— 88- 



The growth of the mare is hindered ; her form is modified both 

 by the weight of the stallion and by carrying the foal. And the 

 foal itself is apt to lack fullness and power. Yet, it takes from 

 the young mother that sustenance which she needs for her own 

 development, so that she is dwarfed, while it grows up a more or 

 less puny creature— of insufficient value to compensate for the 

 injury done to the dam. No mare should be so used till she is at 

 least three years old— four would be the better and more profit- 

 able age. It is said that mares which are allowed to mature, and 

 are well treated afterwards, will not lose enough of their natural 

 vigor to disqualify them for bringing forth good foals till after 

 they are twenty years old ; but it is idle to expect good strong, 

 well-formed, thrifty, and spirited offspring from a mare that is 

 either too young or too old ; or that is subjected, even in matur- 

 ity, to hard work, poor and insufficient food, and cruel handling. 



IV. Principles of Transmission. 



Let us next notice this principle, that when the dam and the sire 

 both possess a due amount of vigor, the foal will combine in itself the most 

 marked characteristics of both, while any quality that is peculiar to either 

 of them is apt to be prominent in the offspring. This applies to both 

 disposition and physical conformation. 



It will be seen fi-om this statement that no matter what the 

 general line of policy to be pursued by the breeder ; that of 

 in-and-in, or that of crossing, he must select his stallions and 

 mares with the view to having one supplement the other. If the 

 mare is deficient in any point, the horse should be full or pre- 

 dominant there, and vice versa; and if any peculiar trait is desired, 

 that should be very strongly developed in either sire or dam, 

 while merely nominal in the other. 



Another special point to be considered is this : that for the pro- 

 duction of a full-formed, symmetrical, vigorous, and thrifty foal, 

 the mare should be proportionately larger than the horse. An overgrown 

 stallion, of great power, serving a mare of diminutive size, or of 

 size somewhat less in proportion than his own, will beget her a 

 strong embryo that will require more room and more nourish- 

 ment than the mare can afford ; and the result must be weakness. 



