462 EGYPTIAN AND ARABIAN HORSES. 



lions tliiit have to stniiiiilc against the iiiiiorance, prejudices, and 

 laziness of the Turks or Jiative E<);yplians. The stud of Ibrahim 

 Pasha contained nearly ^00 Nedjdian and Aneza horses; those of the 

 Pashas Abbas and Kourchid were equally well filled with stallions 

 and mares from Arabia and Hauran. Such a provisiori should cer- 

 tainly have assured Egypt a remarkable race; but so little was the 

 method and care displaj^ed in their administration and so great is the 

 Ignorance of the Egyj^tians and Turks of everything which pertains 

 to the breeding and raising of horses that these establishments failed 

 utterly to accomplish anything worthy of note. 



As a result the breed of Egyptian horses, which in the juast was 

 famed for its virtues, is to-day nothing more than a mixture of all the 

 races brought into that country since the Arabian conquest. These 

 foreign elements have modified the shape and size of the Egyptian 

 type to such an extent that the horse as we find him in no wise resem- 

 bles his ancestors depicted on the bas-reliefs of ancient Egypt. How- 

 ever, it is a i)erfectly safe conclusion that none can compare with the 

 thoroughbred Arabian — the only direct descendant of the pure- 

 blooded horse. 



II. — The Arabian Horse and His Principal Marks.« 



The scarcity of the pure-blooded Aral)ian horse in our studs is a 

 fact to be deplored, especially as this race must always be depended 

 upon to ameliorate the breed of our horses. But their scarcity, as 

 well as their value, will lend additional interest to a few details con- 

 cerning the origin and the introduction into France of this valuable 

 " regenerator.'' 



The Arabian horse is ])ar excellence the king of horses.'' In every 

 case where the blood is pure it })resents the most perfect tyi)e, and in 

 every case of mixture its oil'spring show some remarka])le qualities. 

 Almost alone it seems to have the faculty of improving the various 

 breeds with which it is crossed and of i)erpetuating through succes- 

 sive generations its characteristic traits. As everyone knows, Ara- 

 bian horses are wonderfully intelligent. Story after story is told 

 of their extraordinary affection and sagacity. Moreover, they pos- 

 sess other admirable qualities. More than any other horse an Arabian 

 can stand hunger, thirst, extreme fatigue, and bad weather. Conse- 

 quently he makes an ideal war horse. 



The Arabian horse was acclimated in France about the time of the 

 first Crusades and is the foinidation of our beautiful and powerful 



a Connnunicatecl by E. Prisse d'Avennes, 1905. Based upon an artkic origi- 

 nally puhlislu'd in " Science Franc;aise." 



6 Only the Persian horse can eoniitare in hoanty and mettle with the Arabian 

 horse, for tiie Persians are as vigilant in guarding the purity of their breed as 

 the Arabians. 



