OBJE.CT OP ENCOURAGING THE BREED. 59 



adamization, and thus, in proportion to our greater demands, is the 

 absence of the material to meet them. A hack that is not pretty 

 well bred is now neglected, except for high weights, because his 

 paces are not soft and pleasant, and he does not satisfy the eye. 

 But how many of the fashionable sort will bear constant use on 

 the road without becoming lame ? And how many sound horses 

 are there to be met with out of a hundred, taken at random from 

 the ranks of any kind tolerably well bred ? Every horse proprietor 

 will tell you, scarcely five per cent.; and some will even go so far 

 as to say, that a sound horse is utterly unknown. In considering 

 the principles and practice of breeding, I shall again refer to this 

 subject; but I wish now to impress upon my readers that while 

 the racehorse of 1860 is as fast as ever, as stout as ever, and as 

 good looking as ever, he is made of more perishable materials in 

 proportion as he conies to maturity at an earlier period. Any of 

 our modern two-year-olds would probably give two stone, and a 

 beating to Eclipse at the same age, but if afterwards they were put 

 to half-bred mares for the purpose of getting hacks, chargers, or 

 hunters, the stock of Eclipse or Childers would be much more 

 valuable than any which we have at present. We are sadly in 

 want of sound and well bred stallions for general purposes, and if 

 the government of the country does not soon interfere, and adopt 

 some " means of furnishing these islands with them, we shall be 

 beaten on our own ground, and shall have to import sound useful 

 horses from Belgium, France, Hungary, or Prussia, whichever 

 country can best spare them. The old-fashioned and sound tho- 

 rough-bred horse has been the means of improving the above three 

 breeds; and even now we possess horses which are perfect in every 

 other respect but soundness, being excellent hacks, hunters, and 

 light carriage-horses, and often all in one. This last kind is the 

 perfection of the horse ; and if many such could be produced it 

 would be a great advantage, because most people would like a horse 

 which could " make himself generally useful," if such an animal 

 could be obtained. Without high-breeding, however, this is im- 

 possible ; and yet with most of our purest strains, though it is 

 attainable for a time, the condition in which it exists does not last 

 long, in consequence of the effect of the hard road upon their soft 

 legs or contracted feet. Consequently, as I have already remarked, 

 there is a necessity for government interference to produce such a 

 breed of thorough-bred horses, by careful selection, as shall give 

 us the above three kinds of horses useful in civil life, from which 

 may be culled a plentiful supply of cavalry horses, whenever wanted; 

 for the very same qualities are demanded in all, and what will suit 

 the one will be equally advantageous to the other. 



But even though the thorough-bred horse is well fitted to com- 

 pete with others in all cases where speed is the chief point of trial 



