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SIRES AND DAMS Bv CHALLENGER Raising Horses on Prepared Feed California Breeders Problems Level Ground for Farms Debated Are Open Sheds Ample Shelter HOLLYWOOD Calif June 20 Since 20Since the writer returned to California he has been asked on quite a few occasions which he thought was the best breeding farm in the Golden State whether he thought the best horses were raised in Northern or Southern California and whether as some California breeders that just as good a horse can be developed by prepared feeds regardless of the fact that by nature they are grasseating animals Needless to say we are not going to name any one farm as the best in California As is the case with most people we have our own likes and dislikes regarding farms but just because we happen to dislike certain types of establishments is no good reason why we should name those we like over others which did not particularly impress us A general discussion however will harm no one One day while visiting with Charles E Cooper member of the California Racing Commission and one of the leading breeders in that state he said to us You must realize that out here conditions are different than they are in Kentucky and other breeding sections in the East What we have had to do is adopt methods which fit in with the land water and grass peculiar to our country For instance we have considerable mountainous land in California and it is only natural that many of our farms are found out in the hills and valleys We had not been inspecting the ranches more than a few days when we realized Cooper was quite right When we speak of land we can put the finger on one of the most debatable of all California questions the selection of a site suitable for horse breeding which must take into consideration the topography the soil and the water supply The vast majority of breeders In America favor a level stretch of ground with some leaning to land that is gently sloping English and Irish breeders prefer gently rolling ground while such a famous breeder as Tesio the Italian who it has been said is the worlds greatest breeder had the three types of land and trans ¬ ferred his horses from one to the other Californians have little choice in the matter One of our first visits and one we will never forget was at a farm high in the mountains When we arrived at the top and looked down there lay before us one of the most imposing sights we have ever seen The farm itself was in the valley but the trouble was that there was not enough of the valley for the number of paddocks this particular breeder required Most breeders favor a level site or at best slightly rolling land for a stud farm Yet it is surprising how many with more than ample experience than we have had favor hilly paddocks in which the youngsters must climb at sharp angles when they start romping Ask any of the breeders however Avhat benefit is derived from Idllclimbing and they will tell you that it develops muscle muscleUndoubtedly Undoubtedly hillclimbing will develop muscles but we can see no more benefit in a horse having bulgy muscles than we can a human athlete with development to the point where he is musclebound Yearlings running up and down a hillside will not extend themselves as when running over flat or gently rolling land Worse than that we have seen brood mares which are in foal tearing down a mountainside hellfor leather As we watched we were always thinking of what would happen should one fall More than that what possible benefits could be derived from such hazardous running The muscles of a horse should allow for the greatest freedom of action In other words the long muscle rather than the knotty bulgy kind which in most opinions has a tendency to shorten the stride It is true that in the Epsom Derby and other British classics horses must run up hill and down dale but it is our understanding that English breeders insure the right kind of muscle on flat and rolling land and develop the youngsters by avoiding any steep ground while the babes are growing Anyone who has watched yearlings when they are released from the Varns in the morning will know that their first incentive is to run at top speed around the paddock If there is a hill to climb it not only slows them down but makes them labor to the point where they are straining rather than developing muscles musclesIn In late years the subject of balancing feed has become one of the most Important in the horse breeding industry In Kentucky which is blessed with blue grass there is no such problem as is found in California Out here they have learned how to balance the minerals and the required amount of each of the vitamins and the other food elements necessary They have developed some goodlooking yearlings When we first arrived in California we were very skep ¬ tical as to the results of prepared feeds replacing grazing We are frank to say however the results gave us plenty to think about Today we hear of humans quickly improving by the addition of vitamin tablets to supply what is lacking in the daily diet Wellknown physicians are recommending this and so it would seem that California breeders are iollowing the wise path when in the dry seasons they use prepared feeds In the matter of feeds the Golden State breeders have advanced rapidly We cannot see where there is much difference in the size bone and muscle of those raised at farms where grazing is discouraged Time alone will answer this question What we are endeavoring to find out is whether the older group of California breeders did not face the same problems and in the production of former champions follow the pre ¬ pared feed methods in vogue at many of the modern establishments
