PART III. 



THE HORSE. 



THE history of the horse is an interesting one, and is closely connected with that of 

 mankind, he having been in all ages of the world s record, man s willing and faithful 

 servant, ready at all times to do his bidding sharing his toils, hardships, and dan 

 gers. Whether on the field of battle, or aiding in the peaceful pursuits of life, he is ever 

 faithful and true to his master. 



He is also one of the most intelligent of the brute creation, second to none in this respect, 

 unless it be the dog, while he is unexcelled by any of the other quadrupeds, wild or tame, 

 in the beauty and elegance of form, and gracefulness of motion. Among the domestic ani 

 mals, the horse has been the one upon which the most time, attention, and affection have been 

 bestowed by not only the most enlightened, but barbarous races also, and it is quite safe to 

 assert that more money and intelligent effort have been expended in attempting to improve 

 and perpetuate the distinguishing traits of the best breeds of this animal, than upon all the 

 other domestic animals combined. 



The affection which the wild Arab entertains for his horse, is an interesting feature of 

 that barbarous race, and serves to counteract, in a measure, the undesirable characteristics, 

 or, rather, causes us to regard them with more leniency. A human heart with a love for 

 something, cannot be wholly depraved. 



The horse, ass, zebra, quagga, and a few other similar animals, belong to the genus 

 Equus. This term denotes a small group of quadrupeds of the Mammalia class, which have 

 a single hoof, as the horse, ass, etc. The different species of the genus Equus may produce 

 hybrids, but these hybrids are generally sterile, as in case of the mule, which is the product 

 of the male ass and mare, or the hinny, the product of the stallion and female ass. 



Horses exist in a wild state in various portions of the globe, but they are easily domesti 

 cated, even the progeny of those that have run wild for centuries. The period of their first 

 domestication is unknown. Horsemen and chariots are mentioned in Genesis, in connection 

 with the history of Joseph, in transferring his father s remains from Egypt to Canaan. The 

 horse was also in common use among the Egyptians in the time of Moses. 



At the time of the exodus of the Israelites, Pharoah had numerous war chariots drawn 

 by horses. It is also stated that Solomon received many horses from Egypt. 



The horse has been domesticated for so many ages, that his original habitat is unknown, 

 or the manner in which he was first trained; in fact, though frequently mentioned in history, 

 but little was known respecting him until about four hundred years before Christ. Xeno- 

 phon was the first writer who left us any statement with respect to the opinion of that age 

 as to what were the best points of a horse, or who described in detail the proper method of 

 training him, which method strange as it may seem might, in the main, be regarded as a 

 standard authority at the present time. 



From what we are able to learn, the horse was but little used by the ancients, except in 

 war and the chase, and for these purposes the wild horses of the East were well adapted. It 



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