CHAPTER XIII.. Breeding--Its Inconsistencies and Its Disappointments.

BREEDING--ITS INCONSISTENCIES AND ITS DISAPPOINTMENTS.

There are very dissimilar kinds of horses produced in this country, the breeding of which concerns many different classes of proprietors, and all of which are ushered into this world with most opposite formalities; therefore no author may pretend he is qualified to write about every description of animal, with any air of authority. The person, however, who has long thought upon the subject, and who, by education, is fitted to arrive at a just opinion, may reach a conclusion which, without appealing to the prejudices or interfering with the mysteries of any particular class, nevertheless shall, in its decision, apply with equal force to the entire body.

The writer states thus much, because, though not absolutely without experience, he yet can put forth no pretension to be specially initiated into those practices and tricks which ignorant people suppose to be requisite for the essential regulation of particular affairs. Neither does he aspire to be esteemed a proficient in jockeyship, which the public appear to imagine involves everything concerning the equine race. The following pages are indited by an individual who, fond of the subject, and instructed as a veterinarian, has now attained an age when the mind should be equally above the errors natural to schools and the superstitious, which appear to be inseparable from general society.

There is one fault which is exemplified with the like strength by all parties who, in England, assume they understand the breeding of horses. Every proprietor, when so engaged, endeavors to render the mare subservient to two or to three distinct uses. All will burn the candle at both ends; then the public sympathizers raise a loud exclamation because such willful extravagance does not specially serve any economical or any useful purpose. Nobody dreams of propagating from an animal until its body has been injured and its vitality has been weakened by services rendered to an exacting master. The results which labor can impress upon a living organism may be observed emphasized upon the manufacturing classes of Great Britain; but much as has been published concerning the cruelty which man can practice on his fellow-man, such inhumanity cannot be compared with the torments which are, openly and without a sense of wrong-doing, inflicted upon the dumb existence that cannot plead its wrongs, and which the social code even permits to be maltreated.

There may be an enactment applicable to extreme cases; but the most acute anguish no statute touches. Where the law is operative, death is always near the extremity which mortal justice condescends to relieve. To prevent extraordinary agony, is not to soften the general treatment. No man hitherto has conceived there can be any outrage committed upon charity by breeding from the body which, through a life of service, had earned a right to rest. But most horse proprietors only “throw up” the animal they intend should perpetuate its race, after strains and pains have rendered longer life a larger misery. Work, in this land, appears with quadrupeds to be esteemed a necessary preparation for “the stud.” No one in this country, famous throughout the world for its breed of horses, seems to be endowed with any distant conception of the age which fits the body for the reproduction of its kind; but all appear to imagine the period is any time after the capacity for toil has diminished. What a comment is, by the custom, promulgated upon the Christianity which, after more than eighteen hundred years of doctrine, the inhabitants of many places besides Great Britain may point to in illustration of their belief!

Bodies crippled by too early labor, or carcasses disabled by disease, are generally found among the breeding stud of a modern establishment. The foals of nearly all breeds are injured before the little creatures see the light; it is, therefore, no matter for surprise that a breeding mare is, by the majority of farmers, esteemed to be a losing concern. In the case of blood stock, both sire and dam are submitted to the trainers’ processes ere the second stage of equine babyhood has been perfected. Certainly where an amusement is pursued with a reckless defiance of economy, a little longer grace might be accorded to the animals employed to promote it; or where the topmost prize is estimated not by tens but by thousands, it might be prudent to speculate with a little forbearance for such a reward.

Has it never occurred to a nobleman, or to any gentleman, that it might probably be as profitable to keep the most promising foals sacred to breeding purposes; that, simply as a paying speculation, it might answer to do for the course what agriculturists have done for the land,--only with this difference, that whereas one desires bulk, the other should aim at courage, strength, and speed? Animals, if well cared for, and never placed in the trainers’ hands, would in all probability bring forth finer specimens of horse flesh than either their parents or their progenitors. These foals, being selected and kept apart until the sixth year, might generate young which should sweep the land; and a stud of “clippers” would, assuredly, prove a pretty private property.

Such a plan includes much more care than is at present bestowed. The author well remembers, some years back, going through the straw yard of a “stud farm,” in the depth of a severe winter. The place was covered with mares and their newly-born progeny. Separated only by a few open rails, was a flock of yearlings, whose staring coats and ragged manes told emphatically of exposure and of neglect. This should not be. The animals should, from their birth, be securely sheltered and liberally nurtured. He who first accomplishes this, would most probably convert that which at present is a hazardous speculation into a certain gain.

