THE HORSE BREEDING INDUSTRY

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2983, 27 August 1891, Page 4

THE HORSE BREEDING INDUSTRY

How that tliu season is atruin coming round, fur our horso-breedors to lay their plans for tho future,the following sensible article, taken from the columns of tho Melbourne Leafier, will be read with interest, and perhaps prolit. It is singular to notice how many of tho defects enumerated in the Victorian system of horse-breeding, are to be found in our own. This in particularly the ease as regards tho haphazard and indiscriminate way of choosiii-' stallions,apparently with 110 more dcliuito object in view thin to perpetuiitc at the lowest cost, the pijuino iacf in some form or another t: — f

Whatever may bo tho moasuro o success claimed for a number of the i idustriis now established in the colony, i riniiot.be truthfully said that horse Irvediiijj is in a Mourshiru; condition at the proscut time. Farmers in every district iu Victoria now assert that horse breeding does not pay, and thoso amongst thorn who a few years ago kept Hovoral brood mares, ami reared a few foals evury season, havo in most cases abandoned the practice, finding that taking the risks and low prices into consideration, thoro is a much greater probability of lo:-ing than making mouoy by cotitiuuiug to brood. Tho depreciation in value has takeu place iu connection with all classes of horses, except, porhaps, i'ashiouably bred thoroughbreds or ponies suitable for racing, but it is most pronounced with regard to draught horses and the class that at one timo was in such good dornuud for omnibuses and work of that kind. Tho falling oil' in the number and quality of draught stock was noticenblo at all country shows last season, and it is certain that the shows for tho current year will servo to emphasise tho extent to which farmers have gono out of tho horse breeding industry. Thn light to medium draught horses, that were used in such largo numbers by the Omnibus Company, are now almost nnsaloablo on aoconnt of tho cable and the steam engine taking tho place of horse powor for street traffic. There is no getting away from tho fact that horse breeding at present docs not pay, and has not done so for some timo. This remark, however, moro generally applies to the ordinary description of hones than to really first class iinimals. Tho lattor are always dear, berauso they are dillioult to obtain. Heavy and activo draught horses suitablo for lorries, stone oarting or contractor's work can always be disposed of at remunerative and oftentimes high prices, while weight carrying hackneys, hunters and carriage horses of a really good stamp are extremely scarce and, in consequence, proportionately valuable. Well matched carriage pairs", upstanding and sound, are seldom seen, and tin: oagorly sought after when offered for sale. Ordinary farm horses of no particular merit, and nondescript hacks, are a drug in tho market, and aro likely to remain so. Seeing thit really first cla-s animals sir 1 in front! demand and vory scarce, it is pvidrnt that horse breeding has not been earned on upon pronor lines Many rompetent jud:.'e'i are of opinion that, as a wnoml rulo, horses of every description nro noiv mforior to th.se of 20 years ago. Whether this is so or noc is an open question, but certainly no marked improvoinent has taken place iu tho "harncti-r n * any particular Ciuss, and with regard to

stamina, hacks havo deteriorated, The truth of the matter is horses bred on tho majority of farms are neither one thing nor the other, and their very existence is a mistako, as they usurp planes that could be much more profitably filled by either better horses or some other kind of stock. Horse breeding has been carried on in a haphazird sort of way, sires of any description being used, provided the servioo fee was small; and the result could not bo otherwise than unsatisfactory from every point of view. Until the last few years, on account, of so much new country being taken up and oultivatr-d by settlers with limited means, these nondescript horses wore saleable, being used for farm work, but as time wont on the purchasers in turn beeamo breeders themselves, and so the demand diminished, while the number of horses largely increased, Tho position now is that farmers have stock on their hands which are difficult to get rid of at any piieo, and many havo bocomo so disgusted with tho business that they havo cono out of horso breeding altDgethor, bclioving that the present depression is permanent. The wisdom of this is questionable. No doubt the business has been overdone ; but does it not seem as if we were now going to the other extreme ? Some people always buy iu a dear market aud sell in a cheap one, and the time they select, for going into an industry is when it is booming. When scarcely any regard has been paid to the suitability of either sire or dam it is scarcely to bo wondered that the proireney has in most cases turned out indifferent and almost unsaleable.

