THE DRAFT BREEDS OF HORSES 29 
other breed of horses. The demand became insistent 
for action in show and breeding stock, and the result is 
that, in the possession of this feature, judged from a purely 
mechanical standpoint, the breed has made marvelous 
progress. The action required had to be straight, regu- 
lar and free, both at the walk and at the trot, with a free 
flexion of the knee, a springiness to the pastern and a 
straight and close passage of the hocks. In the effort 
to secure these improvements, the Scotch breeders were 
very ably supported by the American breeders, although 
the latter did not feel like going so far in the securing of 
quality as the home breeders. It is very likely that the 
latter felt misgivings on the point, for there is no doubt 
but that the slight infusion of Shire blood, which was made 
into the Clydesdale, chiefly through the use of Prince of 
Wales (673), is, to some degree, evidence that they wished 
to regain some substance and weight, which, for the time 
being, had been sacrificed to a degree for quality. 
The Clydesdale breeders ultimately secured what 
they had striven for, even though little attention has 
been paid to the American dislike for splashes of white 
on legs or body. In this connection it may be given as 
a general principle that while it is well to bear in mind 
the peculiar requirements of any trade, yet it is well to 
be careful in the matter of humoring any fad as to color 
or any other fancy point, when it clashes in any way with 
real essentials. Having secured the latter, then the 
question of markings and color may properly be allowed 
to enter as a substantial factor. Another feature is that 
the history of the live-stock trade in this country indi- 
cates that to cater to a color, especially of a fad, has its 
dangers. The preference for red among Shorthorn ad- 
mirers carried to the point of a prejudice against the roan, 
