Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-06-06
The Best Horses.

II Iwere called upon to name the two
requis ties most necessary for farmer
to possess; in addition TO n good farm, l
should say agood wife and q good team;
and when a young farmer becomes pos
seSsed of these he has made good start
on the road to success. While no indus
try of the farm pays better than raising
good horses, none is more Improbable
than tuat of raising interior ones. 1t
costs but little more to raise a horse
which when six years old, will command
ready sale at 800 or $500, than one
which can with difficulty be disposed of
for 500; or than it does TO raise heifer
or steer which at maturity, is worth
$50 or $50. The best team for the
farmer is the one which will best an
swer all the purposes of the farm
blowing, hauling, taking the farmer and
his family to town, or his boys and
their sweethearis for lively sleigh
ride; and, in addition 10 all tnis, will
give him a pair of colts every year.
which will earn their keep from the
time they are two years old until they
are sold for $500 or $1,000 at five or
six. The team to do this is pair of
handsome bay mares sixteen hands
high, weighing 1000 to l,250 pounds
each with small. bony heads, large
nostrils, broad forehead, large bright
eyes. small, tapering ears; long necxs
nicely arched, deep as they spring
from the shoulders and small at the
throat-latch; long, oblique shoulder
blades; moderately high witherS; short
ba ks, and deep but not over-broad
chests, because a horse with n very wide
breast, although usually OF good consti-
tuition and great strength, is seldom q
graceful or rapid trotter; is apt to have
padding gait, and If used for road
work will generally give out in the FORE
legs from the extra strain put upon them
by the weight of the broad chest. Our
team must also have long, muscular
thighs, large knees and other Joints;
short cannon (shin) bones; legs broad
below the knees. and hooks with the
sinews clearly defined; fetlocks free
from long hair; long. moderately OBJ
lique pasterns; rather small. though not
contracted feet; broad loins; wide,
smooth hips. and long, full tails. They
must have plenty of nervous energy
and good knee action; must be prompt,
free drivers. capable of trotting a mile
good, hearty eaters; must not Inter
iere," and must carry their heads well
up without checks when on the road.
1t will readily be seen that these
mares are neither Clydesdales, Nor
mans, Canadians, Arabians, thorough
breds, nor trotters; but they are a team
which will pull the pillow through two
acres of land in day, will pull q ton,
yes, two. if the roads are good. of prod.
uce to the village four miles off ia less
than an hour, and trot back with the
empty wagon in half that time without
distressing themselves or their driver
Should the farmer have a trip of twenty
m les to make on business or pleasure
he can hitch them to his spring wagon
takes his wife and children with him
and they need not be away from home
more than three hours, or should hs
choose to go on horseback, he car
mount one of the mares and enjoy a ride
on a very fair saddle-horse. A team o
Clydesdales may pull heavier load a
a dead drag; Canadians will stand NOR,
exposure and poorer fare; ArabianS ar,
better saddle horses; thoroughbreds car
outrun them; trotters, when hitched e
road; but neither of these breeds com
bines anything like the desirable quail
ties for farmer that the team which
described possesses; and when it be
comes desirable to dispose of theil
produce the colts of such mares viii
lind reader sale than those of any o.
the others, being exactly suited to tn,
wants of the rich city gentleman for hi,
family carriage, for which be mus
have a strong. handsome, snowy team
and. az such teams are always scarce
he must pay q good price for them.
Large dray-horses usually bring re
munerative prices; but few men viii
pay as much for 3 team to haul theil
bales of cotton or barrels of -four a,
they will for team to draw their fami
lies in Central or Lincoln Park in win
ter. and at Newport and Long Branch
in the SUMMER. where each milIiouair.
strives to Guido the others in the beau
ty and style of his carriage-horses.
II will be useless for the farmer tr
try and get such horses as these for :
very low price: but when he has founc
them never mind the price. An extrs
hundred dollars or 50 invested in such
. span will pay better interest than II
the savings-bank. When the farmer
has obtained bis team Of mares let hin
look for stallion Of as nearly the same
type as he can find He must be full,
sixteen hands high. Of good disposition
and have the bold. high knee actor
which cbaracterizes a fine carriage
horse, for which rich buyers are wiIlins
70 pay literally II this horse can fro
IN three minutes instead of four s.
much the better. L. E1rdu. 1,
Rsral NesC- Yorker.