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THOROUGHBREDS AND HALF-BRED MARES. S. There is much 1 i commend in the idea formulated „. liv Mr. Wilson, and. as he pointed out in ln a letter to "Country Life" last year, it was no 1, unusual thing in year* gene by for stallions that at had not "made rood" to the extent of a sure re full list to he allowed to cover half-bred mare*. s J*k» recalled that when he was agent for Messrs. |i" tfftjjisr .lie and the late Sir Robert Jardiue. Ad-Hfture j! wa* used for half-bred mares in his first st two or three seasons when he did not till with iu thoroughbred mare*. That was. of course, before he became famous as the sire of the Derby winner. n- Pretender, the flying Wheel of Fortune, and id other "cracks." Ishmael. FitT.-James. Strath-more. h- Tynedale sire iu turn of Border Minstrel I. 1. Reveller Warhol, ami Mandrake were others used •ci N.-asion for half bred mare*. But at that :it I erioal. Mr. Wil oii Rata M to *a . the gentry and id farmer* round a!«iil the district "had" marea and id n-ed the stallions freely, with the result that the lie hunters in that part of Yorkshire u.uld have lieen ■li a credit to any country. "But now, he winds ds I 1 i " f j ,, - .. - - up. "where are the mares? The foreigners have got them, or the great majority of them!" The shortage of mares is. in fact, the rock upon which any scheme for the production of army horses in large numbers may "gang agley." Many of the small farmers and breeders who used to own a likely mare or two were driven out of the business by the poor price given b3- the army au- thorities for remounts, or by the introduction of motor or electric traction. Again, twenty or thirty years ago there were thousands of mares of a useful stamp indeed drawing omnibuses or cabs. They have been driven off the roads by the motor industry, and one cannot help agreeing with Mr. Wilsons conclusion that it is more mares than stallions that are wanted to revive the once flour-0 ishing trade of the small breeder and farmer. The stallions we have, but for mares from which to breed army horses we must, I should say, to a great extent look to Canada and the United States. We used to have shipments of Canadian vanners, trappers, etc., sold in large numbers in London every week, among them a fair proportion of mares, but the advent of King Petrol practically put an end to the business. — "Vigilant" in London Sportsman.
