I02 THE HORSE : ITS KEEP AND MANAGEMENT. 



As regards what horses should be used to put with the 

 mare, of course, that must be left to those who intend 

 breeding. No matter what kind of mare a person may be 

 going to breed from it is always best to obtain the best 

 horse which can possibly be had. People who really 

 understand this business well do not always go in for a 

 certain horse because it has a good name, but they look 

 out for one to match the mare as much as possible. I will 

 endeavour to make myself more plain in this respect. 

 Suppose a person has a breeding mare with a good body 

 and legs, but low in the withers, he should look out for a 

 horse very high in the withers. If it is a nag mare with a 

 short, chubby neck, select a sire with a long neck. Always 

 endeavour to obtain a horse which is fully developed in 

 the points lacking in the mare. It is only by careful 

 selection in this way that good animals are produced, and 

 when a person takes care in choosing a horse the owner 

 will often realise from ^£"5 to ^20 more for the colt when 

 it is sold, or, at any rate, it will be that much more 

 valuable. 



I will mention one or two instances which have come 

 under my notice. I have known nag mares rather short 

 in bone and with a very heavy shoulder put with a sire 

 heavy in the neck and shoulder also, which has resulted 

 in the colts being far heavier than the mother, simply 

 through using a horse which was fully developed in the 

 same way as the mare. If a horse which has to work 

 hard is too heavy in the shoulder and neck, no matter 

 whether it is a hunter or a nag horse, it is almost sure to 



