BEEEDING SOCIETIES lOi 



the Law of 1887 on the Breeding of Domestic Animals, offering 

 State grants to stallions bought by Societies. This created a 

 considerable stir. The fact that the State in this practical 

 way gave its official approval to these Societies made them 

 popular among the farmers. But it also somewhat altered 

 the aim of the Horse Breeding Societies. The Society " Jyden " 

 had aimed at improvements in several different directions, 

 such as buying good breeding animals, selecting the best 

 stalUons and mares owned by members, deciding which animals 

 should be paired, and advising as to the rearing of foals and 

 young horses. The effect? of the Law was to focus attention 

 on the one item : the purchase of a superior stallion for which 

 a State grant could be obtained. Most of the Horse Breeding 

 Societies became, in fact, the counterpart of the Bull Clubs, 

 Co-operative Stallion Clubs. A number of societies, mostty 

 larger ones, was, however, formed with all the aims of "Jyden," 

 to which aims were added that of keeping stud-books. ^ 



In 1888 at least 14 Horse Breeding Societies were started 

 in Jutland, and soon those of the stalHon club pattern were 

 counted in hundreds, and took a decided lead over the other ' 

 societies of the " Jyden " pattern. The Stallion Clubs were '" 

 mostly small, the number of members being naturally restricted 

 to those owning a suitable number of mares to be served by the 

 stallion of the society. Societies for breeding Jutland horses 

 have also been formed on the islands. While in Jutland hors^ 

 breeding is fairly uniform, aiming at breeding the Jutland 

 heavy horse, different breeds are favoured by farmers on the 

 islands, some going in for heavy horses and some for different 

 kinds of lighter horses, carriage, riding horses or army remounts. 

 This has made co-operation in horse breeding more difficult 

 among farmers on the islands than among Jutland farmers. 

 In Sealand the Fredenksborg breed is the leading one. In 

 Funen some societies breed horses of the Oldenburg breed, 

 horses for army use, or hght draught horses ; but heavy 

 Belgian horses are also bred, and societies for these different 

 breeds are formed on similar lines to those already described. 



By the official inquiry in 1909,i referred to in several 

 previous chapters, 270 Horse Breeding Societies were found 



^ See note on p. 95. 



