28 PAINTED HORSES 



of rest. Close herding by the stalhons, a single 

 line formation with vedettes and flankers, 

 signals by cries and stamping, and, above all 

 things, speed, were needed to save the 

 horse under the new conditions. The arched 

 markings on the face of the striped horse 

 changed to a star, the leg bands to stockings : 

 white marks to identify members of the herd 

 on the darkest nights. Such markings are very 

 common among horses of desert descent. 



As the deadly actinic rays of light poured 

 into the body between its bars of painting, the 

 natural dye secreted in the skin began to fill 

 the bright streaks with strong colour. So the 

 striped Dun became the desert Bay, with black 

 points and white markings, gifted with the 

 intelligence needed in family and tribal hfe, 

 but above all things endowed with a speed 

 which was the despair of lions and is the glory 

 of all honest horsemen. So entirely was the 

 danger from lions overcome that the Bay 

 horse has forgotten the art of bucking, which 

 once w^as needed in fighting beasts of prey. 

 Speed has given the steel-hard hoofs, the steel- 

 strong limbs, deUcate modelhng to cut the 

 resistance of the air, the tail set and carried 

 high for the finest steering, and almost every 

 other trait of our Barbs and Arabs. So 



