Chapter 123

FAMILY I.—EQUIDÆ, THE HORSE-TRIBE.

TARPAN.

The Equidæ, or Horse-tribe, comprise several living and many extinct species. Three living members are restricted, in a state of nature, to Asia and Africa, and are divided into the true Horses, which have horny patches or callosities on the inner sides of both pairs of limbs—above the wrist in the fore, and on the inner side of the metatarsus on the hind limbs—and the Asses, which possess such callosities only on the fore-limb. With the latter are classed the Zebras and the Quaggas. All theexisting and some of the extinct members of the family, are characterised by the feet being formed of one perfectly developed digit or toe only, the others being present in a rudimentary shape as the splint-bones. In the extinct Hipparion, however, and Anchithere, as we shall see presently, the accessory toes are well developed.

WILD HORSE OF TARTARY.

The true Horses are represented by one well-established species,Equus caballus, from which all the other races, or varieties, are descended, by a process of selection under the care of man, and these vary in size, proportion of parts, and colour, as much as any two closely-allied species of wild animals can be said to be defined from each other. According to Mr. Darwin, no aboriginal or truly Wild Horse is positively known to exist, for the Wild Horses of the East may probably be descended from those which have escaped from the service of man. In all probability the wild animal has been exterminated by the hand of man in those countries which it formerly inhabited, and in which it has left its remains to attest its former presence.

The Tarpan and Wild Horse of Tartary, which are to be found in thousands in the great treeless plains, present us with the nearest examples of the stock from which the Domestic Horses were probably derived. Their colour is mouse-coloured, with a stripe along the back. The best and strongest of these are caught by the Tartars by the aid of the lasso, and by the help of Falcons, which are trained to settle on the Horse’s head, and flutter their wings, so as to take its attention away from the approaching hunter.

The first Domestic Horses known in Europe were introduced at a very early period, long beforethe dawn of history, in the period known by the archæologists as that of polished stone, or that in which man had not yet acquired a knowledge of the metals bronze or iron. They are met with in the ruins of those wonderful pile dwellings, which lie at the bottom of the Swiss lakes, in association with the remains of the Pig, Sheep, Goat, Short-horned Ox, large Ox of the Urus type, and Dog, and evidently belonged to a race of farmers, by whom they were introduced into Europe. Bones occur in the camps, sepulchres, and habitations of this age, throughout the whole of the Continent, and of Great Britain and Ireland. In all probability they were used at this time not for riding or for driving, but for food. In the succeeding, or bronze age, however, they were employed for purposes of riding, as may be seen from the discovery of the bronze bits, which have been met with in France and Italy. They were probably introduced by a race of nomads, who no doubt brought Horses with them from the steppes of Central Asia.

According to Colonel Hamilton Smith, “so little is known of the primitive seat of civilisation—the original centre, perhaps, in Bactria, in the higher valleys of the Oxus, or in Cashmere, whence knowledge radiated to China, India, and Egypt—that it may be surmised that the first domestication of thepost-diluvianHorse was achieved in Central Asia, or commenced nearly simultaneously in several regions where the wild animals of the Horse form existed.”

The Horse was universally used for food by man before the historic period, and would be used now in Europe more generally than it is, were it not for an edict of the Church in the eighth century. During the Roman occupation of Britain, it formed a large part of the diet of the inhabitants; by the Scandinavians it was eaten in honour of Odin. As Christianity prevailed over the heathen worship, it was banished from the table. It appears, however, that it was used in England as late as the year 787, after it had been prohibited in Eastern Europe. The ecclesiastic rule, however, was not always obeyed, for the monks of St. Gall, in Switzerland, not only ate Horse-flesh in the eleventh century, but returned thanks for it in a metrical grace, which has survived to our times on account of its elegance and beauty.

It is somewhat remarkable that the Horse is, with few exceptions, mentioned in the Bible only in connection with war, and that there is a wonderful absence of detail with regard to its nature and habits otherwise than for the purposes it served in battle. That the Horse spoken of in Scripture was nearly identical with the Arab Horse of to-day there can be little doubt, if we examine the various sculptures and paintings which are handed down to us, and which speak of the faded glories of Egypt and Assyria. The first account we have of the Horse is during the famine in Egypt that was foretold by Joseph, and here we find that it was evidently an Egyptian animal. “And they brought their cattle unto Joseph; and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for Horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the Asses; and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.”

The courage and fiery nature of the Arab Horse, particularly fitting it for use in the wars of ancient times, were evidently well understood. In the Book of Job (xxxix. 19–25) we read:—“Hast thou given the Horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.”

