6 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF 



another of quite small ones. When questioned 

 as to their respective merits, he would reply- 

 that they each did ahout the same day's work, 

 hut that the small ones lasted longer, and 

 were less expensive to buy and keep. 



It will, I think, be almost always found that 

 whenever any special achievement involving 

 high courage, speed, or endurance, has been 

 performed by either horse or man, it has 

 been by an individual of small, or at most 

 of average size, and very rarely by a large 

 specimen of either race. The popular pre- 

 dilection then for great size would seem to 

 be a mistake. We are continually being 

 told that "a good big horse will always 

 beat a good small one," though even this 

 I am rather doubtful of, if the test be a 

 long one ; but one thing I feel positive of 

 is, that he would not beat the good middle- 

 sized one. In this, as in so many other 

 things, in medio tutissimus ibis. 



A very interesting consideration in breeding 



