DRAUGHT HORSES.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 199, 6 August 1912, Page 2

DRAUGHT HORSES.

THE MELBOURNE SALES. ( "Dunedin Star's " Special Report). The first week of the annual diaught hoi.-e sales in Melbourne is iif-arly on-r. and it has been an anxious and depressing tin;, fi r the large number of New Zealanders ’.sl.'i are present this tear, main of them with horses, ai.d some, more fortunate, looking on and gaining experience. Though the rain which has fallen during the pa*t few weeks has dispelled all fears of drought, the tightness cf the incnct market and their losses during the past six mouths of dry weather has left tae Australian buyer in a cautious frame of mind, and he is not the keen buyer this y ear that he has been fur the last tv-o or three years. The sale can only be described so far (and 1 have now seen colts sold for two anti a-La'f days and mares for a couple cf days) as a very slow one. Bids have tu Le dragged cut of those round the ringside, and not one horse in twenty has found a purchaser under the Lamme.-. Though sex-e-ral private sales have been eifeeted, and though the collection of horses forward—over 400 in Messrs. Campbeli's yards alone—contains many of the finest horses I have eter seen, there are too many indifferent ones also, and for some colts only the prices of indifferent geldings have bcm obtained. Weight and substance and bone is what is required. Those characteristics are what made New Zealand Clydesdales popular in the Commonwealth ; but cur breeders have drifted too much to the lighter type—they can "breed that type themselves over here—and we must get back to the good heavysorts again with as little delay as possible. No doubt the exporters of about 50 Shire colts had this in view in sending them out to the sale, but to me the Shire horses present were disappointing., With one or two exceptions only they lacked Jhe weight and massivenesa. that I expected, and I do not thiiik they are to be compared with horses of the Shepherd Lad type. It is quite certain, in my mind at least, 'that they are not what is required to cross with oar mares to bring back the weight. New Zealand-bred horse® easily provided the bulk of the «ataiogue, but in many cases the effects of the severe weather experienced in the South this year has left its mark on their condition.' and with the exception of Messrs. Mitchell and O’Brien’s, Andrew Chrystal’s. anti J. D. Mitchell’s horses the conditions of many consignments was poor. That particularly applied to Mr. Blair’s colts, who, in addition, had a very rough handling on the voyage over. Speaking to several local buyers and most of our annual exporters, the average drop in prices quoted by them is equal tu 25 per cent. A feature cf the sale is the difficulty there appears to be in disposing of any aged stallions, breeders here, and from the other States, declining to look at anything over rising four-year-olds. Many of our shippers must lose money on this year’s transactions .bat the determined set against light-type stuff should be a lesson to breeders, and in a few 7 years’ careful breeding we should again command the market. In the meantime local breeders are gaining upon us every day. and will soon be able to breed heavy ones better than we can. To-day Baron Clintcn, who three years ago was one of tlic best-known colts in Otago, has been sold for 800 gs, after being passed at auction on Wednesday at 550 gs. He has furnished into a very big horze. and stands . out. at the parade as one of the best in the big yard. Royal Escort made 450 gs. and Karamu Glcnmarkle. who was champion at the Wairarapa. Show last year, made 500 gs. and was the only big-pri-.ed one sold straight out at auction. Mr. Euan Campbell, in opening the sale said he was glad to sec present so niany from all the States of the Commonwealth and New 7 Zealand. It was now 34 years since he had first addressed them as an auctioneer .and he could truthfully say that he had never seen a better lot of horses in the yards. He was not relying upon his own judgment in making that statement, but also upon the judgment cf several men whose opinions in the Clydesdale world were highly valued, and it would be strange if they wej ■? all wrong in their estimates. The serious outlook for Australia of a few months ago had fortunately been cleared away with the copious rains which have fallen during the last two months. He remembered selling horses a few years ago up to £l3OO. and he trusted the sale he was opening that day would eclipse even those prices.