The Pure-bred 343 
animals and the name of the breeder before the public 
in a way that will show them that the stock produced 
is good, reliable, and worth the money. 
SELLING METHODS 
Salesmanship is essential in handling pure-bred horses. 
There are four general methods of selling which are used. 
One which has been worked to some extent in the past is 
the company stallion plan. Under this method the stal- 
lion is sold to a group of men each of which is part owner. 
The original idea of the company stallion system was to 
supply a good horse to those who individually could not 
afford to buy. This part of the plan was excellent but 
the system as a whole has been subject to many serious 
abuses. At first the system met considerable success, 
but is not proving satisfactory in most sections, not be- 
cause the idea was incorrect, but because of the abuses. 
The first complaint usually comes from the fact that 
the salesman employs an influential man in the neigh- 
borhood to aid in the selling by giving him one or two 
shares. The second is that usually only one or two reli- 
able men sign the notes while the remainder are poor 
pay, and therefore it falls on a few to pay the entire 
amount. Again the method of selling is so expensive 
that the stallion must bring a considerable amount above 
his actual value in order to pay for the shares given away 
and for the profit and expenses of the salesman and his 
grooms. Also it might be well to note that the class of 
stallions sold by this method are usually of an inferior 
grade, as the better class are picked up by the buyers 
who deal direct with the breeder or dealer at their barns 
and thereby have an opportunity to select the better 
