THE SIKE. Ill 



for the stud are put between the ages of two and six 

 years is one of the greatest obstacles in the way of 

 breeding sound and perfect horses ; and the habit of 

 stinting mares to such horses, on the part of breeders, 

 is unmitigated folly. It is the surest way of commit- 

 ting hari-kari in breeding that I know of My advice, 

 therefore, is. Avoid stallions kept, or that have been 

 kept, for the purposes of the turf, and put your mares to 

 stalHons of good pedigree which show good trotting- 

 action, — able to trot, say, a mile in 2.40, — of amia- 

 ble disposition, of undoubted constitutional vigor and 

 soundness, and in a natural state. Such a horse will — 

 if, in addition to these other quaUties, he have the power 

 to transmit them to his offspring — prove a good, safe, 

 reliable stock-horse. His colts will be healthy, strong, 

 and vigorous. They will have lasting legs and lungs, 

 stomachs able to digest food without the help of '' con- 

 dition powders," and tempers fine, but reliable as a 

 Damascus blade. Breed to such a horse, and you will 

 have gone far, in so doing, along the road of success. 



Furthermore, suffer this caution : Never breed to a 

 horse because he has a high-sounding, fashionable name, 

 with a corresponding pedigree attached. It is as- 

 tonishing how many Fearnaughts and Abdallahs and 

 Morrills and Hambletonians there are. Perhaps the 

 last-mentioned name is abused the most. All over 

 New England and the country, you will find Hamble- 

 tonian this and Hambletonian that advertised to the 

 breeding pubhc, that are not worth, for stock-purposes, 



