Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-10-20
JOSEPH BATTELL,
MiddleburY, VT
GOOD BROOD MARES ESSENTIAL
For the Horseman. ]

L or the HOrScnanJ
The very successful California breeder
William Corbitt is quoted as having re-
Gently remarked that he is turning out
more trotters now because his mares are
better individually and better bred than
formerly" Mr.. Corbitt has always been
stickler for individuality in his selec-
ton of brood mares, and few years ago
we noted, during tour of the coast
farms and ranches. that while all the
San Mateo mares were not of gilt-edged
pedigree they were almost without eX-
ception mares of splendid form. Indeed,
we saw no other collection in California.
and but one anywhere, that averaged as
well in the matter of individuality as the
San Mateo matrons, and this fact, taken
into connection with the marvellous sue
cess of that establishment in turning out
winners. is certainly instructive and sig
nificant.
The writer who not so long ago cpl
grammaticaiy remarked that This is
the brood-mare epoch in breeding" very
happily expressed the increasing recog
milton of a sound principle that was for IA
long time quite ignored. The old-time
idea was that everything depended upon
the stallion-that "anything would do
for brood mare" Neither soundness,
form. speed nor any great degree of
breeding was required of the mare, and if
a W nf linz fnr oth
pose the most degenerate of specimens
was readily received in the stud in the
belief that from her good horse could
get good foals. While perhaps there may
be none now to advocate this old idea
that the mare is simply matriX for the
blood of the stallion in breeding, there
are certainly many breeders who continue
to breed in accordance with that fallacV
For this the "standard craze" has been OF
course largely responsible. As long as
the chief requirement of the market was
simply for standard stuff it met an ever
increasing supply. More than half the
horse farms in the country became simp
ly standard producing mills. and every.
thing of standard producing capacity
was forced into the studs with rockies.
disregard of individual worth. Even OF
the larger, the more pretentious, and the
should-be most progressive farms the no
account mare whose sole virtue was tina
her fOals would be standard could b,
found IN every paddock few years ago
nd fnn vsNFt tsll
in the breeding ranks, for which only tn,
chosen few are fitted. The result of this
wide spread effort In the matter of breed
ing standard pedIgrees instead of trying
to breed really good horses was the so
called panic of last year IN the trottins
market. The market grew more ant
more eXacting in the way of individual
excellence, until finally the truth became
apparent to even the most obtuse tina
the standard brand would no longer sci
poor horse. The lesson to many was
drastic and expensive one, but it wa
needed, and its effect on the trottn!
breed will be all for good. Greater car
is now being expended in selecting ant
mating individuals with a view to pro
ducing not pedigree alone. not spec,
alone, but pedigree, speed and form com
bined. The foundation of success in thi
progressive breeding is being laid in tn
steady wedding out and strengthening o
the harems. Even the most superficial
student of the business of breeding tn
trotter now observes that those farm
that have in the past produced the great
est sires and performers, and are nov
producing the winners. are those who's
brood mares were and are of the highes
class. Bat even yet undoubtedly tn
majority of breeders are far less eXactin
with regard to the quality of their mare
than of their stations. There seems n
logical reason for this lingering tendenc
to gloss over the shortcomings of tn
animal that is expected to become tn
mother of trotters and of sires of trotter,
writers on the science incline 10 the opin
ion that individual excellence in the dar
is really more important. If possible
than in the sire, i. e., that as n rule tn
dam eXerts the greater Influence upO
the quality and character of the offspring
Certainly the most successful of Englis
breeders of racehOrses, from Lord Fa
mouth down, both in theory and praclic
insist upon the highest quality in tn