432 BRITISH AND IRISH HORSES. 



poor feeds set before them. They were too high class to 

 stand hardships and misery. 



"It is an article of faith with most horsey men that 

 a well-bred horse will do anything that a commoner can 

 do, but as a matter of fact, if a drover is going out on a 

 trip involving a certain amount of starvation for his horses, 

 he would not take well-bred horses in expectation that they 

 would last the longest. He would take half-bred Arab 

 ponies, or some such hardy breed A big thorough- 

 bred (or nearly thorough-bred) bay mare, given me by 

 Mr. E. R. White of Denman, was one of the finest 

 animals at the front, and the surrendered Boers were 

 often asking her price as a brood mare, but she began to 

 fail and to refuse her food after a month's work, so she 

 was purchased by the Prince of Teck to be used as a show 

 charger." 



We can see from the foregoing statistics and remarks 

 that, in the ordinary thorough-bred, strength, endurance, 

 and constitution is sacrificed for early maturity, and speed 

 over a short distance. If the T. B. yearling shows lack 

 of speed at " the back end of the year," he is often sold 

 for £io or ;^i5, and is not unfrequently sent to do work 

 between the shafts of a Hansom cab, in drawing which, 

 there will be little or no weight on his back. This animal 

 is therefore a highly speciahzed racing machine, and, as a 

 rule, is of but small value from a useful point of view. To 

 make him serviceable as a hunter, hack and remount, 

 two-year-old racing would have to be abolished, the weights 

 raised, and the length of the courses increased, and roarers 

 precluded from racing. If this remedy was put into force, 

 the thorough-bred would not only gain in strength and 

 endurance, but would also retain his health and vigour to 

 a much later period than he does at present, as we may 

 see by comparing the table given on page 426, with the 

 following one, which shows the number of horses that 

 won steeplechases during the season of 1902 ; the aver- 

 age weight being list. ylbs. : 



