Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-05-24
A BRIGHT ERA FOR HoRsEMEN.

A BRIGHT ERA FOR HORSEMEN.
From the Rider and Driv,r.
Reports from all the horse exchanges,
not only of New York. hut elsewhere, in
dictate decidedly upward tendency in
prices for fine stock A significant and
to us most satisfactory incident is the
appearance in the market of trotting-
bred animals trained for heavy-harness
work 1t would sound most egotistical
for The Rider and Driver to claim sole
credit for this change of sentiment, yet
we may he pardoned If saying that for
nearly five years we have been advocat-
Ing the policy which has brought about
the result row enjoyed. Instead of striv-
ing for phenomenal race track horses
only, many of our breeders have turned
their attention to getting horses of size,
substance, style and beauty for town
work Not only is Improvement shown
i'm the harness horse, but also in the
saddle horse. Many circumstances have
conspred to keep the market low during
the last two years. The fine quality of
horses lately coming into market. how
ever, has buoyed its tone materially and
is holding forth bright promise for the
future. In conversation with an officer
at one of the horse marts, recently, we
were Informed that in his travels about
the country looking for cOnsignments he
had marVeled at the absence of yearlings.
Stock farms. he said were bringing out
mares fifteen and twenty years of age
to be sold at any price. and mares. too,
which bad never worn strap Of harness.
The lesson is that breeders have been
demoralized by the hard times and the
falling oil in demand for ordinary stock.
As it takes four or five years to fit Il colt
for use, the consequence of this general
collapse in breeding will be great
scarcity of horses in very short time.
rhe demand for them will then, as it is
at present. be in excess of the supply,
and prices must necessarily 90 to ire
mendously high figure. Therefore, this
/ -
operations. Stud horses and brood
mares can be got cheaply. aud if well
selected and mated inteligently those
I who start stock farm and 90 in for the
highest type of saddle and harness
horses, with quality, size and action APP
prOpriate to the work for which they are
| intended. will find themselves in posses
sion of mint. There should be no con-
tlict between the various breeding in
terests. The thoroughbred, the standard
trotter, the hackney, the French, Ger
man and Russian coach horses and the
Arab should all be drawn upon with
equal zeal and intelligence. The end
we confidently predict, will be the APP
pearance on our streets of the hand
soonest horses the world ever produced
The breeding of polo ponies, and ponie;
for ladies and children, and last, but by
no means least, the breeding of hunters
has shown IA marked Improvement within
the last few years. and the men who have
been brave enough to persist in the face
of discouraging signs deserve the high
est need of praise and the largest imam
cial reward, which they will undoubted
ly reap. The establishment of horst
shows 10 every large city has done mucf
to stimulate and educate the public taste
/, for fine horsetlesh. By competition il
the prin ring the standard has beer
4 Il. A.
! bon winIers of rve years ago would to
day be turned aside. On the whole
therefore, with the marked upward
movement in quality, the advance in the
general average of prices, the increase o
public Interest, and the wedding out o
COMMONWEALTH. we look for "A new er;
of prosperity in the great world of riding
, aud dri'ing interests, IN the lines %
5 utility, pleasure and sport.