Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-11-26
PROFITABLE HORSE RAISING.
THE FARMER SHOULD BREED WITH A
VIEW TO SUPPLYING A DEFINITE
MARKET.

There is rapidly increasing demand
for three types of horses-draught,
coach and carriage-and while fast
horses are wanted, there seems to be no
adequate provision for meeting the de-
mand by what may be called professional
fast stock breeders. There is an almost
unrecognized movement that is taking
1000 of the best horses annually
out of this country, and the farmers,
who are expected to furnish the supply
of market horses from the overplus
breeding of their farms, seem almost
oblivious to the fact that any thought or
attention is needed on their part. With
far too many of them a horse is a horse,
and the breed is nothing. A great per-
centage of the far too few horses raised
on farms are undesirable, and so fall
into the s'chunk" or common" lists,
and sell for small prices.
There is great dearth of good horses
all over the country, and the demand is
one that cannot be supplied at mo-
ment's notice, and preparation must be
made for it beforehand. Farmers should
not attempt to breed the fast horses.
That is a business that should be left to
the professional breeders. There are
too many blanks drawn in that lottery
for farmers TO risk capital in, and a
failure fast horse is of little worth for
any purpose. The farmer can safely
engage in raising carriage, coach and
draugh. horses. These are now sought
for in large sizes, and the 1,150 to 1890
pound horse, if deficient in road or
coach requirements, still makes valu-
able farm horse, or will serve in both
city and country as general purpose
horse" which the fast horse types can
not do. IL the farmer is to breed the
three types mentioned he needs to in
form himself in regard to the market
demands.
What the farmer may consider good
points for him in horse, market that
now classifies horses may place entirely
differently. The draught horse to be
sold in the city must weigh at least
1000 pounds, and much below that puts
the horse into the ''chunk" list, at fully
$50 less value. This horse must be in
telligeat, have the signs of a pleasant
disposition, must have his neck on right
side up, must have good wind, a leg under
him, with good joints and pasterns only
slightly sloping. He must not paddle
in his walk, and must be we'll coupled at
back and hip.
To pass first-class he must have a
good foot, one that indicates fine, hard
bone, freedom from "shelling'', and
with good frog to it. A HAT foot is
not necessarily poor one, but it must
be compact and show a hard, well con-
structed hoof, with fine grain and polish.
Ii is a recognized principle that the foot
is pretty sure index of the staying quail
ity of the horse and of his freedom from
lameness and the thousand and one
blemishes of the bones, for if the horse
has shelly, spongy foot, easily broken
up, it can be safely counted on that his
bOny structure is like it-of soft, open
texture-and subject on slight provoca-
ton to ringbone, SPAWN, curb and other
things, for which there are many
remedies, but which do not remove the
trouble.
The thing for the farmer who breeds
horses is to breed to sires that are intel
ligent, not ugly and vicious, with good
quality, good feet and strong blood; not
grades or promoted frauds. Then,
with good mares, free from disease and
hereditary blemishes, the farmer may
expect, with some confidence, horse
that will fill the bill; and if it has these
qualities it will enable him to secure its
true worth, for he can classify the horse
himself, and with it will come enhanced
value. All these rules apply to the car
riage and the coach horse. The latter is
only a larger edition of the carriage
horse. In both we ask for style and
action that are not needed in the draught
Observation-Disclosures, symmetry in make
up, strength, an action that is straight
ahead, and courage that keeps up the
pace even if the surrey contains four
persons and the roads are far from per-
feet.
In breeding for carriage or coach
horses, there must be quality and pre-
potency demanded in the sire that ad-
mits of no evasion. Is he Of strong
spirit, has he strong prepotency, and is
he pure bred or grade, are the ques-
tions to be asked. The "mixed up
character of the colts often tells far too
plainly that the sire wasa grade, even
a mix upr in blood" Let the farmer
breed good horses from good parents,
and while he will not always get the
best he will attain to good results, and
from those that may not class high IN
the ratings he will have in those left
valuable lot of farm and town horses
which will still bring him good money
far in excess of prices for CO mmon stock,
and well worth the outlay Of thought,
time and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Tribune
Farmer