HORSE BREEDING.

Otago Witness, Issue 864, 20 June 1868, Page 14

HORSE BREEDING.

(To the Editor of the Otago Witkess.)

Sir — My attention was drawn to a letter in your List issue, written by some individual calling himself?) " Horseman."

I would ask your kind permission to make a few remarks on a subject of which Mr "Horseman's" ideas are very limited. With regard to Provincial stock not realising prices equal to Imported horses, I must beg to differ from your correspondent.' Provincial stock, three years old, of the same stamp as those imported, average from L6O to L7O, and these are very difficult to be found. The demand for draught stock is far in excess of the supply, and likely to be so for some years to come. Mr " Horseman" wishes to limit the supply by taxing all imported horses. I should be very sorry to see this take place, for the simple reason that importers would never think of supplying our market any longer, there being little remuneration by the pi esent state of the ' market. This would at the same time be taxing ourselves by raising the price of horses, and consequently the freight on all goods to the diggings would be higher. Moreover, Mr " Horseman" remarks that horses come out of the hold of a ship with a glossy appearance. I would like to know his ideas of the horses that come on deck. Mr "H" appears to have very little knowledge to spare on this point ; and with regard to a trial on the purchase jof a ship horse, is it likely that a poor beast, after a rough sea voyage (as is generally the case between this and Melbourne), would be a'>le to pull and show his good points before a crowded auction? For my part, I shall always be glad to encourage importation, and by my personal experience, all the ship horses that I have purchased, anssver the roads very creditably. A Carrier.