The Portland daily press., 1893-05-06
TREATMENT OF STATIONS.
Some Excellent Horse Sense From o Sue
cessful Breeder.

TREATMENT OF STATIONS.
Some Excellent Horse Sense From Sue
cessful Breeder.
owned the Duke of Perche, and in
the IS years owned him he never got
Rs few as 81 mares in foal in one year,
while he did get as high as 100 colts
in single year. He served a large
number Of mares every year I had him
and died when past 20 years old from
strangulated hernia. He had served 81
mares that year, and the last five served
within the last week of his life all got in
foal.
I tried all the various ways of keeping
and using this horse. I moved him dur
ing the season the first three or four
years I had him, drove him on the road
one or two winters, used him in the lum-
Der woods hauling lumber and logs a
couple of winters beside another stallion,
used him to break colts with, and one
or two winters had man ride him from
two to four miles day.
Finally the last few years I gave him
big box stall and led him to water
twice day, and that was all the exer-
else he had, yet he was never more sure
in his life than those last years. Neither
were his colts ever more strong or Wig
orous, and they were always strong,
there being 90 foaled in one year before
there was one lost. Therefore I have
come to the conclusion that many of the
whims and theories as practiced by stall
lion owners are worse than useless, and
that their stations are sure and remain
SO in spite of them instead of on account
of them.
I firmly believe that the best and
safest way to handle any stallion of the
heavy breeds is to give him large box
stall with a field of an acre or so at
tached, with water in his stall and the
lot fenced with wire that the air may
circulate freely, and then let him run
except IN very cold or rainy weather
when he should be kept in, and horse
that has not gimp enough to exercise
himself all he needs without chasing
with whip should never be bred to, but
castrated at once.
/ believe also that the closer we follow
nature the surer we are to be right, and
therefore should breed mares when they
are in heat, be, it seven days or seven
teen after foaling. There can be no pos
tive time given or rule laid down for
all to follow. I have had mares that
would never get in foal till the colts
were two months or so old, and others
that when bred from the seventh to tenth
day would always get in foal, but when
allowed to go by that time could not be
got in foal again until after the colt was
weaned.
Neither do I think 1t wise to examine
mares, except in unusual cases perhaps,
and have not the least doubt that more
abortions have been caused and loss of
service occasioned by examining them at
from three to eight weeks after breeding
than have ever been gained by such ex-
aminations, especially by the ordinary
stallion keepers. have never been able
to learn by observation or otherwise any
way to tell whether mare was likely to
breed or not except by having her served
by the horse. Many times have thought
I had, but always something turned up
soon to show me that I could not tell.
and this applies to all other notions and
whims regarding care Of stations and
horse breeding in general. One needs to
have lot Of good common sense and use
it.-E. Woodman in Breeders Gazette,