The Hebrews in the patriarchal age did not require Horses, and for a long time after their settlement in Canaan did not use them, probably partly on account of the nature of the country, which was hilly, and partly because they were prohibited on account of their hostility to the Egyptians. The Horses of the kings David and Solomon were derived from Egypt. In the reign of the latter, a Horse was worth 150 shekels of silver, and a chariot six hundred. The former was the first to establish a force of cavalry and chariots.

From the very earliest ages known to the historian in Egypt and Assyria, Horses were used for purposes of war, and were yoked in pairs, and sometimes in threes, to the war-chariots in which the kings and great captains rode. They are generally depicted as being of upright orHog manes. Horsemen were also employed by both nations, but they were evidently not thought so important as Horses and chariots for warlike purposes.

In the earlier period of Greek history, and in Homeric times, the art of riding was utterly unknown to the Greeks, for if a man was seen on horseback he was supposed to be a Centaur. Down to 500B.C.riding was not practised by the Greeks, although it was well known to the Barbarians. As we get close to the year mentioned, we hear of Persian cavalry; for instance, the great question with regard to the battle of Marathon (490B.C.) is, What were the Persian cavalry doing? And at the same period we find that cavalry had become an important arm in Northern Greece. Throughout all the times of Greek pre-eminence, Horses were mainly used for the purpose of the chariot. The utmost care and attention were devoted to their breeding, and the greatest expense incurred in the maintenance of a stud, which was a luxury possible only to the very richest persons, and almost entirely beyond the means of private individuals. The greatest horsekeepers, and consequently winners in the chariot-races, were almost entirely princes and ruling families.

After 450B.C.we begin to hear of riding and of cavalry in Greece proper, side by side with charioteers. Books were written on the art, one of which, from the pen of Xenophon, is still extant.

The case is totally different when we turn to the history of Rome during the same period. In the early regal times, and in the first centuries of the Republic, cavalry was the most important arm of the military service. It was naturally composed of the aristocracy, who alone could bear the expense of a Horse. It was only when a rich middle class had sprung up, and were denied the aristocratic privilege of serving on horseback, that the heavy-armed infantry, which in later times won all the great Roman victories, came first into existence. As they increased, the cavalry decreased in importance, and the typical Roman soldier was what was called in mediæval times a man-at-arms.

The native breeds of Horses in Britain, before the Roman conquest, are known to us merely from a reference to them by Cæsar, that they were powerful and well suited for purposes of war by their stature and training. They were used in the battles of the Romans, yoked to the chariots. They were evidently considered of great importance, since they appear on some of the early British coins—as, for example, those of Cunobelin. After the conquest of Britain by the Angles, Jutes, and Saxons, the Horses demanded more attention than before. Athelstan thought the preservation of the native breed of sufficient importance to call for a legal enactment to prevent the export of Horses, excepting as presents. Saddle-horses were employed, according to the testimony of Bede, in England in the early part of the seventh century, and from the notices in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle it is evident that they were frequently used by the Danes for purposes of transport from one part of the country to another; and in the song of the fight of Maldon, we read of Goderic flying from the field on a Horse, on which his lord had ridden down to the battle.

The first attempt on record to improve the native breed, by the introduction of foreign blood, was by the importation of “running Horses” from Germany in the time of Athelstan; in whose reign also many Spanish Horses were imported. William the Conqueror, who owed his success in the Battle of Hastings to his cavalry, paid great attention to the English breed. In his time, Professor Bell tells us, “Roger de Belesme, Earl of Shrewsbury, imported the elegant and docile Spanish Horse, and bred from it on his estates in Powisland; and it is recorded that the Horses of that part of Wales were long celebrated for their swiftness, a quality which they had doubtless derived from this happy mixture of blood. The heavy panoply of mail, however, with which the warriors of this and of succeeding ages at once protected and loaded both themselves and their steeds, sufficiently attests that the cavalry must have been mounted on Horses of great strength and size; and there is no doubt that, until the universal employment of firearms rendered such a protection in a great measure unavailable, the speed and figure of the War Horse must have been sacrificed to the qualities of power and endurance. The beautiful Horses on which many of our light cavalry regiments are now mounted, although endowed with considerable strength, would have been crushed beneath the weight of metal by which both the knight of olden time and his Horse were so heavily laden.”

