PRACTICAL HORSE BREEDING 2&J 



whereas undesirable qualities of the mare are as likely 

 to appear in the offspring as are the bad qualities of the 

 stallion. It is a serious but common error in horse breed- 

 ing to suppose that the bad points of one animal can be 

 overcome by the good points of the mate. Undesirable 

 characters of the mare are not to be offset by choosing 

 a stallion that is abnormally developed in a contrary 

 direction. In selecting breeding stock we must remem- 

 ber that success will depend largely upon the perfection 

 of the foundation animals, both mare and stallion. 



Breed and type. — In formulating the general plan for 

 breeding horses we should first decide upon the breed 

 and type. The most profitable breed will be influenced 

 by the local conditions and the tastes of the breeder, as 

 there are no best breed and type for all conditions. The 

 light types naturally belong to farms devoted to dairy- 

 ing, fruit farming, market gardening, and the like. On 

 such farms there is little heavy work, such as plowing 

 and heavy hauling. Further, the necessity of reaching 

 the market or the creamery requires light, active horses. 



On general purpose farms where there is much plow- 

 ing and other heavy work to be done, the heavy horse 

 finds his true home. While the horses belonging to the 

 draft type are not so active or stylish as those of the light 

 type, they possess many advantages. Draft horses can 

 be reared with less risk than the lighter and more active 

 types. They are not so likely to injure themselves as the 

 higher strung animals ; and should a slight blemish occur, 

 it is not considered so serious as in the case of a roadster 

 or coacher. Draft horses can be put to light work much 

 younger and do not require so much training to fit them 

 for their life work. Further, the horses of this type are 

 in constant demand for city traffic. They are the last to 

 be affected by business depressions and the first to re- 

 cover; they are the least affected by automobiles, motor 

 cars, and the like ; they are not affected by fads, fancies, 

 or fashions, and al-wfays command a remunerative price. 



