266 
• THE CULTIVATOR. Aug. 
Breeding Horses. 
An article has lately been published in the Veterina¬ 
rian, translated from a French journal, on “ Racing 
considered as a Means of improving the Breeds of Horses 
for general use and for Military Service.” The subject 
is treated in an able manner, showing that the writer is 
not only thoroughly acquainted with the principles of 
physiology, but with practical breeding and the results 
which have attended the crossing of different stocks. 
ITis first position is: 
If racing has shown itself to be the best means of im¬ 
proving our breeds of light or speedy horses, experience 
lias also shown that, as practiced in England, it has opera¬ 
ted to a greater extent than might be imagined in de¬ 
stroying the breeds of saddle horses, in times past so 
much in request for commercial and military purposes. 
In reference to this point, the writer discusses at some 
length the subject of racing,—its ultimate object and 
the means of attaining it. He notices the fact that the 
English races were formerly of twice or thrice tlie length 
they now are, and that the weights carried were twice 
as great. But at the present time, the object of racing 
is i£ gambling” in the most expeditious manner. He 
says: 
To the English it matters little what the length of the 
race is, or the weight to be carried! With them gam¬ 
bling is the object, the bets they make amounting to 
enormous sums, enriching one and ruining another. This 
is the kind of spectacle suited to British national taste ; 
and, were it desired, they would speedily invent others 
of the kind, with other animals, and another order of 
contests; for they still have their pugilistic encounters, 
their cock-fights, and their contests between bull-dogs, 
whose jaws they have singularly brought to a perfection 
of strength for this express purpose. 
He remarks in regard to the common error, that the 
various breeds of English horses owe their perfection to 
racing, or to blood derived from racing stock, that each 
breed has its *' £ peculiar type, which is, or ought to be 
carefully preserved, so as not to be destroyed by injudi¬ 
cious crossing.” He thinks this is the plan generally 
pursued in England. Upon this the editor of the Vete¬ 
rinarian remarks— 
There can be no doubt but that the English breeder 
has a principle or object in view when he sends his mares 
to particular horses. But, save in the case of the race¬ 
horse, which the stud-books preserve genuine, and the 
cart-horse, whose peculiar character preserves him, a 
great admixture of breeds is known to take place, which 
has proved, every horseman admits, of great injury as 
regards some of our most valued and serviceable de¬ 
scriptions of horses, to wit, weight-carrying hunters, and 
hackneys, and cavalry horses. The good old sort of those 
breeds'is hardly to he found; while their places are filled 
either by over-bred horses deficient in power, or by mon¬ 
grels deficient in blood. 
In considering the inquiry whether the English tho¬ 
rough-bred horse is calculated to improve the stocks used 
for business purposes, and especially such as are requir¬ 
ed for cavalry, the French writer describes, first, what 
ought to be the nature and characteristics of the tho¬ 
rough-bred, the manner he is reared, &c. 
Physiology, like experience, demonstrates, in a gene¬ 
ral sense, that, for the purpose of making the greatest 
exertions of which he is capable in the shortest possible 
time, a horse must unite in his own body two indispen- 
sible requisites, without which it is impossible for him to 
become a turf horse. He must, in the first place, pos¬ 
sess a nervous, irritable, and highly ardent temperament; 
and in the second, the construction of his locomotive ap¬ 
paratus should be such, in its mechanical relations, as 
suits best the race he is intended to run, even though 
this be at the expense of the strength or the resistance 
of the apparatus; qualities which are not, in point of fact, 
required for the speed that is demanded. 
Convinced of this, the English, so skilled in the art of 
modifying the nature and conformation of animals ac¬ 
cording to the purposes for which they are designated, 
made choice in the first instance, of Oriental blood, as 
offering the material the best adapted for the model they 
were desirous of forming. Upon this admirable canvass 
they subsequently spread their pure indigenous blood, 
such as it was, taking advantage of every condition con¬ 
ducive to the production of the animal they had in view. 
But to change the nature of Oriental blood, to in¬ 
stil into it those generous qualities which distinguish the 
pure English thorough-bred, what acute observation, 
what study, what perseverance, must have been employ¬ 
ed in those artificial proceedings which ought to take the 
lead in operations so delicate! It not only became re¬ 
quisite to preserve certain qualities of the pure primi¬ 
tive blood, in a climate little favorable to it, but at the 
same time it was necessary to alter its nature, in order 
to render it, in certain respects, superior to its original 
condition. To accomplish this, recourse w'as had to 
crossing and paring, always with relation to speed, to 
which every other quality became sacrificed. 
The produce called for situations of suitable tempera¬ 
ture, assisted by woolen clothing, soft flannel, cut to fit 
every part of the body. Their stables are kept at a tem¬ 
perature of from 60° to 70° Fahr.; are provided with’ 
well-distributed apertures; are well combined, with con¬ 
venient appendages; in fact, provided with every appur¬ 
tenance required for the accommodation and comfort of 
horses of every age. Add to this, aliment of the choic¬ 
est quality, a regimen well seasoned and regulated, ex¬ 
ercise under the direction of men kept for superinten¬ 
dence, diligent cleaning and hard rubbing; in fact, a 
thousand acts of care, dictated by observation practiced 
every hour in the day, have all equally contributed to 
the creation and conservation of the English thorough¬ 
bred horse. 
* * * * 
The production of the cavalry horse must differ con¬ 
siderably from that of the race horse, in being more easy, 
more simple, and especially more economical. A racer 
must be of a nervous temperament, highly irritable and 
vigorous, and should be able to call forth all his power 
and impetuosity in the short space of time in which he 
is engaged in the race, supposing even that he is fit for 
nothing after the trial is over. The race is his only 
sphere; he is not required to serve any other purpose. 
No matter how useless or helpless he is in other respects, 
so long as he wins his race he is highly prized, but no 
longer. 
The writer then adduces the results of crossing with 
thorough-bred horses in many instances, and for many 
years, in France, in support of the principles he has laid 
down, and submits the conclusions at which he has ar¬ 
rived. He considers it a settled point that the French 
cavalry horses have not been improved by the infusion 
of English blood. 
Mr. Percivall, editor of the Veterinarian , appends 
some remarks on the article above noticed, which are 
eminently worthy of attention by all breeders of horses. 
In relation to the first position of the French author, 
Mr. P. observes— 
This is a remark applicable out of the country in which 
it was made. We are afraid our own land has rendered 
itself amenable to the reflection. We no longer see in 
it, or at least nothing like in the same ratio, horses of 
that useful character for general purposes, which it once 
could abundantly boast of. On the turf, ow King’s 
plate horses, have given place to liigh-flyers. The hunt¬ 
ing field is beset with the same stamp of horse, in lieu 
of the old, weight-carrying, enduring hunter; our heavy 
dragoons are under-mounted; our artillery weakly hors- 