King John paid great attention to the improvement of the breed for agricultural purposes; and to him, according to Youatt, we are indebted for our Draft Horses. He imported no less than a hundred Flanders stallions, which probably laid the foundation of the strength and size which are the eminent characteristic of our Horses of war and labour. Edward III. was a zealous patron of thecourse, and in his reign the heavy native breed was crossed with lighter Horses of Spanish origin, the offspring of the Arabs, which had been introduced by the Moors. From this time forwards, great pains were taken by the English sovereigns to improve the breeds; races were regularly established in various parts of the kingdom, and various enactments were passed to secure excellence. James I. gave as much as five hundred pounds—an enormous sum, according to the value of money in those times—for an Arabian; and in the Protectorate of Cromwell, Horses were introduced from the south-east and from Morocco, by which beauty of form, and a degree of swiftness before unknown, were added to the stoutness which had hitherto characterised English Horses. In the time of Charles II., we may remark that the bell, which had hitherto been the prize of the successful Horse in racing, was exchanged for the cup, which has continued to be the prize down to the present day.

Mr. Darwin considers that the cause of modification in the forms of Horses greatly arises from their varying conditions of life; that, for instance, Horses living in mountainous regions, or on small islands, become reduced in size from want of a variety of food. Corsica and Sardinia have native breeds of Ponies; and the Puno Ponies living in the lofty regions of the Cordilleras are said to be strange little creatures. But Horses can withstand intense cold, as they live wild on the plains of Siberia, where they scrape away the snow in order to get at the herbage underneath. Not only do the wild Tarpans in the East possess this instinct, but also those that have run wild on the Falkland Islands, as well as the Horses in North America descended from those brought into Mexico by the Spaniards.

That the original colour of the Horse was dun may be gathered from evidence dating as far back as the time of Alexander the Great, and the wild Horses now in Western Asia and Eastern Europe are of the same colour. In Hungary and Norway, duns with a stripe down the spine are considered of an aboriginal colour.

DENTITION OF HORSE.(A) upper, (B) lower, jaw.

DENTITION OF HORSE.

(A) upper, (B) lower, jaw.

The series of permanent teeth in the Horse consists of three incisors, one canine, three premolars, and three molars in each jaw, or 40 in all; and is of great interest. The grinders (or molars and premolars) are remarkable for their length, the complexity of their pattern, and for the thick coating of cement which fills up the interspaces of the folds of enamel. The incisors present a peculiar pattern, which is of great importance in deciding the age of a Horse. Each is covered with a layer of enamel, which is folded inwards at the top, after the manner of the finger of a glove, the top of which has been pulled inwards, as is seen in the accompanying figure of a vertical section of an incisor tooth. This hollow is filled with cement, and its state of wear enables the age of the Horse to be ascertained, constituting “the mark.”

VERTICAL SECTION OF INCISOR OF HORSE.(After Owen.)e, enamel;c, cement;a a′, inverted fold of enamel, &c. (“the mark”).

VERTICAL SECTION OF INCISOR OF HORSE.(After Owen.)

e, enamel;c, cement;a a′, inverted fold of enamel, &c. (“the mark”).

A Colt when born has usually the first and second molars forced through the gum, and at seven or eight days old the two central incisor teeth appear; five or six weeks later, the next two incisors. At three months, they are equal to the central ones, and both pairs have nearly reached their natural level. A third grinder has then appeared; and about the eighth month, the third incisor above and below on each side. The Colt has now his full complement of incisor teeth—viz., six in each jaw. At six months the obliteration is apparent in the four central incisors; and at a year and a half the mark will be very faint in the central incisors, and diminished in the other two. A fourth molar appears at twelve months, and a fifth at two years. These are all milk or temporary teeth. At about three years old, the central pair of incisors, ornippers, both in the upper and lower jaws, are pushed upwards and removed by two permanent teeth, which take their place, and which are distinguishable from the milk teeth by their increased size; a three-year-old Colt, therefore, is easily recognised by the possession of these two new and enlarged incisors. At three years and a half the second incisors will have given place to permanent ones; and at four and a half the remaining incisors will have followed suit. Thus at four years old the central nippers will be fully grown; the next pair will not have attained their full size, and the corner temporary incisors will be worn small, and the mark nearly obliterated. At five years old the mark from the central teeth begins to be effaced, the next pair fully grown, and the corner pair only partially grown. Between the fourth and fifth year the canines begin to appear in the male, two in each jaw; in the female they do not appear until old age. At six years old the mark on the central nippers is much diminished, or obliterated. The other incisors will also be worn, and the canines fully developed. At seven the mark on the next pair of incisors is nearly gone, and the canines rounded at the point and edges. At eight the mark disappears from all the incisor teeth, and the canines are much rounder and blunter. From this time the age of a Horse is difficult to decide, and the teeth of the upper jaw seem to be the best guides. In the accompanying figure (B) the incisors of a Horse aged sixteen years are represented, in which it will be observed that the oval island of enamel, or “mark,” has been obliterated, and its place is indicated by a round, dark, island (A), composed of osteo-dentine, which has been formed within the pulp-cavity of the tooth. The absence of the fine white crystalline enamel from the centre of the tooth at once points out the aged Horse from that “in mark,” and renders all attempts to produce by artificial means the same pattern impossible, though this trick is by no means unknown or unattempted in horse-dealing.

