44 The Horse Industry in New York State 



and a luniter means anywhere from one-half-bred to clean-bred 

 Thoroughbred. 



The essentials in military horses and hunting horses can be 

 had only from strong infusions of Thoroughbred blood. One may 

 smile at the idea of breeding a draft mare to a Thoroughbred 

 stallion, but it is due to ignorance. That cross may produce an 

 excellent gun-horse, and the second Thoroughbred cross is sure to. 



Of course there are instances of individuals of all breeds having 

 exactly the qualities generally sought in other breeds, due to the 

 fickleness of nature in cross-bred matings ; but business which 

 depends on exceptions is not business. There is no question but 

 that marvelous performances will be found in badly bred horses, 

 but they are rare, and only foolish people try to get these " sports " 

 by cross-breeding. More good in more cases comes from Thor- 

 oughbred breeding than from any other. 



All farmers breed some horses — perhaps only one mare, and 

 that may be only every other year. Even so, it is poor business 

 and bad farming if the owner does not breed to get a marketable 

 type of horse. There is no question but that the most salable 

 horse today is the horse suitable for hunting or for military 

 service. The inexpensive autos have destroyed the usefulness of 

 the roadster from an economical standpoint, and similarly the 

 motor-truck in cities and the tractor on farms are crowding out 

 the draft horse. 



While automobiles are generally said to be replacing horses, 

 one must accept this statement with a qualification as to Thorough- 

 bred horses ; the demand for this type is greater today than ever 

 before. It is constantly increasing, due to the demonstrations 

 of the present war that horses are as necessary today in the conduct 

 of warfare as ever before, and probably more so ; and it will be 

 generations before the enormous loss of the present war can be 

 made up. 



Then, too, the demand for hunters is greater than ever, and, 

 with the growing popularity of hunting and racing, this demand 

 must grow. It offers a lucrative field for breeders of horses 

 suitable for hunting or for military service, and these, pre- 

 eminently, must have strong infusions of Thoroughbred blood. 



