IK#^^"^'^ 'ND iNDIA AN! \BR( LIBRARY OF LEONARD PEARSON VETERINARIAN SECOND EDITION Horse-Breeding I N England and India AND Army Horses Abroad BY SIR WALTER GILBEY, BART. Author of Horses for the Army , The Great or War Horse ; Small Horses IN Warfare; Horses Past and Present; The Harness Horse; Young Race-Horses ; Early Carriages and Roads ; Animal Painters OF England, &c., &c. ILLUSTRATED LONDON : Vinton & Co., 9 New Bridge Street, E.C. 1906 G313 \JNtV£R6IVY 1 iSYLVe.,: -+- , 0 CONTENTS ^: Horse-Brkeding IX i8('>4 The Present State of Affairs Horses Bred in England Horses Bred for Sport Only Purchase of English Mares by Foreigners . . Horses AVanteu for the Army Sizeable Harness Horses Private Enterprise in England Breeding Without Prejudice Landlords would do well to give Choice of Stallions Cause of Failure in English Horse-Breeding Height of Race-Horses from 1700 to 1900 Character of Race-Horses from 1700 to 1900 The Introduction of Short Races . . The Roadster of a Century Ago What Foreign Nations are Doing Horse-Breeding in France Horse-Breeding'in Germany (Pruss(a) Horse-Breeding in Hungary Hokse-Breeding in Austria Horse-Breeding in Italy Horse-Breeding in Russia Horse-Breeding in Turkey Horse-Breeding in India : Opinions of the Late Veterinary-Colonel Hallen — First endeavours to improve Native Breeds. Army Remounts and Horse-Breeding. Native Mares. Difficulties in the way of improvement. Purchase of stallions. English Thoroughbreds. Objections to Thoroughbred Stallions. Thoroughbreds from Australia. Hackney Stallions. Results of using Thoroughbred, Hackney and Arab Stallions. Thoroughbred and Arab Sires in Bombay Presidency. Relative merits of young stock by various stallions. Commission of Inquiry igoo. Errors in working the Horse- Breeding Scheme. Demand for horses for sport in India. Stallions overworked. Small size of the Arab. Climate and size of the horse Opinions of Major-General Sir John Watson — Work of old Bengal Studs. Shortcomings of e.xisting system. Indiscriminate breeding. Character of mares ignored. Hopelessness of evolving an Anglo-Indian horse The Horse-Breeding (India) Commission of 1900-1 4 6 7 9 II 12 13 13 14 16 iS 19 20 22 30 35 39 42 44 49 s2-60 60-62 63-('5 ILLUSTRATIONS A Cover Hack, the property of the Ninth Duke of Hamilton Frontispiece Hl'ntkr Sirk — Cognac .. Height of Race-Horses from 1700 to 1900 Shark Orville King George IV's Hackney — Monitor.. Anglo-Norman Stallion — Radziwill . . Oldenburgh Mares 14 17 18 20 27 34 PREFACE Certain chauQ-es kaviucr come over the condition of onr Jiorse-breeding industry in England during the last few years, a7id more recent information concerning the zuork of horse-bi'eeding in India and the studs of France, Germany, Italy and Russia havino- been obtained, this Second Edition has been made necessary. Chapters on " Sizeable Harness Horses'' and on ''The HeighF and ''Character'' of Race- Horses from lyoo to igoo have been added to the original text. The particulars of foreign stud establishments given in the following pages shozu hocu fully Continental nations realise the importance of encouraging horse-breeding, and the value they continue to set on English breeding-stock. Elsenham Hall joth April, I go 6 Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in 2009 with funding from Lyrasis IVIembers and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/horsebreedingiOOgilb HORSE-BREEDING IN ENGLAND AND INDIA AND ARMY HORSES ABROAD Horse-Breeding in 1884 More than twenty years since I drew attention" to the neglect displayed in England in the breeding of Horses. Stress was then laid upon our increasing dependence on foreign countries for supplies of horses of the generally useful stamp ; and upon the mistaken policy of selling to Continental buyers the mares we might with profit to ourselves retain for breeding purposes at home, if such mares are properly mated. The Present State of Affairs Much has happened to alter the general condition of affairs since those words were spoken ; since the first edition of this book appeared in the year 1901, the change in some departments of road transport in Britain has been increasingly rapid. We have seen the horse-drawn tramcar replaced in many cities by the electrically driven car ; and the motor- driven omnibus threatens now to displace the horse-drawn vehicle. * A Paper read in 1884 at the Farmers' Club. With Discussion thereon by the Duke of Westminster, Earl Carrington, Sir Nigel Kingscute, Mr. Edmund Tattcrsall, and others. These changes have brought about as a natural con- sequence a decrease in the demand for the stamp of horse which was formerly required ; and this decreased demand is shown by the falling off in our importations of horses during the last few years. It will be observed that our imports of horses have now fallen below those of the years previous to 1899, 1900 and 1 901, the period when the South African War drained England of horses for artillery and transport, and obliged us to buy foreign horses in greater number than we had ever done before :— Imports of Horses for the Twenty Years, 1886 — 1905 1886 11,027 1896 40,677 1887 11,649 1897 49,519 1888 11,504 1898 42.921 1889 13,859 1899 43,900 1890 19,404 1900 51,787 1891 21,715 1901 40,856 1892 21,026 1902 32,686 1893 13,719 1903 27,266 1894 22,866 1904 18,491 1895 34,092 1905 13,711 Horses Bred in England I have given the figures for the last twenty years to enable the reader to compare those of recent years with importations at earlier dates ; but it is the steady decrease during the last four years upon which I wish to insist ; and in conjunction with these figures for 1902, 1903, 1904 and 1905, I would ask the reader's attention to the Government Returns of Agricultural Horses in England during the last few years : — 1897 1,526,424 1902 1,504,789 1898 1.517,160 1903 1.537,154 1899 1,516,630 1904 1,560,236 1900 1,500,143 1905 1,572,433 1901 1,511,431 The influence of the South African War was felt by the horse-breeding industry in common with others, but the recovery was rapid ; and, as the figures show, we bred more horses for work in England in 1903, 1904 and in 1905 than we had done for several years previously. The horses returned as " Agricultural " are not all animals of the stamp fitted for the plough and heavy draught work of the farm. They include a very considerable proportion of higher and more valuable class ; and there can be no doubt that breeders are at last waking up to the truth of the doctrine I have been striving to teach for more than twenty years — i.e., that there is a constant and steady demand for carriage horses, and that it pays to breed them. The horses returned as " Agricultural " also include, it cannot be doubted, a proportion of animals bred by farmers with the view of sale as hunters and ponies for polo and other work, the demand for which — particularly for polo-ponies — steadily increases. The " fancy prices " paid for polo-ponies of proved merit has done much to encourage the production of animals of this class. As regards high-class carriage horses, it is noteworthy that, notwithstanding the increased use of motor-cars, the demand for carriage horses continues to be as keen as it was before these machines were invented. The sales of high-class harness horses at Tattersall's and other great London repositories during 1905 produced keener competition among buyers and higher prices than they have ever done before. It would seem, therefore, that at last the work done by the Horse-Breeding Societies is beginning to bear fruit. The twelve Breed Societies have done a great deal to encourage the impro\ement of horses, by the promotion of shows and donation of prizes. At a rough estimate the amount of money distributed in prizes at shows held throughout England may be put at between ^"25,000 and ^35,000 per