164 
PURE BRED DRAFT HORSES 
versity—altogether, nine breeding establishments. Among those that re¬ 
ported, the majority of breeding establishments, numbering to a total of 
fifteen stud farms, state that the breeding of their mares begins at three 
years. These include Lefebure Sons’ Co., Woodside Farm, Rockwood 
Farm, Holbert Farms, Wisconsin University, Santa Anita Rancho, Selma 
Farm, Longview Stock Farm, Arngibbon Farm, Hawthorn Farm, Wad- 
dington Farm, Thompsondale Farm, Michigan Agricultural College, Min¬ 
nesota University, and Truman’s Pioneer Stud Farm. In the Central Ken¬ 
tucky Farms the fillies are started to breed also as three-year-olds. Six 
farms—the Pentoila Stock Farm, University of Illinois, Maple Lawn 
Farm, J. H. Serven and Son, University of Missouri, and Ritchie Stock 
Farm—indicate that in their breeding practices the mares may be bred for 
the first time at either two or three years of age. At Purdue University the 
mares are seldom started to breeding service at two years of age, but, 
rather, at three, and the same holds true at the Gossard Breeding Estates. 
Stericker places the first breeding age at three years, but he says that 
some may be bred as two-year-olds. 
Varying statements are evinced by different breeders regarding the 
“prime breeding age” of mares. To illustrate these the following men are 
cited: McMillan believes that the mare is in her best procreative power 
at the age of three years; Haines says at from five to eight years of age; 
G. Andrews and Son, at from five to fourteen years; Raboin at from three 
to fifteen years; Butler at eight years; Haxton, at six years; Fuller, at 
sixteen years; Hooper, at from five to ten years; Moon, at eight years; 
White, at from five to six years; Truman, at seven or eight years; Peter¬ 
son and Kiddoo, at five years; Shaw and Hudson, at from five to nine 
years; Hanmer, at three to twelve years; Dix, at from eight to fourteen 
years; Holbert, at ten years; Serven, at six, seven or eight years; Ster¬ 
icker, at from five to ten or twelve years; and Cooley, at from five to fif¬ 
teen years. At the University of Minnesota it is held that a mare is in 
her ideal state of breeding ability at from five to twelve years of age; at 
the Santa Anita Rancho, at from four to twelve years; at the Irvinedale 
Farm, at from three to twelve years; and at the Waddington Farm, at 
from four to twelve years, or even beyond the twelfth year if the mare is 
a good breeder. At the Lefebure Sons Co., the mares are considered in 
their best breeding condition up to the age of twenty years, or even up 
till death, but aged mares are generally condemned. Good believes that 
the mare is always in her prime for breeding purposes as long as she is 
properly cared for, and, similarly, Pallister makes the statement that her 
prime breeding period comes when she reaches “over three (years of 
age) and as old as (her) condition permits.” 
In fourteen breeding establishments—the Lefebure Sons’ Co., Raboin 
Pioneer Homestead Farm, Woodside Farm, Irvinedale Farm, Pentoila 
Stock Farm, Gossard Breeding Estates, Ritchie Stock Farm, Hayfield 
Farm, Longview Stock Farm, Selma Farm, White Oak Stock Farm, 
Thompsondale Farm, Cornell University, and Purdue University—it is 
held that mares are never too old to breed so long as they will breed, set¬ 
tle, or produce a colt. Hooper gives the same view and Truman remarks 
that she is seldom too old to be used for this purpose. At the Michigan 
Agricultural College, however, the mare is considered too old for breeding 
work when she ceases to produce good, strong offspring. Stericker, Peter¬ 
son, Hanmer and McMillan are of the opinion that the mare reaches her 
normal breeding term at twenty years. Trowbridge states that the mare 
gets too old to breed when from twelve to twenty-five years of age, and 
Fuller places the age at from fifteen to twenty years. At Santa Anita 
Rancho cases are cited in which prize winners are produced from twenty- 
year-old mares; Kiddoo mentions mares twenty-tiwo years old that are 
producing regularly; at the G. Andrews and Son, one foal was born from 
