STALLION ENROLLMENT LAW 



E. S. Akix, SYRAcrsE, N. Y. 



Since 1912 there has been a strong movement in this state 

 favoring a law to regulate the public service of stallions. Such 

 a law has been freely discussed, and resolutions passed by the 

 New York State Breeders' Association, Xew York State Agri- 

 cultural Society and ]^ew York State Draft Horse Breeders' Club 

 in favor of a rational stallion enrollment law. Government con- 

 trol by inspection and licensing of stallions is not an untried ex- 

 periment. For many years the governments of Belgium and 

 France have required the inspection of all stallions offered for 

 public service, .and have refused license to stallions lacking in 

 soundness, breeding and physical conformation. While the laws of 

 these countries are more stringent than would be possible in this 

 state, they have been the means of creating and maintaining two 

 superior breeds of horses, the Belgian and Percheron. 



Wisconsin was the first state to pass a stallion enrollment law. 

 Since then some twenty other states, besides Canada, have stallion 

 laws on somewhat similar lines. The following is a brief sum- 

 mary of a stallion enrollment law suggested for H^ew York: 



1. The addition of a bureau of horse breeding to the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, with a chief in charge appointed for his 

 practical rather than his technical knowledge. 



2. The enrollment of all stallions required. 



3. Inspection of all stallions, and issuing certificates of en- 

 rollment for stallions not disqualified by incurable, infectious or 

 contagious diseases. 



4. All stallions enrolled to be advertised under tlieir true 

 division as pu^-e-bred, g'rade, standardbred, non-standard find 

 scrub; and the condition of soundness indicated. 



The benefit of such a law would be a knowledge of the number 

 of pure-bred and scrub, sound and unsound stallions in the state. 

 Only by publicity and education can the number of scrub and un- 

 sound stallions be reduced, and the number of sound pure-bred 

 sires increased. The small fee paid by the o^vner of each stallion 

 would cover all expenses of a bureau of horse breeding, which 

 would have charge of the inspection and enrollment, and would 

 tax no other industry for the benefit of horse breeding. 



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