The delicate English horse, fond of his manger, bearing but little
continuous and monotonous work, requiring of those that have charge of
him tact, mildness, and an advanced equestrian education, is the horse
of the rich man, and the man of pleasure, of the lover of the turf and
chase, and of the wealthy farmer, who looks more to the beauty of his
stock than to the quantity of its work.
The Arabian, sober, energetic, and laborious, is the horse for the
small proprietor, the soldier, and the laborer. He is the wealth of the
poorer and less improved countries.
The draft-horse is only suited to the farmer, and his size should be
adapted not only to the district in which he is to be used, but also
to the standard of cultivation of the country, and to the means of the
person requiring his services. He may be improved, may be a trotter,
and may be more stylish, but should always be adapted to the means
of the breeder, and to the richness of the country. A large and fine
animal would only vegetate in the hands of a person whose land is
scarcely sufficient to support his family. He should only be owned by
the wealthy farmer. And, on the other side, the latter should never
raise his eyes to the blood horse, which should be left to those who
have been a long time accustomed to the risks inseparable from his
breeding and training.
A final word will make my thoughts better understood.
I desire to speak of the financial question, which is every thing
in breeding and in agriculture. The best and the only manner of
considering this is to compare the breeder at the start, at the
beginning of his career, and when his career is ended, to verify the
results. This operation is nothing short of a settlement of accounts.
In my travels I became acquainted with two neighboring districts.
One was rich, fertile, and productive, eminently suited to breeding
superior fancy horses. But they were poorly raised therein; the farmers
disdained rearing horses suited to the soil, and the horses they did
breed, already bad from the very start, were raised in idleness, and
poorly fed, on account of their earning nothing. The other district
was poor, and the soil produced only what could be wrested from it by
force. However, by dint of labor, agriculture flourished. The horse,
chosen with care, suited the country, worked well, and all prospered.
The fancy struck me, to compare the settlements of estates in these two
districts, and here are the results of this examination:
In the first district, the breeders all commenced and entered upon
their career with capital. Notwithstanding this, 18 out of 20 died over
head and ears in debt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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