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The Coming Draught Horse

The Coming Draught Horse image
Parent Issue
Day
19
Month
April
Year
1872
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Tho draught horse may bo considorcd the most useful for agricultura! purposes, lumbering, tho dray, and other Blow labor, of any breed yet introducod to the coinmunity. Thoy aro largo, short coupled andstocky, standing orersixteen ■ hands high, on short legS, many of thoin weighing over fiftoen hundrnd pounds. Slow bilt 8uru, their rcui weight gives thcni control over heavy loads. Among the large varietios of this class inay bc mentioned tho old Suffolk Punch, ased in Snglaad for brewers' oarte, and in this country for heavy luinboring, wherc great weight is rcqnircd, without, niuch action. Bat they are going out ot' uso sineo ït is ibund to be economy to usr a moro active, hard bottomed work horsc in this fast age. Mares of this class 1 i i to Norman stallions would produce mjst capital draught horses. They would be moro shapely ; bono and muselu tako the placo of fat, that loaded down the old-fashioned cart horse, and ïnadu him an unwuldy, sluggish animal. Tho Clydesdalo breed of work-horses aro of Euglish origin. They wcro tirst brcd by tho Duko of Hanúlton, from a cross of the Flanders Stallion with his favorito grade of cart marea. They were. designed to supersedo tho overgrown cart horse. They aro a hardy, activo goodtempered brood, woll adaptod to the rlow or luinber-wagon. They are extensively brod in Canada and sold in tho States to express companies, and for lumbering and agricultural purposus. The draught liorso in this oountry in cithor an abridged edition, or a modifiod form of his English ancestors, or a grade from the Fronch gtallion mixed with our coarse, common mares. They aro tho most imperfect, ill-bred mongrels of thcir kind. They liavo been mixed and counterniixed, untU they are neither ono tliing nor the other, but a inongrol without shapo or form. They hare from this peculiar amalgumation degonorated in all respects from the breed from which they sprang. Tho work horse should be strong in proportion to size, withoufTusoless dead weight to encumbor his action. Mountains of flesh are ofton ondowed witii foeble muscular powers. Their big beefy legs are mado up of soft flesh in place óf bone and sinew. It is substanco that forrns tho substanco of power. It would be botter for tho producer and worker if we bred a more active work horse, to takc the placo of thesa slow, uaseemly specimons of horso flush. It has been proved by denionstration that the llghter and more activo muscular hcn-su will perform moro labor than the overgrown cart horse, and keep on half tho lood. The old Frénch horse bred in lower Canada is a uobler specimen of the equino race for all vork, taan the more costly breecU imported from foroign countries. He has substance woll placed giviug him strength and form. He has plenty of bone, with powerful, compact build, and good feet and logs, to stand work, day in and day out. Ilu wül enduro any amount of hard work, and keep fat on common faro. The modern iniproved ïi orinan ha3 not been bred cxtensivoly in this country; therofore we cannot so well illustrate thoir good quaiities by individual exsmples. Wo coald undoubtedly improvo oor slow, lumbering oart horae, and produce a inore u-iuful work horse, by crossing tho Norman stallion on the betterbred draught mares, or the riglit kind of road mares. An appropriato cross could not füil to produce an active, strong and ust'ful horse for agricultura! purposes and heavy work. By such cross wo should get i:iore ooinpaot form, and greater weight in less bulk. Such a cross would beable to move heavy weight with reasoaable speed. Siuce tho discovery and application of steaiu as a motive power, the slow horso hits becomo less and less sought for. The Canadian type of the Norman is ( not indigenous to American soil. Their progenitors were au early importation ï'roni Franco. They havo beenbred in this country for generations, whcrcof tho memory of man runnoth not to tho contrary. Tho Conestoga of l'ennsylvania are claimed to havo boon imported from Flanders, but t'aore is no authentic record of it. The early annala of breeding in that State, give account of the English cait horse in tho stud. Tho Cleveland bays, Lincolnshiro blacks, Sampsons and Yorkshires are but moditied forms, or improved varietiea of the old English draught horse. It is time to commenoe tho improvement of the broed of work horses. The nocossities of the tiir.(s demand it. Bteam has revolutionized the oarryiiig trade and bronght forth new requiremente. Telegraphs h.ivc nearly annihilated time, and I railroads liave overcomu distanoe. 1 erything is done with dispatch. The horse must be able to deliver freights I with tolerable speed, to meet the emorgency, and keep up with tho demands of coninierce. -

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus