BREEDING SOUND HORSES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 468, 29 March 1909, Page 2

BREEDING SOUND HORSES.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—There appears in your issue of March 23 a letter from Mr. 15. D. O'ltorko on tho brooding of sound horses for uso in tho army. 'Dig ideas propounded by Mr. O'Korko not being original wo need not discuss all tho points in his letter. But seeing tho lato Mr. Scddon's Government a number of years ago imported several stallions at tho public's expense it would be interesting to know how that scheme has turned out and who has benefited by it. It must have fallen Jar short of tho enormous advantages wo wero told it would confer on the British raco in general, and tho small breeder in tho Dominion in particular. Tho prospective bonefits ended, I am afraid, with tho glow- ■ ing descriptions dolivcrcd at tho tablo of the llouso of llcprcsontatives. I have never heard of any remounts, being sired by thoso horses, and as extra taxation cannot bo termed a benefit, I fail to sco whero the advantage to tho much-hackneyed small fanner comes in. No doubt it is easy to take money out of •, tho public purse, especially if that rccoptaclo is full.' But I would remind Mr. O'Korko that tho collecting of funds to keep tho different useless Departments already in existence going will bo sufficient employment for tho Government, without creating more Departments of the samo description. At loast, lot tho country know how this first venture lias succeeded before committing tho taxpayers to moro expenditure. How- can Mr. O'ltorko, or any other person, expect to breed sound horses by Act of Parliament?. Take Traduccr as an instance. 'Was thero over a sounder horse, or one more free from blemish, than that renowned sire? Still tho ( fact remains that a very largo percentage of ■ his stock wcro unsound. Neither Mr. O'Horko nor any other person over hcardof a racehorse with a brilliant turf record being prevented doing stud duty on account of unsoundness, and is it not the rich man who invariably owns and uses this unsound champion? Certainly it is not tho small farmer, whom so many gentlemen seem so dosporately anxious to assist at his own expense.— I am, etc., BREEDER. March 20, 1909.