New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-30
THE DEMAND FOR HORSES.
AUTOMOBILES HAVE NOT MATERIALLY
AFFECTED IT-MANY TAKEN TO
SOUTH AFRICA.


assumed such dimensions that lovers of the
horse fancied his reign drawing to a
close. With every month more of the machines
appear in the streets and greater enthusiasm
is manifested in the sport Now that their
tire safety has been demonstrated, it is natural
to assume that their comparative cheapness
will bring about even more marked increase
in their number While this is going on. what
is becoming of the horse? The impression among
the unintiated Is that he should be faring
rather badly, and that the prices of good trot-
ters draught horses should be considerably
lower than formerly. Such is not the case
however. There has been a steady increase In
the price of horses for the last year or two and
the climax has been reached. dealer
who has been in the trade for forty years said
of the present state of affairs that he had never
seen prices so high, or horses in such demand.
in Europe as well as in this country. The in
hux of buyers from across the water is unparal-
leed, and the search for good horses is carried
on with more vigor than for many years.
This state of affairs is easily accounted
for than would be supposed. Three years ago.
when the automobile industry began to come
into prominence horse breeders became alarmed.
They saw themselves with farms full of horses
for which there would be sale. while the
world whizzed by in the new carriages. So
they promptly stopped breeding. AS it has hap
pened they. were grievously mistaken in their
estimate of the future Automobiles have, in
deed, increased in number, but the horse has
not found his occupation gone. Wealthy per
sons keep one or two machines, but do not sell
their trotters. Brewers and others who need
heavy draught horses have not yet adapted the
automobile to their purpose, and still call for
Percheron and Normandy horses So that, had
there been nothing else to create demand, the
trade would still have prospered.
But there has been unusual for the
present cell for horses. The British have
shipped since the war in the Transvaal began,
one hundred and fifty thousand horses to
South Africa. Few of these will be of much
when the is The army needs, in
time of peace. sixty thousand horses The nome
supply is exhausted-in fact, it was long ago
exhausted-and that sends buyers to this coun-
try in such numbers that dealers who have spent
years in the business open their eyes in amaze
ment. One dealer has been feeding from five
hundred to fifteen hundred horses every week
in his export stables All through the West,
from Chicago to the Pacific, apd nearer home as
well, the buyers looking for horses, and will
pay almost any price for what they want.
draught horse is not really mature until
he is five years old-that is, he is not fit for a
brewers wagon or the like until that age Since
the breeding of such horses received a check
three years ago, and is only now becoming nor
NAL it follows that the present state of affairs
will continue for two three years, anyway.
The usual increase in the demand for horses
every year is per cent, and that increase
is considerably exceeded. Prices are from
so to IS per cent higher than three years ago, !
and at that the supply does not equal the
demand. 1t is quite possible that the lack of
good horses for heavy work will force the at
tentioD of manufacturers to the using of auto
mobiles, and thus give additional boom to
that already growing trade But it has been
shown pretty conciusvely that the horse will
not be displaced by the new invention great |
as that industry will eventually become
Perhaps one reason for the present demand |
may be found in the growth Of the trotting |
horse fad among men Of wealth. All over the |
country speedways being demanded by en- |
thusiastic owners of fast horses The Road |
Drivers Association numbers fifteen hundred |
members and is constantly growing. At State |
fairs more and more attention is paid to wagon
races, and this is encouraged by the farmer |
who foresees increasing prices as the popularity
of the sport grows. Already, itsis claimed the
practice of amateur wagon racing has been re-
sponsible for the revival Of horse breeding In |
many parts of the country. At any rate this
growing sport cannot fail to do much toward
keeping up the prices for good carriage horses
Taking everything into consideration, horse
lovers may feel assured that their favorites will
not be dethroned as long as the sporting in