OF FARRIERY. 



371 



ancient spirit and speed, and all their old 

 paces. The catching of these ponies is as 

 great a trial of skill, as the hunting of the wild 

 horse on the Pampas of South America, and a 

 greater one of patience. 



A great many ponies, of little value, used to 

 be reared in Lincolnshire, in the neighbour- 

 hood of Boston ; but the breed has been neg- 

 lected for some years, and the enclosure of the 

 fens will render it extinct. 



The Exmoor ponies, although generally 

 ugly enough, are hardy and useful. A well- 

 known sportsman says, that he rode one of 

 them half a dozen miles, and never felt such 

 power and action in so small a compass be- 

 fore. To shew his accomplishments, he was 

 turned over a gate at least eight inches higher 

 than his back ; and his owner who rides four- 

 teen stone, travelled on him from Bristol to 

 South Molton, eighty-six miles, beating the 

 coach which runs the same road. 



There is on Dartmoor a race of ponies much 

 in request in that vicinity, being sure-footed, 

 and hardy, and admirably calculated to get 

 over the rough roads and dreary wilds of that 

 mountainous district. The Dartmoor poney is 

 larger than the Exmoor, and, if possible, 

 uglier. He exists there almost in a state of 

 nature. The late Captain Colgrave, of the 

 prison, had a great desire to possess one of 

 them of somewhat superior figure to its fel- 

 lows, and having several men to assist him, 

 they separated it from the herd. They drove 

 it on some rocks by the side of a tor (an 

 abrupt pointed hill) ; a man followed on 

 horseback, while the Captain stood below 

 watchmg the chase. The little animal being 

 driven into a corner, leaped completely over 

 the man and horse, and escaped. 



The Horses which are still used in Devon- 



shire, and particularly in the western and 

 southern districts under the denomination of 

 pack-horses, are a larger variety of the Ex- 

 moor or Dartmoor breed. The saddle-horses 

 of Devonshire are mostly procured from the 

 more eastern counties. 



There are many farms in that beautiful part 

 of the kingdom on which there is not a pair of 

 wheels. Hay, corn, straw, fuel, stones, dung, 

 lime, are carried on horseback ; and in har- 

 vest, sledges drawn by oxen and horses are 

 used. This was probably in early times the 

 mode of conveyance throughout the kingdom, 

 and is continued in these districts, partly from 

 the hilliness of the country, and more from 

 backwardness in all matters of improvement 

 Light articles, as corn, straw, faggots, &c., are 

 carried in crooks, formed of willow poles, of 

 the thickness of scythe-handles, bent as ox- 

 bows, and with one end much longer than the 

 other ; these are joined in pairs by cross-bars, 

 eighteen inches or two feet long, and each 

 Horse has two pair of them, slung together, 

 so that the shorter ends lie against the pack- 

 saddle, and the longer stand four or five feet 

 from each other, and rise fifteen or eighteen 

 inches above the Horse's back. Within 'and 

 between these crooks the load is piled. Dung, 

 sand, &c. are carried in pots, or strong coarse 

 panniers slung together in the same way, and 

 the dung ridged up over the saddle. At the 

 bottom of the pot is a falling door, and at the 

 end of the journey the trap is unlatched, and 

 the load falls out. 



The Highland poney is far inferior to the 

 galloway, and is not pleasant to ride, except 

 in the canter. His habits make him hardy, 

 for he is rarely housed in the summer or the 

 winter. The Rev. Mr. Hall says, that vvhen 

 these animals come to any boggy piece of 