In spite of low prices aud depressed timos, horse breeding, if conducted on proper lines, ought to pay well. But to make it a success the aim must be to breed only thebost, and attention must be coulined to raising only those sorts for which there is a demand. But no hope of mak ing horse breeding a success need ever be entertnined so long as the present system of indiscriminate mating of un-uitablo sires and dams is pursue!. First of all, dams possessing strength, stamina and sizo are necessary If tho marc is a wretched nondescript it is übsurb to expect that her foai will turn out well. Good roomy marcs, strong enough for farm work and active enough for tho express wag'guu or the nprinsr cart, if properly incited, nearly always throw something good. But it is by no means easy to get hold of suitable dams, and tho man who tries to secure a few mares of the kind which experience indicates as being the sort required will liud the task somewhat troublesome. The subject of this article, however, is not ou the establishment of a stud, but on farmers' horses and how they may be inproved. To follow the business of horse breeding requires spocial natural aptitude aud ability, as well as long experience, and these qualities aro given to only a few, Tho farmer does not need to bother his brains about establishing a stud ; his object should be to simply breed two or three foals a year of a class that will command remunerative prices when brought under the hammer. The majority of young horses now on farms would not bring at auction prices that could be con* sidered anything like a fair return for their cost of keep, the farmers therefore says that horse breeding does not pay. Yet |what are these animals fit for ? They are not good enough for contractors' work, for stone carting or for the lorry ; they are neither hunters, hackneys or carriage horses ; they might, perhaps, do for'buses, but there is so little demand in that direction that it is scarcely worth taking into account. There is really no place foi these animals, therefore thoy aro worth next to nothing to the breeders.

Good mares only should be used for brooding purposes aud tho sires should be carefully selected. Unfortunately the country is overrun with a lot of stallions, pedigreed ami otherwise, that are totally unfit, for tho duty of propagating their species. A number of slab sided, slack loinod, rotton hoofed and generally unsound animals having hereditary defects are allowed to travel country districts, and farmers avail themselves of their services because the fee is low. This is a very unwise proceeding, and it was only a question of time for its evil effects to become prouounced. But, unfortunately, every farmer is not a judge of horse flesh or sufficiently skilful to detect faults in a sire that, aro likely to be perpetuated iu the progeny. Thero really ought to bo some means devised by which the nnrm.il licensing of stallions should bo nuido compulsory, the license bcin!» issued only to horses that were certified sound and free ivn-m hereditary defects by a qualified veterinary surgeon. The license fee need not bo heavy ; an amount sufficient to ever the actual expenses in connection with the professional opinion and the issue of the license would be all that was necessary to exact. Uusound horses would thus bo prevented From doing furtlior mischief, the public would bo protected and owners of good stallions would be benefited. The horse breeding industry is languishing now, but if worked on better lines it is possible to establish it upon 11 much more satisfactory footiug.

Much greater attention must also be •.riven to foals. According to prese.it managmout the youngsters receive little or no attention from the time they are foaled until they are either broken or sold. Very frequently tho farm is overstocked, and iu a bad season the young horses are reduced to the verge of starvation. Whether this is the case or not it is exceptional to liud that foals are given anything but what they can pick up. If they aro worth rearing at all thoy aro worth looking after properly, and it is folly to suppose that good and well dovolopf d animals can be obtained when during tbo greater portion of their lives they havo been half starved. Horses equal to auy in the world ought to be bred here, but so long as tho present lines are followed, good animals will be the exception, not the rule. To beoomo successful breeders, most peoplo would have a good deal to learn as well as some fads to discard, but hitherto, so far ua tho majority of farmers aro concerned, no system worthy of tho uatno hus been followed, and the result has boon a plethora of vory iuditt'oront animals for which there is no sale. If the character of the stock is so improved that known demands can bo mot, the horso breediug industry will bo again placed upon a s itisfaetory footing.