Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-10-12
LIV I STOCK
THE COACH OR CARRIAGE HORSE.

;5 ILL II Ia.
THE COACH OR CARRIAGE HORSE.
The Kentucky Lire Stock Record takes a
very sensible view of the late excitement in
breeding fast %trotters, to the neglect of the
good carriage and@general utility horse, and
we are pleased to place it's remarks before
our readers as they are worthy Of a careful
consideration.
The old style coach or carriage horse is
almost extinct in Kentucky. His place is
supplied by the trotter. The horse of five
and twenty or thirty years ago is rarely
seen nowadays. The big bays, browns and
chestnuts Of former days, ranging from 15a
to 164 hands high, with deep and well-pro-
portioned bodies, arched c%rests, strong and
clean bone under the knee, open, sound,
tough feet, with great knee action, lifting
their fore feet high, are as scarce now as
they were plentiful at that period. The dis
/. play OF coach and carriage horses at our To-
cal fairs some years ago, as well as at other
less notable gathering, was n of the most
popular and charming parts of these exbi-
billions. Most Of these horses walked and
,trotted well, picked up their fore feet smooth
iy, bent their knees and kept their hind feet
well under them. This activity, with their
great beauty, short, pointed ears, extra
style, hardness, endurance and docility, en-.
inently distinguished them as splendid spec
linens of the coach and carriage horse.
Without the speed of the modern %trotter,
they stood remarkably well over our hard
u%nyielding macadamized roads, and could
travel all day. Our farmers would do well
TO go back and breed this class of horses
and give up to a great extent the breeding
Of t~rotters, the supply Of the latter in the
last few years being greatly in excess of the
demand. s
Suitable sires to cross with the common
mares and stock of the country can be OBJ
tained at a trifling expense among the many
thoroughbreds that either break down year
", or have not sufficient speed to be classed
high as racehorses. Among them are many
strong, stout and sound horses that can be
bought cheap, and whose service fees could
be put at from $40 to $25, and pay a hand
some per cent. on the investment. Nearly
all our farmers seem DESTROYS of breeding a
%trotter, and every year valuable mares are
bred to interior sires because they stand
cheap, many of whom possess serious de-
ficiencies.. In this section, one of the best
breeding districts in America, there are ev-
cry year many Indifferent sires advertised,
whose stud career it would be better for the
country at large if it was cut short by the
free use of the knife, Many of these candi-
dates for public patronage possess neither
beauty, style nor finish, but have many
faults which should not be perpetuated, such
as weak, narrow loins, light thighs, bad cur
by hooks, light bones and thin, shelly feet.
Many Of them have nothing beyond their
breeding to recommend them, and this Of
ten consists of some remote connection with
! once fashionable strain of blood.
When farmers use such siHes there is great
uncertainty in producing sound, cookbook
Ing offspring. We would not be considered
rs opposedst to the breeding of t%rotters, for
we are not; but we are opposed to the in
discriminate breeding of mares either UNI
sound themselves, or to- sires that are UNI
sound, with the expectation of getting a
sound colt, fast trotter or good coach horse.
When a farmer possesses a well-bred mare
OF known blood or of high form and'marked.
characteristics, it is well to breed to the best
sire within reach, but to- breed a common
mare of little trotting action, to the best trot-
ting sires, will oftener fail than succeed in
producing a good %trotter, and;in nine cases
-