4 8 



brought home, the standard being a natural degree 

 of speed and not that of the Turf. 



" The offspring of these small horses should be 

 tried in each succeeding generation ; and we 

 should be satisfied for a few years to see the 

 natural speed of the race gradually augment, retain- 

 ing only for breeding such as went through their 

 trials satisfactorily." 



On a later page he suggests the propriety of 

 crossing these Eastern sires with our Forest and 

 Moorland ponies. He cannot doubt that the imme- 

 diate offspring of the first cross will prove suitable 

 for the saddle : 



" The best saddle horses we possess being now 

 occasionally produced by crossing the race horse 

 with a pony mare. This experiment often succeed- 

 ing with one of the parents so ill fitted for taking 

 part in it as the modern racer, there is every 

 reason to conclude that, with parents properly 

 constituted on both sides, the breeding of the best 

 class of saddle horses might be accompanied with 

 little uncertainty." 



Thus far we find that the suggestions for breeding 

 small horses set out on pp. 36-43 were anticipated 

 over sixty years ago. We must, before taking leave 

 of the author, glance at his plan for "renovating" 

 our half wild breeds of ponies. If it were practicable 

 to carry out the experiment he outlines, the results 

 would be of undoubted interest. 



" To experiment properly in this matter it is 

 necessary that a public establishment should appro- 

 priate some extensive district of unreclaimed and 

 bad pasturage to the maintenance of a large body 

 of ponies. These should be interfered with only to 

 the extent of severe selection, founded on annual 

 trials ; taking the animals for this purpose from 

 their pasturage for a few days during the summer, 

 and tying them to pickets. Here they should be 

 closely inspected, and after the best formed had 



