IN THE BREEDING CLASSES 49 



that the fact that the stallion complies with the standard 

 is sufficient consideration to give his breeding but those 

 who have given the matter any study will concede that 

 there is a vast difference in the value of the pedigrees of 

 standard horses. The judge should be able to discriminate 

 between pedigrees and also to be broad minded enough to 

 include in his estimate of the different stallions before him 

 the other characteristics that make the animal valuable 

 for breeding purposes. 



82. Importance of Correct Conformation. In the breed- 

 ing classes special attention should be given to the confor- 

 mation. A defect of conformation even in the smallest par- 

 ticular is very apt to be transmitted and for that reason 

 it should be discountenanced in breeding stock. It is gen- 

 erally known that even such a slight matter as a twist of 

 the fetlock, or the turn of the foot in action is very likely 

 to pass from a stallion to all his get. Considering however 

 greater defects such as a curby hock, a weak knee or other 

 malformations, it is certainly the duty of the judge to pro- 

 nounce against them. To present this feature plainly it 

 may be stated that a breeder would be better justified in 

 using a stallion that had a spavin on a well constructed 

 hock than one that was without a spavin but had a hock 

 that was very defective in conformation ; the reason being 

 that in the instance of the well constructed hock with a 

 spavin it is certain that the horse was subjected to a severe 

 wrench or injury of some kind else the spavin would not 

 be there. In the instance of the horse with the badly con- 

 structed hock it needs only the opportunity, which occurs 

 in nearly all kind of work, to develop a spavin, and the 

 reason there is not one there is solely because extra care 

 has been given to the protection of this part. Breeding 

 animals of this kind may be so carefully tended and pam- 

 pered that they fail to show such diseases as would be pro- 

 duced by their conformation under the ordinary stress of 

 labor. 



