464 EGYPTIAN AND ARABIAN HORSES. 



oval, with very hard black hoofs, the hind feet being sometimes a 

 little rounded in the back. The mane and tail are not very full. The 

 hide is delicate, the smooth and silky skin giving those splendid lights 

 never found except on oriental horses. 



Nedjed, in the center of Arabia, is the home of the first races of 

 horse. The Arabs generally trace the origin of their breed of horses 

 into the most remote days of paganism. There are two races or gen- 

 eral divisions of Arabian horses; the Atik, that is to say, " pure " or 

 "• pure blood,"' born of Arabian father and mother; the Hedjin and the 

 Moukrif, both mongrel or half-breed, the first having an Arabian 

 father and a foreign mother, the second having an Arabian mother 

 and a father of another race. 



In Persia, in Syria, in Egypt, and the Magreb, although these coun- 

 tries themselves produce excellent horses, the Arabian courser is given 

 the preference over all others, and the oriental warriors take great 

 pride in owning them. 



This much-vaunted animal does not conform with the generally 

 accepted European standards of beauty in horseflesh, and many 

 judges refuse to accord him a degree of perfection beyond reproach. 

 Nevertheless, it is quite true that the Arabian steed surpasses all 

 others in a magnificent combination of speed and strength. 



When the blood is the same, the Arabs prefer very much a mare to 

 a stallion for three reasons: The first consideration is the enormous 

 profit to be derived from the former. Cases are known in which 

 Arabs have made 10,000 or 20,000 douras ($10,000 to $20,000) on 

 the offspring of one mare. There is a saying, " The fountain head of 

 wealth, a mare which foals a mare." In the second place, a mare does 

 not neigh in an ambuscade or night attack, and is less sensible than 

 the stallion to hunger, thirst, and heat. Thirdly, in contrast to the 

 stallion the mare requires but little care ; she does not need much food 

 and her master takes or sends her to pasture with the camels and 

 sheep, without the expense of an attendant sais to prevent her from 

 wandering oif , 



The Arabian horse has acclimated itself in every country where it 

 has been introduced and stands undisputed the finest warhorse in the 

 world. All climates are good to him, every latitude suits him, and he 

 is satisfied with any kind of food. The ordeals which these horses 

 underwent during the campaigns in Crimea and Russia are in them- 

 selves proof of this. 



From the eai'liest times the Arabians have given studious attention 

 to distinctive marks by which they may at first glance recognize the 

 merits or defects of a horse. 



The physical qualities prized mostl}^ in their steeds are: A little 

 head, pointed ears almost touching at their extremities, a large front 

 face, eyes prominent and lively, lower jaw large but light, muzzle 



