74 FOBEIGN MARKETS FOR AMERICAN HORSES. 



Belgium, and that the friendly spirit will doubtless be fully appre- 

 ciated by every American breeder of horses and by our people in 

 general. 



The horses that Ireland is now furnishing Belgium for her army are 

 the largest and very best grades of the class heretofore mentioned as 

 being furnished by that country to supply the cabs of London. Thus 

 the horses Belgium gets are practically the same as those used in 

 England's army. 



The artillery horses used in the Belgian army come chiefly from 

 the Ardennes, and are a low-down, powerfully made horse, with good 

 bone and good action. These the Belgian people will continue to 

 supply. 



Having found a place where we can sell a few horses to the army, it 

 now remains to consider whether the price paid justifies our raising 

 them, and whether the Belgian people will soon be in a position to 

 produce their own cavalry horses at less money than they can pur- 

 chase them elsewhere. 



The prices now paid for cavalry and artillery horses in Belgium 

 are from $200 to $230 each and can not be more, except for officers' 

 horses, which the officers, if able, usually purchase themselves. 



The general prices for horses in Belgium have ranged higher for the 

 last few years than for a long time ; and while this may be difficult for 

 breeders in the United States to understand, the situation will be more 

 easily comprehended when we consider the great cost of raising horses 

 in Belgium, and the further fact that the United States has in the past 

 cut no figure in the horse trade of the continent. A careful perusal 

 of this report will show what kind of horses each country mentioned 

 buys from the other, and that the United States has never been con- 

 sidered a factor in the business. 



The cost of pasture in Belgium ranges from $6 to $9 per month; 

 hay is worth $12 to $15 per ton, and oats from 50 to 60 cents per 

 bushel. The estimated cost of raising a horse in Belgium until he is 

 4 years old is from $300 to $350, if well cared for, and the latter figure 

 is all the horse is worth for common work when matured. Accepting 

 these figures as correct, it will be seen that no profit could inure to 

 the raisers of horses in Belgium under the conditions existing in the 

 United States; but the conditions are not the same. In Belgium the 

 colt is broken to work at 18 months old, and from that time on he is 

 expected to earn his living by the work he does for his owner. At 

 this age a good draft colt will sell at from $200 to $225, and as it has not 

 cost this much to raise him to that age there is still a profit, though 

 not a large one, left to his .owner, who invariably sells him if he has 

 not work for him. 



Belgium being a draft-horse country exclusively, it may appear 

 strange that most of the American horses sold there are draft horses. 

 This, however, is true, and is due to the fact that the Belgians will 

 buy a draft horse because they are familiar with him and because 



