THE DRAUGHT HORSE INDUSTRY.
'ABOUT REGISTRATION SCHEMES. The '.examination of stallions for unsoundness has been talked of,in New Zealand for a good many .'years past, but, although a scheme- has been detailed by the Chief Veterinarian, and discussed at various gatherings of farmers and horse- , breeders, the Government has so far shown no anxiety to bring in tho legislation necessary to give 'it effect. The matter received a great deal of attention at the.: last Conference of A. and P. Associations, held in Wellington in August, 1909, when it was introduced, by remits from Taranaki, Otago, and Harlborough. Farmers' Union Conferences of 1909 and 1910 also considered the subject of improving the breed of the Dominion's draught horses'. The veterinary officers hold that there are far too many horses affected by hereditary .'unsoundness travelling the . country, . There are certainly . numbers of bad conformation and poor physique. Of systems of registration there are, broadly, two—voluntary and compulsory. New Zealanders often look to the result of Victoria's efforts. Tho" system there is voluntary, and has been in force about three years. In New South Wales, two agricultural societies have made freedom of hereditary unsoundness or disease a. condition' permitting draughts to compete for certain prizes. In his annual leport the. Chief Veterinarian (llr. C. J. Keakes) said:—"The evidence obtained by me is such as to convince me that the voluntary system is not a good one, in that it has one most serious fault—viz., that it does not prevent' unsound stallions which have been refused a certificate continuing to do service, and consequently perpetuate their vari- ' ous unsoundnesses, thus . preventing" the attainment of tho one object aimed at— the elimination of these animals. There is good evidence to show that many, unsound and uncertificated stallions are still serving mares, and, moreover, by their owners charging ' lower fees,. often /competing successfully with sound.certificated animals.- A . system , which permits such a state of affairs cannot be a good one, and I cannot recommend its adoption. It may be, in some degree, a palliative of the evil, but in New Zealand our horse-breeding industry, especially as regards draughts, is so valuable nn asset that it is well worth our while to adopt measures which will- be. more effective and more thorough provided they do not press with uMue :severity upon owners. The last few words indicate the controversial side Df the subject—"provided they do not press' with! undue severity upon owners." ' Mr.Reakes's opinion is that the desired result would be best effected by a system of official licensing of all, stallions. (ex-, oept thoroughbreds used for breeding racing stock, and stallions used. exclusively for serving mares 1 belonging to their owners) . It can' be regarded as practically certain that if a measure is introduced in the immediate future it will provide that no horses shall be licensed unless'free of' hereditary unsoundness, and that no horse shall be allowed to serve unless licensed. ' '
The Chief Veterinarian, in his annual Tc'port,- apparently looked forward to a measure being introduced. "I. would recommend," -hey says, "that the system should'not'apply at'the beginning to animals of value;'more, than two years;; old before the 'date of'?the measure; coming into.active Operation." Proceeding to-,put-line the proposalsfor bringing, his scheme into force gradually, Mr.'Reakes said:— "Older; horses then in existence, could be presented for examination if the owners wished; but there would be no compulsion regarding them. Then, in the first year, -'two-year-olds only . would come under;. compulsory-'.; examination; -■ in, ,the. secondj two, thifecj arid four-year-olds g .in; the tlird, two,"thfee, four, and'five-year-' olds; and so on." By that means, he considers, we would get clean horses, and the object -would be effected without undue hardship oh anyone. Examinations have been made at the shows of two agricultural ■ societies "inNew. Zealand. At the Otago show last year a cup was offered for competition by draught 6tallions of any age, and a condition was freedom of hereditary unsoundness. Of 58/ draught stallions'on/the ■ground only thirteen competed,. and' one was rejected because he nad side-bone. At Palmerston North in .1903 only twelve", were submitted to'the examination, and three were rejected. At the. Palmerston North show this summer only about half a dozen faced the' ordeal. To put thematter, plainly, it is evident that the conditions of" examination are held in great "respect" by owners.: The scheduleof diseases under which the examinations have been made is given as follows in'a Departmental publication:—Bone spavin; Tingbone, side-bone, naviculear arthritis', laryngeal muscular atrophy, causing, roaring or whistling during the 'act.,of--in-! piration,' string bolt, shivering,, multiple recurrent fibroids, any inferiority in'; the. structive or quality of the hoof which' im-: pairs, or.is likely to impair, the animal's usefulness, and is.in the examincr's"opirilon transmissible to the '■ ••'.' However, the' chief point is whether the" Government intends to do anythihgVin. the matter.; Vfe are at present exporting tage numbers-of draught horses to Australia. All these have to'pass the • doctor; and one important result of that regulation is that the animals we are losing are the sound ones while we keep the rejects. The position is becoming more serious as time goes on, and, while it is a difficult matter to gauge the feeling of the farmers, there are indications, that there would be more sympathy how with anything regarded as a reasonable reform than there was a year ago. :
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Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 973, 14 November 1910, Page 8
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885THE DRAUGHT HORSE INDUSTRY. Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 973, 14 November 1910, Page 8
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