BREEDING. 23 



mares tliemselves half-bred out of Cleveland Bays by thoroiigli- 

 bred stallions, should be hunters and steeple-chasers, in the 

 highest possible form, and little, if at all, inferior, for any pur- 

 pose, except that of actual racing, to full-blooded horses. 



The price which the breeders pay for the service of these 

 stallions is very considerable, although it is usual for horses 

 which stand for thoroughbred mares at twenty and twenty-five 

 guineas the leap, to serve country mares for sums varying, 

 according to the popularity of the horse, and the quality of the 

 mares likely to be sent to him, from five to seven and ten 

 guineas. But the farmers willingly pay the charges, and are 

 amply rewarded for doing so. The colts and fillies are usually 

 broken at two years old, to the lightest sort of farm harness 

 work, such as brush-harrowing, in order to render them tract- 

 able and hardy ; and, when three years old and rising four, 

 are broken to the saddle, and taken out with the hounds, by 

 their owners ; who are generally hard and determined riders, 

 though they have rarely good hands, and are yet more rarely 

 capable of making or turning out a made and perfect hunter. 



If such young animals are of good promise, gallop well, 

 fence boldly and cleverly, and are of good form, they will real- 

 ize to the breeder from eighty to a hundred and twenty guineas, 

 at four years old ; and, if, in the dealers' hands, into which they 

 generally fall secondly, they realize their promise, they become 

 worth from a hundred and fifty to three hundred guineas, ac- 

 cordingly as they are weight-carriers, and have a greater or 

 less turn of speed. If they prove, on the other hand, as colts, 

 too leggy, cumbersome and slow for hunters, with high-stepping 

 action and fine show, they will bring the breeder nearly as 

 much for first-class carriage-horses, as they would have done, 

 had they proved suitable for hunters. K they should fall short 

 of size and show for these, but be sound, active, and clever 

 horses, up to fifteen two inches high, they are sure to realize 

 thirty-five guineas, the regulation price, for light dragoon and 

 huzzar chargers ; and if yet smaller, say from fourteen three 

 to fifteen one, with beauty, style, and action, they will be 

 worth from fifty guineas, upward, for roadsters, cover hacks, or 

 boys' hunters. At the very worst, if they go wrong in the 

 wind, short of being decidedly broken-winded, throw out bad 



