ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



THE HORSE AND HIS ORIGIN. 



By W. L. MBRTZ, New Columbia, Pa. 



Ancient history is not old enough to give an account of the time 

 when the horse was first made the servant of man. In the most 

 ancient writing the horse is never mentioned in a wild state, but 

 always in connection with man, his master. His native land is gen- 

 erally conceded to be among the hill and plain regions of tropical 

 Asia. In sacred writings the horse is first mentioned in the time 

 of Joseph in Egypt. During the time of Moses, horses were used 

 in the wars. This animal has always been of the greater import- 

 ance to man. Between ancient and modern times the Arabs be- 

 stowed the greatest care in regard to his breeding, and gave him 

 very kind and intelligent care. They treated their horses as com- 

 panions and held them in their highest esteem. The Arabs fur- 

 nished the foundation blood for our English and American thorough- 

 bred. The Arabs first established pedigrees and they guarded the 

 purity of the animals as almost sacred. Breeders of to-day are fol- 

 lowing their example in regard to purity of blood, and we trust 

 also in kind treatment. The brutal trainer is a relic of the past, and 

 kindness is becoming more and more a necessary attribute of the 

 successful horseman. 



The first breed of most importance to be considered is the Ham- 

 bletonian. The decendants of this horse have raised the trotting 

 horse to his highest perfection. The original source of this valuable 

 breed of horses, we might say was imported Messenger, whose orig- 

 inal breeding combines to Darley and Goldolphin Arabian. This 

 horse was imported from England in 1788. The breeding of the 

 trotting horses has become a great and rapidly growing branch of 

 home development. Trotters are now separated into many families, 

 but while they are different in appearance and names, yet their 

 pedigrees are so thoroughly interwoven that they are all closely or 

 remotely related. The English thoroughbreds are horses of long 

 and proud lineage. These horses have long been famous for their 

 great speed and endurance. The South has a passion for sports of 

 the field, and it is in this locality where the American thoroughbred 

 has been developed to his present perfect condition, and he stands 

 to-day unsurpassed by any family of horses in the world. 



The French coach horses possess a combination of Arab, French 

 and English thoroughbred blood. They have been carefully devel 

 oped under the direction of the French government, and they unite 

 valuable qualities of several breeds, making a family of large size. 

 great endurance and speed. They are now being extensively bred in 

 this country, and possess extraordinary style, combined with many 

 invaluable qualities, as would be expected from horses descended 

 from such a noble ancestry. 



