HOESE-BREEDING IN JNDIA. 103 



the stamp of horse they desire. To do this we must have big, roomy^ 

 pure bred mares, and plenty of them. These can only be obtained, 

 iu my opinion, by selecting districts where the soil and climate are 

 favourable, fodder cheap, and zamindars can afford to feed the young 

 stock well. In such districts place Norfolk Trotters and no other 

 class; get mares by continued perseverance with this stallion as 

 closely resembling him as you can. The colts of such stock will go 

 to Field Artillery, or if not high enough for the modern gunner's 

 idea of a draught horse, the Calcutta, Lahore^ and Bombay Tram- 

 ways, and the public will buy them as fast as they are bred. The 

 horse being a polygamous animal, we are always sure to have, when 

 breeding on a large scale, a preponderance of filly stock. As far as 

 possible have your Norfolk Trotter Districts together, and bear 

 in miud that you do not want remounts from them, but brood 

 mares. 



In the districts round your Norfolk Trotter centre place your 

 Thorough-breds and your largest and finest Arabs, putting them to 

 mares obtained from the Norfolk Trotter centre. This cross will give 

 you your remounts and general utility horses, but do not breed from 

 them. Kefuse all fillies that are not pure bred Norfolk Trotter for 

 brood. In the outlying districts where fodder is scarce, the people 

 poor and yet "horsey" in their tastes, place your Arab. He will get 

 from the little country mare polo and racing ponies or Native 

 Cavalry Eemounts and at the worst, good transport ponies and mares 

 who will breed fine mules if put to big European donkeys. 



I am perfectly aware that breeding on a small scale is conducted 

 iu a very different manner; that each mare is selected to match and 

 uio'.v v.ith. a, pj.i'ticular stallion. That good qualities in the dam 

 should be accentuated by mating with a stallion also possessing them 

 to a marked degree. That defects should be eradicated if possible 

 by mating with excellencies of the opposite type. But, when 

 thousands of mares and hundreds of stallions have to be dealt with, 

 we must follow a general idea. The business must be worked on a 

 large scale, and a certain percentage of failures, mistakes, and 

 disappointments must be allowed for and taken as inevitable. But 

 until some plan of this sort is adopted and steadily persevered in, I 

 feci convinced we shall meet with nothing but failure. Breeding 



