•VTfP. HORSE.— IMPROTEMEWT IN BREEDING. 



Although the improvement in the modes of travel- 

 ing, resulting from the application of steam, may in 

 many sections of our country, diminish the use and 

 the value of fine horses, still the horse will always 

 be of incalculable importance to us. Any thing 

 therefore, that may tend to enhance his worth, by 

 improving his character, will be thought useful. 



The intrinsic value of the horse, consists in his 

 power, speed, and endurance. And as he is, to a 

 great extent, the subject of taste and fancy, his high- 

 est value is attained, when he unites beauty of form, 

 with these three requisites. But every farmer knows, 

 he is not to expect the pear from the thorn bush, nor 

 the pippin from the wild crab apple. But then these 

 stocks will produce the pear and the pippin, if such 

 scions are introduced. Since, then, the same expense 

 of care, culture, feed, and time, is needed to sustain 

 and rear a four years old horse worth $60, and one 

 worth $100, is it not astonishing that farmers, who 

 spare no expense to obtain the best quality of grains, 

 grasses, and roots for seed, should still employ as 

 sires, the low bred dung-hill at twenty shillings, in- 

 stead of the brave and noble blood horse worth twenty 

 dollars. The result in such case, as a general rule, 

 must necessarily be, the colt will be a twenty shilling 

 colt, instead of a twenty dollar colt, if nature proves 

 true to her principles. 



Many farmers do not reflect sufficiently, or judge 

 correctly on this subject. They seem to think, a 

 half blood sire, derived from a blood horse and com- 

 mon dam, may produce as fine stock,, as the full blood 

 horse himself ; whereas, he cannot half so good. 

 Being only a "naif Wood himself, be can infuse into 

 his progeny only one fourth of the good qualities of 

 his sire. His stock is only quarter bloods. No 

 farmer, desirous of making the greatest gain in per- 

 fecting his stock, will use any horse as a sire, who 

 cannot claim to inherit, in trie line of his dam, as 

 well as of his sire, Power, Speed, and Endurance ; 

 the three items which give value to the horse. 

 Hence it is, that the pedigree of our blood horses is 

 given in the line of the dam, instead of the sire. 

 It. is to show, that the valuable blood of the horse, de- 

 rived from his sire, is not deteriorated by any impure, 

 low blood, derived from the mother. A little reflection 

 therefore, will satisfy the farmer, not to breed from a 

 horse, (although his sire may have been good,) in 

 the hope of greatly improving his stock, if he cannot 

 claim excellence also, from the blood of his dam, as 

 well as of his sire. In this particular, American 

 Eclipse excelled any horse of his day ; and to this 

 source was he indebted, in a great degree, for his 

 matchless powers. His dam was got by " Messen- 

 ger," whose stock, for power and endurance, has 

 proved equal, and often superior, to that of any horse 

 ever brought to this country. Her dam, by a son ot 

 "English Eclipse ;" next to "Childers," the fleetest 

 horse ever known. His sire, " Duroc," was by 

 "Diomed ;" the best horse of his day — deriving his 

 excellence from judicious crosses, blending the best 

 strains of English and Arabian blood. 



It is perfectly idle for a farmer, who has a mare of 

 good size, of fine qualities and blood, to raise a colt 

 from a common horse worth only $fj5 to $80, at four 

 years old ; when he can, with the same expense of 

 care and feed, rear one worth $120 to $150, by re- 

 sorting to a better sire, at a cost of a few dollars 

 more. And even if his mare is in some respects 



inferior, he should still resort to horses of high and 

 celebrated blood, — of large size, just proportions, and 

 fine speed, — horses, superior in those very particulars 

 in which his mare is deficient. A half blood filly 

 from such a cross, would probably make a valuable 

 stock mare, producing colts of great worth, if bred 

 from the superior blood horse. 



Every farmer should have one or two good brood 

 mares. We have the experience and testimony of 

 intelligent men, that brood mares may be steadily 

 and safely used until within a few days of foaling ; 

 and very soon after. They should not be improperly 

 used and abused, by extreme, sudden, violent efforts. 

 But it will not injure them nor their foals, to do con- 

 stant, reasonable labor. In addition therefore, to 

 accomplishing the ordinary service of a span of 

 horses on the farm, they may produce the farmer an- 

 nually, a pair of colts. 



It should here be remarked, that much of the value 

 of our colts depends on the care and keeping we giv , 

 them. We err greatly on this point. Colts genr 

 ally, are neglected the first winter. Their gr 

 is retarded, and their forms are injured thereby. — 

 They should be kept in the best manner, the first 

 year ; should be kept constantly thriving. Their 

 forms will then be properly sustained, and their 

 points and proportions be finely developed. Nor 

 should they be fed on the ground, but in racks so 

 posited, as to require them to extend and elevate the 

 neck and head. 



Dutchess County, in this State, has derived a large 

 revenue for half a century, from the sale of her valu- 

 able horses* Spans of horses bred there, have been 

 sold in New York, from five hundred to one thousand 

 dollars. — And multitudes of single horses from fifty 

 pounds, to one hundred pounds each. They secured 

 these results at an early period, by perfecting their 

 stock of brood mares, in the use of such imported 

 horses as Messenger, Highlander, Paymaster, Drone, 

 Badjazette, and others ; not hesitating to pay $20 or 

 more, to horses of such character and blood. 



As " like produces like," the brave and noble blood 

 horse is expected to give the index of his character 

 to his progeny. To decide whether he has "power, 

 speed, and endurance," he is put to trial on the race 

 course. Jn a greater or less degree, his courage, 

 resolution, temper and constitution, as well as his 

 form and proportions, are imparted to his stock. — 

 The farmer who would make gain by breeding colts, 

 should look to these things. His colts will always 

 sell, if they have size and speed, even if less perfect 

 and beautiful in form. By blending the Arabian 

 blood, with that of the English race horse, the pro- 

 duct has been considered, as having attained the 

 highest degree of perfection. It has united to the 

 size and bone of the English race horse, the round, 

 smooth, beautiful form of the Arabian, together with 

 his hardiness, fleetness, and ability to endure fatigue. 

 By such crosses, the fleetest and best horses have 

 been produced, that have been ever known. And in 

 the use of such horses can our stock be soon per- 

 fected ; but it cannot be done, by a resort to low 

 bred horses, who have no blood on the side of the 

 dam, and who are removed to the third and fourth 

 cross, from the pure blood sire. 



There are two leading purposes for which we rear 

 colts. One is for the plow, and one for the road. For 

 the plow, stout, heavy, compact built horses are need- 

 ed, with no special regard to fleetness. For the road, 

 as for stages, pleasure carriages and the saddle, in 



