1920.] Licensing of Stallions : Season 1920. 749 



LICENSING OF STALLIONS UNDER 

 THE HORSE BREEDING ACT, 1918; 

 SEASON 1920. 



As part of its operations for the improvement of the horse- 

 breeding industry the Ministry introduced in 1911 a scheme for 

 the voluntary registration of stallions with a view to the 

 gradual elimination of unsound stallions in England and \Yales. 

 Owners of " Pedigi'ee " sires were invited to submit their 

 stallions for examination by veterinary surgeons appointed by 

 the Ministry, and certificsites of soundness for breeding pur- 

 poses were issued in respect of those stallions that passed 

 the examination. In the year 1911, 313 certificates were issued, 

 and the number increased each year until 1919, the last year 

 of voluntary registration, when 2,334 certificates were granted. 

 The steady increase in the number of stallions registered each 

 year indicated clearly that owners recognised the advantage of 

 having the Ministry's certificates of soundness for their 

 stallions. 



With the support of the Horse Breeding Societies, and with 

 a view to protect the owners of registered stallions from the 

 unfair competition of unsound animals, and to give mare 

 owners a larger number of sound sires from which to select, 

 it was decided to go a step further and to require by statute 

 the compulsory licensing or certification of all travelling 

 stallions, pedigree and non-pedigree. The necessary legisla- 

 tion, the Horse Breeding Act, was passed in 1918. Under 

 this Aci, and the Horse Breeding (England and Wales) 

 Eegulation, 1919, it is illegal for a stallion of two years of age 

 or over to be travelled after 1st January, 1920, for service, or 

 exhibited on premises not in the occupation of the owner of 

 the stallion with a view to its use for service, unless the 

 stallion is at the time licensed under the Act. 



It may be of interest to those who are endeavouring to secure 

 improvement in the horse-breeding industry by the elimination 

 of unsound travelling stallions and by other means, to know 

 the results of the first year of operation of the Horse Breeding 

 Act. Up to the close of the past season, 4,153 stallions were 

 examined, and of these 3,749 were licensed by the Ministry. 

 The remainder (404) were refused licences. Of the 3,749 

 which were licensed, 3,370 were pedigree stallions and 379 were 

 horses not entered or accepted for entry in any recognised Stud 



