The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-02-23
IMPROVING HORSES FOR THE ARMY
PLANS ADVANCED TO STAFF OFFICERS.

tain cavalry and artillery branches OF
the army in efficient form, it Will be
necessary to take up some systematic
plan to encourage the breeding OF
horses Of a type suitable Tor army
use.
During the past year, the Secre any
of the Department OF Agriculture has
cooperated with the War Department
in evolving some plan to enable thu
army to obtain suitable horses.
Through. George NJ. Rommcl, chief of
the Animal HIusbandry Division of the
Department OF Agriculture and Cap'.
Conrad, a plan was worked out for
breeding horses fit for military SCI
vice. To carry out the plans, how
ever, Congress will have to appro-
pirate a sum OF $250OOO for the first
year and 100000 a year thereafter
In speaking OF the matter. Capt.
Conrad states: In the United States
the type of horse suitable for army
purposes is now proportionately less
numerous because it is found neces.
sary to the civilians of the country.
and the Quartermasters Department
is finding it each year more difficult
TO supply the yearly demands Of the
mounted branch of a small army.
In the West it is found that
marked change has taken place in re-
cent years in the so-called COW
pony" Twenty years ago, cattir
ranges in the West We're practically
without fences, and the COW man
found it necessary to breed and use
a type OF active ponies. As the West
became settled and as agriculture was
taken up, the larger ranges changed
to the fenced pastures of a few years
ago. These larger pastures are now
being broken up into even smaller
Cnes. The yearly round up requiriLa
riding over immense distances. To
day cattle are chased and roped, but
are driven into small pastures anG
pens and quietly handled The quick
COW pony OF the past, has given place
to a larger animal, frequently havina /
a cross OF draft blood L may be
said that the COW pony of the West
has almost disappeared.
Virginia has long been famous for
the horse known as the Virginia hunt
Ell. Even the breeding of this type OF
horses has been sadly affected by tn"
high price of heavy horses, ana fur
ther influence by the fact that only
those hunter-bred horses that attain
full size bring high prices. When
the farmer found that all draft colts. |
in spite OF minor blemishes, brought
good prices as 3-year-olds, he at once |
ceased to breed the hunter type. with /
its many misfits and commenced |
breeding heavy horses. The disap- |
polntment in the hunter bred horse |
would not have been so great had the |
breeding OF this type been done scien-
titically. The hunter-bred horse as
now raised in Virginia is sired al
most entirely by stations either sent
to the country gratis or sold at small
prices to individuals by wealthy peo-
pie in the North who desire hunters
and are looking to the future supply.
Even more appalling than the pres.
tnt scarcity OF horses suitable for
military purposes in this country Is
The large number OF unsound horses.
The general system OF breeding
lorses suitable for military purposes
r. this country, is the larger num-
Der oil ursound horses. The general 4
system of breeding horses, it is said.
: responsible for this condition.
At present, there are about $4,000,
100 horses in the United States, but