. This was fatal 

 to a zebra-hybrid foal out of a three-year-old, small, 

 thoroughbred bay mare, — none of the other foals suffered 

 from this visitation of the east wind. Later in the 

 season three thoroughbred mares plainly showed the cold 

 was too much for them, and during the last week of 

 October a two-year-old and a yearling thoroughbred 

 completely broke down. So far (November) the three 

 yearling hybrids, the Clydesdale's second hybrid foal, a 

 ten-year-old hybrid out of a zebra mare, a hinny foal 

 (born in July), a yearling out of a New Forest pony by 

 an Arab (Benazrek), an Iceland and a Shetlaud foal, 

 have all done extremely well, though continuously out 

 night and day. I am inclined to think that under 10 per 

 cent, of thoroughbred foals, and under 20 per cent, of 

 yearlings, would survive if exposed throughout the winter 

 in the vicinity of the Pentlands. In more genial sur- 

 roundings a larger number might survive, but they would 

 probably never reach a height of fifteen hands. 



As a matter of fact, the English race-horse, compared 

 with even the Arab, is like a hothouse plant that only 

 manages to hold its own when forced and nursed with 

 unusual care, and after all, except for covering very short 

 distances at a great speed, the majority of the hundreds 

 annually bred are of comparatively little use. Breeders 



