Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-04-11
Stock 8aisine.
For the VERMONT FARMER
HORSES.

As the VERMONT FARMER makes its week.
| ly visits to our home circle, it tells us much
that is both interesting and instructive. |
was much pleased with the paper of W. g.
| bnforth, in the FARMER Of March l4th. 1t
had the right ring.
And | should like to see more about the
improvement of the horse-that noble animal
which contributes so much to the comfort,
pleasure aud wealth of man have seen
many horses that respected more than did
their drivers they manifested more moral
virtues, such as patience, willingness aud the
enduring Of abuses without retaliation.
1t is an admitted fact that Vermont has
lost her prestige in horses; although there is
Il growing desire to improve our horses, ow-
ing to the high prices some have been sold
for, yet she never viii regain her former high
position as long as she allows her best mares
to leave the state, aud breeds from scrub
mares and low bred stations.
II Vermont farmers would keep the best
mares, Of good size, aud cross them with the
best thoroughbred stations, Of large size, OF
elegant form, aud descended from an ancestry
noted for their staying qualities, such as
Lexington, Warmister aud Gray Eagle, aud
if possible show disposition to bcul the
| knee and trot, and theu select the best FLIES,
aud either cross them with thorough.bTeds
or the best trotting stations, such as HAM
betonian or Mambrino Pilot, we should have
class of horses that would compete with
any in the world,
am well aware that some will differ with
me in regard to thorough.breds; they will say
they are too slender in the limbs, and too
high.strung Tor our use. As for being high
spirited, never saw one that was too high
for roader after having been rightly train.
ed. There is no horse that cannot be learned
to walk. As for light limbs they are not as
small as you think, there is no long hair on
them, Wet the legs of your horse aud see
how much smaller they look. The eye can
not measure correctly the size OF the leg; the
difference in form makes some look smaller
than they really are, while others look larger.
Veterinary surgeons tell us that TIE bone
in the blood horses leg is like ivory and
nearly solid, while the bone Of the cold
blooded horse is coarse and porous with a
largo hollow. That the former compares
with the latter as oak to pine, and that the
cannon bone Of the thoroughbred horse will
weigh as much as that OF the cart horse.
Herbert tells us that the "legs of the
blood horse possess nearly four-fold the ele-
ments of resistance and endurance that they
do in the cold blooded horse of the same ap.
parent size. Beyond this the internal an
atomical construction Of his respiratory or
gans, of his arterial and veinous system, OF
his nervous system, in word, of his consti-
tuition generally is calculated to give him
what he possesses, greater physical power,
greater vital and recupsratory power, in pro-
portion to his bulk and weight, than any 9TH
Sr known animal added to greater quickness
Of movement greater courage, greater endur-
anco of labor, hardship and suffering, than
will be found in any other of the horse
family"
Hiram Woodruff says, "ii of good, sound
family, such as Messenger belonged to, am
satisfied that the Thoroughbred is the hardi-
est, as well as the speediest and stoutest ami
NAL that the art Of man has been able to
perfect"
StOnehenge when speaking of the thorough
bred being used for the road, says there is
no doubt that thoroughbred horses might be