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forth to the best advantage. In opposition to the usage and prejudice 

 of old times, a strong counter prejudice now generally existed against 

 the mare; and it was held disgraceful for a knight or gentleman to be 

 mounted upon a mare, an idea which it is said the Turks, Spaniards, 

 and some other countries still retain; indeed, which is still universally 

 acted upon, to a certain degree, since chargers are almost invariably 

 Horses or geldings, and the troops of all nations, the French perhaps 

 excepted, are always mounted on such. 



The etymology of the Avord dextarius, applied to the managed Horse, 

 is from dextra, the Latin word for the right hand : in Italian destriere, 

 French destrier. The figure implies that these dextarii have been 

 thoroughly handled, dressed or managed. This seems a more radical 

 interpretation, than to derive the figure from the dextcritij with which 

 the managed Horse Avorks at the command of his rider; or from 

 the Horses being led into the lists, by the right hand of the grooms, 

 since a left-handed people is yet unknown. The Italian maneggiare, 

 or menage in French, and manage in English, is evidently derived from 

 the Latin mantis, a hand. 



These dextarii were of the largest size which could be procured, 

 either on the continent or among the English-bred Horses, consistently 

 indeed with a certain degree of symmetry, which contributed both to 

 action and to elegance of figure, both which considerations were, 

 however, in those times necessarily postponed to the more important 

 ones of ability to stir under the immense dead weight of armour which 

 the Horses had to support. Doubtless it was often necessary for their 

 great Horses to be completely masters of more than thirty stone; they 

 were also required to be tall, probably upwards of sixteen hands in height. 

 The use which can be made of Southern blood in horse-breeding, and 

 the practicability of acquiring, either Avith or without crossing, a union 

 of symmetry and speed, divested of cumbrous and useless weight, is a 

 modern discovery, whence the great Horses of former days must have 

 been slow, unwieldy and shapeless animals. Nothing could be more 

 appropriate than the phrase in common professional use, of learning to 

 ride the great Horse : but modern horsemen will not so readily agree as 

 to the propriety of teaching those huge, elephantic animals to amble, 



a pace 



