18 THE HORSE. 



relish and digest the loss of a horse, worth a couple 

 of thousands, by a sudden stroke, some fine sunshiny 

 morning ? The stallion not being overburdened with 

 work, the mare is customarily covered twice, and is 

 again presented to the horse at her period of nine 

 days, when, if she be stinted, she will refuse him. It 

 has occasionally happened that, a mare not taking by 

 the first horse, is tried with another, whence the un- 

 certainty in some racing pedigrees ; the case of that 

 of the highfamed Eclipse, the dam of which was said 

 to have been covered both by Shakspeare and Marsk, 

 as I was informed by Col. O'Kelly's old groom, who 

 had the care of Eclipse. Barren mares are generally 

 horsing throughout the season, and never refuse the 

 horse ; as we are assured on high authority, " the 

 barren womb is never satisfied." Should a mare in 

 this predicament be thorough shaped, not old, and of 

 capital pedigree, that to obtain stock from her might 

 be highly desirable, there might be some probability 

 of remedy, in the course of turning her abroad during 

 the succeeding full twelve months. The motive is 

 obvious. It is the concern of the mare's proprietor 

 that, she be not put to a stallion exhausted by cover- 

 ing too many mares in a day. 



With the exception of racing, and stallions and 

 mares of a superior class, both stallion and brood- 

 mare may be put to their accustomed labour ; that of 

 the mare particularly being moderate, and further 

 reduced as her burden becomes apparent and heavy. 

 The stallion, however, should never cover during 

 labour, but in the morning after rest. Accidents are 

 too frequent from the neglect of this humane and 



