308 MANAGEMEXT AND BREEDING OF HORSES 



Condition. — The market horse should be in good con- 

 dition of flesh. This applies more especially to animals 

 of the draft type. Possibly this added flesh does not in- 

 crease the horse's real value for utility and longevity, 

 but the market demands it and the horse producer should 

 supply it. Many horses find their way to market in poor 

 condition, and some persons make a good profit in buy- 

 ing these thin animals, and shipping them to the country 

 to be fitted, after which they are shipped back to the 

 market and resold. Careful estimates place the value of 

 horse flesh at 25 cents per pound on heavy horses weigh- 

 ing 1,500 pounds and upward. The farmer who is pro- 

 ducing horses for the market cannot afford to let some 

 one else reap this profit. 



Action. — The action is an important market considera- 

 tion, although not of equal importance in all types and 

 classes of horses. With the single exception of sound- 

 ness, action is by far the more important requirement in 

 carriage, road and saddle horses. Perhaps too little at- 

 tention is paid to action in heavy horses, particularly the 

 rapidity of the walk. Many heavy horses are notoriously 

 slow walkers and their efficiency is handicapped to that 

 extent. 



Age. — The market favors horses from five to eight 

 years of age, depending on the maturity and the class. 

 Heavy horses sell best at five to seven years old, but a 

 well matured four-year-old will find a ready sale. Since 

 the lighter types do not mature so early, and since their 

 education requires more time, they sell better with a little 

 more age, about six to eight years. 



Color. — On the market, horses of solid color are pre- 

 ferred to those that fade. The demand is good for bays, 

 browns, blacks, chestnuts, sorrels and roans. In light 

 horses bays, browns and chestnuts sell best. In all 

 classes matched pairs sell better than single horses. 

 White is more or less discriminated against, as is "flea- 

 bitten gray," "mealy bay," and the like. 



