Identifier: horsebreedingi00gilb (find matches)
Title: Horse-breeding in England and India : and army horses abroad
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Gilbey, Walter, Sir, 1st Bart., 1831-1914 Fairman Rogers Collection (University of Pennsylvania) PU
Subjects: Horses Horses CHR 1906 PRO Pearson, Leonard (bookplate) (donor)
Publisher: London : Vinton & Co.
Contributing Library: University of Pennsylvania Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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ns Bay Barb out of an OldSpot Mare, was only 13.2 in height. The weights small horses were asked to carry weregreatly in excess on those in vogue on the race-course now.In I7ii,the conditions for a six guinea Plate at Newmarketimposed a burden of 10 stone on the horse, mare or gelding of14 hands, with weight for inches if below or above thatheight — which, clearly, was the average height of the racehorseof the time. The weights, prescribed by law, for the RoyalPlates ranged from 10 to 12 stone, according to age. The usual length of a race —run in heats be it noted—wasfour miles; but six mile races were not unusual in 1700-1800until the later years of that century. These longer racesthen fell into disuse, but four miles continued to be thedistance for the Royal Plates during the earlier years of the19th century. As the years passed, the race-horse became higher. Thescale for Give and Take Plates, framed in 1770, gives theweights to be carried by horses of from 12 to 15 hands; the
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HEIGHT of EAOE-HORSES from 1700 to 1900 latter was obviously the extreme height for which it wasconsidered necessary to provide, and it was probably an uncommon thing for the limit to be reached. Admiral Rous (Bailys Magazine, i860) showed that theaverage height of the Thoroughbred had then increased oneinch in every twenty-five years. Facts bear out the Admiralsstatement. We cannot doubt that the rate of increase in height hasbeen more rapid from 1800 to 1900 than it was from 1700 to1800, and for this reason—About the year 1800, or a littleearlier, the practice of racing two-year-old horses wasintroduced, and, as a natural consequence, breeders began toforce their young stock in order to make them the soonerready for racing. The results of this policy had become evident in 1836, foran authority writing in that year • says : — We have seen that the Turf commenced with ponies, and thatfor a long period horses under 14 hands were found among the best racers.. The intelhgent reader

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