annum. In addition to these endeavours to awaken the country and breeders to our needs, the sum of ^5,000 since the year 1887 has annually been granted by Government to encourage horse-breeding. The greater part of this money for more than a century had been given by the reigning sovereign in the shape of Royal Plates. In 1887 the Royal Commission on Horse-Breeding was appointed, and one of the first recommendations of this body was that the sum of ^^3,500 which had been given by Queen Victoria in prizes for races should be diverted to the use to which it is now applied — namely, in giving premiums to thoroughbred stallions. Horses Bred for Sport Only Since the end of the coaching era — say since 1850 — we have been breeding, as at the present day, almost exclusively for pleasure, and not for business, and this is just where our weakness lies. The only animals for business purposes which receive the meed of attention their importance deserves are the heavy draught-horses — the Shire, Suffolk and Clydesdale. We are far ahead of any other nation as breeders of race-horses, hunters and polo-ponies — horses used in sport — we spare neither money nor pains to breed the best, but in aiming at production of these we either hit the mark or miss it altogether. We prefer a Thoroughbred sire, not because he has bone, substance and soundness, but because he is a Thoroughbred. The owner of a mare does not inquire concerning the make and shape of the stallion ; he asks, " How is he bred ? " and a fashionable pedigree is the strongest — nay, the only^ recommendation he will accept. This was not always the case; between the years 1800 and 1850, broadly speaking. Hunter sires were used to beget Hunter stock. It is true that breeders of Hunters did not confine themselves exclusively to the use of such sires, for the increased speed of hounds obliged them to produce faster 4 horses ; but such animals as Cognac, whose portrait is here given, were very hirgely used, to the great benefit of the Hunter. Cognac belonged, in the words of a writer in the Sporting Magazine of the year 1836, " to a race of Hunters nearly extinct, and justly celebrated for their high courage, honesty and "stoutness." The famous writer, Mr. Cornelius Tongue, best known as "Cecil," writing in the Sporting Magazine of May, 1851, says that " it was a prevailing opinion with hunting men until within the last twenty years that Thoroughbreds were not calculated for hunting." It would appear, therefore, that during the twenty years i83i-i(S3i mentioned, hunting men changed their opinions with regard to Thoroughbreds, and came to consider them suitable for riding across country. Having discovered that the Hunter mare threw a good foal to the stout Thoroughbred sire, some hunting men, at least, evidently adopted the practice of riding the Thoroughbred horse as a Hunter instead of using him only as a sire to beget Hunters. In this connection we nuist always bear in mind that the Thoroughbred of the period referred to was still a stout horse, able to gallop a distance and carry a heavy weight. Because the Thoroughbred sire of a former generation was successfully used to beget Hunters, we have taken for granted that his greatly altered modern descendant is equally suitable for the purpose ; and herein to a great extent lies the reason of our failure. There must always be a large proportion of disappointments in stud work ; the number of failures or misfits will always exceed the good ones, and the misfit got by a Thoroughbred from, say, a Hunter mare already full of Thoroughbred blood is only too often a misfit in the fullest sense of the word — disappointment to the breeder, too liglit for Army work, and scarcely fit for useful purposes — in homely language it is a " weed." Purchase of English Mares by Foreigners In France, Germany, Hungary, and other foreign countries breeders work on very different lines. They breed for business, not for pleasure ; their aim is to produce the highest stamp of useful horse. With this definite object they have for sixty years and more been buying English mares, free from bias in favour of one strain or another. Geldings, the foreign breeders scarcely ever purchase from us. The larger number of mares bought by them are those which have been accidentally blemished ; but in all cases the shape and not the pedigree of the mare guides the purchaser. They also buy sound young mares for work, and with the view of breeding from them afterwards. The eagerness with which foreign agents seek to buy mares from us has given rise to the idea that England and Ireland have been and are being steadily drained of the best mares ; and statements to the effect that " all our best mares are sold to go abroad " have been frequently published. Nothing could be more misleading. The owners of good brood mares will not part with them, and we have in this country the foundation-stock from which to produce in the future, as we have done in the past, horses of all breeds far superior to any that are bred in France and Germany. We in England and Ireland want, not the material, but the judgment to use it properly. We have the material, and that of the best, in abundance ; but we do not make the best use of it. Foreign breeders buy what they can, and, by the exercise of unbiassed judgment in mating the mares with suitable stallions, turn the material obtained from us to far better account than we should do. I insisted on this point in the address I read before the Farmers' Club in March, 1884." I said " it was an admitted * Riding anil Driving Horses: Their Breeding and Management. This paper gave rise to a most interesting discussion, in which the late Duke of Westminster, the late Earl of Carrington, the late Mr. Edmund Tattersall, Sir Nigel Kingscote and other prominent authorities took part. fact that we were possessed of the true bred sires and dams which cannot be equalled in any other country." The statement is as true now as it was twenty-two years ago. In addition to their annual purchases of English mares, foreign breeders have, since about 1830, been our best •customers for Hackney stallions. Foreign stud masters in the great horse-rearing districts can now show us distinct and well-marked breeds of useful horses which they have gradually produced by judiciously mating the mares they have bought from us. Had those mares been retained in England it is not likely that they would have benefited the nation ; they would, in all probability, have been put to Thoroughbred stallions, with the results described by Lord ■Cathcart." The point on which particular stress must be laid is that, owing to the method of breeding on the Continent, the foreigners' misfits are unlike ours. The foreigner may — he necessarily often does — fail to produce a youngster that will sell in the most remunerative market, i.e., as a carriage- horse ; but the misfit is not a weed, it is useful for general purposes. Horses Wanted for the Army Since the South African War, the War Office authorities have been bombarded with schemes and suggestions — good, bad, and impossible — for increasing the home-bred supply of Remounts. It is certain that there will be an enormous demand in the future for horses both large and small for military purposes. In the year igoo a large increase was inade in one arm which involves a large increase in the number of horses which will be needed. Fifty-four new batteries of Artillery have been raised ; on a peace footing each of these requires 58 horses, * Half-Bred Horses jov Field and Road : Their Breeding and Management, by Earl Cathcart, in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, 1883. or a total of 3,132. The war establishment of a battery of Royal Field Artillery is 131 horses; 7,074 additional horses would therefore be required to equip the new batteries for active