OCR Text |
Show American Horses. The development of types of light horses has been notable in the United States, but, accordilng to a bulletin recently re-cently issued by the department of agriculture, ag-riculture, with a single exception the draft-horses have been foreign strains transplanted. Of the light horses, the Narragansett pacer was a famous type in colonial days. Later came the Morgan, Mor-gan, tfce atandard-bred and the saddle-horse. saddle-horse. The specialisation of these types has been a national business and, in spite of importations from abroad, the native stock has developed and held its own. Of draft-horses, on ths other hand, the only native type was the Conestoga, a breed that has now become completely extinct, and has left no discernible traces on the native stock. For heavy work, therefore, there-fore, Americans must depend entirely upon the imported Percherons, Clydes-dayes Clydes-dayes and 'Shires. The national traits which have resulted in these conditions condi-tions are evidently somewhat different from what has been supposed; for the speed mania is what has caused the light types of horse to be developed and the heavy ones to be neglected. American breeders have sacrificed other qualities, which, in the opinion of the department of agriculture, are more important, in order to lower track records by a second or two. In the minds of most persons, Virginia, Kentucky Ken-tucky and other parts of the south are most commonly associated with the pedigrees and development of the finest types of horses. To all who hold that opinion it will be instructive to trace, through the pages of the bulletin, bulle-tin, the number of great strains of racing, rac-ing, carriage and saddle blood which, although commonly associated with the south, in reality go directly back to New England. |