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both physical and mental (if we may so speak of the horse) ; 

 and thus the great requirement that one parent must supplement 

 the other is not complied with. If there is a weak point in 

 both, the weakness is perpetuated and made worse, whereas, a 

 weak point in one should be counteracted by a correspondingly 

 strong point in the other. If it could be known with absolute 

 certainly that two animals, close of kin, had strongly marked 

 opposite traits of character, constitution and conformation, they 

 might be bred to each other, and with the best results. Such is 

 sometimes the case ; but it is not likely to be, and the rule should 

 be as we have said — ^let the strain be the same, but the kinship 

 as far removed as possible. This is believed by the most candid 

 observers to be the secret of Arab success. The individual 

 breeder knows not alone his own animals, but those of his 

 tribe, and of other tribes as well. Moreover, the Arabs are close 

 observers and astute judges of horse flesh, and an intelligent son 

 of the Desert could by no reasonable means be induced to breed 

 his mare to a stallion in which his eye had marked some weak- 

 ness or evil tendency which he knew the mare likewise to pos- 

 sess, however slight the indications might be in either. 



Then, to recapitulate briefly : if the breeder has it in his 

 power to keep up a certain stock, let him guard against the 

 slightest admixture of heathen blood ; and to be as sure as pos- 

 sible of no evil results, let him look to securing sires and dams 

 as widely removed from kinship as possible; but he can never 

 afford to disregard the point previously so much insisted upon, 

 as a principle to be observed in crossing, that if either parent has 

 a fault, the other must be correspondingly strong there. 



VI. Treatment of the Mare after being Served, 

 During Pregnancy, Etc. 



It is proper next to notice some little matters of detail in con- 

 nection with the management of brood mares. 



Forty-four weeks is regarded as the time which a mare goes 

 with foal ; but this must be taken as mean time, since one occa- 

 nionally brings forth a perfect colt four or five weeks sooner, and 



