HORSE BUYING AND BREEDING IN SOUTH AFRICA. $$? 
shoulder between your knees as he scurries over the veldt An Ar¬ 
gentine pony’s amble is rather comfortable, when you have got over 
the feeling that you are riding a ‘stiff ’un/ but I much prefer an 
English trot or canter to this tnpple. 
We are now, the ist October, waiting for the outbreak of war, 
which in the opinion of practically every Englishman out here, can 
alone settle the differences between Great Britain and the Transvaal. 
We are very busy buying large quantities of horses, cobs, and mules, 
and at the railway junction of De Aar, which they are making into a. 
military depot, I have passed over 500 animals during the last week, 
and the cry is still “ they come.” 
HORSE BREEDING. 
Whenever we had an opportunity of going over a South African 
breeding stud of course we seized it. Amongst others we visited the 
two largest breeding farms for blood stock in the Colony. The first, 
belonging to Mr. Alexander Robertson, is situated near Colesberg, in 
the extreme north of the Colony, not far from the Free State border. 
Mr. Homan, who was contracting for us, is partner in this stud, the 
best sire of which is that fine horse Nunthorpe, which used to carry 
Colonel North’s colours in England. This grand-son of Camballo out 
of Matilda stands 16.2^, without being in the least “ on the leg,” and 
with his great bone and substance ought to be the best possible mate 
for South African mares, which are apt to run light. The only thing 
one can find to ‘ crab ’ him with is that his hocks are slightly too benr. 
He won for his owner the Liverpool and Brighton cups, but his best 
performance was winning the Jubilee Stakes, carrying (I think) the 
top weight. He was foaled in 1886. 
The other sire is Quickmarch, a chestnut son of Saraband out of 
Marcia, a small horse, very smart on the turf here at 5 furlongs. 
The stud consists of fourteen mares, the best of which, Celery by 
Springfield—Celandine by King Tom or Macaroni, is perhaps as good 
a mare as there is at the stud in South Africa. 
Another a Colonial mare, bred on the farm, Irene by Sir Amyas 
Leigh—Esther Stockwell made a name for herself on the South Afri¬ 
can turf. 
It was the worst time of year to see horses, and the day we inspect¬ 
ed the farm was a most trying one. A high and rather cold wind 
making their coats stare, and the animals look generally tucked up, 
and we came away with the impression that as far as size and quality 
went, there was a falling off in the stocks bred out here from English 
parents. This impression was removed by our visit to the next stud, 
at Culmstock, near Schoombie, on the northern edge of the Great 
Karroo. Here, on a farm of 7,000 morgen (more than 14,000 acres) 
Mr. Charles Southey, a nephew of the poet, and son of the secretary 
of the victor of Boomplats (Sir Harry Smith) has for years been a 
successful breeder of blood stock. His two stallions are Pearl Diver 
by Necromancer and Wroughton, neither of which can compare, to 
look at, with Nunthorpe, though the former is a very taking looking 
horse, and about the most successful stallion out here. 
