NOTES ON HORSES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1715, 11 January 1905, Page 68

NOTES ON HORSES.

In England the correct height for barouche horses is 16.2 to 17 hands; landau horses, 15.1 to 16 hands; victoria horses, 15.1 to 16 hands; coach horses, 15.3 hands. Sir Walter Gilbey, in describing the proper shape and action of a carriage horse, says:— “To describe a perfect animal in writing is impossible; the attributes which go to secure the essential qualifications of the horse for active road work are beyond the power of the pen or brush to record, and can only be appreciated in the moving animal. Despite the unsatisfactoriness of verbal description, it may be desirable to< sketch the outline of the perfect carriage horse. He should be upstanding; the neck springing well from the shoulder, which should be deep and well set back into the loins; back not too short, or cob-like; ribs well arched; hindquarters broad and muscular; and tail set high. In harness he must bend —or, in other woi’ds, wear himself gaily—and be full of fire and animation ; he must move with true, direct, and pliable shoulder, and knee action in front and freedom behind. The advice of all great judges of horses is never breed from w'ornout old mares; breed from young, sound mares, because as a rule when the mane is not fit for work her constitution is gone, and how can we expect good results ? “Never cross a thoroughbred mare with a heavy stallion; the best results and the correct way is to put a thoroughbred stallion with a large, heavy mare. When the stallion is much larger than the mare, the offspring is generally of an imperfect form- Years ago England used to produce horses of every class, and supply other countries; now most of the carriage horses seen in England are bred in other countries. This is because the Continental horse-breed-ers bought all the mares they could in England.” «