INCISORS AND CANINES OF HORSE (B)AND MARE (A).

BONES OF FORE (1) AND HIND (2) LIMBS OF HORSE.A, Carpus (knee);A1, Tarsus (hock);B, Cannon bone;B1, Splint bone;C, Greater Posterior;D, Coronet;E, Coffin bone;F, Navicular.

BONES OF FORE (1) AND HIND (2) LIMBS OF HORSE.

A, Carpus (knee);A1, Tarsus (hock);B, Cannon bone;B1, Splint bone;C, Greater Posterior;D, Coronet;E, Coffin bone;F, Navicular.

In the whole anatomy of the Horse there is no organ more beautifully adapted for the purposes it serves than the foot, and it is well worthy to be discussed at some length. The foot practically consists of the three last bones of the limb. The bones are firmly bound together by ligaments, affording also attachment to the wonderfully strong tendons by which the foot is moved. A mass of gristle called the lateral cartilage is placed on each side, and behind the bones is an elastic pad which is termed the plantar cushion. A fibrous layer is placed over these, and enveloping the whole is a horny covering known as the hoof. Immediately below the carpus, or the so-called knee of the Horse, in the fore limb, and below the tarsus or hock in the hind limb, we find what are termed the cannon bones. These, which differ little in either fore or hind leg, are really, in point of fact, respectively the metacarpal and metatarsal bones. On each side, towards the hinder part of these cannon bones,is a bone termed the splint. These splints are in fact rudimentary metacarpal and metatarsal bones. The cannon bones run in a direction vertically downwards, and in the best possible manner for supporting a heavy weight, and in addition the bones are composed of extraordinarily hard and dense material, although to all appearance they are comparatively slender. Altogether, the object looked for is attained—namely, strength with symmetry. The cannon or shank bone proceeds downwards until it reaches a bone known as the greater pastern, and between these two are also two little bones, termed the sesamoids: this portion of the leg is called the fetlock. The sesamoid bones are attached to the back of the cannon bone, and are so arranged as to increase the surface of the joint, and also forming a pulley for the passage of the back tendons. The pastern bone rests immediately upon a bone termed the little pastern or coronet, the former bone being placed obliquely downwards and forwards, being an admirable provision against concussion. It is here, in proportion to the oblique position in which this bone is placed, the horseman finds either a springy or jolting action in the Horse he rides. The little pastern or coronet rests upon a bone known as the coffin. (The three bones—viz., the greater pastern, the little and the coffin bone—are really nothing more nor less than three phalanges, the three together being analogous to the human finger or toe.) It is situated partly within and partly without the hoof, and its direction, like the greater pastern, is downwards and forwards, and it is this bone which forms the pivot or centre of motion.

SKELETON OF HORSE.

The last bone of the foot, and immediately below the little pastern, as before stated, is the coffin or pedal bone. This bone is strongly imbedded in the hoof, and is convex in front, rounded at the sides, and slightly concave on its under surface. There is around the front and sides of the coffin bone a considerable degree of roughness for the attachment of muscles, which part of the foot is termed the sensitive. The under part is comparatively smooth. Between the coffin and little pastern is a small oblong flattened bone, termed the navicular. It is covered over on its under surface by a smooth cartilaginous layer. This bone probably helps to ward off concussion, also to give a larger surface for membranes containing synovial fluid, or what is known as “joint oil,” which preserves the joints from too great friction.

The more striking features in the skull of the Horse are the completion of the orbital ring behind by the union of the frontal and jugal bones, and the edentulous space in front of the molar series, into which the bit is inserted in riding or driving. The brain is large, and that part of it known as the cerebrum, or “big brain” (A), is deeply folded; it does not, however, overlap the cerebellum, or“little brain” (B), or the olfactory lobes (C). The spinal column is composed of seven cervical, twenty-four dorsal, five sacral, and about seventeen caudal vertebræ.

