EGYPTIAN AND ARABIAN HORSES. 463 



i-;ic('s (»!' Liiiioiisiii. rn'itdiiiy. Ardcmu's. Aincrii'iu', and others almost 

 as AvcU known. 



'Vhv Ixonians Aalucd most lii<i-ldy as a war mount the Numidian 

 liorso." Thev used them with lircat success in their expeditions 

 against tlie (lermans, tlie (iauls, and the Scythians. Durin<j^ tlie Cru- 

 sades the 1^'rankisli j)eo])h's hr()U<iht home numbers of oriental horses, 

 which they soon came to value hiiihly for breeding no less than for 

 war. 



All the famous horses of history — that of Kichard C^oMir de Lion 

 at Medina, of Philip Augustus at Bouvines, of William the Con- 

 (jueror at Hastings, of Saint Louis at JNIassoure, of Francis the First 

 at Pavia, of Henry the Second at the tournament in which he was 

 killed, of Henry the Fourth at An^ues de Ivry, of Louis XIV in his 

 wars and fetes, and, finally, of Najioleon at Marengo and Austerlitz — 

 all these horses were ''Arabians" or '' Barbs." 



The Arabian horse is easily recognized by a- peculiar ])hysiognomy. 

 He has always a remarkal)le expression which is not found in any 

 other race and which seems to signalize him as the type of the spe- 

 cies. His head is square and shari)ly chiseled ; in front it is large and 

 sometimes bulgy; the back of the skull is also well developed. The 

 eyes are large, prominent, and ordinarily very beautiful, with the 

 characteristic black lashes. The ears are small, well placed, and 

 mobile. The lower jaw^ is a little strong; the forehead is hollow 

 rather than prominent; the muzzle is sharp; the nostrils large and 

 susceptible of great dilation when the horse is excited. The mouth 

 is of medium size, with a small lower lip. A well-attached head and 

 easy curve of neck and shoulder give an elegance to the animal. The 

 neck is long enough to bend gracefully, and, when the horse runs, 

 is thrown l)ack to form what is termed the " stag neck." This con- 

 formation, looked ui)on somewhat as a fault, is natural to all animals 

 who run long distances. 



The withers of the Arabian are well iilled out without being con- 

 spicuous; the back narrow, the sides i-ounded, the loins double and 

 full, the hind (luai'ters long and rounded. A well-placed tail is car- 

 ried with vigor and grace. This horse, like all energetic creatures, is 

 not above medium size. Its articulations are large and strong, its 

 vigorous muscles show }>lainly beneath the skin. The rum}), the 

 withers, the hind quarters, are above all remarkable for their strength. 

 The solid hocks are close together, a conformaticm peculiar to swift- 

 running animals, like the stag and the gazelle. 



The shoulder and foreleg are free and muscular. The delicate legs 

 are clean cut, with detached tendons; the shank of the front leg is 

 usually short and the saphenous veins inconspicuous. The feet are 



"They must have existed long before the Romans were aware of their vahie, 

 since Strabo phieecl at 100,000 the number of oolts born each year in Numidla. 



