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 CHAPTER III.

HOW TO BREED A HORSE.—MUTUAL ADAPTATION OF SIRE AND DAM. FIRST CONSIDERATION IN IMPROVEMENT OF THE "COLD" BLOOD—RELATIVE SIZE OF SIRE AND DAM—DEFECTS IN EITHER PARENT, HOW REMEDIED IN PROGENY—BLOODS WHICH "HIT"—GENERAL RULES. the preceding chapters we have shown a few of the general principles of horse breeding; the advantages arising from breeding to pure blood on the sire's side, whatever the quality of the dam; the points of symmetry and strength most desirable, the necessity for perfect structural and constitutional soundness and health, on both sides, and for the absence of hereditary vice of temper; and, lastly, the state of health to be aimed at in the dam, as well previous to her being taken to the horse as during the period of her gestation, and the means to be taken to attain and preserve that condition of health, or, as it is usually termed among horsemen, condition, emphatically. We shall now proceed to show, a little more particularly, what are the improvements to be obtained in different varieties, and how this improvement is to be produced; for it is very certain that the same horse will not answer for every kind of mare, but that, on the contrary, for very different styles of dams very different styles of sires will be required to produce equal results in the progeny. Now, it may be stated generally, that the ordinary objects of breeding up are twofold. One, the most common and most feasible, is, from an entirely cold stock,—we will say, for example, the Cleveland Bay, or, the nearest approaches to be found to it in this country, [35]