Of the various diseases the stomach of the Horse is liable to, perhaps the most peculiar is that caused by an insect known as the Gad-fly. With regard to this creature and its mode of attack, Youatt gives the following information:—“In the spring and early part of the summer, Horses are much troubled by a gnat or caterpillar, which causes a great deal of itching and uneasiness. Grooms are sometimes alarmed at the appearance of these insects. Their history is peculiar, and will dispel every fear with regard to them. We are indebted to Mr. Bracy Clark for almost all we know about them. A species of Gad-fly (Œstrus equi) is, in the latter part of the summer, exceedingly busy about the Horse. It is observed to be darting with great rapidity towards the knees and sides of the animal. The females are depositing their eggs on the hair, which adhere to it by means of a glutinous fluid with which they are surrounded. In a few days the eggs are ready to be hatched, and the slightest application of warmth and moisture will liberate the little animals which they contain. The Horse, in licking himself, touches the egg; it bursts, and a small worm escapes, which adheres to the tongue, and is conveyed with the food into the stomach. There it clings to the cuticular portion of the stomach by means of a hook on either side of its mouth; and its hold is so firm and so obstinate, that it must be broken before it can be detached. It remains there feeding on the mucus of the stomach during the whole of the winter, and until the end of the ensuing spring; when, having attained a considerable size, and being destined to undergo a certain transformation, it disengages itself from the cuticular coat, is carried into the villous portion of the stomach with the food, passes out of it with the chyme, and is evacuated with the excrement. The larva, or maggot, seeks shelter in the ground, and buries itself there; it contracts in size, and becomes a chrysalis or grub, in which state it lies inactive for a few weeks, and then, bursting from its confinement, assumes the form of a fly. The female, becoming impregnated, quickly deposits her eggs on those parts of the Horse which he is most accustomed to lick, and thus the species is perpetuated.”

BRAIN OF HORSE.

“There are several plain conclusions to be drawn from this history. The bots cannot, while they inhabit the stomach of the Horse, give the animal any pain, for they have fastened on the cuticular and insensible coat. They cannot stimulate the stomach and increase its digestive power, for they are not on the digestive portion of the stomach. They cannot, by their roughness, assist the trituration or rubbing down of the food, for no such office is performed in that part of the stomach: the food is softened, not rubbed down. They cannot be injurious to the Horse, for he enjoys the most perfect health when the cuticular part of his stomach is filled with them; and their presence is not even suspected until they appear at the anus. They cannot be removed by medicine, because they are not in that part of the stomach to which medicine is usually conveyed: and if they were, their mouths are too deeply buried in the mucus for any medicine, that can safely be administered, to affect them; and last of all, in due course of time they detach themselves, and come away. Therefore the wise man will leave them to themselves.”

THERACE-HORSE.—The breed of Horses for which England is chiefly remarkable is the Race-Horse, resulting from a cross of the English stock with the Arabian; and this was chiefly broughtabout by the care of Mr. Darley. The offspring of the Arabian thus introduced was the Devonshire, or Flying Childers, the fleetest Horse of his time, which ran four miles, one furlong, and a hundred and thirty-eight yards in seven minutes and a half. Descended from the same Arabian was Eclipse, who never met an opponent sufficiently fleet to test his powers. He became the sire of three hundred and thirty-four winners; while King Herod, a descendant of the same stock, was the sire of no less than four hundred and ninety-seven winners. The former of these Horses died in 1789, at the age of seventy-five years, after realising for his owner a princely fortune: his skeleton is now preserved in the museum at Oxford. The English Race-Horse, in swiftness and energy, elegance and grace, surpasses his Arabian progenitor; and is so superior to other European breeds, that it is usual on the English course to allow foreign Horses an advantage in the weight that they carry. All English Race-Horses are descended either from Arabian or Barb sires.

ENGLISH RACE-HORSE.

THETROTTINGHORSEOFAMERICA.—Two nations have the credit of introducing a race of Horses known as the Trotting Horse. One of these is Russia, the other the United States; and the latter has so far excelled her rival, that the Trotting Horse is now generally known as the “Trotting Horse of America.” The Russian breed is Arabian on a Flemish stock, and is known as the Orloff Trotter; but from the bending of the knee when the Horse is striding, and the trotting action not being carefully looked after, the animal is considered by good judges to be only “half-developed.” The breed of the American Trotter seems to have been both Barb and Arabian on an English stock, the well-known Bashaw Trotters being descended from an imported Barb ancestor, the Grand Bashaw; and Top Gallant was produced by a union of Arab or Eastern breed, with some Horse either English or of English origin. One of the greatest American trainers of the Trotting Horse, Hiram Woodruff, says in his work on this subject that the English had the stock all along, as much as the Americans,but that the method of training and perseverance of the latter have produced the best and fastest trotters. He entirely disputes the idea of the trot being an artificial action of a Horse, and the common notion that the only two natural paces of that animal are the walk and the gallop; and in vindication of his theory he asks, “Whether a colt can now be found anywhere that does not trot sometimes, and that when he is by the side of his dam, before ever the hand of a man has been laid upon him? If it is said that this results from the long domestication of his ancestors, my reply will be that it happens among the produce of Horses whose ancestors for more than two centuries have never been used for trotting, and were never taught to trot at all, if it is true that the Arabs of the desert only use their Horses at the two so-called natural paces, the walk and the gallop.” He further remarks that other animals trot when wild, such as the wild Asses, Zebras, and Quaggas, as well as the Deer and the Elk. He therefore considers that the most careful attention should be given to the training of a young colt for trotting purposes; and that, for a Horse to become a trotter, he should at the early age of two years be broken in with a view to that purpose especially, while his gallop or walk should, so to speak, be kept in the background. His education altogether extends over several years, as both speed and durability have to be considered in his capabilities; sometimes he reaches the age of seven years before his finest powers can be developed. Some of the fastest English trotters go at the rate of a mile in three minutes; while the quickest in America, according to Mr. Woodruff, take only two minutes and twenty-five seconds, or thereabouts, to do the same distance. The Trotting Horse has now become a product of great commercial value to the Americans.

