We have, it must be confessed, "gone back" in our department of horse-breeding; the supersession of coaches and their teams of fast and enduring horses by railway traffic has brought about neglect of this most useful stamp of animal. The tens of thousands of coach horses formerly required created a large and valuable industry, and it is only in the natural order of things that when railways made an end of the coaching era that horse-breeders should have turned their energies into new channels. It is only within recent years that breeders have recognised how much combined and systematic endeavour can do to assist them in their task of improving our several breeds; and it is worth observing that the most important societies for the promotion of horse-breeding (apart from the General Stud Book) were all founded in the short space of nine years, one after the other, till at the present day every breed is represented by a body whose sole aim is to care for its interests. LIGHT HORSES. _The Hunters' Improvement Society_, founded 1885. Secretary, Mr. A. B. Charlton, 12, Hanover Square, London, W. _The Hackney Horse Society_, founded 1884. Secretary, Mr. Euren, 12, Hanover Square, W. _The Cleveland Bay Horse Society_, founded 1884. Secretary, Mr. F. W. Horsfall, Potto Grange, Northallerton, Yorks. _The Yorkshire Coach Horse Society_, founded 1886. Secretary, Mr. J. White, Appleton Roebuck, Yorkshire. _The Trotting Union of Great Britain and Ireland_, founded 1889. Secretary, Mr. E. Cathcart, 7, Trinity Square, Brixton, London. _The Polo Pony Society_, founded 1894. Secretary, Mr. A. B. Charlton. _The New Forest Pony Society_, founded 1891. Secretary, Mr. H. St. Barbe, Lymington, Hants. _The Shetland Pony Society_, founded 1891. Secretary, Mr. Robert R. Ross, 35, Market Street, Aberdeen. HEAVY HORSES. _The Shire Horse Society_, founded 1878 (as the English Cart Horse Society; name changed in 1884). Secretary, Mr. J. Sloughgrove, 12, Hanover Square, W. _The Suffolk Horse Society_, founded 1891. Secretary, Mr. Fred Smith, Woodbridge, Suffolk. _The Clydesdale Horse Society_, founded 1883. Secretary, Mr. Archibald MacMilage, 93, Hope Street, Glasgow. _London Cart Horse Parade Society_, founded 1885. Secretary, Mr. Euren, 12, Hanover Square, London, W. The dates when these Societies were established are given, as the information eloquently bears out that passage in the Report of the Royal Commission on Horse-breeding which refers to private enterprise. FOOTNOTES: [1] _Ponies Past and Present._ By Sir Walter Gilbey, Bart, published by Vinton & Co., Limited. [2] "The History and Art of Horsemanship." By Richard Berenger, Gentleman of the Horse to George III., published 1771. [3] "London," by Stephanides. Leland's _Itinerary_, vol. viii. [4] "The History of Newmarket." By T. P. Hore. (3 vols.) H. Baily & Co. London, 1886.