How far a youth passed in running improves the reputation of some quadrupeds, is well known; but how far it is a good preparation for the offices of paternity, is exemplified by most blood mares and stallions becoming famous through their progeny only after years of repose have mitigated the chronic evils of their early life. Prejudice, however, takes no heed of such teaching; but maintains the absolute necessity of proving both, before sire or dam are allowed to perpetuate their kind. The consequence of this system is shown in the deformed and the misshapen dwarfs which are now ruining the once-prized native breed of English horses.

A huge error also distinguishes the plan adopted by most breeders for the general market. The prevailing opinion discards the compact and close-knit female, in favor of the long-backed and loose-bellied mare, which is praised as a “roomy” animal. But all the supposed advantages of this selection are more than counterbalanced by the food which is consumed during the months of gestation. A grass diet promotes dropsy, besides necessitating so much of the poor and watery nutriment to be swallowed that, before the quantity requisite to sustain life can be eaten, more than the difference of space between the shortest and the most expanded abdomen must be occupied.

The stabled horse employs but a brief period of each day in feeding. The same animal, when turned into the field, nearly occupies both day and night collecting the food needed to satisfy the cravings of its appetite. This difference of habit is not explained away by stating that in the stable only so much sustenance is placed before the quadruped; whereas, when at grass, the produce grows on every side of the creature, which it is always at liberty to consume. Many an animal will not clear the manger; therefore the quantity of food devoured in the field is only to be accounted for by that opinion which justly states grass to be a poor and innutritious sustenance.

The distinction which divides the two kinds of provender is, perhaps, best shown by the condition which each produces. The horse supported by the concentrated nourishment of the stable is commonly, while the natural powers are uninjured, characterized by energy, by firmness of body, and by fineness of limb. Whereas the quadruped is seldom long an inhabitant of the field ere it becomes windy, loose, flabby, dropsical; the walls of the abdomen are unnaturally distended; the digestive canal grows thin and pallid; the belly becomes pendulous with fluid; while worms crowd the intestines and bots cover the lining membrane of the stomach. All this takes place as the consequences which generally follow the act of turning out to grass. The animal in the field commonly performs no work; but when within the stable is rarely idle. Stables are badly victualed, badly ventilated, and almost slaughter-houses to the majority of steeds. Yet in the cold and humid climate of England horses cannot thrive upon exposure. Some few may thus exist in an approach to the wild condition; but these rapidly diminish in stature and soon become very shaggy coated. The sheltered horse, when driven forth, grows dull and ragged; its coat stares; the spirit droops; the eye loses luster; the carriage grows mean; the legs fill; and the outcast often experiences such a shock to the system as ruins its utility. While agricultural teams, which are mostly pastured, are not unseldom the victims of numerous diseases, as broken wind, etc.

The common country sire probably is injured from an opposite cause. Its food, during the early months of spring, is generally of too stimulating a nature. These creatures are to be seen led about, very much too fat for the proper performance of their functions. Obesity in other animals does not increase fruitfulness, but rather suppresses its development; and the author can perceive no reason why the heavier horse should be an exception to a rule of almost universal application. Common stallions, as beheld at fairs and markets, are weakened in order to please the ignorant farmers who employ these enervated animals to perpetuate the thews and muscles of the mart for English horses.

From dams suffering under the consequences of an exhausted youth, injured by the consumption of an innutritious diet, and debased by the absence of that care and cleanliness which a northern climate makes imperative, is the common breed of English horses replenished. Stallions, however, afford a convincing proof that abundant food and perfect rest, when unaided, will not impart vigor to a debilitated system. Few racers are famed for their stock, till time, which weakens the powers of the body, has effaced the consequences of early training.

From sires groaning under accumulation of fat, and of course equally pining under deterioration of the muscles, enervated by sloth, excited by stimulants, weakened by age, or with constitutions broken by premature exertions, are the claims of British thorough-breds at present maintained.

What are the results of such a system? Distances have to be shortened. Many start; but few return, contesting the race. Ages have to be altered; while boys have to assume the cap and the whip. Useless weights are sought to suit the failing strength; but more animals break down in the training than come to the post.

