CHARACTER OP AMERICAN HORSES. 19 



where the phrase "sold for export to America" is of frequent recur- 

 rence, often with the name and residence of the purchaser added. 

 Shires, Clydesdales, Belgian Draft, Percheron, Oldenburgs, Cleveland 

 Bays, and Hackneys, etc., have all figured in the list of importations, 

 and the efforts of American breeders to produce fine pure-blood 

 horses of these breeds have been crowned with success, while the 

 crossing of these stallions upon the large "native mares" has pro- 

 duced a number of large, heavy, showy horses, probably better suited 

 to the needs of our farmers and teamsters than some of the ponderous 

 and less agile pure-bloods. 



There are, consequently, horses of all breeds in this country. A 

 glance at the various studbooks will convince anyone of the excel- 

 lence of the individual representations of each breed. Besides these 

 there are our own well-known standard-bred trotting horses, and that 

 varied, nondescript horse known as the "native stock," a name con- 

 veying no information to the uninitiated, but applied to a large and 

 well-recognized class of horses which ofttimes make excellent farm, 

 light-draft, or road horses. 



In addition to these are the thoroughbred, the saddle horse, and 

 the horse of the Western range. 



Hence there is no difficulty in breeding the kind of horses needed 

 for our own varied purposes or required by the foreign trade, and 

 this latter demand is by no means difficult to satisfy, as the purchases 

 made by the foreign buyers during the past five years prove. 



This trade does not require either an impossible or an ideal horse 

 suited to all purposes; but it does demand good horses of every kind, 

 thoroughly prepared for their special work. A horse to bring a remu- 

 nerative price, either for home or foreign service, must fill a distinct 

 place, i. e. , he must be a good one of his kind, whether that be a cav- 

 alry horse, a draft horse, a carriage horse, a trotter, a hunter, a polo 

 pony, or what kind soever. The standard by which good horses are 

 judged is practically the same on both continents. A good horse in 

 America is a good horse in Europe provided he fills a distinct want in 

 the business of the country. In Europe horses pull carts, cabs, omni- 

 buses, coaches, trams, plows, etc., and carry men on their backs. 

 Thus they need horses of all breeds, for no one breed can possibly 

 fill all of these requirements satisfactorily. 



Europe is far away. It costs from $30_to $40 after the horse is pur- 

 chased in Chicago, Buffalo, or elsewhere in the Eastern half of the 

 United States before he can be disposed of in London, Antwerp, Paris, 

 or Hamburg. This charge is as great on a cheap as on a high priced 

 horse, hence, even if there were a demand for them, the profit on 

 cheap horses would be too small to justify the risks. Therefore, the 

 horses shipped abroad, while of the same breed and used for the same 

 purpose as those sold for domestic trade, are on the whole a better 

 lot of individuals. 



Because of hard times and consequent low prices, horses could be 



