Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-02-09

canon. The pasterns should slope at
an angle of about forty-five degrees
with the ground. A ssloping pastern
absorbs the shocks of travelling on
hard roads and pavements. Unsound-
nesses are very likely to develop on
short pasterned horses. In moving the
horse should go straight, with a long,
easy stride
Unsoundnesses.
Animals with serious unsoundnesses
should not be used for breeders Slight
unsoundnesses in mares are not so OBJ
jeetionable as in stations, since the
mare does not influence nearly so
many colts. Unsoundnesses are not
transmitted to colts, but the weakness
es that are usually responsible for I'M
sound conditions are often transmitted.
The principal unsoundnesses are ring
bone, sidebone, SPAWN, bog SPAWN,
thoroughpin and curb.
Sidebone is a bony formation at the
hoof head toward the heel. Ringbone
may be found in the same place, ex-
tending all the way around, or it may
be higher up on the pastern; in which
case it is known as high ringbone.
SPAWN is a bony formation on the in
side of the hook. Curb is a bony en-
largement at the back Of the leg just
below the point Of the hook 1t is most
/ usually found on sickle hocks." 1t
can be readily noticed by looking at
the leg from the side Bog spawn
is soft enlargement on the inside of
the hook. Thoroughpin is a smaller
enlargement extending through the
joint, where it can be felt in the web
of the hook. Neither bog spawn nor
thoroughpin is serious unless very
large
The stallion should possess the same
general characteristics as the mares.
He should show masculinity in strong
head, nose inclined to be Roman rath-
er than dished, a fairly heavy crest
and large chest In selecting stall
lion to breed to do not pick out the
cheapest one in the neighborhood.
Five or ten dollars difference in the
service fee will mean $50 to 500 diff
ference on the price of the colt when
it is four years Old If there is not
good stallion in your Immediate neigh
borhood, take your mares ten miles or
more if necessary, but do not use an
inferior stallion Often fifteen or TWEEN
ty farmers can go in together and buy
company stallion. Do not buy a
horse that is ''peddled" by smooth
tongued agent. Such a horse is likely
to be one that could not be sold in any
other way, and you will generally pay
twice or three times what it is worth.
The best plan is to organize the COM
pany first and then send competent
man to some reliable horse establish
ment to pick out the stallion.
The Value Of Pure Bred Stallion.
The question of breed is largely one
Of individual preference. If the mares
| Of the neighborhood are nearly all
grades of some particular breed it will
pay to get a horse of that breed. Be
| careful in the selection of a breed and
then stick to it. Nothing will produce
mongrel lot of horses more quickly
than changing breeds every few years.
Above all, get pure bred. A grade
may be a good enough individual, but
he will not have the-long line of i'm
proved ancestry back of him on both
sides to give him the prepotency that
! pure bred has. The grade has mon
J grel blood in him, and it is bound to
crop out in his colts.
Entirely too much stress is laid on
the value of imported stations. For all
practical purposes home bred animals
are just as good and can be purchased
for much less money. Size in a stall
lion is all important. A horse that
weighs less than ton in breeding
condition should not be used. The
mere fact that an animal is bred in a
foreign country cannot add anything
to his actual value, and the reasons
that such an importation is rated high
er than the domestic product are chief
ly sentimental. 1t is time that this
unwarranted discrimination should be
brought to an end.
Never patronize an overfat stallion.
Fat is a convenient means of cover
ing defects, but it is hard on the ami
mails breeding powers. When the
stallion is not In service he should be
given plenty of exercise, preferably at
some kind of work that is not too Sc
we're. He should be in good condition
and good spirits when the breeding
season opens. During the breeding
season he should be given regular ex-
ercise and plenty of it. His feed
should consist largely Of oats. with a
little corn, and an occasional mash
with a little .oilmeal added. Good,
bright timothy or clover hay in limited
quantities will make up the roughage
part of the ration.
The stallion should be well trained
and kept under perfect control. Not
more than two mares should be served