130
703. Commenting generally on the results obtained by the attention paid
to horse and pony breeding, the Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department,
North Punjab, states :—
" The great and increasing good which the action of District Boards, in placing Arab pony stallions at stands
in the districts, will greatly improve the breed of ponies, and should financial matters improve, and a large number
of small stallions be purchased, a better standard all round will result. So profitable have owners of small mares
found mule breeding, especially in the Rawalpindi district, that pony breeding was in danger of becoming
reduced to a large extent, as it is the ready sale now found for good looking country-bred ponies which I have
noticed are well stamped by their sires, ensures the stallions soon getting their full complement of mare.
Every encouragement is given by District Boards at Horse Shows, as separate classes are held for mares
covered by District Board stallions and their produce, and good prizes are given."
704. Having attended a large number of Horse Shows this year, I can
confirm the above expressed opinion. There can be no doubt that placing good
Arab ponies in various parts of these Provinces is having a marked effect; it
is producing two results :—
1st.—It is improving the stamp and adding to the number of ponies
generally, and by this, mule breeding must progress, and a
better class of mule must result.
2nd.—It is adding to the number of mares available for Imperial horse
breeding, as many of the fillies exceed the height of their dams
and grow to a sufficient height to allow of their being branded.
Mares unbrand-
ed or branded
for district horse
breeding.
705. Table F (page xci) is supposed to show the number of mares fit
for horse, pony, mule, and donkey breeding, and were we able to obtain reli-
able information on these points it would be most useful; the returns, how-
ever, are so incomplete as to render them of little value.
In the North Punjab Circle, for example, no returns were received from
Hazara, Jhelum, Bannu, and Dera Ismail Khan, as there were no means of
obtaining any reliable information as to the number available for different
classes of breeding.
Stallions.
706. During the year under review, the demand for District Board stal-
lions has been small, and fortunate it was that it was so, for I never can
remember the Arab market as bad as it was this year. Ponies were scarce
and good ones were very hard to buy; this raised the prices enormously and
I paid Rs. 500 per pony for the bare number I required, and certainly did not
get better animals than in ordinary years could have been bought at Rs. 375.
Pony and mule
breeding in
Burma.
707. Neither of these need be seriously considered, as they do not exist as
far as breeding by Government stallions is concerned.
Three ponies were on the strength at the commencement of the year; two
were sold, the third covered 11 mares.
A Shan pony stallion was purchased; he covered 4 mares.
The donkey stallion standing at Paungtara covered 6 mares, that at Hsah-
tung did not cover any. The Superintendent, Civil Veterinary Department
and Political Officer, Southern Shan States, reports it to be a waste of
money to maintain these donkey stallions, stating that the people are too busy
with other industries they are accustomed to, to be induced to start the new
one of mule breeding. Under the circumstances, the Superintendent, Civil
Veterinary Department, has recommended that they should be sold.
Pony breeding
in Madras.
708. We must consider pony breeding operations in the Madras Presi-
dency to be confined to the Districts of Coimbatore and Salem.
In Coimbatore, 10 stallions were employed on 1st April 1896, one died and
one was sold, thus, at the end of the year, there remained eight.
In Salem, there were 3 stallions employed, 3 new ones purchased in Bom-
bay were sent to this district, making a total of 6 at the end of the year.
Pony breeding was tried in the Madura district, but has proved a failure;
the stallion only covered 14 mares.
The statistical portion of the report submitted by the Superintendent, Civil
Veterinary Department, Madras, is not on the accepted forms, which makes it
very difficult to arrive at results, but, as far as I can ascertain, the coverings
stand as follows:—
Coimbatore district .
Salem district .
Madura district .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
.
.
.
1896-96.
. 273
. 72
. 8
1896-97.
328
128
14