Yet racing is maintained, not for the amusement of a few, but to improve the national breed of horses! How far does it answer its purpose? Let the public markets testify. A stout hack is a rarity. Such an animal was once all but universal. A brougham horse--one looking fit to pull a house--was formerly to be found in every yard. Now London shall be searched through before the shadow of the original can be encountered; when discovered, the price demanded will be far too heavy for the generality of purchasers. The horse flesh of England is becoming weedy under a forced system. Poor “bloods” are everywhere present. In the sphere to which this breed should be confined, a few foals are retained; but the majority are discarded. Many are born that do not return the first expense which called them into existence. Those rejected are to be seen drawing cabs, carrying riders, pulling carts, and performing every office, which is at once a proof of their utter want of value and the hollowness of the pretense which perpetuates such degradation.

The glut of worthless “bloods” serves to check the raising of the other and the better kind of animals. The refuse of the stud farm being disposed of to the highest bidder, so far keeps down the price of common horses that what are termed serviceable quadrupeds have become scarce throughout the land which once produced them in abundance. Thus blood stock is contaminating the native breed of the country. Even with particular breeds--or with the Cleveland bays--the horses which dragged the cumbrous vehicles of our ancestors are lost to the present generation. Carriages are built lighter; but the animals, being nearly pure blood, lack strength and want substance. They are now a leggy, a washy, a soft species of creature, which gentlemen find it cheaper to hire than to buy; while only by keeping a herd large enough to allow some to be nursed and others to rest, does any person find it profitable to retain these quadrupeds, even though the money paid for three years’ loan should double the usual price given for an average pair of such poor and abject deformities.

The consequence is, that many gentlemen drive small horses, while omnibus proprietors, etc. prefer the coarser breeds. People are now aware that the lesser size renders the purchase easier, enables the horses to last longer, while sickness is not only less frequent, but the consumption of fodder is altogether smaller in quantity. Carriages are now built of diminished height and of lighter draught; therefore the expense of such a convenience is in many ways lessened. Indeed, the custom has become so general and has so many advantages to recommend it that dealers cannot afford to trade in Clevelands, the sale and the possession of which quadruped is, by the modern salesman, without a murmur relinquished to the job master.

The entire system must be changed, or, while it continues, men should consult the Calendar only to learn what sire to avoid. The blood stock has been bred too fine: all the properties which formerly distinguished it are now deteriorated. As greyhounds were improved by being crossed by the bull-dog, so does the English racer demand the infusion of little “cocktail” into his lineage. The Jockey Club must not perpetuate the weakness of that animal which this society pretends to conserve. Distances should be lengthened, weights increased, and ages made not to favor the maltreatment of mere foals. Nothing would do more to promote an improvement in the breed of English horses than a stoical determination which should render useless the present abundant crop of “weeds.” Sires should be chosen because of their stamina, their make, their thews, their muscles, and their general soundness. The quadruped should be treated naturally; not enervated by first being trained, and then debilitated by being pampered.

At the same time, that excessive obesity which is remarkable in all existing stallions of the ordinary breeds should be avoided; nor should the stimulants now in general use ever be employed. No animal should ever be kept in solitude and in darkness, as though its worth were dependent on the amount of mystery by which it can be surrounded. Such treatment is cruel; therefore it is needless. An entire horse is not, necessarily, a savage, though many, being spirited creatures, are made dangerous by the tricks played upon them and by the restraints to which they are needlessly subjected. In several countries emasculation is unknown. Though in India, native rudeness and European prejudice may engender ferocity, the author can boast of having made friends of animals that had undergone no deprivation; and the memories of such friendships are cherished with something more than the recollections of mere equine gentleness.

To illustrate this subject, the author must be pardoned if he introduces an incident which occurred to himself. He was of middle age when he entered as a student at the Royal Veterinary College. His mind became confused by the new sort of companions which he encountered; by the novel objects which surrounded him; and by the strange kind of knowledge he was required to master. This confusion was the greater, because previous habit in the writer had not rendered him familiar with horse flesh. An animal, therefore, was needed, so that reference might be made to its body for an explanation of the books which the pupil was expected to comprehend. At length, in the corner of a back yard was discovered a lonely, loose box. Inside there was a quadruped; and to this place the volume was daily taken, with various morsels of bread or vegetable. Thus, between feeding, reading, examining and caressing, many an afternoon was most pleasantly whiled away.

