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Show J Jyl I . JS, IOUQH horse ra- jy g ft 1 I l ' on many of the I ff ff rT$V&r X h I VW. P-f I t prominent T J S J WW : J' ka in America has j S fS v ' ifl V W Ij 1 I ecent years gone Ajf V ",Al fet-''"'' "f" I eclipse and the III 1 's fyjsi-- ' ' v-w I 3 purses of days II I yJifj.-'s Z ' I " 111 '" I Vj 3 by are, to a If VI w ' .J- J . V"A - V L- 41 2 J I :t extent, a thing ft " , f g - 7 , tft " ffll 1 I :ie past, the breed- j J - i , , 1 J J of thoroughbreds ' . .t " J 4 - , i I - Xk I Inues and thrives J .Z, - I market nowadays 1 - A V ' I r V - - I tTTvl h among the own- ' , , ' IA is as among that K ' ' - YK-' iw i "v v ' I - v - v.- ' vV,2.5j g percentage of 1 ,i ' ( 1 J I --ii; V'f-i neans and Inclina- U ' 14" 5 l -V fi&mprro ding horses. Not ' t If- 1 " f MT-OUT the automobile JI' ' 1 ' II )ened the enthusl- I I ' I .4 ? ' J M 8tCk far bglnB Very early ln Ufe lountry riders and ' H f ' and ls very thorough. However, careers care-ers who demand . ,H 'H , '"I handling ls requisite, for a major-pay major-pay for special V ' 4- ? ' " ,7 lty of the foa,s are decidedly shy. se-flesh. " ' r" - '' ' ' C' When the age of seven or eight months of course, under- i A l ' - 7 18 attaIned the average young thor-thoroughbred, thor-thoroughbred, as W 'r ff oughbred ls sufficiently broken to unci un-ci running horses r"V. " ' , '-: f'-11 vHif 'V L dergo a preliminary trial. As a year- ebo are under the ''igg7feMg 'mCZW Buh ft0(ffu(rtherf test: Ln3&-lMim POTTJ oTT ' but It Is not until 6 the animal ls well I geSSsT i -. ' j 1 . Into the s e 0 o n d :?i:?i;?:r;5-?;i ,!-'. rfyf i f I F i Kir that the iy.ym . -?J t- j T"T H ! 1 : breeder determines :0 W:l$mm " ; I '2 I , ... I i ' fi whether the youg- 4if&WJm 'f ' . I - ? J r J ster gives promise v . 'Mi tlV - ) i H 1 f l - '.I of a turf career or to --0r St-h jMM ivAw.?;. r'Us K x "si k ; j fcii I l 1 kx& ""!' I of yearlings are h v&"" ""B 'JizZ -Ih- -lrx. A W(7A J. usually held ln rV'H" 'i4f$ midsummer and 'V, . . vIIW there is seldom any ..f.". V."'...'x...y"L.T.I l .frrrmnrr IT from hrnedlne 4Lii LTHOUQH horse ra- clnK on many of the (f(fxj most prominent V' tracks ln America has vw? ln recent years gone ?SS7n2 v, 'nt ec'lP8e and the f.' huge purses of days f gone by are, to a j'W great extent, a thing (-tm "f the past, the breed- lug of thoroughbreds t$ continues and thrives. The market nowadays la not found so much among the owners own-ers of racing stables as among that largo and increasing percentage of the public that has means and Inclination Inclina-tion ot keep fine riding horses. Not ' l even the vogue of the automobile "" seems to have dampened the enthusl- V" asm of these cross-country riders and hunters and polo players who demand and are willing to pay for special qualifications In horse-flesh. The reader will, of course, understand under-stand that the term thoroughbred, as .. here used, refers to running horses. There are persons who are under the I Impression that the stock farm begins very early in life and ls very thorough. However, careful care-ful handling ls requisite, for a majority major-ity of the foals are decidedly shy. When the age of seven or eight months is attained the average young thoroughbred thor-oughbred ls sufficiently broken to undergo un-dergo a preliminary trial. As a yearling year-ling he ls subjected to further tests. but it ls not until the animal ls well Into the s e o o n d year that the breeder determines whether the youg-ster youg-ster gives promise of a turf career or ls better adapted to service as a roadster or a mount for the huntsman. . Sales of yearlings are usually held ln midsummer and there ls seldom any dearth of bidders tor the equlnes from hreedlner - high-claBS Amer ican trotter has as much right as the running horse to , designation as a thoroughbred, but ln strictly correct usage horsemen refer to the fine trotters as "stan dard bred" and reserve re-serve the flrst- j., . ' ' ' mentioned term for the runners the hunters and 3UE (rI?Jlj5ct covers cost of feed J3.BDmQ FJIPTt and labor and takes no account of the investment repre- t:' ri'Mw. ,fi '(, sentea Dy tne stocic rarm usually a heavy one. There are breeders who declare that unless they can sell each of their yearlings for a price close to $500 they do not make a reasonable profit, but ln the South, where labor is cheap and where the initial cost of much of the land was fairly low, It Is possible for breeders to make money from sales at lower figures than that mentioned. The organization and management of an up-to-date breeding farm ls interesting in-teresting from the manner in which it Insures attention to detail. The owner own-er of the farm ls usually his own manager, man-ager, but in some instances there Is also a resident manager to handle matters when the owner Is absent as he must be much of the time If he atetnds the fairs, horse shows and farms which have been awarded blue ribbons in the past. At all times it is essential for the breeder or owner to keep a sharp watch regarding the health of his blooded equlnes. Partlcualrly close watch must needs be kept as to tCe condition of the mouth, legs and feet of each animal. It is obvious ob-vious that, a horse cannot eat properly and be adequately nourished If he has a sore mouth, just as he cannot run satisfactorily if his feet are in bad condition or the shins are "bucked" the bugbear of two-year-olds.