The Horse, as Comrade and Friend 



In a stable, or in another field, everything would be un 

 familiar to the foal, distracting his attention from you, and it 

 is an object that it should be concentrated upon you. No 

 stranger should accompany you. You must be quite alone. 



In one case, the writer did not arrive in time for the birth, 

 and the foal was already upon its legs. The foal trotted up 

 to him at once with the same extraordinary manifestations 

 of pleasure and affection. 



August 18th, 1917. Since the above footnote was written 

 two more foals have been born at Goldings this year, in which 

 instant recognition of the writer, as the result of prenatal 

 acquaintance, was conspicuously demonstrated. The first 

 was a colt foal (now named " Rohan's Last Gift," as he was 

 the last foal got by the old horse before his death by my 

 hand on the 5th August, 1917, as a happy release from great 

 suffering) by my Arab Stallion Rohan, ex Cubawinna, dam 

 Windermere, who had arrived in the early morning of the 

 5th June, about half an hour before I came upon the scene 

 and was still in the climbing-on-to-his-legs stage. He mani- 

 festly recognised me with pleasure and made for me each time 

 he got up. He kept whinnying lo me to come to him, and 

 when I did so, rubbed his head and neck against me from 

 sheer delight. His keen affection for me is described by my 

 friends as truly remarkable. 



The second was a fiUy foal, " Exmarsa," by the thorough- 

 bred horse Explorer ex my mare Marsanda (by Marzouk ex 

 Sanderling), born on Sunday, the 22nd July. Although over- 

 due the filly's arrival was quite unex]>ected, as the mare had 

 not begun to make up. A friend, Mr. William J. Cambridge, of 

 Hazlewood, Loughton, had called to see the amusing ways 

 with me of " Rohan's Last Gift," and I took him into the 

 home-field to find the little colt. It was seen that all the 

 mares had gone into the sheds to get away from the heat 

 and flies, and as I entered the gate-way into the shed en- 

 closure, I found a wee chestnut foal just born, which Marsanda 

 was licking, with all the other ponies standing round in a 

 semi-circle as most interested observers. It was lying in 

 a very awkward place, most uncomfortably. The moment 

 it saw me it stretched out its little head and neighed to me. 

 It tried to get up to come to me. I petted it and made it 

 happy, and then determined to get it out on to the grass 



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