It was necessary to indulge in certain intimate familiarities. Sometimes to change the position of the animal, or to finger its lower extremities. When doing this, the author possessed no jockeyship to protect him, neither was he conscious that any protection was necessary. He used to shut himself up with the companion of his studies; and the hours thus spent he now remembers as among the very happiest of his existence.

More than a fortnight’s leisure had been pleasantly occupied, when, as the writer was one afternoon stealing to the being which lightened the tedium of his studies, and was in the act of opening the door, a number of fellow-students detected him so engaged. “Mayhew! Mayhew!” the group shouted, as with one voice, “where are you going? Don’t open that door! ‘Van Amburg’ is there! He’s a kicker and a biter! You’ll be killed! Don’t open the door!”

Van Amburg was the name of the thorough-bred racer, which had been sent to the College “for operation,” because of its supposed ferocity. Yet I, a novice, had passed many an hour in its society, and assert I could not have desired a more gentle companion. We have often laid long together side by side; or, as I reclined upon the straw, reading, the head would rest upon my shoulder, while a full stream of fragrant warmth would salute my cheek. Still, such a creature, so open to advances, so grateful for little kindnesses, was a reputed savage! Probably its real disposition continued to be maligned, and remains now unknown, save only to him whose ignorance was made happier by a discovery of the truth.

A training stable is not calculated to develop the true disposition of a high-spirited animal. A horse generally retains the character which is earned in such a place. When no longer running, but kept for “service,”--boxed up and chained, debarred from all freedom of motion, highly fed, and teased to the performance of his office,--such a creature cannot be good tempered, or long continue very sound. Such usage is parent to many an ailment and to many a disease; but, nevertheless, when surrounded by mystery, the stallion may for years continue profitable to its proprietor. It may be the means of transmitting malformation to its descendants; yet the attendant who could best describe its real condition has, in the money which is always paid to the groom, a direct pecuniary interest to uphold the public ignorance.

The thorough-bred mare fares even worse. The animal may get one or two feeds of corn each day; but its chief support is grass, which crams the viscera without satisfying the appetite or nourishing the body. The creature, when “thrown up” for stud purposes, exchanges an overheated stable for an open shed. From the exhaustion generated by closeness, it has to endure the coldness of all but absolute exposure. The coat is no longer dressed; the mane is left uncombed; the animal gradually turns to a pottled deformity, the resemblance of which may be generally witnessed near to every gipsies’ encampment.

All animals which are intended to perpetuate their race should be comparatively young, and only subjected to such easy toil as will repay the difference between the stable and the field. The quadrupeds should be daily groomed, and ought to be supported by fodder of an extra nutritious character. Gentle labor and a warm, loose box will only keep the body in good health. When not required to work, the animal should be left at liberty to roam about a piece of bare pasture, especially during the night, when the flies are not abroad, and when the vision of the horse enables it to move with perfect safety.

This treatment should be continued almost to the time of foaling; when the period is very near, three weeks or a month of perfect rest may be accorded, duration being regulated by the condition of the animal. Rest, however, does not imply that the expected mother is to be turned into a straw yard, or is to be exposed to the inclemency of the season. One month subsequent to birth, the work may be gradually resumed; but the mare and her foal should not yet be made to travel on the high-roads. The little life may, in the fields, safely gambol by its parent’s side. The exercise will benefit the youngster, while its eye will become accustomed to the toil with which it will have to be associated hereafter. But the tender hoof of the newly born is not, at the expiration of the fourth week, so formed or so hardened as to endure the grate of the common highways, although the feet may sustain the wear consequent upon moving over meadow land.

The foal, before it saw the light, would be sustained by the good food consumed by its mother; the mare would not, by gentle work, be so lowered as to unfit the quadruped for the offices of maternity. By selecting the jobs to be executed, these need not require greater exertion than would be necessitated by healthful exercise. Thus a suggestion, which to many minds may appear a heartless exaction, being explained, becomes no more than a conservative recreation. Something of the kind is needed, because gestation and lactation naturally dispose to sloth, and half the danger of parturition springs from the debility which idleness engenders.

