BREEDING OP BACEHOESHS. 279 



qualities in our racehorses which are decreasing every 

 year more and more are the most useful and natural 

 ones namely, constitutional vigour, freedom from here- 

 ditary disease, strength of hone, largeness of muscle, 

 and great endurance under severe exertion. These are 

 the qualities which we require for use ; for very few of 

 us would bay a horse for his single quality of speed 

 indeed, none but turfmen would care to own such an 

 one. The general public do not require such horses, 

 because they have no use for them in the daily routine 

 of life. Those who like to travel fast may gratify their 

 wish any time in an express train. But even if it were 

 our wish to travel fast on horseback, it would be unsafe 

 to do so on the public roads ; and where. would we find 

 a racehorse to carry a four teen- stone farmer to market 

 at the pace, and come into the inn yard as fresh as the 

 smart little cob produced from a judicious cross ? 



There are thousands of racehorses bred, and reared 

 to the age of two years, which, after trial, are found 

 worthless for the purpose they were bred for, and these 

 are expelled from the racing studs in disgrace, and they 

 are sold for little or nothing ; some of them are given 

 away, and are much too dear even at that price. Thus, 

 our country, once famed for the best breed of saddle- 

 horses in the world, is becoming overrun with a lot of 

 worthless, weedy, refuse racing stock, which, by many 

 inexperienced farmers and breeders, are gradually being 

 crossed with, and thus deteriorating the breed of our 

 short-legged, deep-bodied, wide-hipped, strong-loined 



