BREEDING. 433 



The consequence is, that many gentlemen drive small horses, while 

 omnibus proprietors, etc. prefer the coarser breeds. People are now 

 aware that the lesser size renders the purchase easier, enables the horses 

 to last longer, while sickness is not only less frequent, but the consump- 

 tion of fodder is altogether smaller in quantity. Carriages are now built 

 of diminished height and of lighter draught ; therefore the expense of 

 such a convenience is in many ways lessened. Indeed, the custom has 

 become so general and has so many advantages to recommend it that 

 dealers cannot afford to trade in Clevelands, the sale and the possession 

 of which quadruped is, by the modern salesman, without a murmur 

 relinquished to the job master. 



The entire system must be changed, or, while it continues, men should 

 consult the Calendar only to learn what sire to avoid. The blood stock 

 has been bred too fine : all the properties which formerly distinguished 

 it are now deteriorated. As greyhounds were improved by being crossed 

 by the bull-dog, so does the English racer demand the infusion of little 

 "cocktail" into his lineage. The Jockey Club must not perpetuate the 

 weakness of that animal which this society pretends to conserve. Dis- 

 tances should be lengthened, weights increased, and ages made not to 

 favor the maltreatment of mere foals. Nothing would do more to pro- 

 mote an improvement in the breed of English horses than a stoical 

 determination which should render useless the present abundant crop 

 of "weeds." Sires should be chosen because of their stamina, their 

 make, their thews, their muscles, and their general soundness. The 

 quadruped should be treated "naturally; not enervated by first being 

 trained, and then debilitated by being pampered. 



At the same time, that excessive obesity which is remarkable in all 

 existing stallions of the ordinary breeds should be avoided ; nor should 

 the stimulants now in general use ever be employed. No animal should 

 ever be kept in solitude and in darkness, as though its worth were de- 

 pendent on the amount of mystery by which it can be surrounded. Such 

 treatment is cruel; therefore it is needless. An entire horse is not, 

 necessarily, a savage, though many, being spirited creatures, are made 

 dangerous by the tricks played upon them and by the restraints to which 

 they are needlessly subjected. In several countries emasculation is un- 

 known. Though in India, native rudeness and European prejudice may 

 engender ferocity, the author can boast of having made friends of animals 

 that had undergone no deprivation ; and the memories of such friend- 

 ships are cherished with something more than the recollections of mere 

 equine gentleness. 



To illustrate this subject, the author must be pardoned if he intro- 

 duces an incident which occurred to himself. He was of middle age 

 ♦ 28 



