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ENGLISH MOVEMENT TO ADVANCE HORSE BREEDING JL. , .T. The English government has made a grant of 00,000 to the development commission, the sum to be devoted purely to the encouragement of the breeding of light horses. England has always been prolific in its supply of the heavy animal and of the light for that matter, but of late years Great Britain has had to take a back seat to other countries in the classes and production of the light animal. For a number of years foreigners have been making raids on the British studs with the result that they have captured the cream of the stallions and broodmares. This process, of denudation has had its result and meantime the government looked on and did little or nothing to encourage the light horse breeds. Each year there used to be a grant of 3,000 which was distributed hero and there in kings premiums at the different shows, and this did well enough until the buyers and breeders from the European countries began to acquire the best of the stock. This new grant of 00,000 will be distributed during the year in the way of kings premiums to thoroughbred stallions of a second rate caliber. The work of awarding the prizes will begin -at the annual show of- the Hunters Improvement Society at Islington in March and will continue all through the season. Owners will have to apply for the premiums and in all eases the soundness of the stallion will have to be taken into consideration and will have to be vouched for by a veterinary surgeon. Another part of the scheme is that owners who do not care to apply for premiums can have their horses registered and this will be a guarantee of soundness. One of the best known men in connection with the improvement of the breeds of horses of all kinds is Lord Coventry, lie has been master of the Royal Ruekhonnds for a number of years, is a member of the Jockey Club and has had the distinction of winning the Liverpool Grand National in two successive years. Along with these qualifications he-lias been an eminently practical agriculturist and on the question of horse breeding he makes some suggestions as follows: "If you want to be successful Jn breeding you must breed from young animals. My own idea is that if we want to increase the number of useful horses in the country we ought to proceed on the lines which the Royal Commission has followed for so many years, and provide a larger number of thoroughbred stallions that has hitherto been possible, considering the limited sum which has been placed at their disposal. But they set out on the right lines in supplying thoroughbred stallions, sound in every way. for the use of the farmers at a low fee. I would increase the grant largely and provide more thoroughbred stallions, which should receive a certificate or soundness before they are passed, and I would allow those stallions to cover fanners marcs free. "I think if we provided free service the mares would always be forthcoming. I do not mean mares which would produce a high-class hunter, but those which would breed useful animals suitable for army purposes, and in connection with this subject I have always recommended farmers to breed from their light, active cart mares if the services of a thoroughbred horse could be procured. Cart mares would work on the farms until within a few days of foaling aud therefore would entail little or no extra cost to the farmers. "I have seen the best results from breeding in this way. for many excellent hunters have been got by thoroughbred horses out of cart mares, and I have known those sold for large sums of money, and curiouslv in many cases they have shown a great amount of quality which one would not have expected; but the difficulty of breeding in this way is that it is only the first cross which succeeds. If you think to improve upon the breed by having a foal from a Ally bred as I describe, very likely you will be disappointed. "The first cross is the best. I am very much opposed to the introduction of what they call half-bred hunting sires, because I think it is sure to do much more harm than good to the breed, for the reason that in breeding, whether it lias to do with the breeding of horses, cattle or sheep, it is necessary to have a pure strain of blood on one side. I deprecate very much the introduction of hackney blood, which has done an immense deal of barm to the breeding of useful horses in this country, not only in England, but in Wales also."
