MILITARY HORSES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 126, 29 May 1915, Page 10

MILITARY HORSES

THE BEST BREED WHAT WE LOSE FOR (LACK OF A WISE CONTROL. (By G.H.) The enormous losses of horses in Europe, caused by the present war, are bound to cause a shortage, and a conßequent demand upon the overseas horsebreeding Dominions. During the South African War a very much larger proportion of the transport was effected by horses which have since been replaced by motors. Nevertheless, thousands of horses will be destroyed before the conflict is over, and the market for suitable horses should be a good one before very long. Canada, America, and the Argentine Republic breed large numbers of tiorses, but naturally the British Dominions, as members of the Imperial Family, will have the preference when it comes to making good the losses and equipping the huge standing army Britain will have to maintain in the future, provided they can offer suitable stock. But apart from this, it is an open secret that the War Office buyers do not look with favour upon South American horses, in view of the reputation gained by them in South Africa. The general verdict, as expressed by dozens of independent judges, was that they were ugly, loose-jointed, coffinheaded beasts, as a rule, and uncommonly lacking in intelligence. LICENSING OF SIRES. We see here a direct effect of the Argentine Government's laxity with regard to sires — a laxity which is unfortunately copied in Australasia, and which has an indirect but nevertheless important effect upon the horse-breeding jr * H'y. The question of the licensing at gistration of sires is just as important, when considered from a national point of view with regard to the future, as is the question of reafforestation, in which so much public interest is taken. Unfortunately the very class — the breeden themselves — which should be active and enthusiastic upon the question, is at the best apathetic, and more often openly antagonistic, from unworthy motives and mistaken ideas. Those doubting this statement are invited to raise the question when next in the country districts, and they will find the average farmer will not be slow in expressing resentment against any undue interference with the existing state of affairs. Competition is the soul of business, but unfair competition — the scrubber against the puvebred sire— is a national evil, and should be remedied. The writer, having owned and bred pedigree stock, is perhaps inclined to feel strongly on the point. Nevertheless, it is very galling to the owner who has paid a good price for a wellbred animal to find his stud fees very largely reduced owing to competition from the owner of an animal whose name could never appear in any stud book, and whose local reputation has been gained by the begetting of one or two promising foals. "I know he's a mongrel, but he has sired some good stock," is the universal plea, and no amount of argument will convince the advocate of the cheap sire that the principles of heredity are immutable, and that sooner or later the lack of breeding will manifest itself. A NATIONAL NECESSITY. What Is the science of breeding but the elimination of animals exhibiting defects and the careful preservation and propagation of animals showing the characteristics most highly esteemed and desired? And it is the purpose of this article to urge upon public and Parliament alike that the improvement of _ the type of horse bred in Australasia is a national necessity, and can only be attained by stricter regulations with regard to sires. The farmer must be compelled to help himself in spite of himself! The qualification for registration in the Australian Draught Horse Stud 800k — two direct strains of traceable pedigree' blood respectively on the sire's side, and one of such strains on_ the dam's side, in addition to which either the dam or the sire, or the dam of the dam, must be shown to be by a pedigreed sire — if rigidly enforced, combined with stricter regulations, making it impossible for an unregistered sire to travel or accept fees, would in a. few years have a marked effect upon the standard of draught horses in Australasia, an improvement which would ultimately react to the benefit of -the farmers themselves. And now let us consider the type of animal best suited for military draught purposes— the haulage of hoayy_ transport wagons, guns, and ammunition limbers. THE BREEDS WE NEED. The Shire, the descendant of the old British war horse, is well fitted by his strength and weight to drag the heavy loads over difficult tracks, but h« is notoriously lacking in activity. The Suffolk Punch has weight in a lesser degree combined with activity, and this is a valuable breed which has been very much neglected in^ Australasia, making, as they do, ideal farm horses, and being well adapted for military transport purposes. It was only in 1913 that a section of the Draught Horse Stud Book was set apart for Suffolks, but, judging by the number of registrations in the 1914 Book (no sires and only two mares), not much progress has been made. The well-known sire and prize-winner, Bord6ea Laddie—bred by Sir Cuthbert Qnilter on his estate at Bordsea, near Felixstowe— -has re* cently been imported to Australia, and, judging by the comments made when he was exhibited, further importations will speedily follow. There is, however, a widespread objection to the Suffolk^ both on account of temper and colour, many breeders and buyers being prejudiced against chestnuts. The Clydesdales (not the reputed Clydesdales nor the produce of the Clydesdale-Shire cross) are unquestion. ably the right stamp for military trnns. port purposes. It is a question whether the typical points of this breed are suf ficiently insisted upon by our judges, and too often they are classed with and shown agjiinst " reputed " Clydesdales, so that the many important feature of the breed arc in danger of being lost sight of altogether. The lean head, the symmetrical proportions the silky hair, and the traditional white stockings are too often passed over in favour of the hulk of the "reputed" Clydrsdalc, an animal which seldom displays the activity, the docility, and tho intelligence _ of the purebred Clydesdale— qualities which arc essential for the military transport horse. But there is another breed, the Percheron. which has up to the present commiuided very little attention in Australasia, only one sire being registered in the latest volume of tho Stud Book. These useful animate possess the combined qualities of weight, hardiness, and extreme activity. The writer has many times seen a Percheron stallion trotting eight miles into town with a good load, and doing It with no apparent effort or distress. The colours ot the breedmostly blacks, roans, and iron greys— aro all good hardy colours, and either pure or crossed with the Suffolk they should make ideal military horses. The efrtabti6hn)c>nt of a Government Stud Farm, if well fttwked with worthy representative* of Ihetc four btwir, ♦hould in the cou»6 of a, few ye are emsiiy

maintain it«elf by the sales of stock. Besides the benefit to the horeo-breeding industry of the Dominion, which would be incalculable, it would be the foundation stone in the building up of a reputation which would soon become worldwide, and which would prove a lasting advertisement to New Zoaland. Much has been done by the breeders of New Zealand, whose reputation already stands very high indeed, but with the strict enforcement of the regulations as indicated above, and a standard ect by the Government, which would be emulated by the private breeders, we should soon become known as " the people who breed good horses!"