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racing tenant-farmers were to be found over almost every county in 

 Irdand; the Cummins, Coghlans, Powers, Talbots, Hawkshaws, Mahers, 

 Whelans, Ivers, and scores of others." 



To go carefully over a stud of good horses or a kennel of first-rate 

 foxhounds, where everything is done properly, is to me a source of 

 great enjoyment, and I never lose an opportunity. 



I have visited many such establishments, and, as I said before, I 

 strive at each to gain information. Some, of course, are kept in much 

 better style than others, and naturally a uniformity of quality is not 

 found in the animals. However, with only one exception, I found the 

 stud farms, both in England and Ireland, all that could be reasonably 

 desired. As an example of how things should not be done, and to show 

 what opinions are held by some horse-breeders, I shall describe the 

 place I take exception to. I was shown over it by the proprietor, and 

 it was very extensive. 



As I always do, I asked the owner's opinion as to breeding, shape, 

 crosses, etc. He told me that, of course, all depended upon luck (what 

 does not '0 ; that horses of every shape won races, and for his part he 

 did not care what a mare's shape was, he would breed from her if she 

 came from a lucky or " fashionable " strain ; her yearling, if got by 

 a favourite stallion, would sell well at Newmarket or Doncaster, even 

 though deficient in shape. Like that famous parrot, I said nothing, 

 though I was thinking a lot, as I went regularly through some twenty 

 boxes, containing brood mares, or mares and foals, and looked over 

 nearly as many yearlings in the paddocks. 



Everything I saw was bad. Old tumble-down stabling, dirt and 

 untidiness everywhere ; the mares and foals were housed in badly - 

 ventilated, overcrowded stalls or sheds. The hay in the rick which 

 supplied the racks was most inferior in quality, and quite musty, 

 while the bedding was of furze, ferns, and rushes in such a beastly state 

 of dirt that it seemed in proper condition for top-dressing a field. 



This practical breeder seemed to consider that the bone and con- 

 dition of his animals should be easily seen, and certainly I give him 

 credit for carrying out the idea with uniformity, for in every one of 

 the forty odd animals, the one was high and the other low. 



No doubt they were purely bred, and all are in the Stud-book, but, 

 as I have said, they were badly cared for, and from their looks were 

 badly fed, nor was one of them what could be called a really true- 

 shaped animal, not even the two stallions he had. 



I trust there is no other such establishment in the kingdom, for I do 

 not think it could be possible to rear any horse, much less a thoroughbred, 

 sound and healthy, at such a place. Yet it and its owner are well- 

 known, and the prices got at Tattersall's sales for yearlings sent 

 therefrom show at times a very good average. 



Astonished at the bad shapes of some of the brood mares, I asked 

 the pedigree of one with a miserable foal at foot. This turned out to 

 be one of the purest strains of the fashionable blood this breeder so 



