THE WILD PONIES OF EX3IOOR. 227 



ago with Arab, Dongola, and thorough-bred stallions, on 

 the indigenous race of Exmoors, since carefully culled 

 from year to year for the purpose of securing the ut- 

 most amount of perfection among the stallions and 

 mares reserved for breeding purposes. The real Exmoor 

 seldom exceeds twelve hands ; has a well-shaped head, 

 with very small ears ; but the thick round shoulder 

 peculiar to all breeds of wild horses, which seem spe- 

 cially adapted for inclemencies of the weather ; indeed, 

 the whole body is round, compact, and well ribbed. The 

 Exmoor has very good quarters and powerful hocks ; 

 legs straight, flat, and clean ; the muscles well developed 

 by early racing up and down steep mountain sides while 

 following their dams. In about forty lots the prevailing 

 colours were bay, brown, and gray ; chestnuts and blacks 

 were less frequent, and not in favour with the country 

 people, many of whom seemed to consider that the in- 

 digenous race had been deteriorated by the sedulous 

 efforts made and making to improve it an opinion 

 which we could not share after examining some of the 

 best specimens, in which a clean blood-like head and 

 increased size seemed to have been given, without any 

 diminution of the enduring qualities of the Exmoor. 



The sale was great fun. Perched on convenient rails, 

 we had the whole scene before us. The auctioneer 

 rather hoarse and quite matter-of-fact ; the ponies wildly 

 rushing about the first enclosure, were with difficulty 

 separated into pairs to be driven in the sale section ; when 

 fairly hemmed in through the open gate, they dashed 

 and made a sort of circus circuit, with mane and tail 

 erect, in a style that would draw great applause at 

 Astley's. Then there was the difficulty of deciding 

 whether the figures marked in white on the animal's 

 hind-quarters were 8 or 3 or 5. Instead of the regular 



