79 
THE  DEVON  PACK  HORSE  AS  AN  ARMY 
HORSE. 
The  National  Horse  Supply. 
DURING  the  past  year  there  has  been  copious  correspondence 
in  the  press  on  the  national  question  of  the  horse  supply  during 
times  of  peace  and  war,  which  has  met  with  the  satisfactory 
result  that  for  the  first  time  in  our  national  history,  unless  the 
King’s  Premium  grant  can  be  so  termed,  an  annual  Government 
grant  is  to  be  devoted  to  horse  breeding. 
It  is  true  that  an  annual  sum  of  40,000Z.  may  seem  but 
a paltry  amount  wherewith  to  carry  out  such  a vast  and 
necessary  project,  and  though  horsemen  must  grumble  and 
continue  to  ask  for  more,  let  them  console  themselves  that 
a start  has  been  made,  and  that  great  undertakings  spring  from 
small  beginnings. 
Although  we  may  all  have  our  own  ideas  as  to  how  a grant 
may  most  successfully  be  applied  to  attain  its  end,  our  remarks 
on  this  point  will  be  but  brief,  for  my  object  of  encroaching 
on  these  columns  is  to  plead  for  the  revival  of  the  Pack  horse, 
which  I am  convinced  is,  of  all  the  various  types  to  be  found 
in  these  islands,  the  most  required  for  the  horsing  of  our  army. 
Now  the  Pack  horse  is  almost  extinct,  and  with  the  death 
of  the  remaining  half  dozen  stallions  and  100  pure  and  half- 
bred  mares  only  its  history  will  remain  to  us  as  a monument 
of  National  Neglect. 
In  a few  years  hence,  when  State-aided  horse  breeding  has 
made  some  advance,  it  will  be  found  that  a type  of  horse 
identical  with  the  Pack  horse  is  required  for  our  army,  but  the 
breed  being  then  extinct,  much  time,  labour,  and  money  will 
have  to  be  devoted  in  breeding  a modern  imitation,  which 
when  created  will  no  doubt  fill  the  gap  with  a fair  amount 
of  success,  but  will  be  without  some  of  the  most  sterling 
characteristics  of  the  old  breed. 
We  have  learnt  from  the  life  work  of  Robert  Bakewell,  and 
other  scientific  breeders  of  live  stock,  that  it  is  possible  even 
within  a few  generations  to  create  by  judicious  crossing  a new 
type  from  former  existing  breeds,  and  that  this  newly  estab- 
lished breed  will  eventually,  as  it  is  expressed,  “ breed  to  type.” 
No  doubt  this  is  true  as  far  as  form,  contour,  weight  and  colour 
is  concerned,  but  we  have  yet  to  learn  how  to  breed  for 
stamina,  pluck,  vim,  endurance,  temper,  and  grit.  With  some 
animals,  such  as  sheep  and  horned  cattle,  such  attributes, 
though  desirable,  are  not  absolutely  necessary,  but  with  horses 
such  innate  characteristics  are  as  necessary  as  shape,  conforma- 
tion, soundness,  for  have  we  not  all  met  with  perfectly  shaped 
