File:American homes and gardens (1912) (17966442928).jpg

Title: American homes and gardens
Identifier: americanhomesgar91912newy (find matches)
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Architecture, Domestic; Landscape gardening
Publisher: New York : Munn and Co
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
April, 1912 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 137 ancestors of the breeds, and a type of horse, and the pres- ence either latent or developed of these gaits, has been fixed by breeding, development and training. So that in a typical Kentucky saddle horse there is in addition to the walk, trot and canter, which are common to all breeds of horses, other gaits known technically as the rack, or single foot, running, walk, fox trot and stepping pace. To the un- trained rider, or one unfamiliar with them, they present at first some difficulties, but are found to be, upon acquaintance, almost ideal for purposes of the equestrian. In Kentucky the glory of a saddle horse is in an extremely spirited and brilliant appearance, a graceful waving mane, and a great, gorgeous tail floating in the breeze and carried high. Kentucky dealers, however, have yielded to the demands of the Eastern trade and have curtailed the tendency of many of their best horses toward the multi-gaits. They have also introduced plucking, docking and restricting the movements to three gaits favored by social custom in metro- politan centers. Practically all of the champions at Eastern horse shows, with but a few exceptions of thoroughbred blood, have been Kentucky bred and gaited horses, taught to forget their other gaits and shown as walk, trot and canter specimens. Saddle horses of both kinds, as they are known in this country, have always been far fewer than the demand, con- sequently they have always had a very considerable value and at no time in the past has the average value of the best specimens of riding horse been higher than it is just now. Dealers in the East and in all large cities are constantly visiting Kentucky and other states where these horses are numerously bred, in search of specimens suitable for their clientage at home. They are generally obliged to pay pretty high prices for their purchases at first hand and this is par- ticularly true if the horses they select have been developed to anything like the finer state. A very considerable num- ber of Kentucky dealers and those from other parts of the country make a regular custom of sending shipments of their best animals to the markets two or three times a year in the large cities in the East and elsewhere and dis- posing of them there at public or private sale. But the suc- cessful breeding and developing of saddle horses is of neces- sity by no means restricted to Kentucky or any other place, though naturally there are certain advantages in the favored Bluegrass district, but just as good horses can be bred and developed in Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, or almost anywhere else as is true of even the most favored districts in Kentucky or Missouri. The person who has anything like an adequate suburban home anywhere, and who has the natural instinct of horsemanship, without which suc- cess would be impossible wherever he may be, has all the requisites of breeding saddle horses successfully either for his pleasure or his business profit. The ideal saddle horse is an animal between 15-1 and 15-3 hands, though horses either smaller or Larger are used for these purposes according to the person who intends to employ them. It is particularly true of saddle horses that "there is no good horse of a bad color," though bays, browns and chestnuts are those most highly favored, and the question of white markings on feet and face is one de- termined by individual preference. A good saddle horse must have a good back—short, with strong coupling—and must have massive shoulders and, particularly for side- saddle purposes, high, sloping withers; good legs and feet are indispensable, and a medium amount of action both of knees and hocks is a prime requisite. Too high action (Conti?iued on page 144)
Text Appearing After Image:
Saddle horses are undoubtedly the highest development of equine intelligence, and are as varied in their moods as are, perhaps, their riders

Note About Images