78
Mule breeding appears to be popular; 4 donkeys are now employed,
these Jacks have covered 263 mares during the past year.
Fifty-seven mares were covered by the horse stallions.
A small show was held at Kapurthala from 18th to 24th February 1895,
but owing to the fact that it was suddenly antedated, it was not as large as
was anticipated. 182 horse stock competed for prizes offered by the State.
Of these, 115 were mares fit for horse and mule breeding.
Maler Kotla.
277. This small State has already done something towards horse breeding,
but the two stallions employed are in no way calculated to improve the class
of horses in the State. They are not even liked by the zemindars, who, I
was informed, took all their best mares to the adjoining district of Ludhi-
anah to be served by the Government stallions there.
The Superintendent of the State, Nawab Amiruddin Ahmed Khan
C.I.E., afforded me every assistance and quite agreed with my views
as to the stallions required to place horse and mule breeding on a more
satisfactory basis, but owing to the fact that the State had commenced rais-
ing Imperial Service Troops, he considered that it would be advisable to defer
doing anything until the following year. During my inspection I saw
120 mares, the property of zemindars in the State; the majority of these were
more fitted for mule than for horse-breeding. I therefore consider that it will
be advisable to place one good galloway there and to restrict the main opera
tions to mule breeding which has become so popular in the adjoining district
of Ludhianah.
Patiala.
278. That this State contains a great number of mares which at present are
not utilized owing to the want of proper stallions, cannot be denied; still, it has
done much to foster horse breeding.
The steps taken may be placed under two headings, viz.:—
(i).—The private stud of His Highness the Maharajah, at which some splendid
stallions are employed, these include:—
1
1
1
2,
Arab,
Thoroughbred English,
Roadster,
Australians,
besides 6 ponies; all these are likely to get good stock, but as the State pos-
sesses 70 mares fitted for horse or pony breeding, the stallion strength is vastly
in excess of the number of mares kept. I was therefore pleased to find that 87
mares, the property of zemindars, had already been covered by these horses
during the current year, but as I pointed out, the stallion power at head-
quarters is fully equal to 600 mares, and therefore it might without injury be
made available for many more zemindari mares.
Attached to the private stud is a grand run on which I saw 66 head of
young stock being brought up on the liberty system, but most of these will
only prove to be ponies: as far therefore as the Cavalry of the State is con-
cerned, it cannot expect to derive any benefit so far as remounts are concerned,
and considering that the State maintains 600 Imperial Service Troops, Cavalry
and also 1,500 Sabres of its own, steps must be taken to provide a great number
of remounts annually, unless the Native Cavalry are made to suffer by the
competition. This brings us to the consideration of the second heading.
(ii)—.Breeding by the zemindars of the State. I am pleased to find that
8 stallions have been sent to the various tehsils. Of these, 2 were found to be
unsuitable for horse breeding. These horses were sent out in May and in 5
months had covered 129 mares ; this certainly is a grand beginning of what
must ultimately prove a very great success.
One point I brought strongly to notice in this State was the absence of
donkey power. At present, only one Jack is employed at head-quarters,
there is therefore a wide field for the extension of mule breeding. I recom-
mended that at least 5 more should be employed, but as yet the State has not
come to a decision on this important matter.