192 The American Thoroughbred 



VI. Never overtax a stallion's powers. A young horse under ten can stand 

 fifty mares annually if he is a horse of any stamina at all, more especially if he does 

 not go to the stud till he is six or seven. Perhaps it would be well to give a four- 

 year-old ten mares; a five-year-old, twenty; from six to twelve, inclusive, forty; and 

 then take five less each year till' you get down to fifteen. If your horse has any merit 

 whatever, he will earn you as much then as he did when he was serving thirty. 



VII. Do not breed a mare immediately after she comes out of training. A mare 

 that is to be bred next year, should have been taken out of training not later than May 

 and given a thorough respite before asking her to assume the burden of maternity. 

 It is in this way that I account for so many great racing mares turning out such 

 indifferent producers. They have had six or seven campaigns, many of them begin- 

 ning to race at two years old ; and for all that they belong to men who deny them 

 from six to eight months' rest before entering upon the cares of the harem. 



VIII. Stem corn-blades, cut when in the milk and feed them to your mares during 

 the period of gestation. Sixty pounds of corn-blades will contain as much nutriment 

 as two hundred pounds of alfalfa. Boston was about the toughest piece of horse 

 flesh in America and he was fed more or less on corn-blades all of his life. 



IX. All mares nursing foals should have their grain boiled first and allowed to 

 cool, letting them also drink the water in which it was boiled. 



X. All stallions should be given four miles of walking exercise at least twice a 

 day, morning and evening. They should be well fed but not pampered. No horse 

 that is "hog fat" ever gets good and active foals. If your groom is afraid to ride 

 him, turn the horse into a small but well-fenced paddock and let him exercise himself. 



XL Always endeavor to mate a mare with a horse capable of returning to her 

 the best blood in his dam. For instance, there is the great Australian horse, Abercorn. 

 now in England. The best blood in his dam is that of Hybla, dam of the Derby win- 

 ner, Kettledrum, and the Oaks winner, Mincemeat. Mincemeat was a full sister to 

 Clove, Abercorn's fourth dam. Now, why do they select Sir Bevys' daughters for 

 Abercorn? Because Clove was by Sweetmeat and Sir Bevys is a great grandson of 

 Sweetmeat in male tail-line ; and because Sir Bevys' dam, Lady Langden, was by 

 Kettledrum, whose dam was Hybla. 



XII. See that your yearlings are in good shape before sending them to the 

 auction block. A. B. Spreckels, of Napa county, California, sold twenty head for 

 $26,000 in New York during August, an average of $1,300 per head, the largest of 

 the current year. Now, what made those prices? Nothing but good business man- 

 agement. His stallions, Marius and Solitaire, are good individuals and as well bred 

 as any in America, but neither of them was shown at the sale, so it could not be on 

 their account for both are so far wholly untried sires ; and as for Mr. Spreckels' 

 mares, while they are all good, none of them have as yet produced what you might 

 call a great stake-horse. The cause of those prices was good care of the youngsters 

 at home and good luck in getting them across the continent without blemish. They 

 had been thoroughly broken but not trained, in the general sense of the term. They 

 had been saddled, trotted and cantered slowly but not "brushed" for speed or given 

 a "work-out," yet they were thoroughly bridlewise and trackwise ; and in every way 

 fit to go into a trainer's hands at the opening of the next racing season. They. sold on 

 their good looks and their general display of good sense. You cannot expect to 

 realize the Spreckels' prices unless you give your yearlings the Spreckels' care and 

 attention at home. 



"Now, with all the advice I have given, 



You surely should be wide awake ; 

 And if you believe that I'll talk any more, 

 Why, that's where you make a mistake." 



