554 A HISTORY OP TPIE PEECHEEON HOESE 



lings, and the other was 5 months old when pur- 

 chased. The first two made horses that weighed 

 2,350 pounds, and the other weighed 2,225 pounds 

 as a three-year-old. 



' ' The big factor that has aided in the development 

 of these big-boned, heavy horses under our condi- 

 tions is the fact that even the stallions that neces- 

 sarily ha\'e been brought into our herds have become 

 acclimated with a marked degree of rapidity. They 

 could, if the occasion demanded, be put under exactly 

 the same range conditions as all the mares and young 

 stuff endure. There seems to be something about 

 the Percheron that is highly adaptable to range 

 conditions. They can build bone and size with 

 scarcely any grain. This is important and should 

 not be overlooked by the western horseman when 

 selecting horses for size, and horses that will have 

 to rustle to no limited extent during many months 

 of the year. 



"Another pleasing feature of the horse business 

 under range conditions and as we are handling them 

 is the freedom from many of the more common dis- 

 eases and unsoundnesses. Seldom are we confronted 

 with problems in doctoring sick horses. Neither do 

 we have animals discarded because of inferior bone 

 or poor vitality. There is also a noticeable uni- 

 formity in the results of our breeding work. I can 

 only account for it by the fact that our horses have 

 the free use of a large domain of excellent range, 

 plenty of good mountain water, hay of first grade 

 throughout the winter, a great deal of work and 

 exercise for the mares when kept in close pastures, 

 and the continuous freedom for exercise of all our 

 bi'eeding stallions. We are giving to the lovers of 

 draft horses a big, well-made horse, tipping the 

 scales at more than a ton and doing a vast amount 



