ii6 The Book oe the IIokse. 



for getting troopers) for the use of the farmers at low or nominal fees. By decrees framed on 

 the report of extensive inquiries in 1856, all cavalry remounts were ordered to be purchased in 

 France in time of peace. The price of the troop-horses was raised to a sum which the producers 

 considered remunerative, without regard to their market value. The same number of horses, 

 as nearly as possible, were purchased every year, so that the breeders could rely on the 

 military demand. 



Stallions which covered at low fees were distributed over the country. The old stud-farms of 

 Tin and Pompadour were strengthened, and others established in favourable situations, for 

 breeding various classes of stallions, and for making experiments in producing Anglo-Normans, 

 Anglo-Arabs, pure Arabs, and English thoroughbreds. Races were established for blood-horses 

 and for trotters. Prizes were given for mares, and for their produce as two and three year olds. 

 To carry all these plans out, colleges of equine learning, composed of cavalry officers and 

 veterinary professors, were established in different parts of the country, which, in a very few 

 years, became as pedantic and absurdly theoretical as such institutions always do when not 

 controlled by an intelligent public opinion. 



Training-schools for the education of grooms were supported by the State, and very much 

 approved by provincial councils. 



In the systematic manner copied from Germany, France was divided, for horse-breeding 

 purposes, into twenty-five circles, called in official language " circumscriptions" over which 

 fifteen hundred official stallions, of the breeds considered most suitable by the central authorities, 

 travelled or stood at depots, covering at nominal fees. Beside the official stallions, those 

 of private individuals, if approved, were exempted from heavy taxation, and received State 

 subventions. 



Ninety race-meetings were held in the course of the year, where racehorses, steeplechasers, 

 and trotters, competed, supported by funds partly provided by the Government, and partly 

 by municipal ta.xes, imposed by the official representatives of the Government. The result of 

 this vast and costly machinery for encouraging the supply of saddle and cavalry horses is not 

 a little curious. 



The quality of the heavy draught trotting-horses, which composed the posting and 

 diligence studs before railways absorbed the passenger traffic on all the great routes of 

 France, was very much improved, although they were the class of horses that received the least 

 encouragement. 



The demands for the highest classes of riding and driving horses continued to be supplied 

 from England. 



The supply of cavalry horses remained insufficient, whenever the peace footing was disturbed. 



All the attempts to revive the ancient breeds of French well-bred hackneys failed, because 

 the farmers were not prepared to incur the expense of feeding the young stock before they 

 were ready for sale, even if any considerable number of gentlemen had been ready to buy 

 and ride them. 



In spite of the most decided discouragement, the breeding of heavy cart-horses in the North, 

 and of mules in the MiJi, became a flourishing industry. 



Official influence, backed by the authority of prefects, sub-prefects, commanding officers of 

 gendarmerie, and all the rest of the army of Government's appointed agents, failed to induce 

 the horse-breeding farmers to castrate colts until the late.st moment for selling them to the 

 remount department, while the draught-horses, to the great injur)- of breeding, were and are 

 all retained entire. 



