54  Half-bred  Horses  for  Field  or  Road. 
successful  result,  a previous  distinct  and  defined  object — an 
aim  : on  the  barn-door  of  the  mind  chalk  up  a form  perfect  in 
itself,  and  work  up  to  it.  The  unskilful  or  careless  so  badly 
pair  as  to  neutralise  good  qualities,  and  increase  defects.  The 
instinctively  able  breeder,  with  such  natural  faculties  as  the 
penetrating  vision  that  observes  little  things,  the  delicate  touch 
to  further  discover  and  appreciate  them,  the  fine  sympathies 
which  give  insight  into  nature,  all  heightened  by  practice  in  every 
nicety  of  the  art  of  breeding,  so  blend  together  almost  invisible 
deviations  as  to  correct  minor  defects  in  either  parent  by  the 
other’s  complementary  excellencies.  The  grand  object  and  aim 
are  to  secure  the  begetting  and  propagating  of  excellencies. 
The  further  general  and  explanatory  observations  shall  be 
few.  If  you  do  breed  half-bred  horses  the  general  opinion  is 
that,  other  considerations  fitting,  you  should  aim  high — a good 
horse  eats  no  more  than  a bad  one.  If  you  do  not  get  a 
valuable  weight-carrying  hunter,  your  hunting  misfits  may  be 
valuable  short-legged  horses,  with  shapes  and  substance  to 
command  a market  and  pay  expenses.  The  problem  of  our  age 
is  to  save  time,  hence  rail  and  wheels ; “ the  grandfather’s 
hack,”  like  the  saddle-bags  and  pillion,  are  things  of  the  past. 
Yet  the  men  of  the  present  like  a “ blood-tit,”  and  the  gentle- 
man’s coach  and  the  lady’s  carriage  must  be  horsed  with  well- 
bred  horses,  with  shape  that  would  become  a desirable  hunter. 
One  argument  against  breeding,  as  drawn  from  a neighbour’s 
failures,  should  not  be  allowed  to  weigh  : because  one  man  has 
a sore  nose,  there  is  no  reason  we  should  all  wear  plasters. 
When  a prudent  man  embarks  his  capital,  his  first  considera- 
tion is,  may  I reasonably  expect  it  after  many  days  to  return  to 
me?  Will  it  pay  to  breed  half-bred  horses?  That,  as  I gather 
from  the  evidence,  depends  on  various  individual  circumstances 
— such  as  prices,  markets,  locality,  opportunity,  means,  tastes, 
and  pleasures ; all  these  and  many  other  considerations  must 
be  weighed  and  taken  into  account.  In  this  matter,  as  in  most, 
every  tub  must  stand  on  its  own  bottom  : regarding  it  I will 
cite  further  and  in  conclusion  only  one  phrase  more — it  was 
begotten  of  Mother-wit  by  the  great  Lord  Chatham — “ in  this 
and  all  the  other  affairs  of  life  we  should  consult  and  be 
determined  by  the  dictates  of  common  sense.” 
The  horse  has  followed  man  over  the  whole  surface  of  the 
earth,  from  the  Ganges  to  the  Rio  de  la  Plata ; and  from  the 
sea-coast  of  Africa  to  the  mountainous  plain  of  Antisana,  which 
lies  higher  than  the  Peak  of  Teneriffe.  The  northern  birch  in 
one  region,  the  date-palm  in  the  other,  afford  refreshing  noon-day 
shade  to  the  wearied  horse — all  are  of  the  same  species  ; and  the 
same  species  of  animal  which  contends  in  Eastern  Europe  with 
