306 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



a little breeding, enabling any thing on four 

 legs to canter from day-light to noon, along- 

 side the long-eared, short-legged harrier, or 

 beagle of that day. 



Iii the rei2:as of Henry the Seventh and 

 Eiffhth, and on the cession of the long^ con- 

 tinned contest between the two Roses, govern- 

 ment shewed a particular anxiety to promote 

 and extend the breeding of Horses ; but by 

 arbitrary regulations and restrictions, not well 

 calculated to answer the ends proposed. The 

 ancient prohibition to export Horses, particu- 

 larly stallions, it is said, remains yet upon our 

 statute book, although from its antiquity and 

 impolicy, it has long since remained a dead 

 letter. 



In the reigns of Elizabeth and James, a 

 considerable number of writers appeared on 

 the subject of the Horse, and of Farriery. 

 Blunderville, the earliest now known, and one 

 of the ablest of them, describes the generality 

 of Horses in the reign of Elizabeth, as either 

 weak or sturdy jades, adapted only to draw ; 

 with, however, some indeed very creditable 

 exceptions. As an example he states the feet 

 of a Horse having travelled for a wager eio-hty 

 miles within the day. The great breeders of 

 the country (he says) had been accustomed to 

 import the following races for the stud, " The 

 Turk, the Barbarian, the Sardinian, the Nea- 

 politan, the Jennet of Spain, the Hungarian, 

 the high Almaine (German), the Friezland, 

 the Flanders, and the Irish Hobby." Never- 

 theless, in those days Horses could not have 

 been very numerous in England, since the 

 Queen experienced the utmost difficulty in 

 mounting two or three thousand cavalry. 



Throughout these early periods, as in 

 modern times, riding on horseback, and try- 

 ing the speed of their Horses, was peculiarly 



an English diversion. The rountry sports of 

 hunting and hawking are of very ancient date; 

 and our old chronicles furnish us with ac- 

 counts of the constant diversions in Smooth- 

 field (Smithfield), then an extensive plain, 

 where the citizens of London matched and 

 raced their Horses ; the superior orders join- 

 ing with tlie citizen in these sporting and 

 amusing competitions. 



The peculiar English system of breeding 

 the Horse, essentially and usefully different 

 from any other country in Europe, had an early 

 commencement ; but as might well be ex- 

 pected was confined to the superior, chiefly to 

 the sporting classes. This system has been 

 gradually and progressively improved to the 

 present time ; during which v/e have produced 

 specimens in every variety of the animal, bor- 

 dering on attainable perfection ; such, however, 

 it must be acknowledged, have be«n, even in 

 our latest and most vaunted periods rar^ 

 aves sufficiently scarce ; and our numbers of 

 scientific and judicious breeders have at no 

 period formed the majority. The average, 

 however, of English Horses, has possessed a 

 fair proportion of the English principle. Hence 

 their continued demand for foreign studs. 



This national principle of Horse-breeding 

 consists in matching the Horse and mare in 

 respect to size, substance, blood, and a certain 

 conventional symmetry, so as to obtain a form 

 in the foal, in which may subsist a union of 

 strength and ability for labour, with the powers 

 of activity and speedy progression. We pro- 

 ceed on the principle that generally, and 

 subject to the natural and unavoidable di- 

 lemma of exception, " like produces like." So 

 said, and so found that renowned cattle- 

 breeder, Bakewell. 



As we imported foreign Horses, invariably 



