EGYPTIAN AND ARABIAN HORSES. 461 



iisi'fiil luxury ;ni(l (raius it with tliiit idea only in niiiid. I'lic pace 

 and the ii'allo]) arc llic oidy ii^aits that the Ejijyptians ever teach their 

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

 pMierally broken in on a track or narrow place, where tliej can run 

 at full i>allop so close to a wall that they nnist turn on their hind 

 le<i:s as a pivot or, what is still more difficult, stop short on their front 

 ones. This practice, however, is not Avithont its injnrious effects on 

 the horses. 



The ancient E^jptians did not shoe their steeds, which traveled 

 everywhere Avithont any detriment to their hoofs. Shoes were not 

 at all necessary in Egypt and were not used excej)t by the Turks, who 

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

 sul)ject to foot diseases common among others. 



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

 <1etermine 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 Egypt, like those of 

 Arabia and Turi\ey, 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 high pommels, afford the rider a very secure 

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

 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 

 Aveapons. 



In order to correct various bad habits, such as biting, kicking, rear- 

 ing, the Egyptian employs methods much more efficacious than the 

 mere use of the sharp edges of his stirrups. ^\'lien a horse bites 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 twice 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 w^ater, 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 Mohanuned-Ali sought to improve his race 

 of horses by establishing at Choubra a stock farm containing 450 

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

 vision of a Frenchman this establishment was just beginning to meet 

 with remarkable success when it was turned over to a Turkish di- 

 rector. In a verv short time it met the fate of all European institu- 



