550 A HISTORY OF THE PERCHEKON HORSE 



opening into a large lot are most suitable for de- 

 veloping colts of this age. In fact we handle all our 

 stallion colts in this way until the winter be- 

 fore they are three years old. Of course, if we have 

 a colt which we wish to fit for the show, we keep him 

 by himself. In the main we run our stallion colts 

 together, even though we intend to show them. It is 

 useless to expect that one can put on as much flesh 

 that way, but he can unquestionably grow a more 

 rugged and sturdy colt. 



"Every man who raises colts in this way knows 

 that he has more or less trouble with sore heels. The 

 fact that such colts take an abundance of exercise, 

 which gives them a strong appetite to consume more 

 feed than they otherwise would, clearly overshadows 

 such an annoyance as sore heels. We even run our 

 two-year-olds, weighing 1,700 to 1,800 pounds to- 

 gether, but they do not look their best in the show- 

 ring. I know, however, that they are worth more to 

 the man who buys them than if they were kept up in 

 boxstalls all the time. By raising my colts in this 

 way I have very little difficlilty with filled hocks. It 

 is more economical to develop them by such a method 

 because it requires less labor. 



' ' Farmers are comparatively busy most of the year 

 and have not the time and in many cases lack the 

 help to give their stallion colts the exercise they need 

 if they are kept shut up in a barn. Every farmer 

 can provide his colts a good grass paddock, however, 

 and let them do their own exercising while he does 

 something else. Here is where the French breeders 

 have the advantage of us. They have unusually fine 

 pastures and furthermore every effort is made to im- 

 prove them, because the French breeders fully realize 

 the importance of developing draft colts out of doors. 

 My long experience in developing stallion colts has 