service. Colonel De Burgh, Director of Transport and Remounts, in a letter dated gth March, 1906, informs me that the authorised " Peace Establishment " of horses for all arms, exclusive of India, is 29,713. A large proportion of these are draught horses of good stamp, powerful but active animals, suitable for work in the gun team or transport waggon. It may be suggested that Britain's position as a colonising nation, while it casts upon her larger responsibilities of preparedness for war, lends her larger opportunities of meeting those responsibilities. It would be impossible in these islands to find ground for breeding-studs on the scale that would enable us to meet a demand for all the horses we might require for warfare on any extensive scale. This question of military horse supplies is now become graver than before. The substitution of mechanical traction for horse power by the great carrying companies is cutting off a source of supply whose value was sufficiently proved during the South African War. Under the registration scheme, large numbers of seasoned horses of the stamp most suitable for Artillery and transport work were obtained from the omnibus and kindred companies ; if electricity and motor engines are to replace horses for such city work, the Army must look elsewhere for its requirements in time of need. If 1 may venture an opinion, our policy should be to encourage in our Colonies — Canada, Australia, and South Africa, more especially, as possessing soil and climate suitable for the industry — the breeding of horses of the useful type required for military service. There is space to conduct these operations on a large scale in the Colonies, while the mission of the mother country might well be to continue, as at present, breeding the best of every strain as a source of supply to Colonial breeders who may seek to improve their local stock. 8 The Government might profitably send to inspect and report on the great studs of France, Germany, Hungary, Russia and other countries. Such inspections may have been made officially, but the Reports have not been made accessible to the breeders of this country. It goes witliout saying that the choice of agents to make such inspections and reports must be a matter of great difficulty. The agent must be a man possessed of practical experience in horse-breeding, and not in breeding only one class of horse. The man who has devoted himself exclusively to the production of one class of horse, whether the race-horse or the hunter, cannot rid himself of the prejudices he has necessarily formed in the course of his experience as a breeder of race-horses or hunters — he cannot put aside his bias in favour of a horse suitable for sport. Few breeders devote themselves to the production of several classes of horse ; and the successful men among these few are naturally disinclined to leave their business for a prolonged tour through the horse-breeding districts of Europe. Sizeable Harness Horses It is impossible to deny that there is in the United Kingdom a great want of sizeable harness horses ; and this is a want which, in the interests of national defence, we should be able to satisfy from our own breeding grounds. We cannot do it. I stated, in my address twenty-two years ago, that English horses suitable for match pairs — square made, sizeable and having courage and action — could then be scarcely obtained ; and the statement is hardly less true to-day. I also stated that it was only necessary to visit the yards of our metropolitan and country dealers to discover how difficult and costly a matter it was then to find a London brougham-horse or a match pair from 15.3 to 16.2 hands in height. A similar mission might be undertaken to-day with the certainty of encountering much the same difficulty. Hundreds of pairs of carriage and coach horses have been sold every year in London at from ^200 to ^500 a pair, the purchasers being quite unaware of their foreign origin. At recent sales brown and bay upstanding coach- horses from coaches running during the summer out of London have sold at from 100 to 200 guineas ; a pair purchased by a friend cost 350 guineas. There can be no doubt whatever where these animals were bred ; if anyone took the trouble to trace their pedigree it would be found that they came either from the Oldenbourg province of Germany or from the horse- breeding districts of Normandy in France; there can be no mistaking the breeds. When the Royal Commission on Irish Horse-Breeding was appointed in the year 1897, niuch evidence in support of the above statement was given by two of the largest job- masters in London. Mr. Wimbush stated that he began to buy horses in Normandy about the year 1887, and he continued to obtain them from that country because they were just the stamp of animal required for carriage work. In his own words, these Norman horses are " not very large — 15.3 or 15.2, and occasionally up to 16 hands — but they are horses of beautiful appearance, very handsome and splendid goers ; they not only step well, but go most excellently on their hind legs." Formerly, the London dealers used to buy carriage horses in America. Mr. Henry Withers informed the Commissioners that for four or hve years his firm maintained one buyer in Lexington and another in New York. The scarcity of good carriage horses in England and Ireland obliged him to do this, though American horses were very dear. In course of time the Lexington and New York agencies were abandoned, not because carriage horses of the required stamp could be found in Great Britain, but because they could be procured more cheaply in France, Germany and Belgium than in the United States. ]\Ir. Withers informed the Commissioners that only a fortnight before he appeared to give evidence he had been on the Continent to purchase horses, and had bought in Paris, Hanover, Brussels and Ghent. This is an anomaly, but one for which it would be unjust to blame the dealers, for English-bred harness-horses of the class required have not been bred in any quantity in this country for more than fifty years. The enterprising English dealers take measures to meet their customers' requirements by maintaining on the Continent agents whose business has been to purchase the most "English-looking" animals they can find; and it may be asserted without fear of contradiction that the horses so purchased are bred from English stock. The steady progress made by the Hackney Horse Society, as evidenced by the annual increase in the number of animals exhibited at the Show held each year at Islington, gives ground for the hope that at last this matter of harness horse- breeding is receiving more of the attention it deserves. Those interested in the subject appear now to be realising that we can breed in England harness horses of a class quite as good as, if not superior to, those for which the jobmasters pay high prices in the French and German markets. It would be strange if we could not do so, having regard to the fact that the foreign breeders have built up their excellent harness horses very largely — almost entirely— on stock purchased from England. Private Enterprise in England It is not, I think, desirable that the British Government should embark upon costly horse-breeding operations in emulation of foreign powers. Private enterprise in England has succeeded in producing domestic animals of all kinds so far superior to those bred in other countries that English stock, whether Horses, Cattle, Sheep or Swine, are purchased at "fancy prices" to improve their kind in every civilised part of the world, and breeding industries would not benefit were the independence of the individual undermined by Government help which relieved him from the necessity to exercise his own energies and judgment. It must be said, howe\er, that pri\ate enterprise is not always