THE FARM HORSE

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 291, 21 November 1936, Page 7 (Supplement)

THE FARM HORSE

Importance cl the Clydesdale CARE AND FEEDING t Throughout New Zealand, and 1 vival is seeing tiie farm-horse ra ‘ With the mushroom growth of pow 1 dustry fell to a low-ebb. The sub ' products necessitated a ctirtaiimeu ‘ result that the draught horse lias 1 tidence on the part that the draug show by many New Zealand bre porting the best Clydesdale blood H draught is mdispensible, and, giv general care and feeding, be is a carrying-on of the farm. also in many other countries, a tepidly coming back into Ins own. er i arming the horse-or ceding insequeut rail m prices for primary t m production costs, with the steadily replaced the .tractor. Conlit will take in farm work has been eders who have been recently imom Scotland. Economically the on proper attention m regard to ms valuable unit m the successful

A lew years ago there were indications that the hoise-breeduig industry was on the down grade. High puces ioi primaly produce, particularly wheat, led many ianners io replace then horses with tractors, and power lartnnig rapidly incieased in popularity, at lue expense ol the horse. Houevei, the consequent decline in horse bleeding was short lived, states the “Leader. Ine subsequent fail m prices brought home to lariners the necessity lor curtailing their costs ol production, ami many tractor owners levelled to the hoise. As a result, over the last sis )ears there has been a steady demand ioi heavy horses, and a great revival in the draught horse breeding mdusli.v oi the State Striking continuation ol tins statement is afforded by a comparison of the numbers oi draught stat lions submitted lor examination with a view to registration under ilm \ iclonaii Horse-nrecdnig Act. In 1929-3 u, when the industry was at its lowest ebb lor many years, only 183 draught stallions were submitted lor icgislralioii In the lollowing year tiie number in creased slightly .to 213, ami in 1931-31 to 291. In 1932-33 there was a jump ol 66 per cent m, the number submitted to 503, ami in the next year the “tun her increased by a lurther 30 per cent no fewer than 6-19 draught stallions being submitted for exam Hint ion by the inspecting veterinary ollieers. In 193435 there was another spectacular rise in stallions for winch registration was desired, some 85b being examined, and in 1935-36 all previous records were eclipsed when the total reached 931 Higher standard. ' These hguies itveal that in the pa*> six years the number oi draught sial lions lor winch registration was desited lias increased by more than -LLXz per cent. Liilorluuaiely, the IngU jiamiaru seen m the horses paraded , cl L“« Royal is nut maintained m all of vin studs, and approximately 33 per cent <>l the stallions submitted lor registration were rejected by the inspecting ollieers because of hereditary uusoundness, or because they were considered to be below a reasonable setamlard u> regard to type, conformation or breeding. However, it must be remembered that a fairly high standard is being aimed at, and it is gratilying to note that the percentage of rejectons was the lowest lor several years. 'jbese statistics, as well as the horses paraded at the Royal, indicate that the bleeders are playing their part in making avail abl e for the use of the farmers work ing horses of a comparatively high standard. Are the farmers themselveplaying their part in getting the maxi mum value from their horses? As la' as the great majority of farmers is concerned, the answer to such a q"estion would undoubtedly be in affirmative, but there are cases m which the management of the iarin horses “• not all it should be, and it is not mi common to come across instances in which carelessness pr ignorance nave resulted in an ailing horse just at the time when his services are needed most