BRITISH TURF. 43 



CHAPTER III. 



On the Arabian and other Eastern horses. 



The history of the British horse may be di- 

 vided into three distinct epochs, the first and 

 second of which we have treated of in the preced- 

 ing chapter. 



The first epoch consists in the ages of chivalry, 

 when a strong, heavy horse, partaking largely 

 both in shape and qualities, of the Flemish and 

 cart horse breed, was required by the knights in 

 their numerous w^ars, who not only carried 

 heavy armour themselves, but loaded their 

 chargers with it also. We remember to have 

 seen this description of horse admirably illus- 

 trated in a very old Dutch painting, of the 

 drowning of the Egyptian host in the Red Sea. 

 The woodcut given below is taken from this 

 painting, from which it would appear that Myn- 

 heer the artist evidently made the cart-horse- 