wisely directed. The practice among large landed proprietors and others of keeping stallions to serve the mares of their tenants and others at small fees is increasing. It is an ungrateful task to take exception to a practice which proves anxiety both to promote the welfare of the tenants and to encourage the breeding of good horses ; but it must be pointed out that to keep a Thoroughbred stallion to serve any or all the mares that may be brought to him, tends directly to defeat the good objects in view. Breeding withol't Prejudice It will be seen that none of the Continental Governments wliich devote attention to horse-breeding pin their faith to one single breed and depend upon that to improve all breeds. The 'ground plan of the system in each country is to raise the standard of merit of each breed (i) by providing the best procurable stallions of that breed for public service at low fees, and (2) by affording the owners of mares a certain range of choice in stallions, that defects may be eliminated or improvement obtained by judicious crossing. Where the system of affording owners of mares opportunity for choosing among \'arious stallions all the best of their kind has been long in vogue we see the results in the shape of distinct strains which breed true to type ; for example, in Hungary they have established a breed of saddle-horses ; in France a distinct strain of carriage- horses — the Anglc-Norman — has been established on so true 12 and constant a basis that it not only breeds true to type, but can be depended on to assert itself when crossed with otlier breeds and stamp its character upon the progeny. Landlords wol'ld do well to give Choice of Stallions Those who desire to assist their tenants can only accomplish their end by keeping stallions of several breeds. Let the owner of a mare choose for himself whether he shall put her to a Thoroughbred, Hunter-sire, Hackney, Arab, or to a stallion of one of our Draught breeds. We should then have in operation a system which combines the invaluable advantage of choice so wisely provided by foreign stud-masters with that freedom to exercise discretion and judgment from which none would wish to see our farmers relieved. If one landowner be unable or unwilling to maintain such a stud representative of several breeds, there would be surely no great difficulty in two or three landlords combining to maintain a joint stud at one farm ; for the essence of the plan is to make all the stallions equally accessible. In this connection I would add that I am no advocate for horse-breeding by public companies. The business is not one that lends itself to industrial enterprise in that form. Cause of Failure in English Horse-Breeding If evidence be required to explain how we have failed to supply the nation's wants, it is only necessary to refer to the Reports of the various Commissions which have been appointed to inquire into the subject of horse-breeding, and more particularly to the Report of Lord Cathcart already referred to. Lord Cathcart makes the cogent remark that " in addition and supplementary to blood we must have substance from somewhere." The truth is that we have been working 13 as though blood necessarily gives substance. This was the case a hundred years ago and less, but is true no longer, and we must divest ourselves of the idea so resolutely held that the Thorough- bred is the only strain which can improve our horses. Like foreign breeders, we must seek bone and substance where those qualities exist and not where they only used to exist. Height of Race-Horses from 1700 to igoo About the year 1700, when the foundations of our Thoroughbred stock were laid, our race-horses averaged 14 hands or thereabout. The three "foundation sires" — the Byerly Turk (imported 16S9), the Darley Arabian (imported 1706), and the Godolphin Arabian (imported 1724) — were each of them horses of about 14 hands; and the race-horses of that and subsequent generations were no larger. Some, indeed, were smaller ; Mixbury, by Curwen's Bay Barb out of an Old Spot Mare, was only 13.2 in height. The weights small horses were asked to carry were greatly in excess on those in vogue on the race-course now. In I7ii,the conditions for a six guinea Plate at Newmarket imposed a burden of 10 stone on the horse, mare or gelding of 14 hands, with weight for inches if below or above that height — which, clearly, was the average height of the racehorse of the time. The weights, prescribed by law, for the Royal Plates ranged from 10 to 12 stone, according to age. The usual length of a race — run in heats be it noted — was four miles; but six mile races were not unusual in 1700- 1800 until the later years of that century. These longer races then fell into disuse, but four miles continued to be the distance for the Royal Plates during the earlier years of the 19th century. As the years passed, the race-horse became higher. The scale for "Give and Take" Plates, framed in 1770, gives the weights to be carried by horses of from 12 to 15 hands; the HEIGHT of EAOE-HORSES from 1700 to 1900 latter was obviously the extreme height for which it was considered necessary to provide, and it was probably an uncommon thing for the limit to be reached. Admiral Rous [Baily's Magazine, i860) showed that the average height of the Thoroughbred had then increased one inch in every twenty-five years. Facts bear out the Admiral's statement. We cannot doubt that the rate of increase in height has been more rapid from 1800 to 1900 than it was from 1700 to 1800, and for this reason — About the year 1800, or a little earlier, the practice of racing two -year -old horses was introduced, and, as a natural consequence, breeders began to "force" their young stock in order to make them the sooner ready for racing. The results of this policy had become evident in 1836, for an authority writing in that year "•' says : — " We have seen that the ' Turf ' commenced with ponies, and that for a long period horses under 14 hands were found among the best racers. . The intelhgent reader must perceive that the great size so much admired by the pubHc in brood mares has been acquired. . . . The Enghsh racer, we cannot doubt, acquired his enlarged structure by rich food." The "enlarged structure" to which the author refers, in his day, did not exceed 15 hands; we may doubt whether the a\'erage height was so much. Individual horses there were, as the Turf records inform us, which measured over 15 hands about this period, but these were very exceptional, and we shall probably be within the mark if we put the average height of the race-horses of 1800- 1820 at 14 hands 3 inches. With the increase in height attained in our own day our race-horses have lost, in great measure, the qualities possessed by their smaller ancestors. It would seem that there is a point in height, beyond which the race-horse, or indeed any horse, cannot with advantage be bred. Mr. Scawen Blunt * A Comparative View of the Form and Charaeter of the English Racer and Saddle-Horses during the Past and Present Centuries. PubHshed by Thomas Hookham, 15 Old Bond Street, London. 1836. 