CONTENTS. 



Page 

 Introduction, 1 



chapter i. 

 GENERAL HISTORY OF THE HORSE, 2 



Earliest records of him : appears to have heen first domesticated in Egypt, and 

 thence propagated to other countries : the horse not cultivated in Arabia until the 

 seventh century. 



CHAPTER n. 

 DIFFERENT FOREIGN BREEDS OF HORSES 5 



The wild horses of South America, method of catching and breaking them by the 

 Gauchos: the wild horses of Tartary: the Barb: the Dongola: the Arabian, his 

 varieties, beautiful form, fleetness, docility, affection of the Arab towards him, 

 anecdotes of: the East Indian, his varieties: the Chinese: Persian, beauty and 

 value of: the Toorkoman : Tartar and Calmuc: Turkish: German: Swedish, Fin- 

 land, and Norwegian: Iceland: Flemish and Dutch: French: Spanish: Italian: 

 American. 



CHAPTER HI. 



HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH HORSE, 22 



Horse of the early Britons : crossed by the Romans : improved by Athelstan and 

 Howell the Good: not used for the plough until the tenth century: improved by 

 William I. and Henry II. : neglected by the Crusaders: materially improved by John, 

 who imported many Flanders horses: by Edward II., who purchased thirty Lom- 

 bardy horses: by Edward III., who introduced the Spanish horse, and had several 

 running horses: more rapidly improved, however, when cumbrous armour was laid 

 aside : the improvements arrested by the tyrannical and illiberal policy of Henry 

 VIII., and under Elizabeth horses were diminished in number and in value: under 

 James I. the progre.ss of improvement was hastened: Turkish and Barbary horses 

 were introduced, and the finst Arabian horse: races were now established: Charles I. 

 was fond of horses: even Cromwell encouraged the improvement of the breed: at 

 the restoration a new impulse was given under Anne, Arabians were again intro 

 duced : and about the middle of the eighteenth century the English horse had arrived 

 at its highest state of perfection. 



CHAPTER IV. 



DIFFERENT BREEDS OF ENGLISH HORSES 29 



The roadster or hackney: description of him: the horse of all work, the farmer's 

 horse: the coach-horse, derived from the Cleveland bays: principle of draught: 

 power of the horse: the pace killing: the heavy draught-horse: the old SufTolk: 

 the Clydesdale: the heavy black horse, too heavy: the draj'-hor.se : the cavalry- 

 horse: the race-horse, question of his real origin, actually superior to the Arabian. 

 the Darley, Flying Childers, Eclipse, the Godolphin Arabian, the emulation of the 

 race-horse, consequence of short races : the hunter, description of his proper breed 

 and form, anecdotes of his love of the sport, usage of him, management of, when 

 distressed, summering of: the Galloway: the Welsh pony; the New-Forester: the 

 Exmoor pony : ;he Dartmoor : the Highland : the Shetland : the Irish horae 