To render this subject more easily understood, let the reader ask the family medical attendant who is blest with the strongest child--the wealthy lady, who can afford to repose throughout the day upon a sofa, or the tradesman’s wife, who is necessitated to bustle about, and to assist in the lighter portions of the household duties? Or, if a more direct illustration be needed, it is afforded by the contrast presented between the swarming cabin of an Irish laborer and the often heirless mansion of the English aristocrat.

Were such a custom only prevalent as has been indicated, those “stud farms,” where mares are taken in and confined in the straw yard, with newly-born foals by their sides, would be thrown out of use. The animal, being daily harnessed, would be constantly inspected. There is always plenty of light employment for one horse, if a farm be kept in order. These odd jobs are now either neglected altogether, or are suffered to accumulate until a wagon-load of rubbish encumbers the soil. To remove such heaps and obstructions from time to time, the mare and a boy might be profitably engaged, doing quite work enough to pay for corn and to recompense for grooming. The necessary handling would prevent that condition of semi-wildness into which too many mares degenerate; while the nature of the labor would not render it profitable for a proprietor of land to keep more than one quadruped for breeding, which is the number that most farmers could find leisure to attend to without neglecting other things.

In the author’s opinion, the measures at present pursued in the breeding of horses are altogether wrong. They are expensive in their operations and are deceptive in their results. They seem to be regulated by no consideration for the animal, but shaped to the utter convenience of man. The use of “stud farms” or breeding establishments has increased with the degeneracy of blood stock. The horse is by nature too intimately associated with its master to be profitably reared in flocks, like to sheep or oxen, which, being unsuited for the active purposes of life, and of duller dispositions than the equine race, can thrive on mere tranquillity, increasing in the state of semi-domestication. The horse is gifted with a spirit which refuses to vegetate, to fatten, and to multiply, being content simply with an abundance of provender. Where successful speculation is dependent upon the value of the produce rather than upon the number of foals born, a man may certainly be richer, who shall in two years obtain one prime birth; and he may be much poorer, who is annually the owner of various yearlings, none of which shall be suited to the higher purposes of the breed.

The proper place for the horse is the homestead of the proprietor. It is the servant, and should be the companion of its owner. There is no other living creature which is so entirely blended with man. It is unknown in the wild state,--the flocks of horses spoken of as wild being merely animals which are turned out on uninhabited plains, but which, nevertheless, are strictly private property. The distinguishing mark of wildness--or a tendency to return to a particular color--is lost in this quadruped. Wild sheep and goats are common. Oxen, as an undomesticated race, are largely represented. But on the face of the globe the horse--though the most intelligent and the fleetest of its genus--is not to be discovered unassociated with humanity.

The creature, thus distinguished, merits that the gentleness of civilization should characterize its treatment. During the months of gestation, the animal should be fondled and caressed. Any kindness which may be now lavished upon the submissive slave will be certainly repaid hereafter. The hour is approaching when a familiarity with man may soften restraint, and render less perilous the time of danger. The mare, being more intelligent than the cow, feels more acutely, and does not suffer so apathetically. It is more demonstrative in its behavior; but the generous quadruped will, in the utmost wrench of agony, recognize the step or the voice of one who has been kind, and will even be sustained by the presence of him who has earned its confidence. The animal is by gentleness wooed, as it were, to submission. It learns to associate happiness with the person of its superior; and willingly subjects itself to his assistance. Moreover, there is a depth in nature which humanity has not fathomed, and the indulgences bestowed upon the mother, in some mysterious manner may serve to tame the progeny that is not yet numbered among the host of this world’s inhabitants.

Then, following the author’s proposed mode of treating a mare, which shall be profitable for brood purposes, let the most promising female foal be destined from its birth for this function. It should never be placed in the hands of a “breaker,” or have its back strained by being mounted. The creature should be rather coaxed to toil than coerced to labor; it is astonishing how much more can be accomplished by such means than will be effected by the harsher methods. Subsequent to the fourth year, the quadruped may earn its keep; but it should never be urged beyond that point, and where a difference must exist, the balance should stand in the animal’s favor. Only the lightest jobs should be chosen--the mare being treated more like a favorite slave than regarded as the servile drudge, whose exhaustion will tend to the profit of a harsh proprietor.

In this manner the first six years should be passed, when the mare, being matured sufficiently, and uninjured by work, may be put to the destined purpose; similarity--not sameness, but more decidedly not difference--regulating the choice of a sire. In the selection, allow one to amend the faults of the other; but in seeking this, avoid absolute contrast, as the union of opposites is too apt to produce deformity.

