THE DRAUGHT HORSE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19759, 9 April 1926, Page 4

THE DRAUGHT HORSE.

COMINC . ?HTO HIS OWN. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CHAMPION. Everyone loves a gopd horse, and will be pleased to learn that the draught horse, not necessarily the Clydesdale, is apparently taking a new lease of life. Not that he ever fell away in the estimation of those who can appreciate an upstanding, good-tempered, well-balanced weighty animal of some 18001 b of quality horseflesh. True, some breeds fell away from grace at the coming of the vehicle, but some of those who pledged the tractor now view the handy cart horse as something more than useful in times of trouble, especially if of the Clydesdale manner. r A Clvdesdale, like any other breed ot horse, should have good conformation, his make-up be of a pleasing nature, and each part moulded smoothly into the other, so as to give an even outline. According to the size of the horse, so each part should be in proportion. As pointed out at a conference of farmers in New South Wales by one of hte speakers, when irging his hearers to improve the standard of horse-breeding: “In the stallion a horse of good size should be looked for, provided that ‘size’ had not been obtained at the expense of other essentials, such as soundness of limb, quality, and breed character In the old days—in fact, up to recent times —the greatest recommendation one could give a horse, particularly a stallion was to say he was a ‘big’ horse, with immense bone and an abundance of hair. “While such animals got ‘big’ stock, they also imparted very defective legs and feet, and the presence of ‘grease and bouv growths was very common. ‘Abundance of hair’ was no longer regarded as a desirable quality, and in the Clydes* dale the Scottish qpnstructiye breeders, had given them an animal with, the hair practically confined to the rear tendon, with a nice ‘spat’ round the hoof head. This hair, or feather, was an indication of the quality of the leg and bone; the finer the hair the better and denser the bone, while coarse hair of a curly nature and growing all round the cannons was an indication of spongy bone.” . Clydesdale fanciers have been , frequently twitted for the stress they fay on the leg of the breed, biit a well-built body is of little use unless the legs are on a parity in conformation. Knee and. hock joints should he large and cleanly cut—that is, they should clearly show the bones under the skin, and be free from fleshiness. The points of the hocks should b > turned slightly towards each other. A wide-rocked horse should be scanned with extra care, as the strain of pulling is more than likely to .turn.the hpeks outwards, with a certain loss of power. Aet ’ware too close hocks. Good action is as essential in a draught horse as in the harness horse, and to-day there is greater need than ever for a draught horse which is able to cover the ground at a fair pace . The working conditions of the horse are to-day under close observation by the managers of transport companies the world over. Sir James Elder, on the traffic problem in America, is interesting. He says, inter alia; “My inquiries have disclosed that motor transport in America! has not, as I conceived, become so domr-m-nt that the horse has been relegated, to a past regime. Seventy-three of every 100 trucks in West street’s (New York) daily traffic arc drawn by horses. The president of the United States Trucking Corporation (Mr H. N. Taylor) states that trucking rates in New York_ are based on the time taken to take delivery, rather than on the distance hauled. The cost of maintaining a motor truck of highgrade five-ton capacity is 6 cents (say 3d) per minute. Therefore a delay of one hour costs 3 dollars 60 cents' (say 17s 6d). A horse-drawn vehicle of the same load cost fo.r maintenance less than 2 cents (sav Id) per minute. Therefore the United States Trucking Corporation naturally favours the use ot horses in localities where traffic is congested. The corporation in question is using more than 800 horses and 150 motor trucks. The latter are confined to long-distance hauls, where speed can be obtained, while the horse-drawn vehicles are placed on the short-haul jobs. It is claimed by United States horse breeders that tlie practical weight of horse-drawn loads has increased to a marked extent during the past 28 years, and this result is clue to'the oreeding of stronger horses and the laying down of better roadways. The secretary of the Draught Horse Association of America (Mr Wayne Dinsmore) is of opinion that the use of horses v-ii; increase as competition bctvvocn cities compels decentralisation of freight-hand-ling yards, since such action will tend to the establishment of nearby terminals, with consequent multiplication cf shorthand trucking areas. This authority submits that the proper use ot the horse in the organisation of freight terminals will mean increased railway business, ’ A very important feature that must not be lost sight of is the fact that in America, where petrol, mechanical oils, and the motor's themselves are much cheaper, the horse is in great demand, and there seems no reason why this should not be here, where the charges for motors and, accessories are considerably higher.