CHOICE OF A BREED 43 



speed, however desirable, is not, in its superlative 

 degree, easily attained; whereas beauty, style, 

 action, and finish, which are easier to produce, are 

 always in keen demand and always command a high 

 price. 



In deciding what stallion to use, the criterion 

 by which he should always, if possible, be judged 

 is the quality of his get. This is the highest test 

 of the value of any sire, and it is obvious that, if 

 his get is uniformly superior, his individual quali- 

 ties are of little consequence in comparison. But 

 if, as in the case of a young and untried horse, 

 this proof of his value is wanting, he must be 

 judged by his breeding and his merits as an indi- 

 vidual. He should run true to his type, whatever 

 that may be — whether thoroughbred, carriage, or 

 draft — and his pedigree should be free from 

 crosses with other types. This forefends the 

 danger of reversion, or " taking back," which, 

 when a cross-bred stallion is used, is always im- 

 minent. Reversion, it is true, may also occur in 

 pure-bred and homogeneously-bred stock, but it 

 will be readily seen that if the foal takes back to 

 a horse of the same kind as his sire but little mis- 

 chief is done. It is when he takes back to a horse 

 of a different kind that his breeder's calculations 

 are upset. 



The mare should always be of somewhat the 



