146 HISTORY OF THE HORSE. 



agement or abuse to which he has been sub- 

 jected, and perpetuated by ignorance and preju- 

 dice. Naturally, the horse is usually gentle and 

 confiding; he is quick to perceive, and possesses 

 an excellent memory, which qualities render 

 him capable of being educated easily, and to 

 an extent far greater than is generally supposed. 

 Added to this, he is capable of deep and lasting 

 attachment. 



What the horse may have been in his natural 

 state is not known, as none at present exist in 

 that condition. The horses which at the present 

 day are found in a wild state in Northern Asia 

 and America, are known to be the descendants 

 of individuals formerly domesticated. On the 

 prairies of the West, the pampas of South 

 America, and the plains of Tartary, they live in 

 troops, roaming at large, without fixed place of 

 abode, seeking the richest pasturages by day, and 

 resting at night in dry and sheltered situations ; 

 these large troops, which have lived independ- 

 ently for many generations, entirely exempt from 

 the influence of man, probably afford a tolerably 



