EGYPTIAN AND ARABIAN HORSES. 461 



useful luxury and trains it with that idea only in mind. The pace 

 and the gallop are the only gaits that the Egyptians ever teach their 

 horses, and they ha ye hardly any tricks of the horse trainer. They are 

 generally broken in on a track or narrow place, Avhere they can run 

 at full gallop so close to a wall that they must turn on their hind 

 legs as a pivot or, what is still more difficult, stop short on their front 

 ones. This practice, however, is not without its injurious effects on 

 the horses. 



The ancient P^gfptians did not shoe their steeds, which traveled 

 everywhere without any detriment to their hoofs. Shoes were not 

 at all necessary in Egypt and were not used except by the Turks, who 

 introduced the custom in the cities and army. Unshod horses are not 

 subject to foot diseases common among others. 



As among the Arabs, signs, supposed to be lucky or otherwise, 

 determine the value of a horse. Little knots formed by the skin at 

 certain points are by far the most sought-for omens; next in impor- 

 tance come the stars on the forehead, then various other marks, and 

 finally the shade of color. The inhabitants of P^gypt, like those of 

 Arabia and Turfcey, esteem highly horses with three white feet. 



All the luxuriousness of the Egyptian cavalier finds outlet in his 

 liorse's trappings, which are of a remarkable richness and beauty and 

 greatly resembling those used in Europe during the middle ages. The 

 saddles, equipped with higli pommels, afford the rider a very secure 

 seat. The saddle bow is well adapted to the configuration of hoth 

 man and beast. In case of a fall the great stirrups aid in assuring 

 safety, and they are of great assistance to a rider when using his 

 weapons. 



In order to correct A'arious bad habits, such as biting, kicking, rear- 

 ing, the Egyptian employs methods nnich more efficacious than the 

 mere nse of the sharp edges of his stirrups. When a horse Wtes they 

 proceed to irritate him and then present him with a bad leg of mutton 

 just from the fire. The pain that the animal experiences when he 

 seizes this seething viand makes him think tAvice before biting again. 

 The method of procedure with a rearing horse is equally simple. A 

 groom or a horse trainer, carrying in each hand a bardaque or heavy 

 water cooler full of cold water, accompanies his master. AMien the 

 horse begins to rear the rider seizes one of the porous jugs and breaks 

 it on the breast of his steed. The shock and the sensation of the cold 

 water soon checks any tendencies of that kind. 



At one time the Pasha Mohammed-Ali sought to impi-ove his race 

 of horses by establishing at Choubra a stock farm containing 450 

 mares from the finest herds of Xedjd and Syria. Under the super- 

 vision of a Frenchman this establishment was just beginning to meet 

 with remarkal)le success when it was turned over to a Turkish di- 

 rector. In* a ver}^ short time, it met the fate of all European institu- 



