CHAPTER XI 



CARRIAGE HORSES 



MANY years ago, in an article in one of the 

 agricultural journals, I made the state- 

 ment that breeders of trotting stock 

 would, in many instances, do better to breed for 

 type, rather than speed and that, while the pro- 

 duction of really superior animals of any kind is 

 never an easy or simple matter, it is nevertheless 

 easier to produce beauty, finish, and action than 

 extreme speed. I also expressed the belief that 

 the supply of such horses would not, for many 

 years, exceed the demand and that they would con- 

 tinue, for a long time, to bring high prices. 



Events have fully borne out this opinion. For 

 in the feverish anxiety to produce speed, a great 

 many breeders paid little attention to such mat- 

 ters as showy action and beauty of contour and 

 there ensued a shortage of handsome carriage 

 stock which was keenly felt in the market. One 

 result of this was the importation of distinctive 

 carriage breeds from Europe — notably the 

 Hackney and the French Coach — and a more or 



125 



