108 LIGHT HORSES : BREEDS AND MANAGEMENT. 



nothing better than cab work. It may be 16 hands high, or 

 may never grow beyond 15 hands. The breeding of half-bred 

 stock, therefore, may be truly regarded as a lottery ; though 

 at the same time there are certain rules and fixed principles 

 which should not be lost sight of. 



Beginning with the sire, it has been laid down as a general 

 rule that he should be thoroughbred, or practically so. A 

 slight stain in the pedigree should not, however, disqualify 

 a stallion that is otherwise suitable as a hunter sire. The 

 writer has seen one or two good hunters got by a trotting 

 sire out of well bred mares ; but one would think hunters 

 so bred are rare. Experience has shown, too, that in the 

 majority of cases medium-sized sires are more successful 

 than very tall ones. Soundness is, of course, a sine qua non, 

 and so are good limbs ; while it is as well to ascertain 

 whether the horse it is proposed to use has got his mares 

 in foal, as failure to do this puts the breeder to much expense 

 and loss. If the sire has acquitted himself respectably over a 

 country it will be a recommendation ; but it is not so neces- 

 sary that he shall have won races as that he shall have shown 

 himself a good fencer, for jumping capability often runs in 

 families like temper, pace, and other attributes ; while for a 

 hunter it will be no harm if the sire be somewhat of the 

 " cobby " order, so long as his shoulders are well placed, and 

 his back and loins muscular. 



The reader is probably aware that a number of persons are 

 greatly in favour of Arabs as hunters, and of using Arabs as 

 hunting sires. So long as a horse is of proper make and shape, 

 can carry the necessary weight, and jump properly, it does not 

 matter to the usev how he is bred ; the man who breeds only 

 to mount himself can ride a jumping bull if he likes, as did 

 Jemmy Hirst. But when breeding for sale is the object, the 

 breeder must try to produce the animal that will sell best; 

 and it may be questioned whether a half- Arab is the sort of 

 horse after which buyers will run. We read of Arabs of 14.3 

 and 15 hands carrying 13 stone and upwards over all sorts of 



