130 REPORT OF SPECIAL INVESTIGATION No. 65 



Report Inspectors' District 8. — Concluded. 



Your Inspectors beg to offer one or two suggestions by way of a_ summary 



relative to the information gathered while on this tour of inspection. 



Supported bj the opinion of .many horsemen with whom we had con- 

 versation, we believe that the passing of a stallion License and Inspection 

 Act would meet with very general approval, provided that it was reasonably 

 moderate in its requirements. Horsemen are unanimous in their condem- 

 nation of the scrub .sires that travel the country. We think, however, that 

 an arbitrarily prohibitive act would be reactionary in its effect, and conse- 

 quently would not produce the result desired. The greatest benefit must 

 probably be brought about in an educative way. A system of Government 

 inspection and registration of stallions should be practicable and desirable. 

 A small registration fee might be charged to cover the cost of ins.pection, 

 but we think the stallion owner should not be required to suffer the hardship 

 of a high license, fee. A certificate of registration, includng the finding of 

 the Inspector as to soundness, utility, ,'purity of breeding, etc., might be 

 furnished each stallion owner, and he be required to publish such certificate 

 in a conspicuous place on all bills, posters and advertising matter used by 

 him. All stallions might be required to be registered and certain restric- 

 tions relative to eligibility for registration might be sufficiently prohibitive 

 in its effect in retiring from active service undesirable animals. A cata- 

 logue of stallions in the different counties including an abridged statement 

 of the inspector's report onjcach registered animal; and which could be ob- 

 tained on application, would furnish useful information to the horsemen of 

 the various districts. We think further that actual breeders should be pro- 

 tected against misrepresentation on the part of stallion owners in their being 

 compelled to publish true statements of the breeding of their horses, together 

 with; the Government registration certificate on all advertising matter 

 used by them. Breeders have been the victims "of much fraud on the part 

 of unscrupulous grooms, and should be protected against such misrepresen- 

 tation. There might further be an advanced registry for superior stallions 

 of approved merit and breeding, and the question of bonusing such stallions 

 as would qualify might not be unwisely considered. We think, moreover, 

 that the benefit of such an Act might be supplemented by the issuing of an 

 up-to-date bulletin giving information not only as touching breeds and 

 breeding, but as well upon markets, types, and classification of horses gen- 

 erally. 



As regards syndicating, where a small syndicate of (three, four or six 

 persons, agree among themselves to buy a horse and go to a good reliable 

 importer, we found this sjstem to work all right. We asked for suggestions 

 as to how to overcome the evil of syndicating stallions, but got no, satisfac- 

 tory answers. In our opinion the people are^not educated, or rather are not 

 good enough judges, to buy on their own judgment. Education is the most 

 needful thing. 'This we think, can be partially done through the Farmers' 

 Institutes, and through the employment of good men as judges at Agricul- 

 tural Fairs. 



The farmers as a rule, are not particular enough about breeding good 

 mares. A great majority sell the good mares and breed the infirm and 

 blemished ones, and also those unsound from diseases that are transmissable. 

 This class of mares bred to a cheap, unsound, short-bred, nondescript stal- 

 lion cannot help but produce poor offspring. If the breeders and farmers 

 could only be taught to breed so that each succeeding cross would be one 

 better than the previous, we would soon have a much better class of horses 

 in Oanada. 



(Signed) Jas. Sinclair. 

 H. S. Ahkell. 



