1848, 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
13 
REMARKS ©W BREEDING HORSES. 
sEmtors ©e th® Cultivator—! am perhaps only 
■®ne among a thousand, who have read attentively the 
articles recently published in the Cultivator, entitled 
+* Breeding Horses,” and signed “ Equus.” I think 
'them well prepared, and worthy of your paper; and 
though 1 am not quite sure that they were written by 
a, practical breeder, or evesi an experienced horseman, 
I cannot doubt that the author ef them is an intelli¬ 
gent man, and one who has devoted much time and re¬ 
flection to the investigation of his subject. 
I do not agree with him fully, however, nor do I 
■know that I disagree with him entirely. He is hardly 
plain enough. I do net know whether he means to 
advocate or oppose the breeding from thorough bred 
stallions. I am inclined, however, to interpret his ar¬ 
ticles as against the practice of resorting to thorough 
fereds. He seems to be privately inclined to take the 
breeds we have already in our country-such as the 
Morgan, the Narraganset, the Canadian, perhaps, and 
the descendants of Messenger and Duroc, and breed 
them among themselves, to establish a sort of home 
breed—a kind of 11 horse of all work.” If so, per¬ 
haps he is right; though my opinion is he is wrong. 
And as different opinions sometimes lead us to correct 
conclusions, I hope you and your readers will indulge 
me while offering mine. 
In the first place, then, permit me to say, that this 
idea of a “ horse of all work,” which has been so long 
held up by ©ur Fair Committees and our Agricultural 
writers, if not altogether an abstraction, is by no means 
the ultimatum to fee sought by all good breeders. I 
am confident it has misled many, and that it is still 
exerting a bad influence. My view is, that the exis¬ 
tence of different species of horses, naturally suggests 
the idea that they were designed for separate and dif¬ 
ferent purposes—and that to combine the excellencies 
of all in one new and distinct species is, to say the 
least, by far the most difficult problem of breeding— 
and one too, which, in my opinion, would never repay 
the cost of its solution. 
Besides, I have never yet seen the necessity of this 
4i horse of all work,” whatever he may be, nor do I 
know that when he shall be produced (if he ever shall 
fee) that we will esteem him more among horses, than 
we do a u jack of all trades” among men. 
I would then here advise, that every person who sets 
out to breed horses, should first determine with him¬ 
self which ©f the various species he would produce. I 
have no doubt I will be met here with the objection, 
that in our country we are not yet prepared for the 
breeding of different horses for different purposes—that 
this may be done only in England, and the older coun¬ 
tries of Europe. But here I frankly take issue with 
the objector, and maintain that we have already a de¬ 
mand in our own country for three or four distinct 
species of horses. And first I would mention the car¬ 
riage-horse, which is much inquired for in all our large 
cities. This is a large, stately animal, with a long 
arching neck, and lofty carriage; not required to do 
much trying service, used chiefly to drive about the 
city at ,a slow pace, to take the ladies a calling or a 
shopping; is seldom in harness more than two hours 
at a time, and seldom out of the stable more than 
twice in a day. He is not required to possess any great 
degree of hardiness, but must have tough feet, and 
general symmetry of form, though a little legginess, 
or a little too much length of carcass, will not be seri¬ 
ous objections. What is chiefly sought, is a proud step 
and a noble figure, corresponding with the massive 
coach, and the costly equipage. 
In addition to the carriage horse, there is the smaller, 
more graceful, more elegant, higher bred horse, suita¬ 
ble for the curricle or the saddle. Still it must be con¬ 
fessed, that though occasionally horses of this descrip¬ 
tion may be sold at high prices, for ladies’ saddle hor¬ 
ses, and for the use of riding schools, &c., yet there 
is not so great or so constant a demand for them as *or 
those we have first described. This arises from the 
fact that the young men of our country do not delight 
in the saddle as they should; and I cannot pass this 
opportunity for expressing my earnest wish that the 
eloquent rebuke which they received from Charles 
Henry Hall, in his able report to the State Society 
at Saratoga, will be felt and improved, so that before 
this generation even passes, the high mettled, almost 
thorough bred saddle horse, will command as many 
purchasers and as high prices as any other horse in 
market. 
In addition also to these, there is in all our cities, 
and I might also say in all our country, a great demand 
for the more plebian—no matter what sort of a look¬ 
ing—dash away—three-minute trotting horse, used for 
the saddle, the sulkey, or the wagon. 
And again, there is the straight-shouldered, broad¬ 
breasted, heavy quartered, large-boned draft horse, 
used by the brewers, the colliers and the carmen. 
Now I maintain that in all our large cities, several 
kinds of horses exist separately, are used separately, 
are bought separately, and consequently should be bred 
separately. 
Will it be said that it is not wise to breed horses 
exclusively for our large cities—-that we should look 
for a wider market, and hence the necessity of crossing, 
with a view of supplying the demand of the country at 
large for u horses of all work”—such as will be suita¬ 
ble for the farm, the carriage, the buggy, the saddle, 
and all ? I answer, that if by this is meant we should 
seek to breed only a fair, common horse, not superior 
in any feature, but respectable enough in all, I will not 
wrestle with the objector, but confidently submit the 
question to the good judgment of your readers. But 
if on the other hand it is meant, that we should strive 
to produce a horse of such perfection that he will be 
equally superior in each department of service, and 
thus suit every purchaser, I will repeat the opinion, 
that this, if practicable, is an object too difficult of at¬ 
tainment to be profitable. Indeed, I will go farther, 
and insist that this would be an object virtually im¬ 
practicable, because, in ail probability, it would be 
thwarted as soon as attained : for such a horse, instead 
of remaining in the hands of the farmer, the mechanic, 
or even the villager of fortune, and used to promiscu¬ 
ous service, would undoubtedly command a price that 
would transfer him to the stables of some retired mer¬ 
chant or •wealthy gentleman, of one of our large cities, 
where he would be exclusively devoted to one particu¬ 
lar department of service, so that after all the expense 
and pains of breeding him a u horse of all work,” he 
would in fact live and die a horse of one work. 
But perhaps the reader, weary of the argument, is 
willing to indulge me in the opinion that it is better to 
breed horses separately, with a view of obtaining the 
higher prices offered in our city markets. But with 
the admission he asks, how is it to be effected ? I an¬ 
swer that it is difficult indeed for any man to lay down 
any definite or certain rules in the matter, and I am 
