438 AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK 



natural and absurd practices which characterize the system 

 commonly pursued by stock-raisers in relation to breeding. 

 That system we regard as utterly ruinous to all prospects 

 of future improvement ; nay, more than this, as the actual 

 cause of great deterioration, from one generation to another, 

 of the American horse. 



We say, without fear of successful contradiction, that three 

 times a week, or every -other day, is as often as any horse 

 should be permitted to serve a mare. Oftener than this, 

 coition may be eitected, it is true, but the seminal fluid of 

 the horse in such cases is thin and immature; and if a colt 

 is produced at all, he will be almost sure to be big-boned, 

 loose-jointed, of flabby, uncompact muscle, and with a feeble 

 constitution. This is one main reason why only a few of 

 the'colts gotten by fine stallions are equally fine, some par- 

 taking r)f his qualities scarcely at all, and the large ma- 

 jority falling far below the standard of his own excellence. 

 No matter how favorable the condition of the mare may 

 be, the foal gotten under such circumstances can not be 

 expected to prove otherwise than a weak and feeble little 

 creature. The condition of the dam will, doubtless, modify 

 the application of these principles to some extent, but by 

 no means sufiicient to disprove their general correctness. 

 The few fine colts which the horse sires are the result of 

 procreation when his vital and reproductive powers were 

 mature and vigorous. 



Were proper attention paid to this matter, failure to im- 

 pregnate would occur much less frequently than it now does 

 in the ordinary experience of stock-raisers; the object of 

 copulation would be accomplished three times where, under 

 the reverse circumstances, it is efiected once. 



The great obstacle to improvement in this department 

 consists in the fact that, with few exceptions, the stallions 

 kept for breeding purposes are in the hands of men whose 

 sole object is to make money, and whose interest it is, there- 

 fore, to have their horses serve as manj' mares as possible 

 during the season. To most men of this class the future 



