scattered fragments and some few specimens which remained that were half in 

 blood of Mr. Richards' Arabians, which are, in a great degree, responsible for the 

 present excellent race of saddle horses to be found in Kentucky, as shown by the 

 Denmark saddle horse stud books. The tail carriage, reliable dispositions, good 

 necks and general excellence, as well as their power to transmit a fixed type, can 

 be traced to no other source. If we were to ask some of the Kentuckians how 

 they produced their saddle horse they would most likely tell us it was their grass, 

 air and water, and then refer us to some tradition concerning their unequaled 

 horse breeding skill and give us about the same stunts in horse breeding philos- 

 ophy that the English are accustomed to indulge in relative to their skill and their 

 environments in the production of their thoroughbred, rather than the more sound 

 and rational cause — the Arabian and Barb blood influence as the only possible 

 cause for their greatness. If such thoeries were reliable, either England or Ken- 

 tucky would be just as well off with an ordinary cart horse with which to create 

 a blood horse. 



"We may with advantage at times forget what we know." 



After A. Keene Richards' most careful review of the blood cause and effects 

 that produced the various fixed breeds of Europe, and after finding that all of 

 England's greatest achievements in horse breeding were traceable to the Arabian 

 and the Barbs, he remarked in his catalogue, published in 1857: 



"With these facts before me, I determined to import the best Arabs that could 

 be found in the East and cross them with our best mares. I made myself acquaint- 

 ed with the modern importations by going to England, France and Spain, and exam- 

 ining the best Arabs belonging to these governments, visiting Morocco, and going 

 through the interior of Algeria. I went to Tunis, thence to Egypt, and from Egypt 

 through Arabian Petra and the desert east of Damascus as far as Palmyra. During 

 this tour I selected Mokhladi, Massoud and a grey mare, the first mentioned bred 

 by the Tarabine tribe in Arabia Petra, and the two latter by the Anayza tribe. 



"They arrived safely, and I immediately made arrangements to select some of 

 our best mares to breed to them. The result was quite equal to my expectations, 

 and I commenced preparing to make another trip to the East, determined to spare 

 no trouble or expense in procuring the best blood, as well as the finest formed 

 horses, in the desert. 



"For two weeks I made this subject my study, consulting the best authors as to 

 where the purest blood was to be found, and comparing their views with my own 

 experiences. I found that most authors who have written on the subject differ ma- 

 terially as to facts; and that those who have seen the Arab on his native soil know 

 more about the idle legends of the country than about the fine points of a horse. 



"Layard surely has claims to be the best authority among English writers. 

 Although prejudiced in favor of the English horse, he says: *I doubt whether any 

 Arab of the best blood has ever been brought to England. The difficulty of obtain- 

 ing them is so great, that they are scarcely ever seen beyond the limits of the desert.' 

 After two years spent in close investigation as to the best means of obtaining the 

 purest blood of the desert, I matured my plans and started again for the East, accom- 

 panied by Mr. E. Troys, the artist, my cousin M. H. Keene, and a Syrian who had 

 been with me since my first journey to the East. This man knew more about the 

 horses of the desert than any one I had met in the East. Soon after our arrival in 

 Syria he died very suddenly, and Mr. Keene had to commence the study of the Arabic 



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