87
" I find that in the majority of cases the mares selected for these certificates are not only mis-
shapen and inferior, but unsound and very often old and practically worn out, the owners of which
half starve them and therefore can never be expected to get any decent stock from them.
" There are many cases that have come under my observation where the owner having had a
certificate granted him has had his animal covered by a Government stallion, and then refused to
have her branded.
" Considerable difficulty has been experienced in getting these mares in for inspection on appoint-
ed dates. At three inspections held in the Rohtak district, up to which time 60 certificates had
been given, out of the sixty, 44 animals came up. From the owners of the 44 mares only 33
certificates were collected, practically only one-half of those issued. Of the 33 men who had these
documents. 4 refused the brand altogether and the certificates were re-collected. One man refused
the brand pending proof of the mare being in foal. Of the whole 60, it will be seen that 28 were
eventually branded. At a place called Sampla, a zemindar brought his mare up with a certificate,
he had her served by a Government sire and now refused to allow the mare to be branded.
Immediately after this, another man stepped forward and asked that he might have his mare
served by a Government horse, but he particularly stipulated that she was not to be branded.
When I told him that it was quite impossible to comply with his request, he then wanted to know
for what reason his neighbour, who had come up just before him, had been better favored than
himself, and failed to see why the same privilege should not be accorded to him. This view of
the question should, I consider, be always borne in mind.
" Some of the mares selected for these certificates in this district are, in my opinion, a disgrace
to horse breeding and every thing connected with it.
"Under the old system in vogue, in the old Horse Breeding Operations, when owing to the
fact of one officer having to travel over a very much larger area of country than he could possibly
do justice to, and where in some cases a district was not inspected for 2 or 3 years, I can quite see
that the issue of such certificates would have been productive of much good, but under the pre-
sent regime, where a Veterinary Officer visits each district under his charge at least once a year,
and in the majority of cases holds an inspection at nearly every tehsil, I consider their issue to be
quite unnecessary, in fact, prejudicial to the true interests of horse breeding. I firmly believe it
tends to render the brand unpopular, and it has been proved that the men will accept these certi-
ficates readily, have their mares mated with Government sires, and then evade the brand by re-
fusing to bring their mares up for inspection or by declining to have them branded.
" The brand is sufficiently popular in some districts, and I would rather advocate confining
Government stallions to those districts where it is so, and where really good mares are to be found
to mate with them, than to reduce its popularity by issuing these certificates in such numbers in
backward districts. More than half the mares to which these certificates have been given are
only fitted by reason of their conformation or unsoundness for mating with District Board horses
or donkey stallions."
The Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, North Punjab, reports
as follows:—
" Out of a total of 27 mares certificated since the inauguration of the system in the North
Punjab, only 15 came up for my inspection while on tour; of these, two were rejected as being
utterly unsuitable or unsound for branding. I am of opinion that the system of granting certifi-
cates will not work well, for in the event of a mare with, say spavin, being rejected by the Super-
intendent, the owner has only to take her to the District officer authorized to grant certificates :
the spavin will not be apparent to his unpractised eye so that he, thinking the mare a useful one,
will give the certificate willingly. In this case the owner gets at least one covering from an Impe-
rial stallion, probably more, for he will not bring such a mare for the Superintendent's inspection,
and will make use of his certificate time after time, thus possibly causing a good V. I. mare to
be turned away or made to wait for the stallion's services till perhaps she goes off season.
" Great difficulty is experienced in getting certificated mares produced for inspection.
" There appears too no great necessity for these certificates, as the districts, almost without
exception, are travelled every year and if a mare is worth branding she is worth bringing up for
the Superintendent to inspect. The following will show the number of certificates granted, num-
ber inspected, &c.
No.
1
2
8
4
5
6
Districts in which
certificates have been
granted.
Hazaro ...
Peshawar ...
Jhelum ...
Gujranwala ...
Sialkot ...
Shahpur ...
TOTAL
Certificates
granted in each
district.
2
5
1
11
7
1
27
NUMBER
INSPECTED.
Branded.
2
1
...
7
3
...
18
Rejected
...
1
...
...
1
...
2
No.
died.
...
...
...
1
...
...
1
Total.
2
2
...
8
4
...
16
Balance on
31st March
1895.
...
3
1
3
8
1
11
Remarks show-
ing the number
of marcs cover-
ed.
2
2
...
8
1
...
8