Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-06-28
HONEST FARMERS.
Matter Selected for Their
Especial Benefit.
BUSINESS METHODS ON FARM.

The Methods OF Breeding, Raising and
Training Horses in America Criticised
by German Horseman.
Before we can profitably breed horses
we must learn the hard, practical utility
of horse-breeding and raise horses for
some useful class in the industrial world.
The great American trotter, that we
boasted the greatest horse on earth be-
cause he could go mile in less time than
any other, finds no sphere OF usefulness,
and, as we have often said before, is the
laughing stock Of European horsemen,
who want horses Of size, strength and
endurance, with beauty of form to fit
them for the army or for the city streets,
where horses are priced for the work
they can do, not for the speed they can
do. Our readers will be interested in
the following letter to an exchange by
Herr Bruchard Won Oettigen, the stud
master of the Imperial Stud of Germany,
sent here by the government to investi-
gate the methods of breeding, raising
and training horses in America. Herr
Won Oettigen has visited every stock
farm OF prominence in America-North,
South, East and West: 81 could learn
great deal more in week in England
than year in this country" he said. 81
do not mean by this to in any way reflect
upon the thoroughness of your breeders,
but must say that they are careless.
They do not seem to look upon horse
breeding as business, one to be studied
and out of which study they may learn
what means to use in properly mating
animals. have seen a great many of
the farms where foals have been permit
ted TO nurse for eight months; while
this in itself may be very good for the
foal, it is very bad for the coming foal.
Then your method OF breeding is entirely
different. You mate anything with
speed. Your breeders seem to have very
little idea OF a proper ration for the
growth OF the animal. They feed too
much corn, which makes soft, spongy
bone, instead OF having finer bone,
with bran and oats. Some of your breed
ing farms are on scale of magnifcence
that could not be afforded by the royal
house OF Europe. For instance, in Palo
Alto there are over $50 men to take care
of The horses. This is small army, and
the expense must be something terrific.
The kindergarten system of educating
the trotter is good one as far as it goes,
but it only fits them for good speed
sustained for mile. That in my opin-
ion is where your breeders are making a
serious mistake. Everything is made
subservient to the one-mile record. The
horse is fitted, trained and worked with
the idea to knock off few seconds on a
smooth track with a bicycle sulky. OF
what use is such an animal? II he could
not go fast, he would not bring over $50.
Understand that | am not disparaging
the trotter in any way, for American
skill has certainly done more in a fight
with time for short distance than any
horse in the world. am looking solely
on the utility of such horse. He is not
useful, because his bones are bad, his
joints are often too small, and when
large enough have inherent disease. He
is not fitted to overcome difficulties, and
is only useful in the sense OF winning
races. A trotter in the European sense
must be able to go over any kinds of
roads, up hill or down hill, before any
sort of wagon, drawing 800 to 400 pounds
at twelve or fourteen mile an hour gait.
We do not in any way endeavor to
smooth the way OF difficulties for the
sake of record. We want horse that
can get out and do his work without any
nursing. Then, another thing, we hear
very little of team records for trotters in
this country. | do not mean, of course,
a sensational performance made by the
favorite driving pair OF some few gentle
men, but | am talking about the country
as whole. With us there are four-in-
hand trotting races for gentleman driv-
ers, and it takes good man, tell you,
to keep your horses on the trot up to
their work every minute of the four
miles, the distance usually gone over"