LIGHTER CARRIAGE AND SADDLE HORSES. 607 



tion to the soundness and qualities of the female parents. 

 It is shewn by experience, that the nearer the characters of 

 the parents approach, the more likely we are to succeed in 

 communicating their common properties to the progeny. By 

 extreme crosses good animals may, without doubt, be pro- 

 duced, but this will be by a kind of chance, and the greater 

 probability is, that the offspring will be defective in some point 

 or other. Nothing may seem so easy to the inexperienced 

 breeder as to produce a splendid coach-horse, or charger, or 

 hunter, by crossing a large cart-mare with a thoroughbred 

 horse ; yet how rare are the cases in which the offspring of 

 such extreme mixtures is good ! Either the body is too large 

 for the limbs, the head too large for the neck, or some other 

 want of harmony of parts presents itself, which renders the 

 animal comparatively worthless. This effect is constantly 

 observed in the numerous attempts which are made to pro- 

 cure horses of breeding from coarse ungainly mares through 

 the means of extreme crosses. Repeated failures are too 

 often required to convince the breeder that this is not the 

 mode by which well-proportioned animals are to be obtained. 

 We may readily produce a fine Ox from animals the most 

 dissimilar ; but where everything depends, as in the horse, 

 upon a nice adjustment of parts, it is rare that the dissimi- 

 lar charcicters of the parents will be so harmonized in the 

 offspring as to produce a well-formed individual. The other 

 error, still more common, is to disregard the soundness and 

 other properties of the mare in breeding. A mare, which is 

 good for nothing else, is by too many thought sufficiently 

 good for bearing a foal, and hence numbers cf worthless ani- 

 mals are destined to a purpose for which they are in a pecu- 

 liar degree un suited. Even in such a case, chance may do 

 something for the ignorant and careless breeder ; but the 

 far greater presumption is, that the offspring will inherit the 

 defects of the dam, and prove of little value. 



The remedy for such mistakes is increased intelligence on 

 the part both of those who rear horses, and those who ac- 