- Training a thoroughbred thor-oughbred for racing involves, of course, special instruction quite aside from anything included In the animal's education at the breeding farm, but for that matter every step in the life of a young thoroughbred taxes the temper of the nervous, high-strung animal. And the men in charge of one of these equlnes must show judgment and patience ln Introducing a four-footed charge to each new experience even though It be something some-thing so simple as Initiation into the mysteries of a box-stall or the donning of a blanket for the first time. Since the decadence of racing ln the United States a number of American millionaires who breed thoroughbreds primarily in order to supply sup-ply their own racing stables have transferred the scene of their activities to the Old World. There are several In England; quite a few ln France and a number in Ireland, where Richard Croker, former for-mer Tammany leader, is among those who have established Important breeding farms. With most of these wealthy men, however, breeding ls a fad. The men who breed thoroughbreds for a livelihood continue to do business at the old stand In America and most of them obtain satisfactory profits for their efforts. I ' " vjYi j?xjirrpi or V horse sales. Under the manager are a number of skilled trainers, each of whom is responsible for the education of a certain number of horses, and has the assistance of several helpers In his work. In addition to this staff there Is a boss or foreman for each barn and under each barn boss is enrolled a number of grooms, exercise boys, etc. At some of the costly farms In Virginia Vir-ginia and Kentucky we find every modern facility facil-ity from a private electric light and power plant to feed cutters that not only take the grain from the private elevator and crush It, but mix the feed in aiy desired proportions. The education of a thoroughbred at a modern the "timber-toppers," as the jumping horses requisite requi-site for cross-country riding are designated. The- modern American thoroughbred, as we see -. -j--f ' him at our present day race meetings and horse 'X shows, ls the product of four centuries of breed-, breed-, ' lng, training and experimenting. The ancestors of the present numerous equine family were brought to Virginia by the early English settlers and Virginia and adjacent parts of the Sotith have always been famous as the breeding ground of thoroughbreds. However, much of the breeding breed-ing of thoroughbreds which is and has been done 1:. this favored region iias been carried on for love of the task rather than for financial returns. ' There is a wide difference between American thoroughbreds and those bred ln other notable " " horse-raising sections (for Instance, Ireland), but It would be difficult to find an American horseman horse-man who will not argue up and down that the Yankee steeds are as fine examples of all-around training as may be found anywhere on the globe. The American thoroughbred is admittedly shorter than his English prototype, but it is claimed that i this lack of stature ls more than counterbalanced I by soundness and superior constitution. Horsemen in the United States and In the ' United Kingdom hold to different ideals ln breed ing that are bound to be reflected by certain dissimilarities dis-similarities in the animals produced. In America the tendency has been to develop thoroughbreds that will run comparatively short distances at maximum speed, whereas ln England greater attention at-tention Is bestowed upon the problem of breeding horses that will run long distances and will carry weight It Is to be expected that with the pass- lng of racing as the supreme field of usefulness for the American thoroughbred there will be a tendency on the part of Yankee breeders to more nearly approach the English standard, which ls supposed to produce horses ideal for private use. The breeding of thoroughbreds In America has been carried on most extensively In the States of Virginia. Kentucky, California, Montana, Pennsylvania, Penn-sylvania, Tennessee, New York and New Jersey. The principal requisites are an equable climate, good soil with a foundation of limestone, plentiful water and an abundance of sweet grass. There are yet In existence many breeding farms of modest mod-est pretensions, but the tendency of recent years appears to be to create vast estates where wealthy men specialize ln the breeding of thoroughbreds - - by aid of every facility that money and thought can provide. In Kentucky a few years ago eight old-fashioned stock farms were merged by a millionaire Into one vast breeding estate of fully two thousand acres. Experienced breeders figure that It costs not less than $125 to raise a thoroughbred yearling t an up-to-date stock farm and this sum merely |