WILLOWHOLME'S PEDIGREE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 328, 29 November 1879, Page 3

WILLOWHOLME'S PEDIGREE.

To the Edilor.of (/icWairarafa Daily. Sir—Owners of ■ thoroughbred stock (brood mares, especially) cannot be too ■j. particular about any remarlts that may be in print about their animals.•••. . Your report of the Pastoral Society's meeting on Wednesday last contains the following paragraphMr R. R. Armatronghanded in pedigree of Willowholme, on which a question had been raised, which was found correct, and ordered to be filed." Here's the difficulty. Which was it they found correct 1 The pedigree or the doubt? Such writing is too ambiguous, and too much license is allowed the reader to interpret as lie likes where only one interpretation should be possible. You will therefore please permit me to explain, The truth is, Willowholme's pedigree was not questioned, but in answer to a question put by the judge, Is this mare thoroughbred I I said, Yes, ..After the judging was over tho competitors were requested to hand in pedigrees of their exhibits to justify their claim to be classed as thoroughbreds; not because they were objected to, but as I take it to carry out a regulation that p ought to have been complied with at time of entry, prior to the judging and not afterwards, as in the present case. Judges do not see pedigrees, or ought not to. Thoy havo to place the stock exhibited according to their ideas of superiority, leaving it to the committee of management to see that only the right description of stock is admitted in the various classes. In this instance the attendant stewards were not in a position to say whether the brood mares were or were not thoroughbred, The judge, therefore, placed them, and left it to the coinmitiee to obtain pedigrees before giving the certificates. That is exactly how 1 came to send in my mare's tabulated pedigree. The stewards received it and ordered it to be filed. As I hope old Willowholme's progeny will yet play an important part on the turf and in tho show yard, you will readily understand that I didn't want somo day to find myself fixed up because I omitted to reply to a paragraph that could be construed favorably or the reverse, at the option of the reader. I am, &c,, Ralph R, Armstrong,