The Status of the Horse Industry 247 



from the European countries has been largely shut off, 

 and hence imported horses are not sold by the stallion 

 dealers to the extent which they were. The home-bred 

 horse has a better opportunity. In some ways it is good 

 that such has been the case, for it has brought the Ameri- 

 can horse before the public in a way that could not have 

 been accomplished if the war had not occurred. 



The exportation of horses previous to the European War 

 was from 30,000 to 40,000 head yearly. These were mostly 

 work stock, and went to various countries. Since 1914 

 the number has increased to a large extent, and during the 

 first thirty months 853,116 horses were exported. It is 

 certain that the horse market is based largely on the Euro- 

 pean demand at this time. The number of mules exported 

 under normal conditions is about 4000, but since the war 

 this number has been largely increased. This exporting 

 of horses has had a marked influence on the demand, as 

 the number of exported horses and the price of them 

 largely controls the price of horses for local use. Under 

 the conditions which will exist after the war, we may 

 expect to export large numbers for commercial and 

 probably some for breeding purposes. Following the Boer 

 War, when a large number of our horses were used for 

 cavalry purposes, we supplied the European countries 

 with a larger number of horses than we had been doing 

 previously. This will mean that our export trade, for 

 the near future at least, is well assured. 



HORSE-PRODUCING SECTIONS 



The entire West is a horse-producing country, but it 

 may be subdivided into a great number of different sec- 

 tions, each one more or less distinctively peculiar to 

 itself. The largest users of horses, and also the largest 