SHETLAND PONIES.❏LARGER IMAGE

SHETLAND PONIES.

❏LARGER IMAGE

THEDRAYHORSE.—The huge Dray Horse, in its massive form and ponderous strength, and slowness of gait, forms a striking contrast to the Racer and the Trotting Horse. It is as admirably fitted for the slow carriage of heavy weights as the two last are for their elegant swiftness. It is as good an example of the results of judicious selection on the part of man, for a definite purpose, as can be offered by the study of any of the domestic animals.

THESHETLANDPONY.—The smallest variety of Horses in the British Islands is the Shetland Pony, which averages seven or eight hands in height, but yet is wonderfully strong, and capable of enduring an immense amount of fatigue. Its wild, shaggy mane gives it somewhat the appearance, as has been remarked, of a Skye Terrier. It is mischievous and skittish, and generally harder to ride than a full-sized Horse.

THEARAB AND THEBARB.—The two principal varieties of foreign Horses which are important for us to consider are the Arab and the Barb. The Arab would not be acknowledged by every one to be perfect in form. The head, however, is inimitable. “The broadness and squareness of the forehead,” writes Youatt, “the smallness of the ears, the prominence and brilliancy of the eye, the shortness and fineness of the muzzle, the width of the nostril, the thinness of the lower jaw, and the beautifully-developed course of the veins, will always characterise the head of the Arabian Horse. The body of the Arab may, perhaps, be considered as too light, and his chest too narrow; but behind the arms the barrel generally swells out, and leaves sufficient room for the play of the lungs. The neck of the Arabian is long and arched, and beautifully joined to the chest. In the formation of the shoulder, next to that of the head, the Arab is superior to any other breed. The withers are high, and the shoulder-blade has its proper inclination backwards. It is also thickly clothed with muscle, but without the slightest appearance of heaviness. The fineness of his legs, and the oblique position of the pasterns, might be supposed by the uninitiated to lessen his apparent strength; but the leg, although small, is deep, and composed of bone of the densest character. The tendons are sufficiently distinct from the bone, and the starting muscles of the fore-arm and the thigh indicate that he is fully capable of accomplishing many of the feats that are recorded of him. It is an error,” continues Youatt,“into which almost every writer on the history of the Horse has fallen, that the Arabian is bred in the arid deserts, and owes the power of endurance which he possesses in his adult state to the hardships which he endured while he was a colt. The real fact is, that the Arabs select for their breeding-places some of those delightful spots, known only in countries like these, where, though all may be dry and barren around, there is pasture unrivalled for its succulence, and its nutritious or aromatic properties. The powers of the young animal are afterwards developed, as they alone could be, by the mingled influence of plentiful and healthy food, and sufficient, but not, except in one day of trial, cruel exercise.” The attachment an Arab feels for his Horse is proverbial, cases having been recorded of a devotion so deep that the owner prefers almost to starve rather than part with his Horse. The following anecdote is an instance:—“The whole stock of an Arab of the desert consisted of a mare. The French Consul offered to purchase her, in order to send her to his Sovereign, Louis XIV. The Arab would have rejected the proposal, but he was miserably poor; he had scarcely a rag to cover him, and his wife and children were starving. The sum offered was great; it would provide him and his family with food for life. At length, and reluctantly, he yielded. He brought the mare to the dwelling of the consul, dismounted, and stood leaning upon her; he looked now at the gold, and then at his favourite. ‘To whom is it,’ said he, ‘I am going to yield thee up? To Europeans, who will tie thee close; who will beat thee; who will render thee miserable. Return with me, my beauty, my jewel, and rejoice the hearts of my children!’ As he pronounced the last words, he sprang upon her back, and was presently out of sight.”

ENGLISH DRAY HORSE FROM THE STUD OF MESSRS. BARCLAY, PERKINS & CO.❏LARGER IMAGE

ENGLISH DRAY HORSE FROM THE STUD OF MESSRS. BARCLAY, PERKINS & CO.

