The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 1888. HORSES FOR INDIA.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1854, 30 May 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 1888. HORSES FOR INDIA.

The fact that the Indian Government it enquiring for horses, • doubtless of the cavalry stamp, should be welcome news to breeders of upstanding hacks m this country. A few days ago vre mentioned that m conjunction with a gentleman m the. North Island a well-known hor,se dealer m Oamaru was about to charter a steamer to take a consignment of horses to Calcutta. It appears from the information supplied to the Victorian Government that nearly a thousand animals are wanted at once, at an average price of £53 each, including cojat of delivery m India. At this > price there should be a fair margin of profit, as it costs, we believe, from £12 to £15 per head to ship them direct from Lyttelfcon, and the horses m this colony are infinitely superior to those m Victoria. The chance is one which * should be taken advantage of at once by our horse breeders and dealers. Horses of the right stamp are to be picked up at a moderate price . It is well also to remember that horses from five to eight years old are more eagerly sought after m the Indian market, and as much as £70 or £80 ia easily got for a good stamp of a charger. Not many months ago a shipment sent per the Tekapo to Calcutta, by Messrs Stead and others, turned out a very fair spec, and very few horseß were lost on the voyage. The risk m the venture is the loss of horses if the passage is very rough, but given favourable considerations, a commodious and well arranged horse carrying steamer, and careful attendants the loss may be reduced to a minimum. The Indian market is likely to be always available for the absorption of all the cavalry horses we can raise m New Zealand above, our own require^ ments ; and it would appear that just now there is $ better market than usual. Whether this arises from a fear of a descent of Russians from the Hindoo Koosh frontier or not cannot just yet be seen. At any rate the export of horses to India from this colony is likely to be a profitable one.