Excerpt from The Thoroughbred Horse: His Origin, How to Breed and How Select Him; With the Horse Breeders' Guide

Tun author in writing this book and compiling the tabulated pedigrees of the sires to be found in it, has been induced to do so in the hope of their proving useful to those engaged in breeding for the turf, or who are seeking to foster this most popular national amusement. Very many of our largest breeders ignore the lessons taught in the Stud Book and Racing Calendar.' I earnestly commend to all the necessity of observing what sources and what course of breeding have produced the best results in England, which maybe most properly called the home of the thoroughbred horse. I have given my own Views as to the best mode to successfully breed the race-horse, the best mode to select a stallion and brood mare, and the treatment of the same both in the stud and 011 the farm. I do not expect that all will agree with me, but the ideas expressed and plans suggested will do away with many of the chances incident to breeding. There is much uncertainty, and always will be, attending the best and most careful mode.0f breeding, and this opinion is strongly exemplified in the frequent occurrence of one horse being of very high form and an excellent race-horse, and a full brother or sister being only ordi nary; yet I differ from a. Great many in the opinion that breeding depends entirely upon chance. Accidents and other unforeseen causes, some of them so unim portant and abstruse' as to escape our attention or come within our knowledge, may prevent the best bred and most promising animal from arriving at its natural size and true shape, and a little difference in conformation, symmetry and constitution may make a decided difference in goodness and speed. The foal may be weak and have a delicate constitution, owing to the dam being starved and exposed to hardships while carrying it, or it may have been i1ii properly reared. This proves that great care and knowledge are necessary in rearing horses for the turf, as well as judgment and attention in selecting mares and stallions from which to breed. The chief points are pure blood, confor mation, constitution, racing lineage and hereditary soundness. The nearer we get to true shape with the other points combined, the more certainly we will irrive at excellence. -'e often find a large horse of good shape and racing synnnetrv: but where there is one good large one there are a dozen small or medium sized ones. The greater the size, when combined with the good qual ities, the greater the excellence and the powers, for a good little horse cannot cope with a great good one. Hence size, with constitution, soundness and symmetry constitute the height of perfection. While I advocate and commend pure blood, I am convinced that very often pedigree is the only point at which Some breeders look, ignoring altogether shape and action; hence failures. The.

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