FOREIGN BREEDS 209 



that bays and browns are the colours most in request amongst those who 

 use big horses, and chestnut the least popular of all; and it is mainly 

 to the fact that our foreign rivals can supply the public with what the 

 latter want, that British horse-dealers can find in Germany and elsewhere 

 the class of animal which is so very scarce at home. 



In addition to size and colour the breeders of the Continent have aimed 

 at the production of action and style, and these they certainly have secured; 

 as for his height and weight, the Oldenburgh possesses both these charac- 

 teristics, the latter to a marked degree. Opinions differ as to whether the 

 constitution of this horse is robust or not, his foreign breeders averring 

 that it is; but people who have experience of him in this country are by 

 no means unanimous on the point. Moreover, it may lie repeated that, 

 though there are exceptions, the Oldenburgh, horse for horse, does not 

 possess the endurance of the British breeds from which he is descended; 

 but for park work he is well adapted, and hence his frequent appear- 

 ance in the equipages of the highest in the land. 



The Holstein. — The district in which this horse is produced is easily 

 ascertained from the name borne by the variety, which, beyond a doubt, 

 is a very ancient one. Indeed it is claimed on behalf of the Holstein that 

 several celebrated studs in Germany, Spain, and Italy have descended 

 from representatives of this breed which have been imported into these 

 countries, and it is practically certain that this horse was the tap-root 

 from which the Hanoverian breed originally sprang. 



The origin of this variety, it must be candidly admitted, is obscure, 

 but it appears almost certain that it contains a strong strain of Eastern 

 or thoroughbred blood, as the head is usually particularly neat for a big 

 horse; whilst the middlepiece, quarters, and short legs, to say nothing of 

 the free action which many Holsteins possess, denote the probability 

 of a Hackney cross. It may also be observed that the Holstein Stud 

 Book can claim to be the oldest publication of its kind in Germany, 

 having first appeared in 1886, which fact goes some way towards proving 

 that the merits of the breed are highly appreciated. It must not be 

 understood, of course, that there were not previous registers connected 

 with the Holstein horse, for there were such in existence, and these 

 contained references to the breed which dated back for a century or 

 more. 



As regards his appearance, the Holstein may be referred to as a horse 

 of good height, with bone and very fairly high action, though his dash is 

 inferior to that of the Hackney. He is rather breedy-looking for his 

 height, which fact renders him a desirable animal in the eyes of those 

 who admire a powerful weight-carrying saddle-horse of the Continental 



