THE SIBE. 107 



. VICIOUS STALLIONS. 



Especially I would urge all breeders to avoid vicious 

 and irritable seed-horses. The idea that a stallion is 

 less amiable than a gelding is both contrary to nature 

 and observation, and, in common with many other 

 erroneous opinions resulting from ignorance, confined 

 to this country. An irritable temper and a vicious dis- 

 position are hereditary — superlatively so — in horses as 

 well as in men. I know families that have been noted 

 for fretfulness and ugliness of spirit for generations. 

 Viciousness seems to be the family mark : it comes down 

 from sire to son in uninterrupted sequence. So it is 

 with horses. A vicious sire begets a vicious colt. 

 Exceptions there may be ; but the law holds good in the 

 main. I have known a seed-horse at death leave the 

 county where he stood full of ugly brutes : they were 

 intractable, fretful, hard to teach ; they would rear, bite, 

 and kick. You could never make them docile and 

 kind: they were unpleasant and dangerous. Now, I 

 hold that no one should breed to such a horse. No 

 perfection of muscle and frame, no high-sounding 

 pedigree, no marvellous record on the turf, would in- 

 fluence me to put one of my mares to such a horse. I 

 want no vicious colts in my stalls. None but an amia- 

 ble, docile, kindly-disposed animal should be selected 

 for service in the stud. This rule is of special impor- 

 tance to the breeder, as it is directly related to the 

 successful sale of his colts. Gentlemen do not wish to 



