118 THE HORSE 



work, and I might add (barring action) light road work. 

 The grade thoroughbreds have no equals; they can 

 do any one, or all, of these things, and better than 

 any other class, or family, or cross-bred animal that 

 does not include thoroughbred blood. They will do all 

 that any horse of their inches can, and then draw on 

 their almost inexhaustible supply of energy nerve 

 force to pull them through. This is my experience 

 after years of breeding, rearing and schooling horses 

 of all sorts. Any man with horsemanship or "horse 

 sense" enough to avoid abusing or fighting with them, 

 will, if his experience is my own, say they have 

 spoiled him forever for having any other horses about 

 except for heavy work. Of course, they are usually 

 deficient in knee and hock action, which is so desirable 

 in a high-class harness -horse. If they possessed it, 

 however, they would become correspondingly less useful 

 for saddle work. 



I believe it is not too much to say that, as a 

 rule, two good half- or three -quarter -bred horses will 

 do as much as three ordinary horses of equal weight, 

 They are as useful on the farm as they are ornamental 

 in the hunting field, and under saddle; they are as indis- 

 pensable in a cavalry charge as they are graceful in 

 carrying a lady for a ride in a park. They can pull a 

 harrow or bring back a gun-carriage after all their cold- 

 blooded relations have wilted and quit. So much for 

 the blooded horse as a sire of high -class animals with 

 courage and endurance, which qualifications are required 

 in the hunter more than in any other class of horses. 



As to selection of suitable dams to breed to a thor- 