15 discovered this in his extensive experience as a breeder of Arabs. He found that there was no difficulty in grading them up a couple of inches ; but he found that when this had been done the bigger horses were in no way stouter, stronger or better than Arabs of normal size. Mr. William Day, the famous trainer, was a strong advocate for the horse of moderate size. He writes" : — " As a rule vou mav get fifty good small horses for one goodlarge one, and the former will, and do, run well after the latter has been put to the stud. ... A good big horse may beat a good little one over a short course ; but I think at three or four miles a good little one would beat the best big one I ever saw." Mr. Day admits the great merits of some big horses — Fisherman and Rataplan, for example — but, both for the race-course and the stud, his unrivalled experience leads him to prefer the small one ; in fact, when he reviews forty years' work among horses, he can recall but one single good stallion above or about i6 hands — namely, Stockwell.f Character of Race-Horses from 1700 to 1900 We have only to examine the history of the race-horse to discover that the breed has undergone most marked changes in conformation, constitution and character during the last two hundred years ; and to realise that while the race-horse of a former age could be depended on to beget animals sound and hardy, capable of carrying weight, and that over long distances, he has undergone such changes that it is absurd to expect him to do the same thing in our own day. For generations we have aimed at the development of a horse of great speed, able to travel a short distance under a light weight ; and having accomplished this with the greatest success, we still expect him to beget horses able to travel long distances under hea\'y weights at reasonable speeds — to beget, in a word, horses of similar stamp to his remote ancestors, from wiiom we have made him utterly dissimilar ! * The Race-liovse in Tiaiiiinf;. t The Horse: Hoiv to Breed and Rciw Him. 16 We may sum up this aspect of our subject by saying that the modern race-horse, as a sire for the improvement of our breeds of useful horses, is living upon the reputation made by his ancestors, who, by reason of their form and qualities, could do what we have made it impossible for the modern Thoroughbred to do — i.e., impart qualities we have carefully bred out of him. Such horses as Shark, whose portrait is here given, had bone and substance. The work they were called upon to perform required the highest qualities of the horse — stamina, staying-power and ability to carry weight. Shark was foaled in 1771, and was got by Marsk from a mare by Snap; he was bred by Mr. Robert Pigott, and made his first appearance on a racecourse at the Newmarket First October Meeting of 1774. He started 29 times and won ig times, receiving 6 forfeits and paying 4 ; he Avon more money than any horse up to his time. Shark, like many of our celebrated Thoroughbreds, was sent to America in 1786, and in \'irginia laid the foundation of the famous Snap blood. Hambletonian, another representati\e horse of the old stamp, was foaled m 1792; he was got by King Fergus from a mare by Highflyer, and was bred by Mr. J. Hutchinson, of Skipton, near York. In 1795 he was sold to Sir Charles Turner, and by him in the following year to Sir Henry Vane Tempest. Hambletonian was only once beaten, and on that occasion (at York August Meeting of 1797) he ran out of the course just after starting. His most famous achievement was his victory over Mr. Cookson's Diamond on 25th March, 1799, at Newmarket. Such a horse as Orville, whose portrait faces page 18, may be offered as an example of the race-horse of a century ago. This horse was foaled in i 799, and was by Beningbrough out of Evelina. He was bred by Earl Fitzwilliam, and between 1801, when he ran his first race at Doncaster, and the Second 17 October Meeting' at Newmarket in 1807 lie fulfilled 22 engage- ments, of which he Avon 18. He was second once, received forfeit once, and walked over once. His successes included the St. Leger of 1802, and he won races under all weights (including a King's Plate in 1805 under 12 stone) and at all distances. On 24th September, 1804, at Doncaster, he won two races, one in four-mile heats, the other in two-mile heats. He became, in 1804, the property of Prince George of Wales, and proved a most successful sire when sent to the stud. Orville is described as "a good brown." The Colonel was a good horse of a generation later ; he was bred by Mr. Wyvill, of Burton Constable, in 1825. After winning the St. Leger in 1829, he was sold to King George IV. for ^'4,000, and won many important races in 1830 and 1831. When the Hampton Court stud was dispersed in October, 1837, he was purchased for 1,600 guineas by Mr. Richard Tattersall. These were animals which could be depended to run three four-mile heats in an afternoon, and could therefore be depended on to produce stock with their own valuable characteristics. The Introduction of Short Races The old-fashioned race, run in four-mile heats, began to grow less popular during the last quarter of the eighteenth century, and the tendency to reduce the length of races and also the weights carried became marked in the earlier years of the nineteenth century. Elsewhere* an example of the remarkable change in our Turf system has been given, and may conveniently be repeated here. At the Newmarket Craven Meeting of 1820 there was one race of about three miles, five races of two miles or over, twenty races of about * Hoi-scs, Past and Present. By Sir Walter Gilbev, Bart. Published by Vinton & Co., Ltd. igoo. one mile, and two of under one mile. At the Newmarket Craven Meeting of 1900 there were three races of about one mile and a half, six of about one mile, and eleven of five or six furlongs. In 1832 a new schedule of weights was issued for the Royal Plates. From about this time the system of short races and light weights began to develop, and as it developed the character of the race-horse underwent a change. With every desire to produce Thoroughbreds possessing power as well as speed, breeders have found themselves unable to reproduce the former quality and successfully compete for the great prizes of the Turf. To be successful in these days the race- horse must possess the utmost speed, but he need not be able to travel at speed for a greater distance than a mile and a half at most, and if he can carry g stone he is considered a weight carrier. The Roadster of a Century Ago Thoughtful writers foresaw the result of this change in the English Turf more than 60 years ago, when Thoroughbreds of stamina and substance were far more plentiful than they are now. x\n author pre\iously quoted" declared that at that date " There are powerful reasons for concluding that the single quality of speed possessed by the modern (1836) racer is a bad substitute for the fine old union of speed, stoutness and structural power possessed by the old racer." The racer of the thirties was lighter than his ancestors, but he was far stouter and truer made than his modern descendant. " The older race-horses," wrote this author, " were swift enough to enable the general breeder to produce excellent saddle-horses. Our roadsters were formerly admirable * A Comparative Viciv of the Form and Character of the English Racer and Saddle-Horses during the Past and Present Centuries. Published by Thomas Hookham, 15 Old Bond Street, London. 1836 19 and plentiful, while at present a compact and powerful roadster wdth free action is scarcely to be bought at any price. It is obvious that the horses of our cavalry are much deteriorated, and that many of them could not go through a single campaign." A fine example of the old-fashioned saddle-horse is shown in the frontispiece, which is reproduced from George Garrard's picture of " Archibald, ninth Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, on a cover hack." This work was engraved and published in 1797. Another example of the old-fashioned roadster, whose disappearance the writer above quoted deplores, is Monitor, a very fast Hackney which belonged to George IV. That monarch was passionately fond of horses, and Monitor was evidently a special favourite, as his portrait was painted by James Ward, R.A., and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1825. This horse was a son of the famous Phenomenon, who traces his descent in a direct line to the Darley Arabian. The Darley Arabian (foaled 1702) begat Flying Childers (foaled in 1 71 5), who was the speediest race-horse of his time, and was considered by many a better horse than Eclipse. The portrait of Monitor, which is here given, shows the best stamp of the old Norfolk Hackney ; muscular, hardy and sound of constitu- tion and limb, this breed furnished the ideal roadster. What Foreign Nations are Doing Foreign Governments recognise the fact that they can learn something from their neighbours ; they give proof of this by the encouragement they lend to Horse Shows of an International character, such as those which ha\-e been held in recent years at Antwerp, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Vienna, Brussels, and in 1900 at Paris. These exhibitions afford opportunities which do not occur otherwise of comparing the results of various systems and methods of breeding. 