HORSE OF ALL WORK. The horse of all work may be designated as that class used principally on the farm, specially adapted to farm labor, but which being stout and true at a heavy pull, will at the same time be a tolerable saddle horse; and which on the road, besides drawing loads at a fair even pace, shall at the same time be capable of moving off at the rate of six or seven miles an hour, with the family carriage, if necessary. If to these qualities the animal, in addition should possess a handsome shape and carriage, he will indeed be a prize. It must be confessed that such animals are very rare, and when obtained are regarded hy their owner with especial favor. In fact, such -do ,aot long remain on the farm; some acute horse buyer is sure to pick up all such animals for sale in cities, as light carriage-horses and horses of light draft. The horse of all work is, of course, always of mixed blood, that of the thoroughbred on the ordinary cold blooded mares of the country producing the largest number. As a rule, from want of care in breed ing, they are apt to be weedy animals, really unfit for anything except light work. The horse of all work should be not less than fifteen hands high, and from that to sixteen hands, with a good head, a neck of medium length, well set on, rather oblique shoulders, withers rather high, a chest neither narrow nor broad, clean limbs, short bodied, round barreled, the rump and haunch long and muscular, and the tail set on rather high. A large, handsome roomy mare, stinted to a staunch, muscular thorough bred makes, to our mind, the perfection of a horse of all work: A cross of a- Cleveland Bay stalliou,(which now-a-days possesses a strong dash of thorough blood,) crossed with a good sized, active, roomy, mare should produce animals that will do the work of the farm and road until six years old, and then be most salable horses for city work, either for the carriage, coupe, express work, or light draft, according to the style and make-up which they possess. In breeding for
such horses, however, the farmer must have studied horses carefully, to become successful; far more so than the generality of farmers do. The greatest mistake made, is in breeding to thoroughbreds, weedy, or otherwise unfit for any profitable work. A stout, muscular thorough bred, if he be handsome, and yet not speedy enough for the. one or two-mile course, would be just the thing, and yet the most of the thoroughbreds used by who are horse breeders, are animals that can not possibly "stay" for more than a quarter, or at most half a mile. Two and three mile racers, stout and muscular, are wanted to assist in forming the horse of all work for our country districts, North and South. In the South, the horse of all work is especially a feeble and weedy animal. That section of the country lacks, essentially, the pow erful work horses found almost everywhere in the North. Another class of horses suited to produce horses of all work, are stout, compact, large trotting stallions. Such are muscular, and of good bottom; and if, in addition, they are from fifteen and a half to sixteen hands, will leave their impress wherever used. If the farmer would select good sized, roomy mares to breed to such stallions, it would soon result in a class of farm horses, which, while doing the work of the farm, would, when ready for the market, command quick sale, and good prices.