HORSES SUITABLE FOR REMOUNT PURPOSES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1204, 29 March 1895, Page 6

HORSES SUITABLE FOR REMOUNT PURPOSES.

Mr C. Leigh writes as follows to the Sydney Town and Country Journal :— Sir, —Continuing some remarks made by me on the breeding of horses in a previous issue of this journal, I will now touch upon a few of the necessary qualities suitable for the Indian remount services. There are three grades of horses required for this purpose. The first and most in demand is the well-bred upstanding horse for light cavalry purposes. Horses suitable for this branch of the service should be geldings of hardy colours, and must be thoroughly sound in all particulars, from 15.2 to 16 hands high, and not less than 4 or more than 7 years old. Head and ears small, forehead broad, eyes large and prominent. The shoulder long and sloping well back. Forelegs straight and standing well unler. Chest broad and deep. Barrel long and increasing toward flank. Withers high. Back short and straight. Loins and haunch broad and muscular. Hocks well bent and under the horse. Pasterns slanting, and feet small and sound. The celebrated bay and " blood " or Arab cross ought to about answer the above requirements as near as possible on an average. The Yorkshire hackney also would be a desirable and useful animal for this grade. The Cleveland bay for preference, possessing as the breed does the qualities of durability, speed, and useful action; while the hackney's high, fancy motion is not so good for praotical requirements. For the second grade, viz, the horse suitable for artillery purposes, a heavy and active, clean-legged animal is required, not less than 15.2 to 16 hands high. This class of horse is mostly to be found in the ranks of the superior and lighter class of cart-horses. The third grade, that used for transportation purposes, will be found in a very useful breed of horses, and one of the favourite crosses amongst farmers both in England and America, where the Cleveland bay is thoroughly understood and appreciated, i 3 the produce from the Cleveland bay and cart mare, eminently adapted for this purpose, and the lighter class of van and cart work, In %ti for general utility and

| the many good points which the Clevei land bay possesses he ought to be much more in* demand that heretofore in the Colonies. Horses for India should not be broken to saddle or harness, but may be handled to lead, as it is more convenient to break in for the regiments of the service by those experienced in the different branches. (I might also state here that horses sent from the country districts for city trade invariably bring a higher price when unbroken for the same reasons.) Bays, chestnuts, and dark browns are the principal colours in demand ; in fact, no other colours are used for military purposes. The prices offered by the Indian Government for remounts average from L 45 per head. Of course there is also a very large civil demand for other and lighter sorts, and some very high prices have been realised for Australian horses.

The pi'ospects of this trade are likely to develop considerably, and even extend beyond India to China, Japan, and the Straits Settlements, when, no doubt, a permanent trade can be established. The wonder is that "with all the facilities at hand and the adaptability of climate more advantage has not been taken of the opportunities offered by the formation of a stud and horse export company, and with the introduction of a few Cleveland bays and Yorkshire hackney sires, the formation of such a company would not only be a financial success, but ought also to be the means of improving and breeding a high class of useful horses. This, together with the introduction of a stallion-tax as now being carried into effect in Queepsland, would go a long way to assist in the eradication of a lot of the weedy and inferior horses which have taken root in the colonies within the last few years through careless and injudicious breeding.