322 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



December, 1913 



sound feet and docile temperament, 

 must always have a ready sale. 



— The Crossing of Tvpes. — 



It is a popular practice to cross 

 types in order to increase some 

 special quality that may l>e defi- 

 cient in sire or nvare, or both. 

 This may be in response to the 

 reco^jnised principle that the first- 

 cross progeny of anv domestic 

 breed is of exceptional merit, but 

 there are serious objections for re- 

 sults do not always justify the 

 practice. The Shire has frequently 

 been crossed with the Clydesdale 

 with the avowed intention of pro- 

 ducing .s;tock of greater height and 

 weight, but the experience already 

 gained here corresponds with that 

 obtained by breeders in Kngland 

 and Scotland. The resultant cross 

 has not given satisfaction, in so 

 far that weight and height were 

 secuTed at the expense, of action. 

 The smart movement and gameness 

 of action so prominent in the 



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 . . Company, 



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LIVE STOCK POLICIES. 



with moat lenient conditions, ipeoiftl- 

 ly prepared to meet local r»qTiir«ne«ti 

 covering 



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APPLY TO THE LOCAL .\.GENT. 

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 chief centres), or THE MANAGER, 



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Bomts Auaci^Y, uvk stock. 



Clydesdale, was replaced mth the 

 somewhat clumsy, deliberate and 

 slow-er gait of the Shire. Other 

 cases could be cited to illustrate 

 this, but sufficient has been said 

 to warn breeders of the pos.sjbilitv 

 of error in this direction. it is 

 fair to urge that there are more 

 likely to be reliable results in 

 breeding out faults by the intelli- 

 gent mating of parents of the same 

 breed than bv crossine different 

 breeds. Selection within the 

 limitation of the one breed is much 

 more likely to prove satisfactory. 



— The Choice of a Sire. — 



There is no other point connect- 

 ed with the breeding of horses of 

 more importance to success than 

 the choice of sire. , A' definite ideal 

 must be in the breeder's mind in 

 relation to type. Pedisree is an 

 essential, and puritv of lineage can- 

 not be too strictly insisted upon. 

 The next inquiry must be for the 

 Stock Department certificate of 

 soundness and conformation, free- 

 dom from hereditary disease being 

 only ensured as the result of the 

 examination by a qualified Veter- 

 inary Surgeon. The transmission 

 of disea.se has been DainfuUv ap- 

 narent in the past, but breeders 

 have no excuse now for employing 

 unsound sires. The main object 

 of the breeder is to secun? strength, 

 and at the same time the staying 

 power that enables a horse to do 

 a hard day's work for a lengthen- 

 ed period. 



The sip? must be active, 'intelli- 

 gent, though full of dtetermination. 

 Beyond all dispute the best evi- 

 dence of a horse's stavinf Power 

 and length of service in the heavy 

 breeds, is balanced action — ^the 

 movement and stride that enables 

 a ho'rse to cover the m.ost ground 

 with a maximum' of ease and a 

 minimum of friction and wear. 

 True action has a special value in 

 both .sire and mare, for wherei the 

 feet are raised and placed in pre- 

 cise and regular form in walking 

 and trottinf, there is resistance 

 to bone and joint troubles, and 

 there is also lengthened service. 

 An evenly balance bod\' would lose 

 its value on ill-shaped feet, or ab- 

 normally dropped legs. 



Constitution and stamina are 

 also needed to withstand the stress 

 of continuous work. 



The indication of a general na- 

 ture must include a good barrel or 

 jiiiddle piece, showing ample space 

 for digestion, and vigorous heart 

 and lung action. A .slack -loined 

 horse is more or less " soft," and 

 a tucked-up barrel, sometimes 



termed " herring-gutted," also be- 

 tokens lack of stamina. Ample 

 girth, depth through the loins, 

 ami fullness at the flank all favour 

 constitution. 



It is not an uncommon thing to 

 .s^ee a " washy " horse which is big 

 in the barrel, but which with stress 

 of work soon falls away in condi- 

 tion and exposes his true tvpe with 

 a lightness about the girth and 

 loin. A fleshy heavy head, should 

 not be favoured ; while, on the 

 other hand, a lean head, wide in 

 the cheek, with a good spac»e be- 

 tween the branches of the lower 

 jaw, denotes constitution, as also 

 does the bright, lively e^^, and 

 quickly mo\-ing forward ears. 



Weight and substance .^vith a 

 good top and quality of feather 

 are required. The condition of 

 the skin must be closely examined. 



A good temper and kind disposi- 

 tion invariably accompany intelli- 

 gence and good manners. 



An examination of the legs, for 

 durability, must not be overlook- 

 ed, and should result in the dis- 

 covery of clean, flat bone, with 

 tendons distinct, free and clear 

 from the bone. Sloping pasterns 

 of m'2dium leneth are desirable. 

 The closest scrutiny should be 

 made of the structure of the foot— 

 a firm, wide heel, .strong, horny 

 crust, healthy frog, and level plac- 

 ing m-ust be showii. 



— General Overhaul. — 



A general overhaul of the animal 

 in the action of walking a, id trot- 

 ting affords thp oD'-^rtuuitv of es- 

 timating his character, and many 

 features that it is impossible to 

 outline, also aid in arriving at 

 fairly sound conclusions. A prom- 

 inent breeder states that " we 

 should not select as a result of 

 thie animal pos.sessing somel spe- 

 cially good quality, but rather 

 .select him from the absence of 

 faultis and the general accumula- 

 tion of harmonious and worthy 

 aualities in disposition, conforma- 

 tion and stamina." The 'exagger- 

 ated development of any single 

 meritorious point is not compensa- 

 tion for some flagrant deficiency. 



Performances or exhibition in the 

 show ring do not always afford 

 the most reliable ev-idence of a 

 sire's capacity for lea\'ing sound 

 stock, but these, in conjunction 

 with the proved excellence of his 

 stock, are the best p^uarantees to 

 owners of mares. It is only ne-, 

 cessary to review the show records 

 of those sires well known to the 

 Hawkesbnry district, " Plucky 



