The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1916-02-18
MANY STATES PRO EM
TECT BREEDERS

improve the quality of horses and
mules raised and to protect breeders
against misrepresentation and fraud
on the part of INSCRIPTIONS stallion
owners and dealers.
In order to accomplish these results
these laws require the owners of all
stations and jacks intended for pub
lie service to secure a license from
the stallion registration board or com
mission. Licenses are issued for pure
breds, grades, crossbreds, and mong-
rels or scrubs, according to the pro
visions of the law in the particular
State.
Those stations or jacks offered by
their owners as purebred must be re-
corded in the studbook published by
a society recognized by the State as
authentic and reliable. The certif-
cate of registration and pedigree issu-
ed by one of these societies must be
presented to the board with an appli.
cation for license and an affidavit Ger.
tifying to the condition of soundness.
In their general provisions all of
these laws are similar, but in certain
details vary in a greater or less de-
gree. In some States certain diseases
or unsoundness disqualify stallion
or jack for public service, while in
others the stallion or jack is permit
ed to stand, but any unsoundness must
be mentioned on the license certifi-
cate as well as on all posters, circu-
lars, ETC., used by the owner for ad-
vertising purposes.
The States having laws of this char
acter are California, Colorado, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michi-
gan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska,
New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota,
Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The last-named State was the first to
pass such law and Oklahoma the
latest one. Under the law in the lat
ter State stallion owners are not com
PEELED to secure "a State license, but
it is safe to say that the holder of
State license has a great advantage
over the one who does not.
1t is a deplorable fact that hundreds
of farmers and mare owners have pat
ronized the inferior stallion with the
cheap service fee. These men seemed
to have failed to appreciate that in
paying higher fee for the service
of the sound purebred sire the service
fee will be more than Offset by the
higher price received when the result
ing colt is sold. Nor have they ap-
peared to consider the fact that it
costs as much to raise a grade or
as it does a purebred.
A lack of consideration in the mat
ters of soundness, breeding, and reg
have been the cause for
much of the patronage secured by the
inferior stallion. However, these laws
have now made it possible for every
farmer and mare owner in these
States to know exactly what a stallion
or jack is before breeding their mares.
They have also benefited the owners
of sound purebred sires because they
the use of the unsound,
grade and mongrel stallion.
The results thus far show a grad
ual increase in the percentage of
purebred stations in service and de-
erase Il the percentage of grades aDf
At the present time there
are approximately $4,000 stations in
service in these States, of which more
than SO per cent are licensed as pure
bred. This indicates that breeders
are becoming more particular in the
matters of soundness and breeding
and that the owners of stations who
at first were, in some instances, in
clined to oppose are now aiding in the
of the provisions of the |
avs.
The question may be asked as to
what is becoming Of the unsound, |
grade, and mongrel stations. The re-
ports from the various States show |
hat as the patronage of inferior ami
nails decreases they are either cas-
rated or shipped out, undoubtedly in
% those States where there is no law
o compel them to stand under their
rue condition of soundness and breed
ng, thus continuing their destructive
work to the horse industry.
1t is in these States that breeders
hould exercise the greatest caution
,efore deciding to which stallion they
will breed their mares. They should
lemand of the stallion owner that
hey be permitted to examine the
certificate of registration and pedi-
,ree.