❏LARGER IMAGE

ARAB HORSE.

The Barb is found throughout the North of Africa, from the Mediterranean to the Sahara desert, and has obviously been introduced by the Moors. It is to the Barb that the principal excellence of the Spanish Horse is due; and to this Horse, as well as to the Arab, may be assigned a large share in producing the English Hunter and Racer. All English thoroughbreds are descended from one or other of these.

The Persian Horse is closely allied to the Arab, and possesses great powers of endurance. The distance marked for a race, which Sir R. K. Porter saw, was no less than four-and-twenty miles. In some points, according to Youatt, the Persian Horse excels the Arabian.

WILDHORSES INAMERICA.—At the time of the discovery of America there were no Horses inany part of that continent, although the boundless prairies were admirably fitted for the support of countless herds. Soon, however, those imported by the settlers strayed away, and as a consequence horses are now met with in vast numbers, in some cases amounting, it is said, to ten thousand in one troop. They appear to be under the command of a leader, the strongest and boldest of the herd, whom they implicitly obey. When threatened with danger, at some signal, understood by them all, they either close into a dense mass and trample their enemy to death, or, placing the mares and foals in the centre, they form themselves into a circle and welcome him with their heels. The leader first faces the danger, and when prudence requires a retreat all follow his rapid flight. In the thinly inhabited parts of South America, according to Youatt, it is dangerous to fall in with any of these troops. The Wild Horses approach as near as they dare; they call to the loaded Horse with the greatest eagerness, and if the rider is not on the alert, and has not considerable strength of arm and sharpness of spur, his animal will divest himself of his burden, take to his heels, and be gone for ever. Byron well describes the Wild Horse in his “Mazeppa”:—

“A trampling troop; I see them come!In one vast squadron they advance!I strove to cry—my lips were dumb.The steeds rush on in plunging pride;But where are they the reins to guide?A thousand horse—and none to ride!With flowing tail, and flying mane,Wide nostrils—never stretch’d by pain,Mouths bloodless to the bit or rein,And feet that iron never shod,And flanks unscarr’d by spur or rod,A thousand horse, the wild, the free,Like waves that follow o’er the sea.On came the troop ...They stop—they start—they snuff the air,Gallop a moment here and there,Approach, retire, wheel round and round,Then plunging back with sudden bound,They snort—they foam—neigh—swerve aside,And backward to the forest fly.”

“A trampling troop; I see them come!

In one vast squadron they advance!

I strove to cry—my lips were dumb.

The steeds rush on in plunging pride;

But where are they the reins to guide?

A thousand horse—and none to ride!

With flowing tail, and flying mane,

Wide nostrils—never stretch’d by pain,

Mouths bloodless to the bit or rein,

And feet that iron never shod,

And flanks unscarr’d by spur or rod,

A thousand horse, the wild, the free,

Like waves that follow o’er the sea.

On came the troop ...

They stop—they start—they snuff the air,

Gallop a moment here and there,

Approach, retire, wheel round and round,

Then plunging back with sudden bound,

They snort—they foam—neigh—swerve aside,

And backward to the forest fly.”

Of the meeting a troop of Wild Horses in a more thickly inhabited part of the country, Sir F. Head gives some interesting details. He describes some unfortunate captured animals as being forced along by their riders at their very utmost speed: “As they are thus galloping along, urged by the spur, it is interesting to see the groups of Wild Horses one passes. The mares, which are never ridden in South America, seem not to understand what makes the poor Horse carry his head so low and look so weary. The little innocent colts come running to meet him, and then start away frightened; while the old Horses, whose white marks on the flanks and backs betray their acquaintance with the spur and saddle, walk slowly away for some distance, then breaking into a trot as they seek their safety, snort and look behind them, first with one eye and then with the other, turning their noses from right to left, and carrying their long tails high in the air.”

The capture and breaking in of Wild Horses in America are described by Miers as follows:—

