44 ' THE HORSE 



The Farmer's Horse 



It is not necessary to say very much about the farmer's 

 horse, which is usually a cross-bred animal derived from, 

 directly or indirectly, any of the preceding breeds of 

 horses. Unfortunately it is commonly the product of 

 indiscriminate breeding, and the result is that many of 

 these horses are of a nondescript class, yet they are 

 always marketable, sometimes so much so that the price 

 is far beyond any intrinsic merits possessed by the animal. 



There are farmers' horses and horses working on the 

 farm of a good, bad, and indifferent type, but the word 

 " indifferent " certainly answers for fully 50 per cent of 

 these animals. There is no reason why the agricultural 

 horse should not be bred up to a better standard of 

 excellence than it has been in the past, but recent efforts 

 in the selection of horses for certain districts constitutes 

 a solid step in the right direction. Doubtless the tractor 

 will limit the use of the farm horse ; nevertheless, this 

 animal will be required to perform its share of the farm 

 work. 



The miajority of the farmer's horses are derived from 

 the Shire or Clydesdale, but on quite a number of farms 

 in the shires, and possibly elsewhere, many typical speci- 

 mens of the respective breeds do their share of the work, 

 excepting when required for show or stud purposes. 

 When a farmer is buying a horse for ploughing, carting, 

 etc., he can sometimes purchase an animal for the matter 

 of a few pounds, owing to some infirmity which renders 

 it unsuitable for town work. The writer has seen in pre- 

 war times £5 horses bought by farmers, placed on the 

 land and worked regularly, v/hich, after a time, have made 

 such remarkable improvement as to become as useful as 

 a horse for which ten times that amount has been paid. 



There are certain diseases affecting the horse which 

 show considerable amehoration after the animal has been 

 worked on soft and moist land for a few months. It is 



