THE EXCELLENCE OF THE ARAB HORSE 121 



means of improving the saddle-horse, has been his 

 destruction. This fact is acknowledged and re- 

 gretted by several English writers, who loudly claim 

 Government interference on the subject. 



' 1 6th. The saddle-horse can never be brought to 

 perfection until he be bred pure, as in the East. 



' 17 th. The soundest, stoutest, and purest of 

 horses is the Arab horse. He is a pure saddle- 

 horse, unequalled in his performances and unrivalled 

 in his desirability for this purpose.' 



Mr. Curr asked how lono; would an EnoHsh 

 thoroughbred last in war, stand the bivouac, the 

 wear and tear of cavalry practice before an enemy, 

 with scarce or bad forage, cold, thirst, or hunger ? 

 'A thousand times,' says he, 'rather give me the 

 little Arab.' He wrote that our English cavalry 

 horses were feeble ; they measured high, but they 

 did so from length of limb, which was weakness, 

 not power. xAilso, how true a prophecy ! How 

 terribly he has been justified ! 



If Mr. Curr's words had been laid to heart by 

 breeders in Australia, and his views had sooner had 

 effect in England, certainly 50,000 to 100,000, 

 probably 200,000, fewer horses would have been 

 required in the Transvaal, and the lesser number 

 would have done better work ; certainly 5,000, 

 probably 10,000, fewer of our countrymen would 

 have succumbed to battle and sickness, and 

 ;^5o,ooo,ooo, probably ^100,000,000, less money 

 would have been spent, and the war been over at 