When choosing a mare for breeding, endeavor to discard the much which has been printed on this subject. Let compactness of form, strength, and an aptitude for exertion decide the choice. The legs should be stout and short,--declaring bone and tendon to be present. The upper portions of these members cannot be too bulging, thick, long, or muscular. The crest should be highly arched, and characterized by substance; for the movements of the body are much controlled by the muscles of the neck. The shoulder cannot be too fleshy, so it shall slant properly, is firm to the touch, and is situated below withers sufficiently lofty. For hunting or for ordinary purposes, high withers are imperative. For racing they are no recommendation, as lofty action delays speed and lessens the length of stride. The back should be short, save only in the racer. The loins ought to be broad. The hips cannot appear too ragged or be too wide apart, while the quarters must seem large in every direction; nor is it to be considered a fault, should these last parts stand higher than and appear disproportioned to the other regions. Above all, see that the channel is wide, the mouth large, and the nostrils ample.

Do not, according to the prevailing notion, search after a long or roomy trunk. Most people like such a shape, because the carcass which they seek after is wanted to contain, with a foal, the enormous quantity of grass which the animal is forced to consume before life can be sustained. The mare just described is not supposed to live in the field, but to be as carefully tended and as liberally nurtured as the best horse in the stable. It is, during gestation, desirable that nourishment should occupy as little compass as possible; while it should not corrupt the body’s natural juices. This last effect is consequent on the consumption of dry fodder. The moisture of the mother’s body is abstracted from the fœtus, to soften the harsh and hard food which oppresses the stomach. But when grass is eaten, an excess of water renders that which should support the growth of the future foal weak and devoid of nurture, while it engenders dropsy in the dam, and also compresses the dawning life in its primary home.

When the period arrives, the time occupied by the mare in “foaling” will be short. The cow is usually slow in these matters. The mare is always speedy, and far less patient under pain. Therefore when the signs, which are well understood, declare the time to be rapidly approaching, send immediately for the nearest veterinary surgeon. However, previously ascertain that he is apt in this kind of business; and, above all things, be sure he is a feeling man. A coarse and noisy practitioner is of no service about horses. The words may not be understood, but the manners are quickly interpreted. The quadruped, at this period, wants support, encouragement, and kindness. A harsh command or a threatening gesture may so alarm timidity, in its hour of excitement, as shall retard the event they are intended to facilitate. Severity, however, does not always lead to any immediate result; but it may so flutter the mother or disturb its system as will assuredly be fruitful in after disorder.

Should the animal be properly formed, and have been well selected, but little aid will probably be required; yet it is always prudent to have assistance at hand, as the mare on such occasions admits of no delay. Do not, however, allow the animal to give birth in a field or in the open air. Such may be the prevailing custom; but custom is always a bad leader for a prudent man to follow. Numerous children are born under hedges or in gipsy tents; but, nevertheless, such places are not to be preferred for ladies; and the horse, now under consideration, has not been reared upon a common, nor is it one that knows only comfort during the presence of sunshine. Lead the quadruped gently into a thickly littered loose box, having trusses of straw carefully poised against the inner walls of the building.

The proprietor, however, must not be regulated in his measures by any rigid attention to dates. These afford nothing like an absolute rule worthy of being implicitly obeyed. Neither need he be thrown into a fluster, because the mare heaves at the flanks. Such a symptom, when unaccompanied by other signs, merely denotes a passing spasm, which may generally be removed by the following drink. Should the pain not yield, the dose may be repeated in half an hour; for, at this critical period, no bodily disturbance can be without importance. These attacks are said to be produced by drinking largely of cold water, by unexpected excitement, etc.

Drink for heaving of the flanks.

Sulphuric ether One ounce. Cold water Three-quarters of a pint.

Mix. Stir till the ingredients are blended; then give as gently as possible.

The hour of labor being near at hand, a pair of light hobbles should be attached to the fetlocks of both hind legs. This should be done by the person in whom the animal has the greatest confidence, as the near approach of a stranger, at such a moment, is very far from desirable. From each hobble should proceed a stout, short rope, the ends of which should unite with a longer cord. The man whom the quadruped most likes should pass the longer rope through the forelegs, and, taking his position near the head, he should hold the end, not so tightly as to inconvenience the mare, but always so firmly as will be ready for any sudden surprise. Mares are apt to be impatient on these occasions; under the strong tension of agony, they will sometimes “lash out.” Should such be the case, the man’s strength may not be powerful enough to check the action; but when aided by his voice, it may distract the animal’s attention, break the force of the blow, and save the veterinary surgeon from any very serious injury.

