BREEDS. 33 



doubtedly, of the best horses of Spain at the time of their 

 importation. They have been perpetuated until recently 

 without the intermixture of foreign or new blood. Being left 

 wholly to themselves in a state of nature without, the inter- 

 ference of man, they have, despite of all enemies and hardships, 

 held their own as a breed or race, relying wholly on nature's 

 great la - * of "the survival of the fittest"; and to this day 

 they still retain the color, style,- and general character- 

 istics of the Spanish horse, as found in Spain at the present 

 time; although, perhaps, in some instances, and especially so 

 with those occupying the more northern and colder portions of 

 our great West, they are, as a whole, somewhat smaller than 

 the original type of the Spanish horse. 



These ponies, as we call them, are, when taken in their wild 

 state, and especially when somewhat up in years, rather hard 

 to break or train for the uses of man, but when properly 

 broken, are, as a rule, willing and faithful servants, and are 

 generally as tough as whitleather. 



These ponies have occasionally been crossed with the im- 

 proved breeds of our American horses with quite satisfactory 

 results. 



BREEDS. 



What constitutes a breed ? A family of animals having a 

 general resemblance in form, size, color or colors, a close affinity 

 in quality of products, a similarity of disposition and habits, 

 and the power to transmit all these so as to reduce the varia- 

 tions to a very narrow minimum. 



In the successive steps required to produce a breed the gra- 

 dations toward perfection are slow and very gradual ; there 

 will be many instances of the peculiar qualities of the element- 

 ary materials cropping out that are objectionable, and only 

 after the most labored and painstaking selection of the fittest 

 material for further production will the ideal, be obtained. 

 Consequently, the work of originating a useful breed is one of 

 time, requiring more patience than most men are willing to 

 bestow upon it ; but when they succeed in giving to the world 



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