CHAPTER XII 



THE BREEDING OF HORSES 



The breeding of horses is done on a limited scale as a side 

 issue to a general farming proposition, more commonly than the 

 breeding of any other class of stock. The majority of farmers 

 raise only a few colts, the bulk of the market supply being pro- 

 duced on a small rather than a large scale. 



Ideals Differ Geographically. — The corn belt farmer is most 

 concerned Avith the weight of a horse, and scorns all that cannot 

 work, no matter how proficient they may be in other lines of 

 service. On the other hand, the Kentuckian is for a " model " 

 horse, possessing quality in the extreme and capable of a sporty 

 performance, either in the show ring or on the race track, be he 

 saddle or harness horse. The Southerner has no more time for 

 a ^' bull '' of a drafter than his contemporary of the Middle 

 West has for the '^ dude " show or iniquitous race horse. In 

 many parts of Virginia the first thought concerning a horse is 

 ^' How well can he jump ? " and it is regarded as desecration of 

 blood to breed to anything but a Thoroughbred stallion. The 

 average Eastern breeder measures all other types to a road horse 

 standard, and he may be found stinting common farm mares to 

 a little crooked legged pacer that may happen to be the idol of 

 the community since winning the county race at the last fair. It 

 is all a matter of difference in the point of view, and in some 

 communities this point is so indelibly fixed as to make it unwise 

 to advocate a change, but rather to recommend the pursuit of the 

 local ideal in the most intelligent manner. There is a ready 

 market for a good horse of almost any type, and a breeder will 

 usually do best by that which he favors most. It may be imprac- 

 ticable, for instance, to force the breeding of draft horses on the 

 Kentucky farmer whose family traditions, intuitive genius, and 

 a vailabl e blood all make for a very different stamp of horse. 

 Qlnvestm^it^^^Horse breeding requires a larger initial in- 

 vestmesf lor a longer time than most other live stock enter- 



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