When the foal is born, let it be received in the arms of the groom, and with care laid upon the straw. This done, all present had better retire, for the mother and its offspring may with confidence be left to nature. There should be no peeping through crevices, for the eye of maternity is cunning at detection. Neither should the slightest noise be permitted around or near to the building, as the nerves are always morbidly excited during this particular period. Silence is a good medicine to quiet a disturbed system. The creature will do well, if left to itself. The cleansing of the foal may be confidently trusted to the parent’s affection. All she immediately requires is a pail of milk-warm gruel; three hours afterward, she may accept a meal of prepared food.

Should the after-birth not be immediately ejected, resort to no purging; neither adopt any mechanical contrivance to expedite its expulsion. These old methods are altogether wrong. The retention is caused by the weakly condition of the mare, which allows the uterus to remain relaxed. The fittest physic, in such a case, is a quart of strong and sound ale. Give three doses of this medicine, each administered after a lapse of three hours. Should no effect have resulted subsequent to another pause of the like duration, inject into the part a full stream of cold water, permitting the fluid to return unchecked. Continue to do this till a spasm appears; then leave off, for your object is accomplished: the pain announced the viscus has contracted.

Dry the mare; give another pail of gruel; place a feed of softened food in the manger, and leave the creature to luxuriate in that rest which will now be enjoyed.

Animals soon get over such affairs. The foal requires nothing beyond a sheltered abode and its mother’s attention. Should, however, the source of the young one’s nourishment prove unprolific for more than twenty-four hours, a little skimmed cows’ milk, first boiled and then slightly sweetened, being afterward diluted with its amount of warm water, may, if sufficiently cool, be presented. The human hand is inserted into the fluid, and two fingers only allowed to protrude above the surface; these are generally seized upon, the nourishment being easily imbibed by the hungry foal. More than a single feed is seldom needed; even that had better be withheld until evident weakness necessitates its administration.

Do not bother the mare or be tempted to thwart the course of nature at such a time with the impertinence of ball or drink. All physic should be withheld. The common Parent is very indulgent at such seasons; unless opposed by mortal ignorance, his kindness generally proves the best restorative. However, should the bowels continue decidedly costive, some abdominal irregularity may be suspected, and then a bran mash, into which some softened corn should be thrown, will commonly afford all requisite relief. With regard to the newly born, it is better not to interfere. So the parent be kept in health, the offspring usually has all the medicine it requires. Liberal, not too stimulating diet, a sheltered abode, a dry ground, and a kind proprietor embrace the chief if not all the wants of an animal in this condition.

The mother, after her title is confirmed, should always receive her food out of some vessel, which a man should hold during the time it is consumed. Much good is thus effected by allaying the fear natural to maternity; the person so occupied should carefully abstain from any act which might alarm the anxiety of a newly-made parent. The same individual should not always present the meal; but different people should assume this office, so the animal may be thus trained to regard men as friends, and taught to depend upon the generosity of its superiors. By degrees, the foal should be coaxed to accept morsels from the hand of its attendant; advantage should then be taken to pat and to fondle the timid youngster. The purport of such lessons is quickly understood; for the horse appears naturally to value, far higher than is its worth, any act of condescension from the appointed master. There seems to exist a yearning toward its custodian, and it is surprising to witness with what persistency the human race repel this instinct. The sole object of man--who should by right of moral appreciation and of intellectual culture subdue, tame, and domesticate the creatures of this earth--apparently being to make his presence dreaded by the lives which long to love and are anxious to serve him.

It is usual to reintroduce the male a few days, generally three, subsequent to delivery. But such a custom is far too saving to be profitable. How does man imagine that one poor body is, besides extracting sustenance from grass, to yield milk to the living and to sustain the growth of the future offspring at the same time? It has been well declared that no organ is equally fitted to perform two offices; but surely either of the functions alluded to is a sufficient drag. If the reader has any interested motive for concluding otherwise, the countenances of most women, during the latter stages of pregnancy, and the shout of the pot-boy at the human mother’s door, are evidences in favor of the author’s correctness. Moreover, to demonstrate how these functions are opposed, a fact of common occurrence, among the lower order, may be mentioned. When failing wages render an increase of family undesirable, it is usual for the married women to suckle the last child even for years, thereby delaying the advent of the next intruder.

