390 
A French Hams and Horse Fair. 
were low in condition ; but there was generally nothing in them 
suggestive of quality or care in breeding. 
"This stud at Lamballe is rather a Noah's Ark" is the idea 
that first crossed my mind when after our visit I began to 
collect my jumbled thoughts ; and the idea may be well excused 
on reading the following note of the various races, mixed and 
pure, so kindly exhibited to us. But, as suggested at the outset 
of this paper, and as will be further shown in the sequel, there 
are doubtless good reasons for the selections ; a knowledge of 
the characteristics of the peasant-farmer breeders with whom 
they have to deal, local tastes, demand and supply, and climatic 
and geographic considerations have influenced the able men 
who direct the State Haras establishments. Their aim and object 
are said by authority to be — as to sires, to bring home to pro- 
ducers the best models ; and as to produce, to encourage by 
local shows and prizes. Certainly I hope it may not be said 
of me that I visited and observed in a hypercritical spirit ; I 
saw a great deal to admire, and much more I wished to admire. 
I would not have it thought of me that I ani only another 
exemplification of the imputed English aversion for all that it 
does not create. 
We were shown English thoroughbred stallions, Norfolk 
trotters, Percherons, white, black, and iron greys, and some 
with a coach-horse or other cross ; Bretons, pure and half-bred ; 
Norfolk Bretons, Normandy horses, pure and half-bred ; Boulon- 
nais horses, the typical heavy horse of France ; Vendeans, black 
with white, as I thought more set and hide-bound than Bretons, 
less of improvers ; Arabs, French Arabs, and Arab half-breeds. 
We must remember in justification of my Noachian epithet that 
all these variously bred horses, 200 in number, are kept, not 
as curiosities cl la Barmim, but for practical stud purposes. 
The stronger horses did not show much hair on the legs. 
We were shown one dark grey horse with a supernatural white 
mane down to his knees — he looked like a horse cut out of a 
Rubens picture — and we understood that such an appearance of 
hair is much liked. The horses generally appeared sound in 
wind, and there was no ring-bone or side-bone, diseases so sadly 
prevalent in England ; the feet, however, were often very faulty, 
in some cases contracted — nay, absolutely deformed. " Ah ! " 
says ]\L Lemichel, " he who three hundred years ago invented 
the present system of horse-shoeing little thought of the evils 
of which he was to be the source." I noticed under treatment 
one case of sand-crack. It is said that in Brittany young horses 
are too much kept housed ; yet on our tour we did see horses 
running in nice, firm, undulating pastures. With iron fittings 