“The lasso is a missile weapon, used by every native of the United Provinces and Chili. It is a very strong plaited thong of equal thickness, half an inch in diameter, and forty feet long, made of many strips of green hide, plaited like a whip-thong, and rendered supple by grease. It has at one end an iron ring, above an inch and a half in diameter, through which the thong is passed, and this forms a running noose. The Gaucho, or native peon, is generally mounted on horseback when he uses the lasso. One end of the thong is affixed to his saddle-girth; the remainder he coils carefully in his left hand, leaving about twelve feet belonging to the noose end in a coil, and a half of which he holds in his right hand. He then swings this long noose horizontally round his head, the weight of the iron ring at the end of the noose assisting in giving to it, by a continued circular motion, a sufficient force to project it the whole length of the line.” The Gauchos drive the Wild Horses into a corral, which is a circular space surrounded by rough posts firmly driven into the ground. The corral, relates Miers,“was quite full of Horses, most of which were young ones about two or three years old. TheCapitan(chief Gaucho), mounted on a strong, steady Horse, rode into the corral, and threw his lasso over the neck of a young Horse and dragged him to the gate. For some time he was very unwilling to lose his comrades; but the moment he was forced out of the corral his first idea was to gallop away; however, a timely jerk of the lasso checked him in the most effectual way. The peons now ran after him on foot and threw a lasso over his fore legs, just above the fetlock, and twitching it, they pulled his legs from under him so suddenly that I really thought the fall he got had killed him. In an instant a Gaucho was seated on his head, and with his long knife, in a few seconds, cut off the whole of the Horse’s mane, while another cut the hair from the end of his tail: this, they told me, was a mark that the Horse had been once mounted. They then put a piece of hide in his mouth to serve for a bit, and a strong hide halter on his head. The Gaucho who was to mount arranged his spurs, which were unusually long and sharp, and while two men held the Horse by his ears, he put on the saddle, which he girthed extremely tight. He then caught hold of the Horse’s ear, and in an instant vaulted into the saddle; upon which the man who held the Horse by the halter threw the end to the rider, and from that moment no one seemed to take any further notice of him. The Horse instantly began to jump in a manner which made it very difficult for the rider to keep his seat, and quite different from the kick or plunge of an English Horse; however, the Gaucho’s spurs soon set him going, and off he galloped, doing everything in his power to throw his rider. Another Horse was immediately brought from the corral; and so quick was the operation that twelve Gauchos were mounted in a space which, I think, hardly exceeded an hour. It was wonderful to see the different manner in which different Horses behaved. Some would actually scream while the Gauchos were girding the saddle upon their backs; some would instantly lie down and roll upon it; while some would stand without being held, their legs stiff and in unnatural positions, their necks half bent towards their tails, and looking vicious and obstinate; and I could not help thinking that I would not have mounted one of those for any reward that could be offered me, for they were invariably the most difficult to subdue. It was now curious to look around and see the Gauchos on the horizon in different directions, trying to bring their Horses back to the corral, which is the most difficult part of their work, for the poor creatures had been so scared there that they were unwilling to return to the place. It was amusing to see the antics of the Horses; they were jumping and dancing in different ways, while the right arm of the Gauchos was seen flogging them. At last they brought the Horses back, apparently subdued and broken in. The saddles and bridles were taken off, and the young Horses trotted off towards the corral, neighing to one another. When the Gaucho wishes to take a Wild Horse, he mounts one that has been used to the sport and gallops over the plain. As soon as he comes near his victim, the lasso is thrown round the two hind legs, and as the Gaucho rides a little on one side, the jerk pulls the entangled Horse’s feet laterally, so as to throw him on his side without endangering his knees or his face. Before the Horse can recover the shock, the rider dismounts, and snatching hisponcho, or cloak, from his shoulders, wraps it round the prostrate animal’s head. He then forces into his mouth one of the powerful bridles of the country, straps a saddle on his back, and bestriding him, removes the poncho; upon which the astonished Horse springs on his legs, and endeavours by a thousand vain efforts to disencumber himself of his new master, who sits quite composedly on his back, and, by a discipline which never fails, reduces the Horse to such complete obedience that he is soon trained to lend his whole speed and strength to the capture of his companions.”

WILDHORSES INAUSTRALIA.—In Australia, as well as in America, the Horses imported by the colonists have escaped into the wilds, and reverted to their feral condition. They are known as “Brumbies,” and are a serious inconvenience to the stock farmer, because they entice away his Horses and spoil his carefully selected breeds. The animal develops wonderful sagacity in avoiding the sportsman, and his keenness of scent and vigilance are certainly as great as in any other animal which seeks in flight safety from man. These Brumbies were described by Anthony Trollope, himself an ardent Fox-hunter, as being perfect marvels of ugliness. These animals are found in enormous numbers in some districts. In 1875, for example, no less than seven thousand are stated to have been shot in one station in New South Wales, still leaving plenty behind to perpetuate the race.

THEASS.—Four species of Asses and three of Zebras are described by naturalists, but our domestic animal is probably descended from one alone; theAsinus teniopusof Abyssinia. In GreatBritain, and generally in Central Europe, the Ass has not given rise to distinct breeds like those of the Horse, a fact which may be accounted for, as Mr. Darwin remarks, by the animal being kept by poor persons who do not carefully match and select the young. Its small size in England and Northern Europe is probably due far more to want of care in breeding than to cold, for in Western India it is not much larger than a Newfoundland Dog, being usually not more than from twenty to thirty inches high.

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