20 A golden opportunity of seeing the stamp of horse each Government of Europe is striving to produce for mihtary purposes occurred in September, igoo, in the International Horse Show held at Paris, when the French Government spent upwards of ^50,000 in prizes, on erecting suitable buildings, &c., for the show, which lasted only one week. There were collected horses of numerous and varied strains from all parts of France, from Germany, Hungary, Austria, Russia and Turkey. So excellent an opportunity for comparing a large number of representati\'e examples of different breeds is unlikely to recur in our time, and it is a thousand pities that the War Office authorities did not send one or two competent men to proht by the wonderful objectdesson there provided. The Army horses 01 various nations exhibited at the Paris Show were shown mounted. To demonstrate the results of the practice of breeding for the various classes of work horses are required to perform, a selection of sizeable stallions and mares was first paraded, and these were followed into the ring by a troop of heavy cavalry mounted on the produce of these stallions and mares. Then we were shown stallions and mares of medium size, and with them a detachment of cavalry mounted on their progeny. After these came stallions and mares more highly bred, followed again by a troop of light cavalry mounted on their progeny. Nothing more interesting and more instructive could have been devised. It is worth while glancing briefly at the systems prevail- ing in France, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Russia. The reader will observe that the object of each Government being to foster and encourage the breeding of horses of classes most useful to the people of the country, there is in every case considerable variety of breed in the public studs, and that the owner of a mare may exercise his own judgment in selection of a sire. Horse-Breeding in France At the conclusion of the wars which called forth all her strength in the earlier years of the nineteenth century, the want of horses in France engaged the serious attention of the Government. Commissioners were appointed to travel through the country and ascertain what horses of certain old and esteemed breeds could be procured to re-stock the Royal Studs ; and measures were adopted to encourage private breeders. The Sporting Magazine of 1820 contains translation of a minute presented by the Minister of the Interior to Louis XVIII. recommending a number of gentlemen for gold and silver medals in recognition of the work they had done and were doing to promote the breeding of horses. Some details are given of the studs owned by these gentlemen, and from these it would appear that Arabs and Spanish stallions found place in several private studs. From the same publication we learn that for some years prior to 1820 foreign breeders had ceased to buy only Thoroughbreds in England to improve their stocks, and "great numbers of our half-bred mares have been collected and sent abroad." The trade then established has continued ever since, as has been shown on pages 6 and 7, under the heading " Purchase of English Mares by Foreigners." "Cecil," in an article on ra.c'mg in the Sporting Magazine of 1 85 1, says horses for general use were then very scarce in England, whilst the French Government were encouraging their production, more especially that of powerful animals for mihtary purposes and for general utility. 22 Napoleon III. (1852-1870), pursuing the policy of his predecessor, Louis Philippe, did his utmost to encourage the breeding of good horses. During his reign large numbers of Thoroughbred stallions, always selected for their stoutness and staying power, were purchased in England ; valuable stakes were offered for long races (2 miles 6 furlongs), in which the horses had to carry fairly heavy weights, and four-mile steeplechases at weights of from 1 2 to 1 3 stone were instituted for Thoroughbred stallions. With the same end in view, flat races and steeplechases were established for half-bred horses, and the fields that turned out for these have been compared to those that face the starter for Hunter stakes in England. The Turf in France has always been made subservient to the serious national work of breeding useful horses. Public money is not spent in encouraging weeds only capable of carrying six or seven stone over a five furlong course. Under the law of 29th March, 1874, the Horse- Breeding establishments of France were reorganised. It was then enacted that the State should purchase stallions at the rate of 200 per year, until a total of 2,500 had been reached. In 1892 another law was passed, sanctioning a further increase in the number of State stallions by annual additions of 50 per year. Finally, in 1900, a third law authorised the purchase of 50 stallions a year until the number owned by the State should reach a gross total of 3,450. France, for stud purposes, is divided into six districts, which contain 22 Government studs for stallions. At these studs, on ist January, 1905, 3,267 stallions of different breeds were available for distribution among 689 local covering stations for the public service. The Inspector-General of Horse-Breeding operations has been kind enough to give me the following information as to 23 the strength of the studs at the beginning of 1905. staUions, it will be noticed, are divided into three classes I Thoroughbreds ... Thoroughbreds ... j Arabs ( Anglo-Arabs* 1 Southern Half-bredsl I Normans and Vendeans Not Thoroughbreds... ' Qualified Trotters] I English Hackneys ' English Hackneys — Cross-bred ;; Percherons Boulonnais Ardennes ... Bretons Draught The 244 102 233 200- 307 120 7+ 301 71 98 66 3,267 Comparing the numbers of stallions of various breeds in 1899 with those owned by the Republic in 1905, some interesting and suggestive facts appear. There is a decrease in the number of Thoroughbred sires, as the following figures show : — Thoroughbreds ... Arabs Anglo-Arabs Now let us see how other light breeds stand Normans and Vendean stallions Qualified Trotters English Hackneys Hackneys — Cross-bred * Cross between English Thoroughbred and Arab. t Southern (du Midi) horses are bred in the Tarbes district and have a strong strain of Arab blood. X Certified to have trotted one kilometre (about 5 furlongs) in I minute 40 seconds. These horses have been graded up from Hackney sires which were imported from Engtand forty or fifty years ago. ^ Cross between English Hackneys and Hunter mares imported from England. 