To afford the nutriment which shall maintain two growing lives and to support itself, is obviously too great a tax to be readily sustained by one body. The drain must be the greater, because each will demand the more as time progresses; thus the unborn has a portion of its sustenance diverted, while the milk, on which the living foal should be matured, is impoverished by the necessities of the maternal system.

Therefore, when entering upon the speculation of breeding horses, it should be remembered that though a foal is a foal, nevertheless a good and a bad foal are very different beings, when tested by figures in an account book. One good foal, every two years, will pay far better than four bad foals every year; as the eight indifferent creatures may be well sold at £20, whereas a promising produce may be purchased at a very reasonable price if it should be parted with for no more than £50.

When depicting the habits of most breeders, however, it must be recollected that the greater number of mares get no corn. A few receive from their liberal owners a little of the damaged produce of last year’s crop; while thorough-breds generally obtain half the quantity allowed to most working animals, and to each the grain is always presented dry. The majority of mares are turned out to grass, with the foal running at their sides, and the enlarged abdomens showing that “one off, another will come on,” which seems to be a ruling maxim with English breeders. Green herbage has a tendency to induce ascites; such an effect declares the food to be deficient in nourishing properties. The mare, then, while suffering from a most exhausting malady, excited by unwholesome diet, is expected to suckle and to breed! The body thus engrossed is, moreover, anticipated to yield its owner a profit. To uphold such a foolish system, there are large establishments scattered over the country; while gentlemen and men of education publicly vent their lamentations, because so senseless a plan does not prove a remunerative amusement!

With the silly method of breeding should also be discarded another general rule, the two regulations evidently forming part of one system. Be the foal healthy or weakly, it is permitted to run at its mother’s side only for an arbitrary period. Should the young one be well developed, its good points may, nevertheless, be confirmed by a reasonable enjoyment of the maternal attentions. Often the too early weaning will prove a serious check to the growth. Could man only control his impatience, the settlement of such matters might be left to nature. The pair should not be divided, so long as their company is mutually agreeable. The animals, however, as age advances, should be carefully watched, and the two separated so soon as the mother shows she has received nature’s command to stop the supplies.

It is a common occurrence for the breeder to delay “operating” upon the male colt, because the body needs further development. A week or two of early comfort will do more for the future points than will months of delay, after the deficiency is all but confirmed, or when time has given a certain direction to the growth. The author has never beheld any benefit result from these periods of exemption, which are, however, usually granted as a kind of forlorn hope. There is another prevalent custom, which is equally objectionable. All men, in this country, first use the animal which is subsequently to propagate its race. The higher breed is broken, trained, and run, before it is “thrown” into the stud. In lower life, the farmer, after having hacked and hunted a creature till existence is worthless and spirit gone, says, over his jug and his pipe, “That ould mare has proved a downright good bit of stuff. I should like to have a foal out of her before she is knocked on the head.” So he procures the service of some led horse, and turns the aged animal on to the common, to endure the inclemency of our climate without protection,--“to rest herself,” he asserts; but the author declares such food and shelter to be almost starvation. This conduct would seem to be the climax of possible folly! Nevertheless, the farmer acknowledges nothing wrong in his behavior; for he is as bold and as loud in his lamentations as other people, when a weakly foal results from his want of consideration--the blame always being cast upon the sire.

The foregoing chapter has not been so much an exposition of existing customs, as a consideration how far the prevailing habits reasonably admit of amendment. The views which have been announced may, to many minds, appear as purely theoretical, and, as such, to be deserving of no consideration. But before the reader jumps to such a conclusion, he is entreated to reflect that the period of gestation in the mare occupies nearly the space of an entire year. Having weighed this fact, let him learn the gestative season required by other animals, and determine whether there is any living creature whose capabilities are taxed with an equal severity to those of the equine tribe. At the same time, he should appreciate the circumstance that the offspring of the horse is esteemed only as its body is developed, or is capable of labor; whereas the young of many other creatures are kept for amusement, or valued only as articles of food. Surely, where perfection is the object, a greater patience might be reasonably displayed in the mode of securing its attainment!