CHAPTER V 

 THE BREEDING OF HORSES AND MULES 



While we have no data available in the United States on 

 the number of horses and mules consumed, or used up, in a 

 year, yet a very conservative estimate would be between four 

 and five million, this to include export animals as well as those 

 consumed at home. These horses must be replaced as con- 

 sumed, or there will be a horse famine. There are ap- 

 proximately twenty million horses in the United States, of 

 which we will assume one-half, or ten million, are mares. If 

 we are to raise between four and five million colts, both horse 

 and mule, it means that at least one-half, or 60 per cent, of these 

 mares must be bred each year. 



It must be remembered /that the horses that supply this 

 demand are produced on the farms. Their production is the 

 work of the general farmer, who is primarily a grain raiser, a 

 dairyman, or whose main business is general farming, and who 

 raises horses because he is so situated as to be able to propa- 

 gate them with but little inconvenience to his main work. 

 Such farms usually possess three advantages: they grow large 

 amounts of cheap food; they contain abundant range for the 

 proper exercise of growing animals; and there is considerable 

 team work to be done. On such farms horses can be grown 

 with little extra labor and at a good profit. 



PLAN OF BREEDING 



A clearly defined plan of procedure should be thought out 

 before the farmer makes the attempt to breed horses. To do 



