516 Breeding and Blanagemcnt of Horses on a Farm. 
belly ; the toes being neither turned inwards nor outwards, though 
the latter^ if not excessive^ is the lesser fault of the two. 
Such are most of the principal points to be attended to in the 
selection of a brood-mare ; but all of them must bear a just pro- 
portion one to the other, the limbs being close-jointed, and some- 
what short below the knee and hock, the carcass close but roomy, 
and the neck not too long. The harmony existing in the propor- 
tions of any animal will be felt and recognized at a glance by 
many men who have a naturally keen sense of the beauties of 
form, whereas many others not similarly gifted can never justly 
appreciate in what consist the exquisite moulding and symmetry 
of the choicest specimens of our best breeds of animals. With 
respect, however, to a horse, although a good judge may at first 
sight be struck with his geneial appearance, it is always better to 
form an opinion of his capabilities with reference to the various 
essential points I have enumerated, than to judge of him by his 
tout ensemble ; and any man with a little discrimination and atten- 
tion may soon make himself master of the degree of knowledge 
requisite for his guidance in this particular. 
The chief points of excellence in the stallion are, in every re- 
spect, similar to those I have enumerated in the mare, with, pos- 
sibly, the exception of his foi'm being altogether more compact 
and closer ribbed up, and his joints nearer together, and more 
firmly knit, his whole appearance indicating the possession of 
great power and vigour in a comparatively small compass. In 
selecting a stallion for the purpose of breeding hunters, it is 
likewise proper to make choice of one, if possible, whose stock 
give general promise of power and action, and bid fair to shine in 
the field, if not fast enough for the turf. There are many of our 
racing stallions that have scarcely ever begotten a foal that turned 
out a good racer, but that, when put to mares not quite thorough- 
bred, have produced hunters of first-rate capabilities ; and, when 
their fame in this particular is generally well-known and admitted, 
it is far better to send a mare a hundred miles to such a horse 
than to breed from one whose progeny, at five years old, may 
possibly not be worth the expense of rearing. On this point 
there can hardly be two opinions, and yet, with the exception of 
those mares that are kept for the purpose of breeding for the 
turf, there is scarcely a man in the kingdom who will take the 
trouble to send a half-bred mare even a score of miles, with a 
view to secure for himself all tlio probable chances of breeding a 
first-rate hunter. With respect to farmers in general, horse- 
breeding is an affair })urely of luck, and the first over-fed stal- 
lion, with a big crest and a liead bedecked with gay ribbons, that 
calls at their homesteads, has all their mares, however much their 
principal points may differ from his and from each other. 
