The New York herald., 1922-01-01

George Lane of Calgary, Canada, one
OF the largest breeders of draft horses
on this side of the Atlantic and one
of the largest in the world. says the
thoroughbred Is needed for civilian as
well as military purposes. lie is espe-
cially interested in the Percherorl and
often has had as many as 5000 horses
OF various breeds and types and has
found 1t necessary and profitable to
always have thoroughbred stock around.
In q letter to Wayne Dinsmore, secre-
tary OF the Horse Association, he says ::
II am informed through newspaper
reports that efforts are being made TO
pass State and Federal laws which will
interfere with racing in your country.
hope the Horse Association Of Amer
lea will oppose actively such injurious
legislation.
II am, as you know, chiefly inter-
ested in raising Percheron horses and
beef cattle. / am now far up in years.
What I have to say comes from long
experience. / served as a scout with
the United States cavalry in their cam
paigns against the Indians In the '70s;
subsequently worked as a rider on Mon
tana ranches: and from 1883 until 1921
have been connected with the Bar U
In Canada, first as rider. then as
foreman, later as partner. and within
recent years as sole owner. On this
and other ranches we controlled We
have in some years carried as hign
as 10000 cattle and more than 5000
horses OF various breeds and types.
Our work has made it necessary to
keep from 150 to 200 saddle horses
available for use, and constant study
of SO large a number for almost forty
years has convinced me that the thor
fu Ind opa " IN hla In fpUa1QninQ
good saddle horses, regardless OF
whether they be needed for civilian or
military purposes.
Produce Fine Saddle Horses.
81 am a Percheron breeder. l believe
draft horses are most generally needed.
most useful and most valuable to the
ordinary farmer, but this does not pre-
vent me from recognizing that the
thoroughbred is needed. L have owned
and used thoroughbred stations at
various times during the last thirty
years and since 1912 / have kept thor
oughbred sires constantly on tho Bar u
Ranch, in order that L might produce
the right kind of saddle horses needed,
for found that constant grading up
with draft blood. even on broncho mares
that had a foundation OF hot blood. was
making my horses too slow and un-
wieldy for work under saddle.
II have crossed thoroughbred sires on
broucho mares. on grade Clyd esdale
mares, on mares sired by Percheron
stations out OF broncho dams, on mares
that were three-quarters or seven
eighths Percheron, and whenever 1 had
a pure bred Percheron mare that would
not settle to Percheron sire, / bred
her to a thoroughbred sire. and usually
got such mares in foal, the result being
a crossbred thoroughbred Percheron. We
have bred the female produce resulting
from these various crosses to both
Thoroughbred and Percheron sires, so
that we have horses carrying various
degrees OF thoroughbred blood--rrom
one-haf to seven-eighths bred from
mares OF various types and blood strains.
From long experience in the use
or such horses and our actual breeding
operations i know that the thorough
bred cross on any draft mare increases
quality. endurance and length Of life.
The half blood and three-quarter blood
thoroughbred colts out of 1000 and @ 90
pound mares have made tough, active.
fast going saddle horses, but / will
just say Il word here in regard to cross
ing the thoroughbred horses with the
heavy draft horses Of any type.
This. / find, for good saddle horse
purposes and especially for COW horse
purposes. vital mistake. because they
grow big and make horses Weighing
from 1.400 TO 1000 pounds. and lack
the action. and are very rough to ride,
and after getting tired are very liable
to fall and cripple the rider. They are