The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-12
THE AMERICAN BRED HORSE
He Has Successfully Met COMPETE
ton at Home and Abroad.

I'm Impetus te the Trade in the Past
Few Years That Has Directed For
| cign Attention TO the Animal
Some suggestions to Exporters.
The South African war has directed the
attention of all Europe to the American
| horse and mule, and there is at present
an unprecedented demand for them. A
few years ago extraordinarily low prices
! prevailed for horses in this country and
/ horse breeders and horse raisers through
! out the country We're correspondingly de-
! pressed. 1t is possible that in this appar-
/ ent cause for encouragement, there was
/ n blessing in disguise, for 1t may have
/ been TO these extremely low prices that
/ the first impetus to The foreign demand
/ was due.
Whatever the cause, there has been an
! increasing demand abroad for American
! horses for the past few years. The be-
ginning Of this demand was during 1898.
! the year of the Chicago Worlds Fair.
! During the next year there were only five
! foreign buyers on the Chicago market,
/ and only 1900 head Of horses, twice as
many as had been shipped to Europe in
/ an experimental way the year before,
were exported Now, in Chicago alone
there is steady European demand for
the American animal.
European nations. with the exception
/ of Hungary and Russia do not produce
as many horses as they need, and of late
years have drawn largely upon Canada
and the United States to supply the de-
| ficiency. This condition of affairs is due
! largely to the thickly populated state Of
| the countries. which also operates to pre-
vent the production of sufficient cereal
and other food stufrs, creating a market
for many of the agricultural products of
the United States. and partly to the large
number of horses which are required by
their armies
THE QUESTION OF BREEDING.
Much that has been written regarding
the kind of horse needed for export trade
would lead one to believe that European
horses are entirely different from those
raised on this side of the Atlantic. and
that they are bred according to a definite
formula, as to length height, thickness.
weight etc. American horse-raisers have
just as good stock as those of their fell,
low-breeders on the other side, where
good. Indifferent. and inferior horses for
draft, coach, and other breeds are pro-
duced the same as in this country. But
when horses are selected for shipment by
rail and sea, reason dictates a choice
OF those individuals, the best of their kind
which will command a price sufficient to
pay purchase money, transportation ex-
penses, and a profit. Besides, European
countries doubtless produce a sufficiently
large number of inferior horses for their
own use. and the demand is only for such
animals as are the best OF their class.
Europe wants good horses of all breeds
Just as America does, but there are some
conditions which are not the same
! therefore; a good horse which would be
gust the thing for the purpose of the buy
er IN America might be Unsuted to the
Work OF the prospective European buyer
and the reverse is equally true. As the
foreign demand IS the life OF the trade
the taking off of the market OF large
number of horses and thus increasing the
value OF those that remain as shown in
the large increase in the price Of horses
since THIS outlet was created IL is re-
garded good policy by horse-breedars 10
study the taste and desires Of this large
number of purchasers and eHdeavor to
produce as many horses as possible that
viii comply with these demands.
BESIDES the usual demand for horses for
dfaft- carriage, and other business pur-
poses Of eiyil life, common to this cOun-
Try and Europe, in the latter there is a
considerable animal need for horses to
remount the cavalry and haul the artil-
lery. and baggage trains of their large
armies.
While written descriptions of the horses
required for the United States Army and
those OF the European armies are prac-
ucally the same, nevertheless the ami
mails themselves differ materially in
many important particulars, according to |
the different needs and ideas of the coun- |
tries. The American horse is weight |
carrier. He can stand hard work and !
can take care of himself when forage |
gives out. The European horse receives |
more careful treatment, has much smaller !
parts. and is more lightly and gracefully |
built. The American animal may be the /
more serviceable. but if, in order to sell |
the American horse. he must be brought /
as nearly as possible to the taste aad |
ideas Of the purchaser, ii pays to do so.
Germany and France especially. it is |
claimed by those in a position to know. |
are not dependent upon this country to |
supply them with army horses in time of !
agents over here to buy horses The for !
eign dealers actually here are simply |
horse dealers who buy what they believe |
they can dispose of with profit to them
selves. Nevertheless, there is no law or
rule or regulation which interferes with |
the sale of American horses for military |
purposes in European countries.
BUYING ARMY HORSES.
The general system for purchasing
horses for the army is the same in both
France and Germany, two of the largest
users Of army horses. \ remouHt com
mission, consisting of officers and vet
erinarian, have full powers and discre-
ion, limited only to the designated num-
Der of horses and to the average price
Der capita to be paid. These boards sit
At stipulated times and places, and all
hose who have horses TO offer are free
o bring them for inspection. The Of
icers decide what price they will offer for
ZACH individual horse, subject to a salts
actory report from the veterinarian, and
he owner can refuse or accept as he
gees fit. on acceptance the sum agreed |
Ipon is paid in cash to the owner There /
ire six of these remOunt commissions in |
Germany three of them buying In east
I'm Prussia most of the cavalry horses,
md the other three paying more atten-
Jon 10 draft animals for artillery and
baggage trains purchasing something
,yer 1000 horses annually in north
Prussia.
In France the number of horses pur-
,hased may be slightly more or less than
q. 600.
The cavalry of these two nations is
divided into classes. which in each coun-
~ are similarly mounted. In Germany
he minimum height for light dragons
md hussars is Il hands; for Uhlans
lragoons. and hussars Of the guard the
height is 1ils hands, and for
uirassiers the minimum height is 10
lands. In France the minimum height
or Light cavalry Is about l5is handA and
or dragons between 15A and 15A hands.
md for cuirassiers between 1874 and IS
lands.
All lntSt HbIhtS must ne over three
nd ui.der five years old. sound and gentle
The first class must weigh from 775 TO
so pounds; the second class. $50 to 1909
pounds. and the third class. !. $50 to I,150
POUNDS. The artillery and baggage train
lorse is required to be about 14IR hands
Ugh in Germany, weighing 800 to 1,o50
POUNDS, and 1519 hands high in France
Weighing 800 to LOO pounds
Horses to be accepted in the army serv-
ce must be perfectly sound and not |
icious, of solid dark color, without
rominent marks. A well-bred, low,