The Status of the Horse Industry 247 
from the European countries has been largely shut off, 
and hence imported horses are not sold by the stallion 
dealers to the extent which they were. The home-bred 
horse has a better opportunity. In some ways it is good 
that such has been the case, for it has brought the Ameri- 
can horse before the public in a way that could not have 
been accomplished if the war had not occurred. 
The exportation of horses previous to the European War 
was from 30,000 to 40,000 head yearly. These were mostly 
work stock, and went to various countries. Since 1914 
the number has increased to a large extent, and during the 
first thirty months 853,116 horses were exported. It is 
certain that the horse market is based largely on the Euro- 
pean demand at this time. The number of mules exported 
under normal conditions is about 4000, but since the war 
this number has been largely increased. This exporting 
of horses has had a marked influence on the demand, as 
the number of exported horses and the price of them 
largely controls the price of horses for local use. Under 
the conditions which will exist after the war, we may 
expect to export large numbers for commercial and 
probably some for breeding purposes. Following the Boer 
War, when a large number of our horses were used for 
cavalry purposes, we supplied the European countries 
with a larger number of horses than we had been doing 
previously. This will mean that our export trade, for 
the near future at least, is well assured. 
HORSE-PRODUCING SECTIONS 
The entire West is a horse-producing country, but it 
may be subdivided into a great number of different sec- 
tions, each one more or less distinctively peculiar to 
itself. The largest users of horses, and also the largest 
