Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-03-24
The General-Purpose Horse.

A good deal has been written
and said about the horse-ofall-work,
how he may be bred and what his
characteristics should be. We have
frequently expressed the opinion
through these columns that such a
horse was myrth that existed only
in the Imagination, and to this opin-
ion we still adhere. A horse-of all
work must be a roadster, q farm
horse, carriage horse, al omnibus
horse, and dray horse, for horses
are used in pretty nearly equal
numbers for all of these purposes.
Goldsmith Maid may be taken as
fair model for the first named of
these classes, but she would make a
sorry figure in either of the other
more especially in the last two. Mr..
Perry's Due de Charities, or Mr.. Muir
rays Donald Dinnie, are good speci-
mems of the latter class, but no one
would choose horses of such type
for use on the road. And if these
horses are models Of what horses de-
signed for the respective uses named
should be, then it necessarily follows
that any attempt to proximate me-
dunn between the two will produce
a horse not as we'll adapted for either
of these purposes. A New York
City cartman could harness Gold
smith Maid or Lulu to his heavy,
numbering vehicle, and he might
perhaps do little business in his
line, but in few weeks he would be
likely to send them to Barren Island.
Dunham's Success, or billions ST.
Laurent could pull road wagon, but
the country physician who should
drive either Of them in his practice
would be quite likely to have horse
to trade in few days.
1t is not alone IN the matters of
size and conformation that any given
horse is untitled for all the various
kinds of work, but in disposition and
temper as well. The high-mettled
FESTIVE, sensitive thoroughbred, even
il he weigh a ton, would be lily ad-
apted to the heavy drudgery that the
draft horse is required to perform.
In short, horses, like al other domes-
tic animals, should be bred for pur-
pose-bred with especial reference
to the uses for which they are design
ed, and for the market in which they
are to be sold; and no man can
achieve any degree Of success as
breeder unless he has this definite
purpose in view, and pursres it with
persistent steadfastncss. AS we have
before remarked, there is room and a
demand for all Of these classes of
horses, and the man who breeds good
animals of either class cannot fail to
| find the business remunerative.
| The man who comes nearest rcqur-
ing a horse of all work is the general
farmer; but in his case it is not
horse Of all work, nor general pur-
pose horse, but horse that is about
a medium in form and disposition,
between the two extremes that is re-
quired; and if, in designating this
class, we should use the term farm
horse" it would more perfectly ex-
press the idea. Such horse should
not be heavy, unyieldy, or sluggish,
neither should he be nervous, eXCit-
able, or restless. He must have
weight enough to draw the pillow, and
he is expected to have style and ac-
ton enough to make a presentable
appearance when harnessed to the
family carriage; but such horse is
not the very best possible carriage
horse, neither is he perfection at the
pillow. If the general farmer could
afford to keep horses with especial
reference to each of these uses, he
would have greater degree Of ex-
cellence than he can possibly CON-
binc in a horse designed for both,
but very few can afford to do this.
But in all cases where farmer keeps
more than one team, it would be well
to have them divided up in quality
with a view to a more economical
division of labor-some for the light,
quick work, and others for the heavy
business. But as there will always
be q demand for the average farm
horse, the course Of breeding that
will most surely produce such an
animal becomes an important sub
iect for Observation-Disclosures
| Tine Stock journal.