OVER SERVICE. 317 



For a three-year-old stallion twenty mares should 

 be the outside limit, and they should be well dis- 

 tributed, too. 



A four-year-old stallion can comfortably cover thirty 

 to thirty-five mares, and at five years old he should 

 take a full season. I believe fifty mares furnish a 

 heavy enough season for any horse to make. 



I would especially guard against the dangers of over- 

 breeding. We often wonder why the progeny of the 

 same horse and mare differ so widely — why there are 

 such variations between brothers and sisters. I believe 

 if we could be sure that the sire and dam were always 

 in the same condition, and always had the same com- 

 parative and relative vigor, we could breed with great 

 uniformity. There is no doubt in mv mind that the 

 character of the colt is largeh" determined by the 

 condition of the parents at the time of conception. If 

 the sire's vigor be sapped by too much stud-service you 

 can hardly expect the colt to be uniform with one 

 begotten in a state of full vigor. I suppose the reader 

 means, as a breeder, to aim at great results, rather than 

 great numbers. To that end it is certainh^ enough to 

 let a horse serve once a day ; and indeed I would prefer 

 that he is used onh^ on alternate days, if practicable. 

 Certainly, one good colt is worth ten ordinary ones ; 

 and if it be true, as I verily believe, that moderation in 

 the use of stallions will result in better progeny, then 

 it is very poor economy to yield to the temptation to 

 overdo it. With all the care that can be exercised you 

 will o^et enouo:h common ones, but no one can doubt 

 that the sapped condition that over-service produces 

 must prove detrimental to a stallion's success as a sire. 



