HORSES IN RUSSIA AND ITALY. 81 



there are other countries which I must mention incidentally, and 

 these are Russia and Italy. The former has an immense cavalry and 

 no good horses with which to supply it. While Russia has one of 

 the largest cavalry equipments in the world, she has it mounted on 

 the poorest horses. Some efforts have been made of late to breed up 

 the horses of Russia so as to render them more suitable for cavalry 

 purposes. But as yet little progress has been made, and the country 

 is so large and the horses so very inferior that it will take many 

 years to make any- appreciable progress or improvement. 



The Orloff horse, which is now produced in some portions of Russia, 

 is not a good cavalry horse. He is too light in weight, too long in the 

 back, has sloping hips, and lacks the substance that is absolutely 

 necessary to a good cavalry horse. He is short ribbed, narrow in the 

 flank, and light in the bone, and while some are remarkable for their 

 speed, they are, as a rule, very poor cavalry horses. 



This, however, is the best horse for that purpose that the country 

 affords, as the Cossack horses are mere ponies and would have no 

 chance whatever against the best cavalry horses of the present day. 



Russia now buys her cavalry horses at home, except the horses for 

 her officers. She does this for two reasons : First, she is compelled 

 to; and, second, she is anxious to encourage horse breeding in her 

 own country. This is a great field for the American horse, and sooner 

 or later he will find it. The peculiarity of the Russian people renders 

 it difficult to ship the horses there direct, but their dealers have 

 already commenced the shipment of American horses from Berlin, 

 and are much pleased with them. Berlin seems to be the accepted 

 distributing point for that country, and the question will doubtless 

 arise in the minds of some, Why do they not purchase horses in east 

 and west Prussia, where the German Government gets its cavalry 

 remounts? The answer is that the German Government reserves 

 the right to select what horses it wants first, and those it leaves 

 are only fit for cabs' and work of like character. Thus it will 

 will be seen that the Russian may as well be content with his Orloff 

 horse in preference to the one he would get in Germany at anything 

 like a reasonable figure. 



The Russian Government is buying stallions in Belgium, England, 

 Germany, and other places to improve its horses, but so great is the 

 task that it will be long in accomplishing it. 



The demand for our horses there, which will perhaps be first shipped 

 to Germany, must have a potent influence on the export trade of the 

 United States at no distant day. 



What has been said of Russia, can also be said of Italy. This 

 country produces no' horses worth mentioning, and depends on Ger- 

 many for her carriage horses and on Hungary for her cavalry horses. 

 Hungary produces a light, nervous horse with much blood, and not 

 just what is required for cavalry purposes. Italy requires a consid- 

 S. Doc. 35 — -6 



