424 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK HI. 



to the second volume of the English Cart-Horse Stud-Book (subse- 

 quently the Shire Horse Stud-Book), we read that the offspring of 

 equally well-bred parents will more closely resemble the progenitor 

 nearest in age to the prime of life, and possessing the most vigorous 

 constitution. In the absence of influencing conditions the progeny, if 

 a colt will favour the stallion, if a filly the mai*e. That the influence of 

 the sire does not terminate with the birth of the first offspring is proved 

 by frequent facts in dog-breeding, and in more than one instance in the 

 mare ; hence the great importance of fillies getting their first service 

 from a good, sound, well -coloured horse. For the conservation of any 

 particular type the males should be more representative than the 

 females, for whilst a mare produces one foal only in a year, a stallion 

 may be the sire of seventy or eighty foals. 



In the selection of stallion and mare for breeding draught horses, 

 primary attention must be given to capacity of chest, a full develop- 

 ment being usually associated with a wide lower jaw, massive forehead, 

 and capacious nostrils. The ribs should be well rounded and deep, 

 withers thick and strong, shoulders massive, and well thrown outwards 

 to afford ample space for the collar ; eyes large, clear, full, and expres- 

 sive of docility and intelligence ; ears well formed and mobile ; the 

 loins short, wide, and level with the croup, which should be long ; the 

 thighs well let down, and furnished like the reins and buttocks, with 

 large and firm muscular developments ; the fore-arm and second thighs 

 constituted of distinct and very tense muscle ; the knees and hocks 

 large, well defined, and possessing great mobility ; tendons and liga- 

 ments thick, and equal throughout their length ; the feet strong, hard, 

 neither too flat nor too upright, and in size proportionate to the bulk 

 of the animal ; cannons, fore and hind, short, measuring not less than 

 eleven inches in circumference immediately below the knee, and 

 garnished with a plentiful growth of hair. With regard to position, 

 the limbs should be so placed that each extremity, and each bone 

 thereof, shall support its due proportion of weight. 



Moderate condition, attained by good food associated with regular 

 and sufficient labour, is desirable in breeding-animals. Excessive 

 leanness implies irritability of temper, or the existence of disease, 

 whilst a disposition to put on fat indicates a soft lymphatic tempera- 

 ment, either of which extremes is unfavourable to the best fulfilment 

 of the reproductive functions. Other qualifications action, courage, 

 vigour, capacity for work, intelligence, and obedience are also desirable 

 in stud animals. 



In selecting a stallion it is not so much the animal himself, as the 

 quality of the stock already got by him, that should be considered. 

 As a rule the number of mares assigned to a horse in this country is 

 excessive. It is common to allow two-year-old colts to be pretty exten- 

 sively used, but the most considerate owners limit the number of their 

 services for the first and second seasons. The excessive use of young 

 stallions is detrimental to their development, and the effect upon their 

 hind legs is often disastrous. The stimulating diet they get also tends 

 to debilitate their constitutions, and to lay the foundation of irremedi- 



