COMMUNITY EFFORT IN DRAFT HORSE BREEDING 



J. L. Edmoxds, Ukbaxa, 111. 

 Assistant Professor in Horse Husbandry, University of Illinois 



IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY BREEDING 



Community effort is of fundamental im- 

 poTtance to successful draft horse breeding ; 

 in fact, no other class of live stock breeding- 

 is quite so much benefited bv united effort 

 in breeding operations as is the draft horse. 

 All of our wide and favorably knovv^n Euro- 

 pean and British breeds of drafters attest 

 the truthfulness of this statement. When 

 one considers the relatively small area in 

 those countries which have produced many 

 of the sires used here for breeding purposes, the significance of 

 this statement is still further emphasized. Acquaintance with 

 producing sections in this country indicates that it is true here 

 as well as in foreign lands. 



Local fairs generally furnish excellent criterions of horse 

 breeding conditions in the vicinity from which they drav; exhibits. 

 These smaller fairs serve well not only to show the important 

 benefits to be derived from community efforts, but also, on the 

 other hand, show as well the kind of horse which is produced 

 where there is altogether a lack of such effort. The production of -■ 

 " top-notchers " demands the use of high-class sires, dams of merit, 

 considerable numbers available for selection, and liberal feeding 

 which is wisely done. These factors are, by all odds, most likely ■ 

 to exist where the right sort of community spirit prevails. 



OWNERSHIP OF GOOD SIRES IS MADE POSSIBLE 



Ownership of really good draft sires is not profitable without 

 opportunity to use them on a considerable number of mares at 

 least approximating them in merit. It generally seems to be the 

 case that only such mare owners will pay a high enough service 

 fee to make the o\vning of a high-class draft sire at all remuner- 

 ative to his owner. Some of the best sires have been entirely, or 



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