78 FOREIGN MARKETS FOR AMERICAN HORSES. 



elegant stable in Berlin with a view of handling American horses 

 exclusively. They have buyers in the principal cities of the United 

 States, and do their own importing. 'To them I am indebted for much 

 information, and I saw in their stables several hundred American 

 horses which had landed recently. They have all kinds from the 

 Kentucky thoroughbred to the draft horse. I was surprised to see so 

 many horses of light types in a country where the carriage horse and 

 cavalry horse had been bred almost exclusively for so many years, 

 and still more astonished when told that the lighter or carriage types 

 sold even in Germany better than the draft types. 



This firm sells all horses at public auction, and good "low-down" 

 blocky draft horses were bringing about $225 each. Nice smooth 

 1,100 and 1,200 pound horses, of carriage type, bring the same prices, 

 but the best draft horses and the better class of the lighter horses 

 were selling at from $250 to $300 each. I was shown a "low-down," 

 heavy-muscled, heavy-boned, well-made, black draft team, of rather 

 superior quality, that had sold for $600 and would be used for heavy 

 work in the city on the truck or wagon of some large firm. 



The bus horses of Berlin come mostly from Denmark and are very 

 similar in conformation to the bus horses used in London, though 

 not so uniform. Quite a number of American horses are now used 

 on omnibuses in Berlin with entire satisfaction, and are becoming 

 popular. 



The class of horses that the United States is now sending to the 

 different European markets suits much better than those formerly 

 sent, which is due perhaps to the fact that the importer better under- 

 stands the demands of his customers than formerly, but however 

 this may be the horses now sent are fast redeeming the reputation of 

 the American horse, which was most unfavorable for some time, on 

 account of the very inferior animals sent to the different European 

 countries when the business of exporting horses from the United 

 States first assumed importance. The prices paid by the bus com- 

 panies of Berlin for their horses range from $175 to $200 per head. 



In Germany, as elsewhere, we hear the general complaint that our 

 horses are not well enough broken, and we are again admonished that 

 we must raise a horse on short legs if we would have him command a 

 good price. The American horse acclimates quickly in Germany and 

 has good endurance. The firm above mentioned says the United 

 States is to-day furnishing the best horse for the price that can be 

 bought anywhere in the world, and that the worst difficulty they 

 experience is in getting the proper kind fast enough, principally on 

 account of the poor shipping facilities to German ports. 



The American horses can not at this time be sold to the armies of 

 Germany, but there are other demands that it is more advantageous 

 to supply. The firm above mentioned assured me that if shipping 

 facilities were right so they could get the horses as they needed them 

 they would be able to sell in 1898 2,000 draft horses, 2,000 medium, 



