A French Haras and Horse Fair. 
385 
mares. Besides the State stallions, 1,274 private stallions were 
approved, and 176 more were authorised ; no other than certifi- 
cated stallions may be used, except on the owners' own mares ; 
the regulation of stallions, it is said, is in vigour everywhere, 
England only excepted. In regard to soundness, curiously enough, 
the law as to stallions is very defective, and applies only to wind- 
affections. 
Money, notwithstanding the official cry for more, appears to 
have been spent very freely ; a very large sum of Government 
and private money was spent on the encouragement of horse- 
racing — flat, hurdle, and trotting races. I saw some of this 
racing, of each kind, and on a large scale, at Dinard, and in part 
the performance was dangerous, I fear fatally so ; " pumped " 
horses, without rising, tumbled over the banks ; the whole affair 
did not appear to me to be worth a considerable expenditure. I 
gather from the newspapers that the Societe Hippique offered in 
prizes for the year 1888 no less a sum than 12,000/. Monsieur 
de Pont Brisson, the Deputy, told me at dinner at the Rural Club, 
Morlaix, that the whole National Hai'as budget for 1887 amounted 
to 5,000,000f. The exact dotation for 1889 is officially stated to 
be 7,367,1 80f, or 294,687L 4s. ; but it is not easy to say what 
exactly is included in this sum and not charged under other 
heads — figures are proverbially deceptive. 
M. Lemichel, Principal Veterinary Surgeon of the French 
army, in his important little work, " Le Cheval," recognises at 
least ten of the principal families, or races, of the French 
horse : — The Boulonnais horse, a dray-horse. The Percheron, 
the beautiful energetic trotting omnibus- or cart-horse. The Nor- 
mandij race, the heavy cavalry officer's charger, and the carriage- 
horse in perfection. M. Lemichel says the Haras are spoiling 
these horses by infusion of blood — melange de sang Anglais ! 
The Breton race is one of the most precious in France ; they, says 
M. Lemichel, are received by the regiments with disgust, but 
soon improve beyond recognition. The Ardennais : he says of 
them their hocks are too bent, they are also cow-hocked ; but I 
saw beauties in Belgium,' and they were sold for money. The 
race Comtoise, bordering on Switzerland, are inferior waggoners, 
susceptible of the amendment they much need. The Poitou race, 
on the West Central Coast, a big ugly beast, but improving ; he 
lives in the marshes ; with a big belly, a short quarter, and goose 
' Notwithstanding, I was shown 600 horses of the 1st Belgian Guides — a 
crack regiment [1884]; all Irish horses. All their cavalry are mounted on Irish 
horses at an average cost of 50/. The Belgian cavalry on a war footing v\-ould 
require over 7,000 horses. The artillery and train are horsed from the Belgian 
Ardennes. 
