Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-05-14
The 1000 Pound Horse.

NO pound horses calls our attention
to the fact that we are wrong in ad-
vocating so strongly the practice of
breeding draft horses. He claims
that he works larger acreage per
horse than any Of his neigbbors, al
though some Of them have mares
that weigh 1000 and LOO pounds.
He has used the coach horse and the
large standardized hores on com.
mon mares, and claims for the prog
eny Of their mating that they have
grit, wearing qualities and have suf-
hcient strength for any use to which
they are put on the farm or on the
road.
No man can successfully disprove
the fact that there is an important
place for the 1900 pound horse on
the farm, as we'll as in the towns and
cities. We have only advocated the
freer use of good draft stations be-
cause Of the fact that horses OF the
draft type are more easily marketed
and they sell for more money than
horses Of light weight, unless the
latter are exceedingly well finished
and show considerable action. Sup
pose we have a pair Of well-fnished
mares weighing 1900 pounds and
one of them is bred to a ton stallion
and another to a clean cut standard
bred horse. Let the colts be cared
for alike and placed on the market at
five years old.
The chances are that the colt sired
by the draft horse will bring his
owner anywhere from SITS to 1925,
while the other horse, at the same
age, will run in value anywhere from
500 to $3.50. Of course if he is an
extra well.fnished individual and can
60 well on the road he may make a
a 5000 horse and if he has the action
he may be worth considerably more.
On the average, however, it cannot
be expected that such type of horse
will be worth more than $3.50 at the
outside. This then, is the reason why
we advise farmers who have good,
srowthy sound mares to breed In the
direction Of the drafter. The automo.
bile is hurting the light horse market
more than it is the market for draft
horses, and this will apply even more
in the future than it has in the past.
We cannot deny, however, that we
are stanch friend of the 1000 pound
horse when it comes to farm work.
Four such horses on a disc will do as
much if not more than horses any
other weight. As a rule, they walk
so freely that the ordinary load is
play to them. TIE only place where
they fall down on the farm is when it
comes to handling six een-inch pillow
or gang. In that work nothing
will take the place of weight in the
collar, though, Of course, the man
who makes practice of using light
weight horses can always add an ad-
ditional horse when such work is
under way. One is apt to get little
more nerve in the light horse than is
ordinarily found in the drafter, and
if you do not get too much of it, it
is an admirable quality. We still
come back, however, to the main
problem and claim that as a general
proposition the average man should
get into drafters either by purchase
or by breeding rather Than into the
grade light weights. We have no
comparison to make however, be.
tween the relative profit that is to be
realize d on breeding the pure bred
drafters or the pure standard breds
or coachers. In that case so much
depends upon the man that no com.
parison whatever can be maks7Farm.
er and Stockman.
The agony is over. An heir