view raw text
PEOPEEtYPE OF WAE HOESE. , Thoroughbred Blood Fostered and Encouraged by Horso Eacing Essential for Breeding of Such. New York, July 10. The general lack of preparedness for war, which is being deplored now all over the country, finds a striking illustration in the dearth of saddle and draft animals, creating K 4nrA!,J1roblein as il is estimated that more m than 300,000 horses and 100,000 mules will be needed for the first two armies of 500,000 men each, and that only 70,000 animals are available, that the animal problem is a pressing question is admitted by army officers and is generally known to be true by horsemen who have watched developments closely in the last three years. The National City Bank, . in a statement last week, said that since the beginning of the war in August, 1914, about 920,000 horses and 330,000 mules, valued at i0,000,000 had been exported for the use of our allies, leaving about 22,000,000 horses in the United States. The department of agriculture values the farm horses in the United States in 1917 at ,175,000,000. Enormous Number of Horses Eequired. Based on data supplied to him by the war department, Wayne Diusmore, secretary of the Per-cheron Society of America, has estimated that the placing of 1,000,000 men under arms will require 32o,G25 head of horses and 100,700 mules. The army has at present only 70,000 head of horses and mules, says Dinsmorc. "This means that approximately 350,000 head of horses and mules must be bought within the next six months. It must not bo forgotten that the allied nations are still in the market, and will continue to be. Their need for horses and mules is as great as for guns and ammunition; indeed, even more so, because they can manufacture the guns and ammunition in their own countries, but their resources in horses and mules have already been exhausted, and the United states is the only source from which they can obtain additional supplies. In snite of the shortage of ships, 40,000 head of horses and mules were shipped in January. 1917, and more than 27,000 head in February, 1917." The vast shipments of horses in the last three years and the needs of the United States army within the next three years will be an added drain, driving home the necessity of maintaining horsc-breeding establishments, so that we will not face a shortage of animals for domestic work. War Horse Cannot Be of Scrub Variety. Coming back to the immediate needs of the army, almost every horseman and many persons who are not interested in the sport of racing will readily admit that a war horse cannot be of the scrub variety and still work efficiently. Thoroughbred blood, fostered and encouraged by horse racing, Is essential for the breeding of the proper type of Avar horse. European govenments long ago ap-peciated the importance of this observation, spending thousands and thousands of dollars to obtain the highest kind of stallions for stud purposes, and encouraging the sport of racing at every turn. The United States was remiss in developing a standard type of war horse, based on good stock, and the state legislatures for ten years have tried to legislate racing out of existence. Only last year was there a notable revival of racing in many parts of the country and in the interests of breeding it is hoped that the revival will be permanent.
