ENCOURAGING HORSEBREEDING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1563, 5 October 1912, Page 8

ENCOURAGING HORSEBREEDING.

SHOULD A. AND P. SOCIETIES DO MORE? VIEWS OF A BREEDER. During the course of his' presidential address at the annual meeting of tho Clydesdale Horse Society, Mr. ,7. M. Johnstone remarked that it would give a great impetus to the development of liorse-broeding if tho A. and P. Societies offered greater rewards in the shape of trophies and prize-money at the leading shows throughout New Zealand, so thaibreeders might in sonic slight measure be recompensed for the trouble and expanse to which they go in preparing their stock for exhibition and competition. The Society had moved in this matter already, having through the generosity of threo of its members been able to offer three valuable Challenge Cups, for competition at certain shows' in the North and South Islands. Mr. Johnstone proceeded to emphasise the necessity for tho show societies throughout the laud exercising the greatest possible care in their selection of judgos. In a recent issue of the "Scottish Farmer," he added, the following were set down as being the four chief sources of defective .awards in the show ring-.— ■ (1) Legitimate differences of oninion as to the relative value of the merits of the stock. (2) Ignorance or incompetence to determine between these relative values. (3) Lack of independence of mind to enable the judge to stand lip for his own opinion.

(i) A lack of the sense of honour and a. determination, for some by-ends, to ludge not the arilmols, but thejr owners. To the first of these causes, arising from legitimate differences of opinion, must always, he said, bo due some uncertainty in the result of show-rinsr judging, anil most practical men would agree .with the "Farmer's" article that no scale of points could ever work satisfactorily in bringing about uniformity. There could, however, be no possible-"excuse for tho appointment of judges who had not u sound knowledge of the breed of slock they were judging, sufficient confidence in their own judgment- to prevent their being influenced by previous ' decisions, and. tho most scrupulous honesty in milking their awards, regardless pf the ownership of tho animals (hat came before them. The days when a judge entered the ring, as the advocate of a particular breeder's stock ought, surely to bs past, and tho practice of iudEes 'compromising by awarding prizes alfernatelv .in the same class to two animals of ciilireiy different types was worthy of almost equally strong condemnation. Unon tho confidence of breeders in/the judges appointed depended the success of any exhibition, and if unqualified or unprincipled men were chosen to adjudicate,' tne result was the withholding of entries at future shows. He was moved to inako these remarks in the conviction that, so much depends upon having a proper conception of the principles "that it is the object of the Clydesdale Society to inculcate and carry out. To recognise and act upon these principles, indeed, was the only way in which to ensure that the name and work of the society shall bo respected and valued throughout tho Dominion and in other lands.