Scientific American Supplement, No. 611, September 17, 1887Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement, No. 611, September 17, 1887
Various
Science -- Periodicals
"_Fourth_, they have naturally good mouths, and good tempers,
with free and easy paces; so that one who has accustomed
himself to riding a pure-bred Arabian will hardly go back, if he
can help it, to any other sort of horse.
"There is all the difference in riding the Arabian and the
ordinary English hunter or half-bred that there is in riding in
a well-hung gig or a cart without springs.
"_Fifth._ As sires for half-bred stock, the Arabian may not be
better than a _first-class_ English thoroughbred, but is
certainly better than a _second_-class one, and _first_-class
sires are out of the reach of all ordinary breeders; for that
reason I recommend a fair trial of his quality, confident your
breeders will not be disappointed.
"With good young mares who require a horse to give their
offspring quality, that is to say, beauty, with courage and
stoutness, and with a turn of speed for fast road work, the
Arabian is better than any class of English thoroughbreds that
are used for cross breeding.
"I trust then for that reason you will not allow yourself to be
discouraged by the slowness of the people to appreciate all the
merits of the Arabian at once.
"Our breeders are full of prejudices, and only experience can
teach them the value of things outside their own circle of
knowledge.
"I have no doubt whatever that truth will in the end prevail;
but you must have patience. Remember that a public is always
impatient, and most often unreasonably so.
"My stud I keep at a permanent strength of twelve brood mares,
and as many fillies growing in reserve.
"You ask me regarding the _pacing_ gait. I have seen it in the
pure-bred Arabs on the desert; and in many parts of the East it
is cultivated, notably in Asia Minor and Barbary. The walk,
pace, amble, trot, and run are found in the Arabian, and either
can be cultivated as a specialty.
"If you think any of my letters to you are of general value to
your people, I am quite willing you should so use them.
"I am, very truly yours,
"WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT.
"To RANDOLPH HUNTINGTON, Rochester, N.Y."
My experience with Arabian blood the past seven years justifies all
that Mr. Blunt has predicted to me from time to time. So also do old
letters by Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay hold out the same inducements
to the breeders of Kentucky and Tennessee in their day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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