52 THE HORSE. 
and I have sat behind several teams of mares drawing a heavy diligence 
more than ten miles within the hour. We now possess a class of animals 
in our heavy omnibuses, a pair of which will draw the enormous weight 
of four tons at the rate of six or eight miles per hour ; but they do not run 
more than six miles in one stage, nor, as far as I am aware, does any 
omnibus travel nearly as fast as the crack Belgian diligences which were 
running between 1830 and 1840. Indeed, I hardly think any horses 
could have been found in this country at a price suited to coaching work, 
which would have done the work of these Flemish mares. Almost all 
were bay with black points, and their legs were nearly as clean and free 
from hair as those of our thoroughbreds.’ They were extraordinarily good- 
tempered, and suffered their attendants to “put them to ” altogether, being 
all attached to a splinter-bar, which was turned over the quarters of the 
wheelers. In this way the change was effected even in less time than by 
our crack coaches, when one «nd a half minute was considered the out- 
side time to be allowed. All that was necessary was to pull up nearly 
close behind the four horses standing ready for the change, then unhooking 
the bar of those just come in it was turned over their quarters, and they 
were taken forwards till they cleared the pole, when they were in a body 
turned on one side. The four fresh horses were then quickly backed to 
their places, a wheeler passing on each side the pole, the bar was dropped 
to its place and hooked, the reins in the meantime being taken out of 
the territs by the coachman, and the change was effected in less than a 
minute. 
THE HANOVERIAN HORSES. 
EVERY ONE WHO HAS SEEN Her Majesty’s black carriage-horses must 
be familiar with this breed. Some are also brought over to this country 
for the use of the undertaker, but they are more costly than the Flemish 
and Holstein horses, and are only used by the most fashionable houses in 
that trade. They are remarkable for the length and beauty of their manes 
and tails, and for their brilliant black colour. This is specially developed 
in the entire horses, which are therefore used for purposes of show. They 
have neat heads and well arched necks, but have very light middle pieces 
badly ribbed up. Their shoulders are somewhat upright, and their arms 
and thighs are lighter than in any other European breed of the same size 
and beauty. The action of these horses both on the walk and trot is high 
and proud, yet tolerably fast, and I believe in their native country they 
make useful troopers and light harness horses. Here the hard macadamized 
roads forbid their being employed for any purposes but those to which I 
have alluded. 
THE RUSSIAN HORSE. 
THE NATIVE RussIAN HORSE is a small, active, and hardy animal, 
zapable of undergoing great fatigues and privations, but not possessed of 
much speed in any of its paces. Of late years great progress has been 
made in improving them by crossing the blood with that of English and 
Arab thoroughbreds, and also by mixing with these the best Flemish and 
French light harness horses. Throughout the vast grassy plains of the 
interior of Russia there are the finest opportunities afforded for the 
breeding of horses, and I believe that prior to the late Russian war these had 
been taken advantage of to produce a cavalry horse equal in size to any in 
Europe but that of our own Life Guards. Butthe loss of these animals was 
sv great in the march to Sebastopol that a considerable change for the worse 
