31
have always done good work, and I think that it would be advisable to endeavour
to extend mule-breeding in these parts.
Mares.
The best mares are concentrated in the central portion of the district,
and the north-cast and southern portions contain
nothing but a few small weedy animals unfit for any
purposes.
Hyderabad.
91. The extreme southern portion is next to Jacobabad, I think, the most
promising part of Sind and was opened up by me some
four years ago. It was the only part of Sind where
no attempts had been made to breed horses and mules, and it was, therefore,
necessary that a certain amount of care should be exercised in our method of
procedure. I realised the uselessness of attempting to tour in this particular
tract until the Zamindárs and people had been made conversant with the wishes
of Government on horse-breeding and with that view it was decided by Mr.
Woodburn and myself that the quickest and best way to accomplish this end
would be to hold a show at Talhár, the most central and convenient place in the
division ; and a show was accordingly held in 1894. It was a success and the
opportunity was taken of collecting all the most wealthy and influential Zamin-
dárs and explaining to them the wishes and procedure of Government when
opening up a new district for horse-breeding. The first year I endeavoured to
brand mares and failed completely, as the whole country side was averse to it.
The following year a few mares were branded at the show and Government
stallions placed in the district, the year after a few more were branded, and some
attempts made by the Zamindárs to utilize the horses. This year a complete
detailed tour was made in the district, 446 mares were branded and all the horses
had covered their full complement of mares. The success which has followed
the policy adopted in this district leads me to suppose that it was the right one,
and I feel sure that any undue haste in attempting to tour in a district when
branding, &c., was unknown, could only have resulted in failure, instead of which
this district is now in fair working order. The mares throughout are branded,
and the people willing and anxious to carry on the work which took some three
years to bring to its present pitch.
The extreme northern portion has had stallions stationed there for several
years, and by way of giving horse-breeding an impetus in these parts, it was
decided to establish a show at Moro. The first one was held in February 1893
and has since become an annual institution. The influential Zamindárs take
considerable interest in it, but the district does not contain many mares of any
size.
Mule-breeding.
The same difficulty was experienced in this district with mule-breeding, but
this has gradually been overcome, and the stallions are
now doing good work.
Stallions.
This collectorate in 1893 contained two horse and two donkey stallions and
at the end of this year five Government horse stallions,
five Government donkeys, one Local Fund horse, and
two private donkeys, and if the Mir of Khyrpur's territory is included, contains
a total of 8 horses and 9 donkeys. Owing to the excessive work done by the
horses in this district, I was anxious to place more stallions in the southern
portion, but owing to financial difficulties the Local Board were unable to
entertain my proposals, and operations were to some extent retarded on this
account.
Mares.
The extreme southern portion contains good mares, supposed to be the
descendants of a ship-load of Arabs wrecked on that
coast, and the central portion only a few very indif-
ferent and small mares, and the northern portion contains a few good mares but
the majority small.
Thar and Párkar.
92. This collectorate is, I think, valueless from a horse-breeding point of
view. In the year 1893 I placed one stallion at Umar-
kot and he covered 13 mares, the following year 5 and
the year after 26. He was removed, and enquiries made as to the class of horse
the Zamindárs would be likely to patronize, and elicited the following answer
that, if a Kathi C. B. was obtainable, to send one, otherwise no horse was required.