436 THE HORSE ARABS 



short, the loins powerful and well coupled, the croup high, 

 the haunch very fine, the tail set on high, and the dock short. 

 The quarters are long and deep ; the gaskins full and 

 muscular without being heavy or unshapely ; the thighs 

 well let down ; the hocks clean, large, well formed and well 

 placed. The shoulders are long, powerful, and well 

 developed, but light at the points. The arms are long, 

 lean, and muscular, and deep at the well-developed elbow. 

 The knees are large, square, and deep, and the pisiform bones 

 behind very prominent. The legs are short, deep, and have 

 fair-sized bone, with the tendons and ligaments large and well 

 strung. The fetlock joints are large and bold ; the pasterns 

 long, large, sloping, very elastic and strong. The feet are wide, 

 and open at the heels, rather deep, and slightly elongated. 



The hardiness of a high-bred Arab is well illustrated by 

 the following brief history of " Mahmud," whose photos in 

 summer and winter coat formed the originals of Plate CVI., 

 taken when he was eleven and twelve years old respectively. 

 He was bought in Cairo by Lord Tullibardine for 18, 

 when " rising four," out of a drove of young horses from 

 Damascus, and taken to a racing stable to be trained ; 

 " but whenever he found himself collared, he used to turn 

 and savage the horse that was bothering him, so was of 

 no use for racing." He carried Lord Tullibardine through 

 the Egyptian campaign, and was present at Atbara and 

 at Omdurman, where he was wounded. He was then 

 brought to this country, but being too hot for polo, was 

 regularly ridden by his owner as a hack. He went through 

 the whole of the South African campaign without being 

 sick or sorry, except for a slight sprain of a fetlock, which 

 occurred on stony ground, near the end of the war. His 

 lordship never spared him, but used him for all the long 

 treks and hard work he had to do. While two Blues' 

 chargers died, he survived the deadly time of horse- 

 sickness experienced after the relief of Ladysmith; but 

 for this he is probably indebted to the personal care of 

 his master, who saw that a few drops of eucalyptus oil 

 were regularly put in his nose-bag before it was placed in 

 position for the night, and that all ticks were removed 

 as soon as they showed" up, and the place of attachment 

 to the skin sterilised. He was returned to this country 