1899 1905 Decrease 262 244 18 105 102 3 260 233 27 stand : 1899 1905 Increase i'354 1.451 67 261 307 46 71 120 49 7&' 7^ 4 24 The breed of which the French Government has most largely increased its number of stallions, having regard to proportional strength, is the English Hackney. From the table showing how the stallions are distributed among these 22 Studs, we may select two important examples ; the stud at Tarbes, in the Pyrenean region, where light horses are chiefly bred, and Le Pin, in Normandy, where heavier saddle horses, carriage and light draught, and a proportion of heavy draught horses are produced. At Tarbes, in 1905, the horses available for distribution among covering stations were : — TJiovoiighhveds : English, 39 ; Arabs, 29; Anglo-Arabs, 55 ; total, 123. Half-Breds: Southern horses, 51 ; Normans and Vendeans, 8 ; English Hackneys, 2 ; total, 61. In all, one hundred and eighty-four stallions. At Le Pin, the following were available for distribution : — Thovoiighbreds : English, 17. Half-Breds : Normans and Vendeans, 10 r ; Qualified Trotters, 62 ; English Hackneys, 17; total, 180. Dmiight Sires: Percherons, 77; Boulonnais, 3 ; total, 80. In all, two hundred and seventy-seven stallions. The largest stud in France is that at St. Lo, in Nor- mandy, whence 423 stallions were distributed in 1905; but it is less representative than the two of which details have been given, consisting of 317 Norman and Vendean stallions, with 74 Qualified Trotters and 32 English Thoroughbreds. To further illustrate the system, let us take one small covering station, to which there are hundreds similar — that at Lesparre, in the Medoc. The stallions which stood for three months during the season 1904 at Lesparre were as follows : — Fee I. COTHURNE English Thoroughbred by Farfadet — Cothurnia 8s. 2. OVEZO A nglo-A rab „ Edhen — Electricity 5^- 3- Jambes d'Argent Anglo-Arab ,, Fil en Quatre — Johette 5^- 4- OUF Half-bred Trotter* ,, Fred Archer — Alumette i6s. 5- Liernolles Half-bred Norman * „ Flabell —Virago 5S- 6. Tell Half-bred „ Frondeni — Vamba 55. 7- Un Sybarite Half-bred „ Portugal — Frein 5S- * All these "Half-bred Trotters" and Half-bred Norman stallions have Hackney blood in their veins. 25 This table of fees brings out another suggestive fact. In 1899 the highest fee was 165. Sd. charged for the service of Thoroughbred mares by the Thoroughbred stalHon Montbran. In 1905, 8s., or less than half, is the fee set upon the service of the only English Thoroughbred ; but the Half-bred Trotter sire commands a fee of 165. in 1903, whereas in 1899 service by Half-breds could be had at 5s. and 8s. ^d. These changes show us very clearly what blood is most in demand among the shrewd French horse-breeders who seek to produce horses that Avill sell. Lesparre is in a district in which horse-breeding is by no means a prominent industry — it is one of the chief vine- growing regions of France ; the celebrated vineyard Chateau Lafite is only seven miles distant from Lesparre — yet the owner of a mare may choose from seven stallions, representing five different strains, paying the small fees specified above. The supply of stallions is adjusted to meet the local demand ; the foregoing list shows us that experience has taught the Stud authorities to make provision for service by Half-breds of five times as many mares as are sent to the Thoroughbred or Anglo-Arab. There is no heavy draught stallion at Lesparre ; the reason is to be found in the fact that oxen are very generally used for cart and plough in this district, and heavy draught horses therefore are not bred. If we turn to the Finistere Department of Brittany, where post horses are bred, we shall find the same principle in operation ; there stand stallions of a stamp calculated to get the sturdy " blocky " horses for which the district is noted, and which have been graded up from imported Hackney sires. In France, during the year 1904, there were 3,213 stallions belonging to the State in actucil -ivork ; these covered 175,956 mares. Looking more closely into the returns of service, we find that in the Thoroughbred class (English, Arab, and Anglo-Arab), 583 stallions performed 25,577 services, or about 44 each; the Half-bred class, 109,271 26 services, or nearly 52 each; and the Draught sires, 41,108, or over 79 each. The stalHons at each local covering station are changed frequently. An excellent representative of the stamp of horse produced by judicious crossing is shown in the engraving. This is the portrait of Radziwill, an Anglo-Norman stallion, descended through his sire from the Norfolk Phenomenon. Radziwill, when this portrait was taken in 1900, was five years old; he is a chestnut standing a shade under 16. i, and is the mode of the high-class carriage horse. He was shown with his sire Juvigny at the International Show at Paris, and the resemblance between father and son was a striking object- lesson in the success with which judicious mating can produce animals true to type. Radziwill's dam was a small Anglo- Norman mare, but coming of a breed normally big, her foal proved true to his breeding and furnished into a truly grand harness-horse. Besides the 3,213 stallions belonging to the State, there is a large number in the hands of private owners. Any stallion whose services are available to the public must be licensed by Government as belonging to one of three classes : — (i) "Approved" stallions, which are considered good enough to improve the breed of horses. These are sub- divided into two classes : Sires which earn over 100 francs (^4) per service form the first class ; these receive no bounty from the State ; the second class consists of sires for whose service 100 francs or less is charged by the owner ; these receive an annual premium of from £-ii to £80 a year. In 1904 there were 1,479 " Approved" Stallions, viz. : — Thoroughbreds, Arabs and Anglo- Arabs ... 306 Not Thoroughbreds ... ... ... ... 458 Draught ... ... ... ... ... 713 1.479 27 (2) "Authorised" stallions, which receive no premium, but whose progeny are eligible to compete at shows subsidised by the State. They were — Thoroughbreds, Arabs and Anglo-Arabs ... 23 Not Thoroughbreds ... ... ... ... 28 Draught ... ... ... ... ... 202 253 (3) "Accepted" stallions, which have nothing to recommend them but a certificate of freedom from roaring and intermittent opthalmia. In 1904, 7,629 stallions were accepted by the committees charged with the duty of examination. During the year 1904 the "Approved" stallions performed 75,717 ser\'ices, and the "Authorised" stallions 1 1,945. No record is kept of the coverings by the third class, the " Accepted " stallions. There is only one Go^'ernment stud farm. This is at Pompadour, where sixty mares are kept. English Thoroughbred, Arab and Anglo-Arab horses only are bred at Pompadour, and the farm is only a small factor in the general scheme of breeding. Improvement is sought principally through the provision of good stallions. Bounties are also given for brood-mares, filly foals, and as prizes for horse-breaking at public competitions. These measures encourage owners to retain possession of the best breeding-stock for the benefit of the nation, and stimulate endeavour among the people to achieve skill as horse masters. In every breeding district in France shows are held at which the young stock are exhibited and are awarded prizes. The two-year-olds are led and the three-year-olds are shown mounted. The judges are officials connected with the neighbouring studs and one or two representatives of the head office of State Haras in Paris. 28 About ^308,000 of public money is spent annually in P'rance in horse-breeding. The expenditure includes the maintenance of the stallion studs and depots, purchase of horses, premiums to private stallion owners, and prizes given at races, local shows, &c. About ;^i 00,000 'of this total is derived from the tax or percentage levied on the pariinutiiel, or betting organisation, which tax is "ear-marked" by the Treasury to devote to horse-breeding purposes. 