THE ARMY HORSE. 225 



as early as possible. Knowing' that every three-year-old 

 which is in good condition and is well developed will be 

 taken, he does his best to promote the development of the 

 animal. With a horse which he sells at three years of age, at 

 a price even lower than what he would obtain for him between 

 four and five, he can defray the cost of feeding, which he could 

 not continue much longer. He is forced to make this 

 expenditure, under pain of not being able to sell his stock, 

 because with a three-year-old there is but little trickery. 

 Above all things the horse must have height, which he will 

 not have unless he has been well fed and well looked after. 



Finally, the State by buying young horses would no longer 

 have to compete against dealers of all countries, because it 

 can do what they cannot do. In fact, a dealer buys only to 

 sell again, with the shortest possible delay ; but the three- 

 year-old, when he leaves his breeder's hands, is not fit, even 

 for fashionable work. He requires to be fed on corn and 

 broken during a fairly long time, say, for about a year. 



When the remount authorities buy a horse between three 

 and four years of age, they put him out to a farmer, whose 

 interest is to have him poorly fed, or he is sent to a remount 

 depot. Either in the former or latter case, the horse is under 

 better conditions than he was when with his breeder, although 

 the conditions are not perfect. He does not improve as much 

 as he ought to do, and he takes eighteen months before he is 

 ready. 



I consider that these young horses should be taken in hand 

 at once, and put on food which will complete their develop- 

 ment, will give them the desirable strength and docility, and 

 will make them ready for work at the end of six months. In 

 a word, they ought to be fed oh corn and broken in, from the 

 first day, but gradually and methodically. 



A remount depot, instead of being an equine sheep-fold, as 

 it was recently defined by a general officer, ought to be a true 



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