The best American horses are derived from the English thoroughbreds, though the heavy draft horses mostly show Flemish origin. The light mustang or Indian pony is descended from the early Spanish stock that came to Mexico in 1519 and later; but the great majority of horses in this country come under the title farm horses, and these are fully tabulated by the United States census, together with their half-brothers, the mules.
Farm Horses.— In 1850 the census recorded 4,336,000 horses on the farms of the United States; in 1880, 11,201,000; in 1900, 13,537,000; and in 1910, 19,833,000, of the value of $2,033, 000,000, or a little more than $100 per animal. This figure included the colts, the average value of grown or mature horses being $112.36. The 1910 census showed 4,209,000 mules on the farms, of the value of $525,000,000, or $131.49 each for mature mules. Thus it appears that the humble mule is more valued on the farm than the better bred horse. And this in spite of the fact that a very large proportion of these farm horses have good blood in them from the common use of stallions rated in the stud books, or their near relatives. It is not believed that there has been a rapid increase in American farm horses since 1910. The estimates of 1917 run between 21,000,000 and 22,000,000. In ad dition to these farm animals there are at least 250,000 blooded horses registered in the stud books of the 19 United States horse-breeding associations, and probably a million city and town horses not enumerated in the census.
Texas is the leading State for breeding farm horses, having 1,870,000 in 1910. But territory and population considered, Illinois is the banner State, having over 1,600,000 in the census year. Other States having over 1,003,000 are Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. In the South Atlantic States almost half the farms report no horses at all, but this is not due to scarcity of horses, rather to the fact that small tenant farmers are numerous, who use the horses of their landlords.
Horses are commonly denominated as thor oughbreds, coach, hackney, Cleveland bay, several varieties of draft, trotter, pacer, hunter, roadster, saddle, bus, express, farm, pony, mus tang, broncho, cayuse, etc. The thoroughbred, from which most of the blooded horses are de scended, is fully described farther on, as the progenitor of the American trotter. The hack ney or nag is the common English everyday livery horse, what some would call a light coach horse, of no particular breed. The French coach horse is slightly taller and heavier than the hackney type, and there is a registry of blooded horses of this name. The German coach may be a Hanoverian, Oldenburg, East Prussian, etc. He is typically 15 to 160 hands, stylish and sleek, and may weigh up to 1,500. The Cleveland bay is a coach, obtained by crossing English thoroughbreds with Cleveland mares. They are 16 to 162 hands and weigh 1,200 to 1,500. This type makes an excellent farm horse as well as coach and the United States registry increases.
Draft-horses are mainly of Flemish origin, and the Belgian draft animals are highly es teemed in the United States. The standard English draft-horse is the shire, 16 to 17.2 hands, and weighing 1,800 to 2,300 pounds. They have stout legs, a large head, are broad between the eyes, have a neck well arched, full chest, straight back, round body or barrel and large feet, with plenty of hair at the fetlocks. The Clydesdale is not quite as large as the shire, but is more popular in America. They average a little over 16 bands and weigh up to 2,200. Bay and dapple are the common colors. The Suffolk or punch is an English draft-horse, of 15 to hands and weighing 1,500 to 1,900. He has slighter legs than either the shire or Per cheron and is nut much valued on thi, Ade of the Atlantic. The Percheron or Per( heron Norman is the handsomest of the draft-horses, and largely imported from France, beim.; used to improve the farm breeds and build up larger animals. They are 16 to 172 hands, and weigh 1,700 to 2,200 or more, and are gray, black and white or dappled in color. The Percheron showi his heels in walking and is apt to straddle a bit.
`The American trotter, and the pacer, are described under HORSE TROTTING AND PACING, and HORSE-RACING. The Morgan horse, re nowned for his beauty and intelligence, the Hambletonian and the hackney are fully dis cussed under HORSE, RIDING AND DRIVING. The saddle horse, the hunter, the roadster and the park horse are not breeds of horses, but horses of any breed adapted to those purposes. A typical roadster is 15.1 to 15.3 hands and weighs 950 to 1150. A good saddle horse has a flat back, weighs 1,000 to 1,100, stands about 152 hands and has five gaits: the walk, trot, amble, canter and either a running walk, slow pace or fast trot. He should hold his head up well and appear stylish. The Morgan is a fine type of saddle horse. Any saddle horse that takes hurdles well is called a hunter.
Horses below 15 hands have lesser value. The English call a horse of 14 to 15 hands a hobby; if below 14 hands a Galloway; any thing below 13 hands is a pony. The Shetland pony is from 9 to 10.2 hands and weighs 275 to 400 pounds, being valued mainly as a pet, for children's driving. The Indian de scendants of the Spanish mustangs, imported in the 16th century, abound in the Far West, Northwest and in Mexico. They, are called mustangs, bronchos and in the Northwest cayuses. They are small, hardy, cheap, and live on almost anything, and will pick up enough to keep them in a new country. The broncho crossed with a thoroughbred makes a good polo pony.
The ordinary cab horse is 15 to 152 hands and weighs 1,050 to 1,150. The so-called bus horse is a trifle larger, weighing 1,200 to 1,400. The horses selected for express work are 15.2 to 16 hands and weigh 1,350 to 1,500. For further details of the horse, see articles fol lowing.