BREEDING. 31 



larly spavin and blindness : and should not only have 

 proved himself in possession of speed on the turf, but 

 bottom also ; and should be a sure foal getter. 



A mare should be made choice of, not less than five 

 feet high, with a delicate head and neck, great length 

 of body, large belly, and above all other things, one 

 that has proved herself, by her colts, to be a good 

 breeder. 



When you commence breeding w^ith a mare of this 

 kind, you are almost certain of raising a valuable colt. 

 But w^hen you commence with one untried, you run a 

 great risk of losing time and raising a horse of the 

 120 dollar price, unless the mare, or stock from which 

 she originated, was first rate and remarkable for their 

 fine colts. Indeed there appears to be the same simi- 

 larity in the blood of horses that exist in men, as 

 respects their good and bad qualities, shape, &c. &c. 

 We find vice common throughout some families, while 

 We see virtue reigning in others. One breed of horses, 

 under every care and attention, will only raise you a 

 coarse horse or pony; whilst good blooded horses, 

 even half starved and under every disadvantage, will 

 show strong marks of beauty, activity, and size ; and 

 after winning from his master kind treatment, often 

 becomes the champion of the turf. I have known 

 several first rate race horses that were once plough 

 and draft horses. 



A brood mare, that has produced one or two good 

 racers, from a good cross, in all probability will, at 

 any time produce one, when under similar advantages. 

 When a colt is foaled early in the spring, he will be 

 under every benefit that can be derived from size^ 

 strength, and age ; consequently, it would be advisable 

 to put a mare to horse at such time as would produce 

 a colt about the fifteenth or twentieth of April. A 



