Classes and Breeds of British Horses. 187 



which has exercised an important influence on the characters 

 of the Horses of the country. This was the Horse-race, 

 which laid the foundation of a system by which a breed of 

 horses was formed solely for running. The system was per- 

 fected in the reign of Charles II., and from this period a 

 vast care has been bestowed in breeding a race of horses 

 exclusively devoted to the Course. This has been effected 

 by mixing the blood of the horses of the warmer countries 

 with that of the horses of England, and breeding from the 

 best of the mixed progeny. The horses imported were 

 chiefly from Africa^ from Asiatic Turkey, and ultimately 

 from Arabia. The Barbs came generally from Morocco and 

 Fez, and the Turks from Smyrna and other ports of the 

 Levant ; the Arabs generally from the deserts adjoining 

 Syria. From the reign of King James to that of Queen 

 Anne, in the beginning of last century, the imported horses 

 were Barbs and Turks, but chiefly Barbs, which had there- 

 fore the greatest share in forming the original characters of 

 the English Race-horse. The pure Arabs were chiefly in- 

 troduced in the early part of the last century. They con- 

 tinue to be imported up to the present day, but in diminished 

 numbers, and with little eff'ect on the existing race, whose 

 <;haracters have been long formed. 



When the system of the turf was perfected, those horses 

 only were able to contend in the race which possessed in the 

 requisite degree the property of speed ; and as this property 

 is derived from animals possessed of the same virtue, the 

 horses used for the turf came to be distinguished by their 

 pedigree ; and all may be traced by the parents to horses of 

 the South and East, which had been mingled in blood with 

 the pre-existing race. The pedigrees of horses which claim 

 the privilege of running, or rather which ppssess the proper- 

 ties of speed in a sufficient degree to enable them to run, 

 have been preserved with jealous care, so that there has 

 been formed a privileged class which may be termed horses 

 of noble blood, as amongst the Circassians and Arabs. The 

 horses of this caste or family being made to breed with one 

 another, its characters became permanent, and a distinct 

 breed, in the proper sense of the word, was produced. The 



