BREEDING^ 
385 
as a brood-mare. This, however, is a great mistake, and 
should he carefully avoided. 
Breeding in and in, as it is termed,—that is, forming a 
constant union of the same blood, is always attended with 
bad results However good both sire and dam may be, 
if too closely allied, the progeny will in all probability turn 
out weak, and become liable to all those diseases to which 
delicate constitutions are subject; but where parties have 
a predilection to a particular stock, these evil consequences 
may be obviated by occasionally introducing fresh blood, 
either by crossing with the sire or dam. 
A good brood-mare should be selected with a rather long 
carcase, so as to give sufficient room for the growth of the 
foetus ; at the same time she should be compact in the make, 
and rather short than otherwise in the leg: while the 
stallion should be somewhat opposite in his form, which 
ought invariably to be short, with as many of the good 
points which we have before enumerated contained within 
a small compass. The inclination of the shoulder is also 
an essential point to be attended to. A large stallion with 
upright shoulders never got a good hunter or hackney ; but 
for a draught-horse, this form is desirable. 
To secure a good and healthy progeny, youth on the side 
of both sexes is very essential. Both ought to be in the 
prime of life, and in full health. From three to four years 
of age is a proper time to commence breeding from a mare, 
but to begin sooner, before their form has assumed its full 
strength and vigour, cannot fail to produce very bad conse¬ 
quences. It rarely happens that mares bred from at an 
earlier period ever attain full vigour. Mares that are little 
worked, may be safely bred from, until they attain the age 
of eighteen or twenty, and instances have occurred where 
they produced splendid foals at the latter age. But, on the 
