278 REMARKS ON VARIOUS BREEDS OF HORSES. 



Strength, but he often fails in his hocks and feet. The Shire 

 and the Clydesdale seem equally inclined to contract foot 

 troubles, such as lamlnitis (fever in the feet) and side bones. 

 The chestnut Suffolk horses are a beautiful breed of compact, 

 smart cart animals, which are admirably fitted for agricultural 

 work. The Cleveland Bay and Yorkshire carriage horse are 

 grand types for harness work. The Norfolk trotter and other 

 roadsters have at present great attention paid to their breed- 

 ing. The English racing pony, thoroughbred or nearly so, 

 like Lord Clyde, Predominant, Sylvia, Dorothy (PI. 39), 

 Water Lily, Maythorne, and Mike (PI. 38), is by far the 

 best of its class in the world. Among the best known 

 native breeds of ponies, are the Welsh, Exmoor, Kerry, 

 and Shetland (see PI. 61), which averages not much more 

 than ten hands in height. England does not seem to lend 

 itself well to the production of very large race-horses. I 

 think that in comparison, say, with Australasia, thorough- 

 breds under fifteen hands, in England, would be found to be 

 better than those over that height. If this be the case, the 

 fact that big horses are more liable than small ones to con- 

 tract roaring in countries where, like in this country, that 

 disease is rife, would no doubt have an important bearing 

 on this point. 



Though somewhat foreign to the present subject, I cannot 

 resist saying that much of the judging at English horse-shows, 

 seems to me to be conducted on an entirely wrong principle. 

 Thus, prizes are awarded to " hunters " which have never 

 been over a fence in their lives ; and ribbons are given to 

 decorate the heads of heavy cart-horses for their action in 

 trotting, and their general appearance, instead of for their 

 style of work between the shafts with a ponderous load 



