180 THE HORSE 



forgotten that horse-breeders usually aim at something 

 more than simply preserving valuable qualities: they 

 desire to produce variation for the better. This is 

 difficult in ordinary practice with animals already 

 highly improved. Many are satisfied if they can repro- 

 duce animals which are as good as the parents. If the 

 standard of excellence were not so high, it would not 

 be difficult, with our present knowledge, to make rapid 

 advancement. I am speaking here of the best specimens 

 of the various breeds of horses. 



The differences are usually slight in the offspring 

 of well-bred animals; but, however slight they may be, 

 they are worth noting and studying. Just here is where 

 the beginner fails. He does not lay enough stress on 

 small things; and the eye and judgment, not being 

 well trained, fail to see clearly or to interpret correctly 

 the variations which tend toward improvement or 

 deterioration. Variations, when multiplied through 

 several generations, are easily discovered; but the cause 

 or causes which produce slight variation in the im- 

 mediate offspring are likely to elude our search unless 

 extended knowledge and wide experience ire possessed. 

 Therefore the breeding of full-blooded animals designed 

 for progenitors of their race should be in the hands 

 of experts. 



In order to study the breeding of horses critically, 

 the subject is divided into eight principal heads 

 Inheritance, Food, Climate, Habit, Selection, Relative 

 influence of Sire and Dam, the Governing of Sex, 

 and Atavism. 



