HORSES. 271 



fail to pursue a wise course for producing them. They either 

 make a bad choice of their breeding animals, or unwisely couple 

 them. It is quite common for breeders to use a horse which 

 pleases them, whether his size or conformation are adapted to 

 the mares he is coupled with ; and the progeny often manifest 

 the folly of the course, by the good points of the sire being 

 neutralized by the defective structure of the mare. 



Many breeders seem to think, that' if they use a stallion of 

 good style and qualities, the progeny must be good, however 

 inferior the mare may be. The Arabs are said to care more 

 for the good qualities of the mare, and to select for breeders 

 such as manifest great endurance as well as speed, and to keep 

 their records of pedigree by their mares. When breeders 

 become as careful in the selection of their mares, as they are 

 generally in the choice of horses for breeding purposes, there 

 will be a prospect of greater improvement in the breed of horses 

 than has heretofore obtained. Youatt says : " It may be justly 

 affirmed, that there is more difficulty in selecting a good mare, 

 to breed from, than a good horse." 



The qualities of both parents are doubtless transmitted, but, 

 perhaps, not uniformly in an equal degree. It is common for 

 the foal to resemble the sire more than tlie dam, in size, style, 

 and. form ; while, probably, the dam ordinarily imparts her 

 own constitutional qualities to her offspring, in greater degree 

 than the sire — hence the folly of breeding from mares with 

 feeble or broken constitutions. 



To accomplish the best results in breeding, the animals 

 chosen for the purpose, both male and female, should be such 

 as have descended from healthy and well-bred ancestry, with 

 good constitutions, courage and temper, having as much size as 

 is desired in the progeny, with form adapted to the purpose for 

 which the foal is designed. In breeding for good roadsters, 

 such animals should be selected as have a conformation adapted 

 to easy and rapid motion. The breeder may not expect a fine 

 trotter from a horse with heavy, upright shoulders, however 

 perfect the shape of the mare may be. 



The horses used for stock are generally too large for the 

 mares. A colt that is designed for a stock-horse is usually 

 more highly fed than he would otherwise be, and his size is thus 

 increased ; while the female commonly gets shorter keeping. 



