The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-07
BREEDING ARAB HORSES
A New Industry Found Profitable
on Long Island.
The stock Farm of Randolph Hunt
inSton mt Oyster Bay-Successfu1
Experiments at InbreedinG-A Race
of Equines That Were Known as
Far Back the Time of Abraham.

NEW YORK, Jan. ct is probably not
generally known. that no farther away
from the island of Manhattan than Oys-
ter Bay, L. l., is a stock farm, devoted
to the breeding of Arab horses. The own
er of the place is Randolph Huntington,
whose property is not far from the home
of Ex-Governor Roosevelt, and who has
done much to raise the standard OF breed
ing among blooded horses in this country
His stable of Arabs and Barbs is said to
contain the blood of the best horses in
the world. Mr.. Huntington, who is sew
enty-two years Of age, values his horses
above price, and treats them like chill
dren. and they appear to return his affec-
ton
"TheArab is the yeast among horses,
said MIR. Huntington recently. ''All that
is best in horse flesh is bettered by an
influx Of Arab blood. Horse-breeding
must be accomplished with the exercise
of the greatest intelligence, that the best
points may be perpetuated and the unde-
sirable ones eradicated through the join
ing of blood and crossing of strains"
When asked if he did not have diff
Guilty in keeping the Arab strain pure,
because of the difficulty of breeding
mares to other Arab stock, he said that
he practiccd inbreedlng and that, while
it was popularity supposed that good re-
suits could not be obtained in that man
ner, he has found it otherwise, and had
been uniformly successful There are
twenty-three thoroughbred Arabs in his
stable and the place they occupy in the
esteem of breeders may be seen from the
fact that Sir Wilfred Blunt, of Crabbit
Park, Sussex County, England has sent
two Arab mares to be bred to Mr.. Hunt
ington's stations.
Mr.. Huntington never allows any one
but himself to oversee the feeding of his
horses, excusing himself from guests at
the house when feeding time comes, that
he may know his Arabs have the proper
attention. In the morning he is ont
early and after their morning meal. the
stations are taken out and exercised,
first with bride and halter, then with
q run in the fields in view from the bow
window at the easterly side of his house.
Each horse has an hour or more of
brisk exercise, and Is then led into his
box stall. The mares, FLIES. and cos
are next turned loose in the fields, where
they have full room for exercise, and
where they have the run Of ample en-
closures the rest of the day.
II is astonishing to one used TO seeing
all sorts Of coaXng contrivances used to
catch a horse 10 view the manner In which
the Arabs walk up TO the gate TO be led
20 the stable One old brood mare, total
~ blind wanders about among the trees
in one lot, appearing to find her way with
out difficulty. and steering unerringly for
he gate when stable time comes and the
call is heard There are few people who
would care 10 venture in a box stall with
an ,unbridled stallion, yet a stranger can
go into the stall OF each Of Mr.. Hunting
toms stations, for none of them evince
desire TO demolish anything but sugar.
The Arab is small horse As compared
to the road horses to which the eye ne
comes accustomed by almost constant as
sociatlon. he is almost diminutive. Yet
his history goes back TO the time OF Abra-
ham, and the pure blooded Arab is today