Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-01
MAY BETTER THE BREED
EXHIBITION OF ENGLISH PRIZE
HORSES.
Importations From the Stud Of the
King and Baron Rothschild-
Popularity Of Percherons.

Breeders of draft horses in the United
States are going to be given chance IN
the next few months to see what the united
kingdom is really capable Of producing.
This country has just received an importa-
ton of shire horses from the studs of the
King of England and from Baron de Roths-
child, that will be shown first in Canada
and afterward at the shows In Kansas City
and Chicago. The first OF these will be the
Kansas City show. that will open In Octo-
Der. 1t Is known as the Royal American
Stock Breeders Association. 1t is one of
the biggest shows of the country. But the
largest and best of the shows is that held
at Chicago in the first week of December
and known as the International.
The display of draft animals at these two
shows has attracted great deal OF atteh-
ton In the past few years. The big brew
ing and Ineat-packing companies have
fought hard for the blue ribbon simply TOT
the advertisement that attached TO IT, put
no matter what the object. the result mas
been the production Of some remarkably
fine draft teams Pabst Armour and the
Nelson Morris Company have won IN sue
cession. Some of the winning teams nave
been all American bred and some nave Deen
wholly imported. But the fancy In iate
wears has turned toward American-bred
horses, and there has been steady I'M
provement In the home-bred display.
Percherons Most Popular.
1t would be drawing invidious COMPARE
sons to say which was the best breed OF
American draft horses. Probably the Per-
cherons are the most numerous. with the
Clydesdales, the Belgians and the snires
following in the order named. They are
all big horses The winning team at chi
cago last year. consisting Of Percherons,
looked like elephants In harness., ana .ale
o~;J,J, al the team scaled over
/ 800 pounds.
The English judges who have come TO
this side say that the exhibit OF snires mas
always been the worst OF the whole lot, and
that the American public has never been
given a chance to judge what SHIRE morse
really was The combination importation
which has just arrived in new YORK con-
sists of four stations, three mares and two
geldings and one foal. Nearly all or them
are prize winners. The explanation OF the
inferiority Of the shire breed here mas Deeh
that the importing firms did not PICK the
best but the cheapest horses to import,
and when they got them here fattened them
up and sold them with considerable blow
ing of trumpets as the best of the breed
in existence OF course, the shires are
among the biggest horses In the Worlu
The big London brewing firms all go In
for ffrst-class teams, and their draft horses
cost them up to 81 500 each. The team that
won in Chicago last year cost 81 600 apiece.
But it is possible that the English teams
are the more impressive looking.
Characteristic of English Horses.
One of the characteristics of the English
heavy draft horse is his feathered leg.
Some of the finest of the horses have
plumes ten or twelve inches long, almost
from the knee to the hoof. They are I'M
mense brutes kind and gentle as rule,
but slower in their movements than the
Percherons. This Is one of the reasons that
in spite of their immense size and strength
they have not been popular IN IDIS
country as the French horse. Their care is
also more trouble. The Percheron can be
if the shaggy feet of the shire horses are
not kept absolutely clean there Will be
serious trouble. Then, too. there has been
great deal of money spent in popular1zing
the Percheron in America. The late: VIM
L. Walters of Baltimore was a great lover
of the Percheron horse, and spent fortune
or his stud farm outside of Baltimore,
where there were some of. the choicest
specimens Of the breed in existence. He
made the mistake of trying to popularize
them as driving horse, for in spite of
their great size and strength they are, very
have precisely the results he expected 1t
brought the blood to this country and made
the breed better known and liked than any
other of the foreign draft horses.
May Cause Better Importations.
Some of the expert breeders say that the
present Importation of the kings horses
will-do much to raise the shires in the es-
timation of American breeders. and 1t may
result in better importations in the future.
The present lot of horses cannot be kept
in this country without paying the almost
prohibitive duty. Some of them may be
retained in Canada, but the law under
which the Importation of breeding animals
Is allowed duty free specifically states that
the importer must be an American citizen,
and as neither the King of England nor
Baron de Rothschild can claim this dis
tinction. the horses can be kept here only
six months for exhibition purposes before
they come under the operation of the tar.n.
But breeders all over the country are
very glad of the importation. for they feel
that It will give the American horse breed
ers q better Idea than they have ever had