DRAUGHT HORSE JUDGING AT PALMERSTON NORTH.

Otago Witness, Issue 3085, 30 April 1913, Page 17

DRAUGHT HORSE JUDGING AT PALMERSTON NORTH.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — I read with great interest the letters of Messrs Campbell and Macdonald in your issue of the 16th inst. I cannot agree with Mr Campbell that there has been “ a flavour of Billingswate ” about the controversy, though one anonymous correspondent did impute unworthy motives to Mr Campbell. But I fully agree with the latter part of Ins letter. His description of the " frvingpan-footed, pony-boned, small-kneed, weak-gaskined, straight and square-hocked, long-canonod, hackney-actioned animal ” so graphically describes- the ‘‘ improved ’’ modern Clydesdale as propounded by Mr Macdonald and his friends that I cannot improve upon it. I congratulate Mr Campbell on his honesty in denouncing the Clydesdale Society, which is doing so much to injure the draught horses of New Zealand. With regard to Mr Macdonald’s letter, the first point I notice is that he carefully avoids answering mv question as to Baron’s Brilliant’s action, His silence is more eloquent than words, llis statement that the decision which put Mr Gardiner’s Daisy Bell over Baron's Brilliant has never been confirmed is not quite a fair one. The former mare is dead, and, so far as I know, the two never met again. The fact remains that when they did meet under two acknowledged experts Daisy Bell was the winner. Mr Macdonald asks if I have ever seen a better mare than Baron’s Brilliant? My answer to this is, ‘'Hundreds.” The last time that I visited Mr Holmes's stud at Awarnoa I saw fully 30 bettor mares; and one has on ! y to visit the studs of Mrs J. D. Ormond and Mr Douglas M‘Lcan to see numbers of better muires.

To -mention individuals, I say without any doubt whatever that Mr Gardiner’s Princess Fanny was a very much better mare indeed. This mare was champion at the Christchurch Exhibition Show, beating, among others, Daisy Bell, and confirmed this afterwards by taking the supreme championship at both Oamarti and Invercargill against the best males and females in the South Island. I fancy that this is the same Princess Fanny that has taken the championship at the' last two Sydney Royal Shows. Parenthetically, I would observe that the stallion Plucky Willie, which has been champion at Sydney for the last five years, was bred in New Zealand, and is of the old typo. His stock are carrying all before them. If my memory servos me, ho was also champion several times at Melbourne. It is noteworthy, too, that the champion mare at Melbourne this season was a New Zealand-bred one of the old type, and got by Mr Walter Blakie’a groat, stud horse Shepherd Lad, whose name Mr Macdonald has good reason to remember.

Breeders are all aware of the results of the Me'bourne sales of 1911 and 1912, at which the horse placed champion at Palmerston North would in my opinion have been absolutely unsaleable even if Mr Macdonald and “Camden” had been present to explain how superior he was to the typo favoured by Melbourne buyers. To return to the question of bettor mares than Baron’s Brilliant, I will mention another imported one which beat her in every way. This was Mr Short’s Hanniston Belle. which was champion at Hastings in 1911.

As to Mr Macdonald’s statement that the Glasgow horse is reckoned only a secondrater, all J can say ifi that such was not the case some years ago, whatever may be the case now. I need merely quote the following winners of the Glasgow Premium — Darnley, Time o’ Day, and Flashwood. No (loul)t inferior horses used to win at times, as, for example, when the roaring Wir Evcrard won. This unsound horse was the sire of Baron’s Pride, who in turn was the sire of Baron’s Brilliant and several other woody specimens that have been imported to this Dominion But the other three that I have mentioned are famous in Clydesdale history. Darnlev and Flashwood are known by repute to all breeders, while Time o’ Day was considered by Robert Brydon (the donor of the shield mentioned by Mr Macdonald) as the best sire of mares that ho ever saw. I am glad to find that Mr Macdonald agrees with me that ‘ the horse that commands most money in the sale ring will eventually dominate "the position.” I would commend to his notice the results of the late displenishing sale at Tring Park, when six three-year-old colts, 14 two-year-old colts, and 12 yearling colts and fillies averaged £454 Is lOd apiece for the 32 head. These, of course, were Shires with weight and substance, and it would bo interesting if Mr Macdonald would quote any similar results at a sale of “ modern ” Clydesdales. Fifty years ago the Clydesdale breeders had to resort to .Shire blood to regain the bone and weight that they had lost, and it would bo for tbo good of the breed if they would do so again. (Shires and Clydesdales arc merely branches of the same family, and the introduction of more Shire blood into the so-called Clydesda'o would not bo a cross, but merely breeding hack to one of the original sources of the Clydesdale. Having answered the question that Mr M acdonald put to me, I Hope he will have the courtesy to answer one which I will put to him:--When and where did ho win all the medals and trophi* ?>f which he speaks in a former letter? I cojmot find anyone who ever heard of his success. One man—evidently a very contemptible fellow—suggests that ho once did win a bronze medal at Campbolltown for tho “ best

milk-cart horse.” From the type that he favoured at Palmerston North I think that this may have been the case. But what other trophies did he win? —I am, etc., H. N. Watson. Palmerston North April 23, 1913.