348 
Breeding of Haiders and Roadsters. 
bred to a Terr high state of perfection, on dry poor soil ; so far 
it is a question of expense. I have seen horses bred on inhos- 
pitable ground, and there left to nature, which, after care has 
been taken to get them into condition, have become serviceable 
animals : but a horse bretl on swampy ground, or confined in a 
soft, wet, filthy farmyard, or stable, mav grow large and heavy, 
as they generally do, but can never be good for anv purpose. 
Fine shape, good action, compact textures, with sound con- 
stitutions, and feet, such as will bear exertion, are requisites 
pre-eminently required in the hunter, and no class of horse 
should be without them, to the highest attainable degree ; yet 
none of the above qualities can be acquired unless foals and 
growing colts have libertv on firm ground : this proposition is 
based on some of the fundamental laws of nature which cannot 
Ije violated with impunitv. 
The experience afforded bv other nations confirms this view : 
thus France, having few natural advantages, purchases horses for 
common use from Germanv, and has recourse to England for 
choice specimens of valuable breeding-stock ; Northern and Cen- 
tral Italv obtain their horses from the same sources. Even in 
England horse-breeding' is in great measure confined to some 
of the more favoured counties, where the best can be reared at 
the least outlay for artificial means. 
On some of the extensive tracts of land which belong to the 
Roman States, horses mav be found under conditions which 
approximate to their purelv wild state ; within certain bounds 
they range and breed as free as the deer of the place, stallions 
ancl mares running together, i.e., a stallion is selected for the 
season and turned loose with a certain number of mares : the 
market value of voung unbroke horses, when so reared, depends 
greatly on the character of the ground : whilst colts bred on high 
land will fetch 300 crowns the pair, those reared at the distance 
onlv of a few miles on low soft marsh land, will realise only 50 
or 60 croMTis apiece. W herever the matter has Ijeen tested, 
I have found that the character of the soil and general manage- 
ment influences the wearing powers of horses more than that of 
their parentage. 
Where attempts have been made on the Continent to breed 
horses in small enclosed paddocks, such as in England are 
allotted for blood-stock, without the aid of the English sf)il, 
climate, &c., it has always proved a failure: the stock have, 
been high on the leg, narrow, and without form, action, or gtKKl 
qualities of any kind. Where, however, the English stallion is 
used, and the mares have their native freedom on good ground, 
relatively gcxxl stock has Ijeen procured. 
Change of ground is good for horses, for the fresh soil and 
