282 HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM. 



Although the horses produced by the Cape Colony 

 are the best in South Africa, they have been much 

 over-rated. It is true that a lari^e number of them are 

 capable of getting through a good deal of slow, con- 

 tinuous work under the saddle, with poor food and hard- 

 ships as to shelter ; but the vast majority of the colonial 

 horses are in all respects indifferent animals, and devoid 

 of good looks. In one point, perhaps, they surpass all 

 other equine races in the world — their feet being gene- 

 rally excellent, and the hoofs so firm and hard as rarely 

 to require shoeing, even on very long journeys. Many 

 horses of most unprepossessing exterior are scarcely 

 to be matched for speed and endurance in the field ; 

 but, taken en masse, South African horses are a failure. 

 They are almost invariably poor and timid jumpers, 

 and, when in harness, move but very small weights. 

 A light cart containing two persons is sufficient to tax 

 the powers of a pair of average horses, and even then 

 jibbing is always imminent. At least eighty per cent. 

 of the Cape horses are desperate stumblers, and uneasy 

 in their paces — faults attributable to round, heavy 

 shoulders and defective hind-quarters. Among the 

 good horses the greater proportion are ill-tempered, 

 and delight in buck-jumping, whenever they have the 

 rare chance of being in good condition. 



The terrible distemper known as " horse sickness " 

 periodically causes great destruction in many parts of 

 the colony ; and the fear of it operates as a check 

 on breeders, who would otherwise import better 

 horses to improve their studs. A " salted horse " — one 



