A Contrast That Saddens: Vast Difference in American and Foreign Attitudes toward the Thoroughbred., Daily Racing Form, 1913-01-02

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A CONTRAST THAT SADDENS VAST DIFFERENCE IN AMERICAN AND FOREIGN ATTITUDES TOWARD THE THOROUGHBRED. European Nations Doing Much to Encourage Improvement of the Breed of Horses. While American Lav/3 Are Having the Opposite Effect. Here and there an American newspaper is alive to tin- danger that con front a tin- borae-kreedtag Interests of America us a re anil nf the drastic uuti-raciag legislation passed by many of the siai.-s com -prising tin 1 inoii daring tin- nasi few •ants, hut the majority .,1 Aaaericaa 11.wspap.1s are either in-dlfferenl or snaware .i the aerlousnea* of the sit -nation. Sune .f the papers thai have taken the troutile to Inform themselves on the matter an- doing their ei.uniry a disinterested and patriotic service in setting forth the facts for the ptti. li.- Information, th.-following extracts from recently pobUshed arliclea dealing with the matter an- timely and Intel eating: Tin- striking interview with i:d. A. Tlptoa, s.-cre tarv of 1 ho Trotting Horse fereeders1 Assseinfloa, represents ihe view of many of the most thoughtful ami best Informed bom men of America. There is no man who is iu a position to know the cnudtli n:s man accurately, no man more capable .,1 drawing direct cm insi., us from those conditions, than is .Mr. Tipton, and his prediction thai If present eoaaithma continue America will en long lose its prestige as a producer of bbrh grade horses, is therefore entitled bo the greatest consideration. The .novel nine. 1 1 of every l.uiopean country is de voting large expenditures, and giving constaal effort nor only to Improve tbe standard of the horses. Out to Increase the number i bigh-elssR horses brad m each country. Trout Kuglantl. Prance, J.iinain Aii tralia, Russia. Japan, Mexico. Cuba, and even from Si nth American qiibntries, agents have shea sent to America to buy the beat of nor products, Tltm ouKliltteds. trotting horses, saddle horses, have been exported from America to these virion, countries. Tin we no! .nl.v me doing nothing to improve the standard of the bar ma we have, bat an- doing all we can :.i depreciate the value, ami discourage those eagaged iu the breeding of ihe best type of horses. i-ive yean ago the blae urass region of Kngtoeky was known throughout Ihe world because of the class of horses bred here. Today there are not one-tiftli as many thoroughbreds in Kentucky as there were live yean ago, ami tin- beat horses that wero ici ■ have been purchased either hy foreign govern meats or by private citizens of foreign countries, and shipped abroad. No suite in the iiion. nor the United states oovei iinicio Itself, is doing anything t" eii. rage ihe I. reeding of horses. Manv states have pass,.,! Inws that Virtually prohibit the tests of speed ami stamina by which tin- best individual can be developed ami the most potent strains of blood revealed. In the countries of Bwrono aad of South America. even in Australia, tin- government encourages racing, recognizing the Importance of the ultimate test on ihe racetrack for the development of the highest type, whether thoroughbred .a- trotting horse. Rut iii this country, which rivaled England and rat passed all utbei .- :.-s ;,s n breeding place of th- l.esi i|„- .1 horses, not oply is there 110 govern mental encouragement, but oa the contrary laws uih passed hostile to development rif the thoroughbred and th.- best type of trotting horse. Even Kentucky, tin- home of ihe thoroughbred, his done nothing to encourage the breeding of pure. blooded stock. The tax laws of k.-ntuckv are s. framed as in encourage men to own cold-blooded rather than thnrngblired animals of every sort, in Prance there is a bounty paid 1,1 tin- man who own--u stallion of a certain class, lit this state lie Is required 1.. pav an excessive ia because of the ownership of a high grade siallion. In lite Island of Jersey n man may own a cow or a bull that is not thoroughbred. In litis stale scrub -o.vs are exempt from taxation and ihe thoroughbred is taxed at its full value. Il should I..- impossible for any man I use ait.v eld blooded animals In Kentucky for breeding purposes aHd when the people of ..in- st.ie wake up t.. .,ur liv,- stock interest i will P.- Imnos sible: but before fbej do wake up the dire prediction of Mr. Tipton that all of the high grade hois.-, of America will be taken to other countries, mav he veritied. Lexington Herald. Americans should blush with shame when II ■ dins th.- recounts ,,f hovv foreign gov e nts ate spend in- large sums p. purchase thoroughbred stall,. n-, for the purpose of Improving then t-avalrj ind artillery horse,. As noted in another column while Mr. Bermonl is patriotically giving horses to ortr government, tbe I reach goven in has just ,,:i„| hint Slo.lMWi for one ,,f his boSsei that ha- been racing !n Prance. This is not onlj a tribute to ti„, A riean-bred thoroughbred i« the part of Prance but should be .in eloquent reminder to our govern Hi. ii we are permitting norselvea la be rob* ! ■ f blood that it would take years to re-establish ..11 Mir soil. If ,.,in. thing is not done soon 10 check h-- go of our Pes! horses we will be in a sad nredlca inenl. Kvea Japan now has representatives :,t , ,.f various bleeding centers buying up enr stock of Ihoionglibicls. We should like f.. ask what are Would il.. in rase of war. Wo coakl not gel the . horses hick in.ni foreign shores wjtboul a at]uadron ..I battleships 1.. eseorl tic- transports, and if such a . •! . ...■ -. 1 i n-jf w.-re neceeaarj ■ battleships weald bo needed elsewhere, li would seem to us that, so f.ir as 1 in defensive prepa rations un concerned, wo w.i.- living in a fools paradise. Rider and Driver. Captain A. H. Wadd.-ll. in n learned and able. "i I" n ihe army question in The Field, write-: "C iituiies noon centuries .,1 actual warfare ami lives ii|on liv.s of distinguished soldiers and pr.u Ilea! horsemen have shown n- that the more thoroughbred blood of tbe right kind thai we can gei into the cavalry horse, the belle.- war borsa lie 1- • While the 1 mi 1 iag in e.i horse is a wonder, ami tin- Beetesi and most extraordinary animal that has evet gracetl harness, the trotting hred mate is in all probability th.- worsl breed thai ,-onld be selected tot- pwHlucing cavalry horses, and the i.-a-ou is this: sin- is 11 trotter by instinct and heredity, and it would lake generations upon generation!* lo breed "in Ibe trotting guit ami supplant it with the galloping. Ibe extended actum of extreme speed. ami th.- prc-reqiiislle element in the cavalry hot-e" V. II. 1.0 iti. v. in tbe ..Hue issue, writes: "Kveryhoil.v is ngreeii that the American thorowgh- hr.-.l niusl be p.-t .«-t uaied. but il lias come close In obliterated in the shipment of the best acros, me Vilantie. ami it has realh begun t.i Uu,k as Ihoindi 1 li i - ciintiv was willni- to part with all it-, fi 11 stallions ni,. 1 mare- jn order that France and Kiilaud might he enriched."


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Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800