102 A TREATISE ON HORSE-BREEDING. 



must keep such brood mares as, when coupled 

 with good stallions, will usually produce horses 

 that will meet the demands of commerce. And 

 right here it may be well to say that while the 

 demands of commerce are liable to a consider- 

 able degree of change from year to year, yet 

 the breeder who produces a really first-class 

 horse of any kind, will always find a ready 

 market for it at a remunerative price. 



Man} 7 people imagine that there is some great 

 mystery some occult science- -involved in the 

 selection and management of horses for breed- 

 ing purposes, but there is nothing of the kind 

 about it. It is only the application of good, 

 common sense and perfect familiarity with the 

 points of a horse, joined to a thorough knowl- 

 edge of the best methods of feeding and man- 

 aging horses in general ; because the rules that 

 apply in the selection of a foal that is designed 

 to be used for breeding purposes, so far as the 

 appearance of the animal is concerned, are pre- 

 cisely the same as if it were to be selected for 

 other uses; and the general rules for the feed- 

 ing, breaking and training for other purposes ap- 

 ply here as well. 



I will presume that the breeder has definitely 

 decided in his own mind what breed or strain 

 or family he proposes to select from. He ought 

 then to try to find a colt that has the longest 

 possible ancestral line uniformly distinguished 



