vi PREFACE 



My man, a Kalmuck Tartar, and a blackguard personified 

 but faithful to me, went and got drunk promptly. In the 

 night I went out into the yard — there were then about 

 50 degrees Fahrenheit of frost — and there stood my three 

 ponies, one icicle from the tips of their ears to their heel 

 sockets, comfortably eating rough hay from a crib of 

 sorts." 



Stories of hardiness that may even vie with the above 

 have been often told from time to time of Indian ponies, 

 Argentine, Norwegian, Basuto, and those of many other 

 countries, showing the innate toughness of various national 

 breeds, and that England has no monopoly of hard-working 

 ponies. They take no part, however, in the composition 

 of British horses or their descendants, and reference to 

 them is unnecessary for the present purpose. 



My best thanks are gratefully offered to the kind friends 

 who have given me much valuable assistance in compiling 

 this work, and bringing it to a successful conclusion : to Mr. 

 James E. Piatt, the former eminent breeder of thorough- 

 bred yearlings, and owner of the great Kendal in his days 

 at the English Stud, who has given me most welcome 

 help in preparing the chapters on Thoroughbreds, and on 

 American Trotters; to Mr. Walter Winans, famous in 

 many different spheres, but especially in the art of breeding 

 and successfully showing horses, who has kindly revised 

 the mention of American Trotters ; to Lady Anne Blunt, 

 who has unstintedly given me the great advantage of her 

 unique knowledge of the Arabian horse, in preparing the 

 description of her favourite breed ; to Miss Daphne Darley 

 for obtaining the most valuable letter concerning the 

 purchase of the Darley Arabian ; to Mr. Alfred Withers, 

 the world-famous manager of the great establishments 

 in Oxford Street and Edgware Road, for his hints with 

 regard to carriage-horses ; to Kaid Sir Harry Maclean, 

 whose prolonged period of captivity by Raisuli thrilled 

 the whole of Europe, and whose long service in the 

 Councils of the late Sultan of Morocco, dating from 1876 

 till 1908, was the theme of wonder and admiration in all 

 the Foreign Offices of Europe, who has now kindly 



