Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-01-24
we as farmers doing SO?

Looking at our horses on the occa-
sion Of any county gathering we can
readily see that no method prevails |
among us along this line. It seems
to be up one road and down another,
and across lots.
II there is one kind more than an
other in evidence, it is a class of hors.
es weighing from 1900 to 400 pounds,
of no particular conformation or col
or, some blocky, some leggy, coarse
in hair, head and bone, the result of
indiscriminate crossings on draft,
coacher, trotter and their grades. 1t
seems to me that the general farmer
has shown more lack of good sense and
sound Judgment in the breeding of
his horses than in anything else on
the farm.
Thirty years ago we had type of
horses that seemed specially fitted for
farm use, close built, clean limbed,
wiry animals. good on the pillow, on
the buggy or under saddle. But we
thought they were rather small, SO
we tried crossing on the drafts. We
soon found that if we had gained in
quantity we had lost in quality, ner-
yous energy, and vital force; then fol-
lowed the unthinking, unreasoning
mixing of Clyde and coacher, shire
and trotter, Belgian and Norman.
AS rule it is not ignorance that
keeps the farmer back, but careless
ness and procrastination. So it is with
them in the raising of their horses.
They would never follow such a
crooked path in the selection of sires
for their other farm stock.
To return to our question: The
Oh Of
from time to time will furnish the
student OF horse breeding the neces-
sary evidence as to what class sells
the highest and is in most demand.
Again, what class of horses is de-
manded by the wealthy which the
general farmer can raise and use on
the farm? answer, the draft horse
and the heavy carriage or coach
horse. The one to be hitched to his
lorries. and advertise his business in
the city by their size, strength and
beauty; the other in front Of his car
riage or surrey must take his family
through their regular rounds of shop
ping and visiting and must show by
their lofty carriage and stately tread
the honor done them in trusting such
dainty burdens to their care. Now,
those two classes the rich will have
and have them nice, too; price 10 nc
object. My opinion is, therefore,
that these are the only two classes
that the farmer should raise. and the
choice must be largely according to
individual taste.
Now, what we as horse breeders
must do is this: Select the class OF
breed we fancy, choose a conforma.
ton and color, reject anything that
doesn't conform to our ideal, bar un.
sound animals and those with trans.
missable defects, then strive unceas
ingly to build up that standard. We
will have failures, but all the more
perslstently must we strive after per.
lection, and soon we will gain name
and reputation. Buyers will search
for us, instead of us for them, anG
we will have much more to say in re-
gard to that most important matter oil
all, price.
To my mind, the best horse for thu
general farmer to raise and obtain thu
best results from is one weighing
from 1900 to 1850 pounds, handsome
and we'll bred, and especially hand
some, standing 16 hands high, clear
limbed, close built and stylish. Sucl
an animal, if we'll bred and vel
broken. will be afraid of nothing ant
will do more every-day work on tn,
farm than any horse that lives.
Now few words as how to rails,
J this class Of horses. All roads dom
lead to success in horse breeding AMI
especially in the raising Of the high
class carriage or coach horse.
requires more Judgment, care and dis
elimination than the raising Of drafts
and therefore may not be the best fit
ted for all to engage in, but the re
suits will largely reward the increased
effort. First, we must begin on
proper foundation. It would be sim
ply waste of time and material to at
tempt to raise this class from mare
having large percentage of draf
blood in their composition. We hav
plenty of good mares all over tn,
country which would make excellen
: material for the building up Of sucl
class as I favor. AS to the sire,
is my humble opinion that there is n
horse better fitted to sire this class O
horses from our better class mare
} than the horse known as the America
trotter. When say trotter 1 dom
mean a curlyjointed, ewe-necked
l 900-pound animal that can trot mil
in 2:1O or better. We have thorough
breds that can't run and standard bre
} trotters that can't trot,fast enough O
, race track to earn the grain the
> eat, and still are fine individuals bu
lacking speed enough to make Their
5 money earners.
3 The trotting bred horse has in tn
7 past years been partly spoiled as to hi
l capabilities in this line, in that every
thing was sacrificed to speed. size
conformation, disposition, style, &C
tlon, and even soundness. The sir
S which had speed and sired speed wa
, patronized the others were neglected
7 no matter how good they were as in
$ dividuals. But the demands of th
3 times call for high-class carriage ami
| mails, and more attention is bein
} paid to the large, stylish, high-actin
> trotter. These are, in nv opinion
, exactly the sizes the farmer ought t
t use. Be sure they are large, hand
some, with high action, both at kne
| and hook, sound, standing not les
than 16 hands, and not too much day
, light under them, with the best Q
!, legs and feet, weighing not less thai
, 1900 pounds. Look to it also that hi
high action is natural and that he
, not beholden for it to the pattern O
!, his shoe, that he travels square an
: clean and doesn't require squar
yard of leather to keep from hittin,
3 himself all over. Be sure he has
{ fgood pedigree. To be standard bre,
i is not everything. To the thinking
} progressive, wide-awake breeder, ped
> igree is not merely string of famou
, names, but those names stand to hin
as guarantee that the animal posses
: ses those qualifications he is in ques
l of. j
: 1t is n well-known law in breedin,
, that like begets like, or the Likeness
of some immediate ancestor. Remem
) Der that and profit by it. This make
pedigree invaluable to the breeder
If, therefore, a pedigree is strong il
, spavins. you will be reasonably sure O
reaping o crop of spavins; If rich il
, high. stylish action, You will get &C
, ton. 1t intensifies the weak point
just as surely as the strong ones, an,
, you will. find it easier going dow,
) than up. 1t follows, therefore, that t,
) have a grand individual is good, bu
l. to have his ancestors strong in tina