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66. The Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, North-Western
Provinces and Oudh, states:—
"The zemindars continue to look with favour on the Norfolk Trotter or Hackney, especially if they are
of a dark brown, dark bay, or black color, but, at the same time, there is not the slightest doubt that the
thoroughbred Australian, thoroughbred English, and Arabs, are increasing in popularity."
67. The Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, North Punjab
says:—
"With regard to the demand for stallions, I can only repeat my last year's remarks, which are, that in
nearly every district in my Circle, should a thoroughbred be standing with a Norfolk Trotter, the services of the
latter are, almost without exception, never taken in preference, and are only used when the thoroughbred is
not available. Among thoroughbreds, I include Australians, which class, should they be obtainable in sufficient
numbers, and of the same quality as those we are now receiving, I have come to the conclusion, will be the
stallion of the future for improving the breed of horses, at any rate in the North Punjab. Their grand legs
and feet, power and substance, entitles them, I think, to preference over thoroughbred English, the price allowed
for which rather precludes the best being obtained. Australians are occasionally somewhat slack in the loins,
but this does not appear to affect their weight-carrying powers to any great extent, and this disadvantage is
more than compensated for by their other palpable advantages. They are not so delicate as thoroughbred
English either, and the few which I have so far had serving up here stand the climate well, the breeders like
them immensely, and their stock is most promising.
"The Arab comes next in favouritism with breeders to the thoroughbred. This class of horse is most
valuable in those places where mares are small or where the faults of the country-bred have not become eradicated
by crossing with Government sires, for, I think, the Arab stamps his stock with the characteristics of his race
more than any other class of stallion.
"Of the others, I can only say the Hackney is less objectionable than the Norfolk Trotter, and I hope the
time is not far distant when the only stallion required in the North Punjab, will be Australians, thoroughbred
English, and Arabs. In the Shahpur district especially, it was noticeable that the big fine mares of that country
were, in very many cases, very short from the stifle to the hock, and had no second thighs, a characteristic
feature of most Norfolk Trotters."
68. The Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, South Punjab,
states:—
"But for the famine, I am of opinion that a greater number of mares would have been covered this year
than last; as it was, it was only one hundred and sixty-four less for the whole of the South Punjab. Thorough-
bred stallions are the most popular, and after that, the Arabs. In many districts where Arab stallions stand,
breeders asked that they might be changed for bigger ones, the big Arab is very much in demand. At
Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan Horse Shows, Breeders, Tehsildars, Zaildars, and Tumandars, begged that I would
take away the Norfolk Trotter stallions and send them nothing but thoroughbred English and Australian and
Arab stallions. They said that the produce of the Norfolk Trotter stallions was slow, soft, and wanting in
staying power. At the Dera Ghazi Khan Horse Show, Captain Powney Thompson, the Deputy Commissioner,
informed me that breeders would not look at a stallion with a short tail, because they thought it was a Norfolk
Trotter. In the Dera Ghazi Khan district, there is now only one Norfolk Trotter and one Hackney stallion.
One Norfolk Trotter has been destroyed, and one has died this year in this district, and they have been replaced
by two stallions transferred from the North Punjab, one 'East Indian' a thoroughbred English, and one
'Young Egotist' a Stud-bred, both very suitable horses, and both good stock getters. This leaves now only
one Hackney and one Norfolk Trotter out of 15 Imperial stallions standing in this district, which is the best
horse-breeding one in the South Punjab."
"The most suitable stock for the Army are unquestionably those which are produced by the thoroughbred
English, Australian, and Arab stallions. I think most of the best stock were by these classes of stallion out of
mares by Norfolk Trotters and Hackneys, though the best of all were by this class out of big, nearly thorough-
bred, roomy mares with plenty of bone and substance. In most districts of the South Punjab, the Norfolk
Trotter strain is very prevalent, and in some of them—Amritsar, Ferozepore, Multan, and Dera Ghazi Khan, for
instance, it has been carried too far. One strain of the Norfolk Trotter, if the produce is out of a mare wanting
in substance, is beneficial, but in cases where there have been two or more strains of this class of stallion, the
produce has been short and thick in the neck, straight in the shoulder, heavy topped, and tied in under the knee.
This last fault is very common in the Norfolk Trotter stallion. I am of opinion that more thoroughbred and
less Norfolk Trotter stallions are now wanted, but they should be horses with plenty of bone and substance.
The thoroughbred Australian stallion seems to me the most suitable for India, he has sounder legs and feet, and
better bone than the thoroughbred English stallion. I have seen produce got 'by Moorhouse' 'Hegira.'
Exbank; "and 'John Gilpin,' all of which were most promising."
69. I have now given the opinions of the Superintendents, Civil Veterinary
Department, who are in charge of our three largest breeding centres, and it
will he seen that, with the exception of the North-Western Provinces, the
opinion is unanimously in favour of thoroughbreds and Arabs. It may be
asked why the North-Western Provinces adhere to their fondness for hackneys,
the only reply to this question is, that the zemindars of these Provinces are not,
as a rule, horsemen, and therefore they do not discover the failings of the stock:
the breeders farther North, devote much time to racing and tent-pegging, and
it is at these sports that the inferior qualities of the young stock got by
hackneys are so noticeable. I would call attention to the remark made by the
Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department, South Punjab, viz.:—
"In many districts where Arab stallions stand, breeders asked that they might be changed for bigger ones,
the big Arab is very much in demand."
70. This is the class of horse I have endeavoured to obtain during the past
three years, and for the coming year I think I have made such arrangements
that will lead to better horses being brought over, but, as already stated when
remarking on the Arab market, the amount sanctioned is still too low to induce
the importers to bring the best over.