X PREFA CE 



The heavy horse'' is a distinct type, and has been 

 developed from the ancient British war-horse which 

 evoked the admiration of Julius Caesar. This breed 

 of horse was the anxious care of Kings and Parlia- 

 ment from a date prior to the time of King John ; 

 and we find that the weight a riding-horse of this 

 type had to bear, with its mail-clad rider and the 

 plate-armour with which it was protected, might be 

 upwards of 4 cwt., or 32 stone. 



The writings of such authorities as Blundeville 

 (1565), the Duke of Newcastle (1657), and others, 

 give much information on the superior quality of the 

 Arabian horses, and show that these animals were 

 held in the highest esteem for breeding all saddle- 

 horses. 



Richard Berenger, the great authority on horses 

 and horsemanship, in his book published in 1771, 

 says : ' In taking a view of the horses most valued 

 in the different part of the globe, Arabia stands 

 most eminently distinguished for the excellence of 

 its horses ; and that it is from Arabian horses that 

 the noblest breeds of Europe descend.' 



Though the foundations of the English thorough- 

 bred were laid only in the reign of King Charles II. 

 by the importation of large numbers of stallions and 

 mares, sires of Eastern blood had been brought to 

 this country at frequent intervals from an early 



* ' The Great Horse or the War Horse ; from the Time of the 

 Roman Invasion till its Development into the Shire Horse.' By Sir 

 Walter Gilbey, Bart. ; second edition, pubished 1899; Vinton and Co., 

 9, New Bridge Street, London. 



