TJJB AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 361 



The Breeding of Saddle and Harness Horses, 



By Fred. Hutchinson, M.R.C.V.S. 



(Conci 



The Coach Horse. 



THIS is one of the oldest breeds about 

 which we have any record. This class 

 again may be divided into two classes, 

 viz : -The Cleveland Bay and the York- 

 shire Coach-horse, and, again, like the 

 Hackney, the Yorkshire horse is nearer 

 allied to the thoroughbred than the Cleve- 

 land. The Yorkshire Coach-horse Society 

 also admits of one cross of thoroughbred 

 in every three, and a good animal of this 

 type has the appearance of a heavily built 

 thoroughbred, the one exception being 

 that a good specimen is possessed of fine 

 stepping action. He is a class of horse 

 that mates well with the Native bred 

 mare, and is the means of procuring ex- 

 ceptionally fine double-harness horses for 

 the heavier class of can-iage work. He is 

 possessed of one distinct qualification 

 which no other breed possesses, he is bred 

 to colour, being either whole bay or brown 

 with black points, which has been con- 

 tinually preserved and bred to for gener- 

 ations, and thus is more liable to transmit 

 this colour to his progeny, which is a 

 distinct advantage in the breeding of 

 match pairs. He is the best type of the 

 larger carriage horse, with the miignificent 

 turning and action that commands the 

 highest price. There is nothing like them 

 for carriage purposes to be found any- 

 where else in the world. The great ad- 

 vantage of this breed is that, should the 

 stock turn out deficient in action or form, 

 their size will find a ready sale for many 

 purposes for which an animal lighter than 

 a cart horse is needed in all countries. 

 To the reader who wishes to enquire into 

 history and marvelous distances covered 

 by animals of this old breed in pre-railway 

 times, he will find the first volume of the 

 Coach-horse Stud Book very interesting 

 reading. 



The first horse advocated as a sire in 

 this paper is thoroughbred, and in a 

 certain sense so are the two latter, that is, 

 their blood has been carefully kept, and 

 mated with similar blood and a pretty 

 exact type of animal (and in the Coach- 

 horse of colour) has been continuously 

 preserved and adhered to. These qualities 



luded.) 



are in the breeds by reason of then- having 

 been in the back blood, and, therefore, as 

 any observant breeder will know, these 

 sires are much more likely to procreate 

 these qualities in their stock. 



The reason which may be given for 

 having somewhat retarded the general 

 adoption of the latter two breeds in this 

 country has no doubt in a great measure 

 been caused by the introduction of the 

 breeds in the shape of inferior specimens, 

 and which (especially in the case of the 

 Hackney) have often been thick-necked, 

 heavy shouldered, round or carty quarter- 

 ed, of a most inferior type, which in many 

 instances have been simply " planted " on 

 Colonial buyers who have had no means 

 of ascertaining the true characteristics of 

 the respective breeds. These animals are 

 commonly known in horsey parlance as 

 "misfits," and arrive even iu the best 

 regulated breeding establishments, their 

 owners only being too anxious to secure a 

 customer for them at any price. For in- 

 stance attend one of the leading shows, 

 and ask the owner of a prize winner to 

 place a price upon his animal, and natur- 

 ally he will place a vei-y stiff figure upon 

 it, and rightly so, as good horses of any 

 description command a higher price in 

 England than anywhere else in the world. 

 The intending purchaser on remarking 

 that the price asked was higher than he 

 wished to go, the owner in nine cases out 

 of ten will respond with the following 

 remark : — " Oh, 1 have a horse at my place 

 at so and so, which will suit you exactly, 

 and I can take such and such a price for 

 him, he is own brother or half brother, 

 etc., etc. to the one you see here, and very 

 little below his standard. ' The un- 

 suspecting customer pays the owner a 

 visit, is well entertained, buys the horse, 

 and leaves the late owner congratulating 

 himself upon the easy manner in which 

 he has been able to rid himself of a 

 practically unsaleable animal so far as the 

 English market is concerned. 



A lesson should certainly be taken from 

 other countries in the enormous improve- 

 ment they have made in their horses, and 

 they have accomplished this by buying 



