THE BREEDS OF HORSES. 203 



There exists great ignorance, even among 

 many who pass for intelligent, well-informed 

 horsemen, as to what constitutes a thorough- 

 bred horse. Nearly every agricultural society 

 in the land has a class in its premium list for 

 thoroughbred horses; and yet many of the man- 

 agers of these societies have a very indefinite 

 idea as to what is requisite to render a horse 

 eligible in this class. Questions of this nature 

 are referred to me almost every year for a decis- 

 ion as to eligibility; and many of them are of 

 such a nature that a very slight knowledge of 

 the subject ought to enable the officers of these 

 societies to decide for themselves. On this ac- 

 count I beg pardon of the well-informed reader 

 while I briefly recapitulate. 



In the first place it should be understood 

 that we derive the name, as well as the breed 

 of horses to which it applies, from our British 

 cousins across the water, as has been fully set 

 forth in the preceding pages; and that the term, 

 when applied to horses, is used to designate one 

 particular breed, and that is the running horse. 

 All our American thoroughbreds are, therefore, 

 imported from England, or are descendants of 

 animals so imported. A recent cross with an 

 imported Arab or Barb, while it does not vitiate 

 the blood nor render an animal ineligible as a 

 thoroughbred, is not usually regarded as desir- 

 able, from the fact that the course of selection 



