160 
PURE BRED DRAFT HORSES 
have size. Three cardinal points, “size, soundness and femininity”—these 
are considered by McMillan as all-important matters to be borne in mind 
in the selection of the brood mare. Fuller gives more weight on the 
“breeding, size, soundness, temperament,” while Haxton prefers “type, 
conformation, femininity, soundness, action” over other in choosing mares 
to be used in the breeding herd. Haxton mentions unsoundness and mas¬ 
culinity as undesirable characteristics of the ideal brood mare. According 
to Pallister, plenty of length, but closeness to the ground, should in gen¬ 
eral describe the kind of mare desirable in a breeding herd, while Serven 
looks for individuals that are “sound” and have “type, size, and breeding,” 
such mares as are characterized by small and crooked feet, crooked legs, 
and poor heads being objected to. Kiddoo wants a mare that is sound and 
large, together with quality and ruggedness in her make-up. Hanmer, 
however, says that the “brood mare should be free from spavins, ringbone, 
and ophthalmia,” and that the general conformation, as well as constitu¬ 
tion, should be good, besides being of agreeable disposition. The selection 
of brood mares, according to Holbert, should be based on the best of breed¬ 
ing and good individuality; besides, they “must have size, good legs, good 
bone, good backs and rumps and heads and necks.” The fact that certain 
individuals have always produced good colts is, of course, another consid¬ 
eration of no less importance that is brought out by Holbert. 
From iSander and Dinsmore’s “A History of the Percheron Horse,” 
Fletcher’s views, as well as others, are reiterated here, now on the selec¬ 
tion of the brood mare. In Fletcher’s own writing the following are 
quoted: “In selecting a brood mare, I should choose one from a producing 
family, weighing 1,700 to 2,100 pounds, and standing 16 to 17^4 hands 
high. She should be sound and of feminine type. The mare should have a 
fine head, with eyes well apart and well-set ears, not too heavy, a slim, 
graceful neck, well set on sloping shoulders, a large, roomy barrel, a well- 
sprung rib, a tail not too low, clean, sound, well-placed legs not inclined to 
be meaty or to carry too much hair, sloping pasterns and deep, tough 
hoof. The mare to be avoided is the one of masculine type or from a fam¬ 
ily of shy producers. They are rarely successful. A coarse, Roman head, 
heavy, poorly set ears, a masculine neck, a tail set too low, a short rib, a 
crooked, puffy hind leg, a straight pastern and a foot that is too narrow or 
too flat are also very undesirable features.” 
Prichard says: “Our experience has been that the full-made, wide, deep¬ 
bodied mare of medium height, standing on rather short legs, is the most 
successful in the hands of the average breeder. Her weight in ordinary 
working condition should be from 1,600 to 1,900 pounds. She should have 
plenty of bone both fore and aft, specially below the knee and hock. We 
like as much refinement about the head and neck as is consistent (with the 
conformation. The mare should have a strong back, well coupled to broad 
hips. Of course, she should stand on sound feet and limbs. Be sure that 
she has a sweet disposition and is not nervous and fretful. The frothy- 
dispositioned mare is a nuisance and should be avoided. Look your mare 
over and find a stallion that can correct her faults. Keep her in harness, 
if you can, working her up nearly to foaling time.” 
White is here referred to once more in the selection of the mare, but in 
a more descriptive manner. He writes: “I believe that the size in the colt 
should be mainly derived from the mare. Therefore, I like a large, open, 
roomy mare, but she must be feminine. While I do not want a long back, 
at the same time I prefer it to a short, pony-built mare. She, like the stal¬ 
lion, must be sound and have good, true action. Mares, while pregnant, 
can and should be worked when it is possible for the owner or his sons 
to handle them or when a reliable man is to be secured When this is not 
possible, it is best that the mare remain idle, but in this case she should 
be out every day unless the weather is very bad and should be an-..ou me 
