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COMMEND ELIMINATION OF GELDINGS Barring of Unsexed Horses from Important Races Best Tiling for American Breeding By C J Fitz Gerald GeraldSaratoga Saratoga Springs N Y August 2i F Ambrose Clark the wellknown racing polo and horse show enthusiast who has been active in helping the Federal government secure a supply of thorough ¬ bred sires for their remount stations in Virginia Oklahoma and Montana has returned from a visit to Kentucky in company with Lieut G A Itoy of tlie French Remount vyho is in this country at ¬ tached to tlie French High Commission Their ex ¬ perience would indicate the wisdom of the policy recently inaugurated limiting the racing activities of geldings thereby increasing the supply of stal ¬ lions in this country countryWe We visited Virginia and Kentucky said Mr Mark in search of good wellmade sires not necessarily of extreme size but possessing plenty of girth and bone the type that would make a desirable topcross for the mares at the Federal studs We found some of the tyiie but not enough to fill our requirements and the search has been transferred to the Jockey Club tracks where last spring we were fortunate enough to get some stallions of bone and quality as well as of good racing records We have seen many geld ¬ ings possessing the qualifications we seek and both Lieutenant Roy and myself think that the best thing that has been done for the American horse of the future has been the elimination of geldings from the turf classics It is going to compel the breeders to leave their youngsters entire except in the case of discards and these we wouldnt want anyway Think of what it would mean to tlie country if horses of the type of Weldship and Top o th Morning had been left entire The per ¬ formances of Roamer and Billy Kelly are dimmed by the fact that the qualities that made both of them great cannot be passed on to posterity And so with Borrow Boots and other great geldings This country needs the blood of every one of them themEver Ever since childhood I have kn6wn the thorough ¬ bred and have seen examples of his potency As a youngster I owned some ponies by Top a son of NarragaiiMtt and out of Shetland siares One of them I drove to a cart a half mile in 134 while a pair of them hitched to a runabout covered sixteen miles over the hilly country in tlie vicinity of Richfield Springs in one hour and eighteen min ¬ utes with two people in the wagon These ponies were well under fourteen hands and could not only trot fast but run and jump as well wellHALFBRED HALFBRED MARES BEST TYPE TYPEWhat What type of mare would be considered best to mate with the thoroughbred said Mr Clark in response to a query Halfbred mares such as we find in tlie Genesee Valley are the ones that give the l est results Anything that is weedy or possesses bad hocks should l e barred and I would much rather use draft mares than take chances with any of the lighter breeds if they havent the right sort of legs The ordinary farmer of New York state doesnt understand the import ¬ ance of good straignt hocks in the production of the riding horse They should select their mares with care and take only those with good broad hocks I am familiar with what Mrs Herbert WadsworUi and her Breeders Association are doing in the Genesee Valley in conjunction with the Breeding Bureau of the Jockey Club and if the breeders and farmers of the country want an example of systematic horse production they should visit the Livingston County fair at Avon on Sep ¬ tember 25 Stallions and mares together with their produce will be shown and as an illustration of type it is an educational event second to none I understand many of those in authority in Wash ¬ ington who have to do with Federal horse breeding experiments have been invited to attend Thev will find the farmers of the valley thoroughly familiar with the thoroughbred and a majority of them will unhesitatingly declare that the halfbred and in many instances the cleanbred mares which they hold under contract with tlie Breeders Asso ¬ ciation will do more than their share of farm work and do it better than the coldblooded mares while at the same time fulfilling the obligations of motherhood motherhoodDuring During the absence of Quincy A Shaw of Boston who is at the front 1 have charge of his polo stud it Greenwood Va where the thorough ¬ bred sire Kemano iny Mark Forward and some splendid wares many of which were played in the great international matches are installed I am therefore able to speak of the polo tyK at first hand That breed is thoroughly established In my capacity as judge at various horse shows I am asked to pass on the merits of saddle hacks I havent seen but one real topnotcher of that type and he was the thoroughbred Brigand which won races over the hill at Morris Park and possessed the gait and conformation that made Vivian Goocli the English expert pronounce him one of the best horses of his type that he had ever seen seenEASY EASY TO PRODUCE AS POLO PONIES PONIESThere There is no reason why that sort of animal should not be as easy to produce as the polo pony continued Mr lark and I hope to live long enough to see it done Its all a matter of type breeding like to like till you get results The reason why we dont see more highclass thorough ¬ breds iu the shov ring is that exhibitors will not take the trouble to visit the race track where they can be found and of course there is the additional matter of cost to be considered Most of tlie ani ¬ mals which find their way to tlie show rings from the race track are picked up at cheap auctions and the prejudice which exists against the breed is due in a great measure to this fact factIn In the matter of cavalry horse production by tlie breeders of the country said Mr Clark in conclusion there is the question of price to be considered You must make it as profitable for the farmer to breed the war horse as it is to raise cattle sheep or hogs Everywhere we have found the iieople eager to do their part if the venture can lie made to pay Great care should be taken in selecting the stallions which are to be used in improving the general horse product of the coun ¬ try In making our selections for the government we have refused quite a number of horses which have been offered to us because they did not come up to the established requirements of the Remount Commission As time passes and the number from which a selection may be made is augmented through the new racing regulations the task will be as easy as it is in France where the gelding has long been barred