29 Horse-Breeding in Germany Prussia stands pre-eminent among the German States as the horse-breeding region ; in fact, all the Government studs and farms are situated in Prussia. The stallions for public service belonging to the State numbered 3,194 in the year 1904; this shows a marked increase on the strength of the studs during the last ten or eleven years. In 1884, the State stallions numbered 2,152 ; in 1896 the total number was about 2,600. These 3,194 stallions are distributed among 18 " Rural Studs," which, in their turn, supply 1,045 covering stations, an increase of 146 since 1896-7. The stallions in 1904 were classed as follows : — Class I. Light Riding-Horses, 830 (including 100 English Thoroughbreds, 12 Arabs and Anglo- Arabs). Class II. Heavy Riding or Light Draught-Horses, 1,660. Class III. Heavy Draught Horses, 704 (including Percherons, Belgian and Ardennes horses ; Shires and Clydesdales ; French and Norman, and German Farm-horses. Comparing these figures with those of 1896-7, given in the former edition of this book, it appears that the German Stud-masters, like the French, have of recent years learned to depend less upon the English Thoroughbred. In 1896-7, Class I. consisted of 419 light riding-horses, of which 94, or less than one-fourth, were Thoroughbreds ; the figures kindly furnished me by the Inspector-General of Studs at Berlin show that in 1904 Thoroughbred horses formed less than one-eighth of the total. The principal object of the Prussian Government Stud Department is to provide Remounts for the Army. Of the Remounts supplied in 1904, about 6,000 were for cavalry ; and of these only 600 were got by Thoroughbred sires. 30 The fee charged for the use of a pubHc stalHon is generally under £i. Privately owned stallions must be approved by local committees (which also license bulls and boars) before their services may be hired. During the financial year of 1904, 2,279 licences were applied for and 1,433 were granted. The majority of these licences were for light riding or light draught- horses ; the remainder for farm and cart stallions. Much is done to promote private enterprise. There is a special fund provided by the Government from which private horse-breeding associations can obtain loans free of interest. Such loans must be repaid within six years. At the end of 1895, 61 associations had taken advantage of this fund, the total lent being £5,275. Brood-mares may be purchased on very easy conditions from the Government Supply Depots; the principal stipulation being that the buyer shall have the mare covered by a good half-bred stallion belonging to an Imperial stud, and shall offer the produce when three years old to the Army buyer as a Remount. If, however, the owner wish to employ the produce for stud purposes he is not bound to put it on the Remount market. Pecuniary inducements are also offered to breeders to retain good brood-mares and rear young stock. For the convenience of breeders the War Office agents arrange markets at suitable times and places, where young animals on sale as Remounts for the Army may be inspected and bought ; no middlemen are employed. Horses are purchased by the military buyers at three years old. The average price paid is about £^47, but purchasing officers are, or were a few years since, mstructed to deal liberally with the breeders. I am informed that it Avas the rule not to try and beat down the price asked for a horse if it were reasonable ; and giving a small breeder more than he demanded was not unknown if the animal appeared more valuable than the owner supposed it. The young horses thus purchased are kept at the Remount Depots 31 for about fifteen months and are then distributed among regiments. Before this distribution takes place, breeders may select any mares that promise to make particularly good brood-mares, paying a little more than the average price for the animals so chosen. Few, however, take advantage of this privilege. Mr. Frederick Wrench, in the Badminton Magazine of December, i8gg, describes the stallions in the Rural Stud at Celle, near Hanover. There were, at the time of his visit, 250 horses in this establishment, fourteen of which were Thoroughbred and all the rest Half-bred Hanoverian. Of these latter Mr. Wrench says: "The regular Hanoverian type is a dark brown or chestnut placid-looking harness- horse, standing at least 16.1, with great limbs, a good look-out, a fairly good back, and long enough to fill any harness." These Hanoverian horses trace their ancestry back to stock which was imported into Germany fifty or sixty years ago by Mr. H. R. Phillips. The names of both Irish and Yorkshire Half-bred horses still appear on a few of the pedigree cards fixed in each stall at Celle, where the number of stallions in 1905 had been increased to 275. Hackney blood was widely diff'used over the horse- breeding districts of Germany, Hanover, Oldenbourg, Holstein, Mecklenburg, and East Friesland ; for, once Mr. Phillips had introduced the Hackney to his German customers, sires and dams with the blood of Performer (foaled iSio) and Ramsdale's Phenomenon (foaled 1835) were eagerly bought up to cross with the local stock. It is exceed- ingly probable that the inter-trade in harness-horses between England and Germany dates back to a much earlier period ; the best of the German coach-horses and our own ha\e so much of the same character in common that they would seem to be descended from practically the same stock. In addition to the 18 "Rural Studs" referred to on page 30, there are six State breeding-studs with about 740 32 mares and 30 stallions. Of these Graditz and Trakehnen are the more important. The stallions bred at these establishments are sent to the Rural Studs if they can fulfil the standard of merit required by the committee which is assembled to examine them. Those that fail to satisfy the committee are sold by public auction. The largest of these studs is that at Trakehnen in East Prussia. When Mr. Wrench paid his visit to this estate, which covers about 10,300 acres, the breeding-stock comprised 4 Thoroughbred and 12 Half-bred stallions, with over 400 mares. The Trakehnen horse, as it may be called, for it now breeds true to type, is generally a long, low black horse, about 16 hands high, with the best of limbs and a beautiful head, " a trifle long in the back, according to English ideas, but a valuable stamp of horse, especially for harness purposes." The extreme quietness and docility of these Trakehnen horses, young and old, evoked comment from Mr. Wrench. By the distribution of illustrated pamphlets the German Government endeavours to instruct breeders in the best methods of managing stock, and also concerning the stamps of horse required for the Army. A typical Artillery and heavy-weight saddle-horse is described as follows, for the guidance of breeders : — " Height at 3 years, 15. i to 15.2^ ; height when full-grown, 15. 2| to 16. i|. Activity, speed, freedom of action and endurance are required as in the artillery horse. The breast need not be so broad as in the artillery horse. The fetlock should not be too short; while, on the other hand, if too long it bends too low and causes the heavy weight carried to produce fatigue on a long march. A good back for the saddle is as necessary in the cavalry horse as a good shoulder for the collar in the artillery horse." The "general requirements" in horses for the German Army are thus detailed : — " (i) Small, blood-like head, neck well set on. (2) .Strong well-placed legs with big joints. (3) Well-arched ribs and good sloping shoulders. (4) Well-formed, strong back, not too long, well-coupled and high-lying kidneys. (5) Strong hocks, free from disease. (6) Round, sound hoofs with .healthy frogs. (7) Sound constitution and good digestion ; and (8) Free, energetic action." 33 The mares whose portraits are here gi^'en are of the Oldenbourg breed. The province of Oldenbourg has long been famous for coach-horses. OHver Cromwell, when Protector, received as a gift a team of coach-horses from the Duke of Oldenbourg. The net cost of Germany's horse-breeding establishments is about ^190,000 a year. 34 w