The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-02-09

Qualltlee desired IN tne cOlt, sucn 8s
form, gait, size, soundness,
endurance and general make up, and
IL it can be proven that she had good
ancestry, and these qualities are family
characteristics, it is reasonable to call
her right to breed from. But don't ex-
pect the mare to give you good results
unless mated with good stallion.
Now for the sire. Stallion owners
in their efforts to get patronage may
try to "stuff" us with the claim that
their horses can sire just the kind of
colt we want, from whatever kind Of
mare we may possess, however wide
the difference between the two in blood
lines and all the essential points. Here
is where we again need reason, COM
parison and judgment, as in the selec-
ton of the mare. In this era of BIZ
cycles and electricity, no man is ex-
cusable for patronizing a stallion known
to be vicious, timid or "fool. headed"
OF course stallion with a naturally
kind and gentle disposition can be
leased, or whipped, or abused until he
becomes cross and unmanageable. This
we may call a spoiled horse, not vi
cious one, and the offspring of such
horse may be kind and intelligent. But
if the stations brain is unbalanced,
and he is naturally vicious, with
mean head and phrenology, it will
come out in the stock and "the sins of
the father will be visited upon the chill
dren even 10 the third and fourth gen.
Grafton"
See that the disposition in each is
perfect, the countenance and head
good, the eye full, prominent with a
thin fine lid and expressive of intel
ligence, docility and animation. BY
comparison of many horses it will be
found that those having the brown, or
"hazel," eyes, with good clean
"white," more uniformly possesses
these desirable qualities than those
with darker or black-looking eyes, with
narrow "bluish" line, outside Of
which is dark or muddy colored bor-
der with no clean white. This kind of
eyes indicates strong probabilities of a
bad TENDER if "stirred up" and liahili-
ties of annihilating something if fright
ened. Shun those with small or
sunken eye, with thick, heavy lid that
is raised up off the ball if the horse is
enraged or frightened. Such horses
are also usually narrow between the
eyes, and have coarse heavy ears, large
at the ends which, when set and carried
in that certain peculiar manner, give us
reason to doubt their intelligence and
willingness to be good horses. See
that the ears are not large, but fine,
we'll set and finished; yes, pointed and
scslloped out at their points, and which
stand up or move quickly and freely,
indicating that in case of accident or
emergency the horse can "think before
he acts" and not bolt, kick, and run
away.
The stallion Reindeer (by Vermont
Reindeer) so long kept in Montpelier
and Waterbury possessed, in our opin-
ion, an ideal head and countenance,
worthy of life-siZe portrait anywhere
He and his stock were possessed of so
much animation, "clear grit" intel
ligence and elf-reliance, that if abused
they could be quickly spoiled, but if
justly treated and properly educated
were, as a class-though small-horses
of excellent quality. Having had charge
of Reindeer (and several of his colts)
the last winter but one of his life, we
regard him as "rea gentleman" of a
horse. Other stations have impressed
us by their countenance, intelligence,
perfect kindness, and, we think it
proper to say, genuine character"
Among them was Aristos by Daniel
Lambert, Abdallah Wilkes by George
Wilkes, Highland Gray by Darkey, ETC.,
and we have noticed that the horse
with the ideal and intelligent head is
generally clean gated and good
traveller, needing no boots. The mule
headed ones seem not to know or care
where their feet come down; hence, dc
little else on the road but overreach
cut quarters and interfere, though il
covered with boots and hopples and
trained on a smooth track they may
show speed and stamina, and win more
races than one ideal clean gated, in.
telligent, cheerful roadster and family
horse. But even on the track drivers,
judges and the public, prize the kind
intelligent horse that goes without
hopples and with fewest boots. As the
limit of intelligence and ability are
fixed (though unknown) when the sire
and dam are mated, use only animals
of true merit in breeding, as an in.
FIRMLY or undesirable trait or quality
NAV he transmitted on and on throupt