The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-05-09

ing to a limited extent of hunters will
be profitable. The following on the
breeding of these animals is from The
Horseman;
The development of "fencers" and
high jumpers is, up to certain point,
along the same lines. Good manage
ment and experience alone will make"
a hunter, after he has received his in
itiatory lessons, and the same may be
said of the high jumper, but the school
ing of the one is directed toward good
manners in general, and at fences in
particular, while that of the other is
only in the direction of clearing the
highest bar possible. OF the two tho
kind portrayed in this issue is the more
valuable
Touching the hunters size, form and
quality, it may be said that the desirable
size ranges from 1873 to 16 hands
greater height is only needed for carry
ing riders of 220 pounds and upward.
Closely knit form, clean cut head and
neck of good length, shoulders sloping,
back short and stout, quarters powerful
and plentifully muscled, with strong
bone, are essential qualities of the true
hunter. Moreover, he should be "a
horse in front of the saddle" Short
necked and straight shouldered ones
never make good hunters. The leggy
kind will not stand work, but certain
amount of reach is requisite for gallop-
ing mile after mile at "a fair rate of
speed. Smoothness of action helps his
powers of endurance.
For lightweight in grass country
where the pace is fast from the find to
the death a thoroughbred answers best,
but the most serviceable type is pro
duced by the blood horse and mares
with two or three top crosses of the
thoroughbred on a coach or other foun-
dation even as cold as the Clydesdale,
from which they derive strength of bone
and the necessary size. The race horse
alone is capable of string high class
hunters. This is strongly emphasized
by the fact that in England the queens
premiums of $1,000 each, which are
given to promote the improvement of the
hunter, are awarded only to thorough
breds.
The breeding of hunters is lucrative
as we'll as pleasing enterprise and is
one for which many parts of this coun-
try are admirably adapted. Our market
has hitherto been supplied mainly by
the Canadian breeders, who by success
sive crosses of Thoroughbred on ma
tive" mares have succeeded in produc-
ing excellent horses for the chase and
other saddle purposes. There is no rea-
son why we should have to go to the
Dominion for our hunters. On the con-
trary, considering the climatic and other
advantages of our horse breeding dis
tricts, we should have surplus to put
on the market. Among American thor
oughbreds many horses can be found
well qualified to sire hunters. Indeed
it is a question if more suitable types
for this purpose can be found in England
than in America, and our larger native
mares, tracing back to the thorough
bred through trotting lineage of more or
less excellence, would make better
foundation for breed of hunters than
can be obtained in any other country.
1t is therefore plain that such horses
can be readily and protitably bred in
America. There are fame and fortune
awaiting the man who will engage in
this enterprise in accordance with the
principles already established in the
older horse breeding countries.