Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-02-05
Have Horses Deteriorated 2

The good old times OF htty years ago will
never return. The nlarmist can ever point
to the solid period that has gone, when all
things conspired to perfection, and degener-
ate times come always to the present.
"Distance lends epchantment to the view,"
whether you look forward or backward. All
bemishes come out n bold relief under the
microscope of to-day, while all that is grand
and worthy of imitation is seen through the
telescope Of the past. So prone are VIC to
see things small that belong to our day, that
you hear Of the puny soldier Of the present,
while the finger of admiration is pointed to
the stalwartIC Crusaders, in their Titanic ar
NOR /; yet this pleasing fiction is dispelled on
a visit to the Tower Of London, and an at.
tempt to buckle the armor of these huge SOL.
diers of the past on an average man of to-
day. Lo, the steel and brass have shrunken,
and will not 90 on
Deterioration of horses Nonsense! This
is sheer croaking. How many horses OF fifty
years ago could contest field with second
or third rate horses of to-day?
Admiral Rous, who has sometimes criti.
cised the present system of training. asserts
that Eclipse would be no match for the kings
Of the turf now. He shows that the average
thoroughbred has been increased in height
one hand, and proportionally in weight.
Take the trotter. 1t is less than sixty years
ago that he could accomplish a mile in three
minutes, yet that has been reduced to 2:14,
and we cannot now fx any definite limit to
the possibilities of the future. The advance
has been great yet as the philosophy OF
breeding shall be better understood, it will
be oven greater. The true ground OF criti-
cisn is, not that there has been no progress,
but that the breeder has not studied well the
true physiological principles Of breeding,
and therefore has not produced so great re-
suit as he might, aud has often bred for The
least useful qualities. He has attempted to
"gather figs from thistles''-to produce a
sound and perfect animal from an unsound
and imperfect dam or sire. There has been
too great an effort to produce mere speed to
the neglect Of more useful qualities. But in
this effort at mere speed there has been
necessarily, a gain IN force. Speed, with
weight, represents force in its highest sense,
a combination Of nervous and muscular ac
ton. Yet We think there is such thing as
breeding excessive nervous action, and that
a selection for mere speed will tend to de-
stroy the proper balance between the ner
vous aud muscular systems.
Strongly tending to this end is the use o.
stallious while training for speed. The ner-
yous system Of the horse, while under train.
ing, is likely to be in an abnormal and high.
| ly excltable state, and must, to an injurious
extent, be communicated to his offspring
Some carry this to the extent of asserting,
that the highly trained stallion will never ge
rid of this unnatural nervous excitement
and will, to the end, communicate it to hi.
offspring. But this appears to be an ex
treme theory, and is not likely to be real
lied, except in cases Of overtraining while
young. The effort to breed to a stallion
that is a winner, except after more than a
year has elapsed since his contests or trial
of speed, is unquestonaby serious error.
But we would not discourage breeding tc
winners under proper circumstances, 70
there is no doubt that acquired speed ma,
become so fixed a quality as to be transmits
sable, and this is Legitimate point in breed
ing. But it may be doubted whether it Il
safe to breed to sire that has been put h
such supreme effort on the turf as to become
disabled and then devoted for his remaining
days to the stud. Too much trust is places
in the dam or sire's power of transmitting de
sirable qualities and emitting defects. 1t i
too discouraging to find, at maturity, that I
fine colt which gave the highest promise a
a yearling, has inherited an uusoundnes
that renders all his other good qualities use
less. There can be but one true rule anC
that is, under no temptation, to breed from
an unsound animal. Combine all the bes
points, Breed only from the best,-Lir,
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