1 70 HINTS TO HORSEMEN ; OE, 



down to their get than their acti^dty, or, in more 

 appropriate terms, speed. 



To what extent or certainty a sire may perpetuate 

 his leading attribute to his progeny, is at best but a 

 speculative opinion ; but I should say, that if a man 

 proposed breeding from a hasty, tall, light-made mare, 

 whose chief merit was speed for a mile, or mile and a 

 half, he would never contemplate putting her to Bay 

 Middleton, or such a horse ; and, on the contrary, if 

 he had a somewhat slow one, of rather a sluggish 

 temperament, he would never for her select a sire 

 whose characteristic was running long distances, but 

 wanting rousing all the way : thus, to meet the 

 wishes of owners of mares of different characters, 

 sires should be kept of different characters also. 



One great thing to guard against, in keeping sires, 

 is the men acting as grooms cramming them, which 

 they will do, if not strictly watched ; but there is 

 a still more destructive practice among them, which 

 is not so easy to prevent, namely, dosing them with 

 nostrums, to (as they imagine) produce a fine coat, 

 and impart vigour : the first, proper feeding, physic, 



