44 THE HORSE 



most vigorous language, to the neglect of home-bred 

 varieties and the craze for importing varieties (so- 

 called breeds) so recent in their formation and of 

 such doubtful lineage as to throw discredit on the 

 purity of blood and the potency of some of the 

 animals imported. 



The saving factors which have been present in 

 America for nearly one hundred years are abundant, 

 cheap, nutritious food and unusually kind and intel- 

 ligent treatment. So, notwithstanding mistakes and 

 lost opportunities, we have large numbers of good 

 horses, and some superior ones which compensate in 

 part for the poor ones. One only regrets that a fuller 

 utilization has not been made of the unusually favor- 

 able conditions in America for the rearing and improv- 

 ing of horses and the formation of breeds and varieties. 



The South has always possessed many good saddle- 

 horses, but it is only recently that any well-defined 

 effort has been made to produce a distinct breed of 

 them. The southern saddle-horse and all good car- 

 riage-horses have a strong infusion of warm blood. 

 This, united with the best of what might be called 

 native blood (nondescript), often produced superior 

 animals. The material for forming the ideal saddle- 

 horse has long been present, but only recently has 

 any intelligent and persistent effort been made to 

 produce a distinct saddle breed or variety. (Fig. 4.) 

 Such marked results have been reached by these few 

 years of well-directed effort that the only wonder 

 is the work had not been undertaken before. In a 

 similar manner other American breeds, suited to their 



