INTRODUCTION 9 



Pollux being mounted on horses whiter than snow at 

 the hunting of the Caledonian boar. It does not, 

 however, appear that horses were brought into Greece 

 long before the Trojan war. 



Several countries have claimed the honour of being 

 famous for their breed of horses ; but Tartary seems 

 to be the indigenous one. They were great breeders 

 also in Argolis, Cappadocia, and in Macedonia. In 

 the latter country there were kept in the Royal stud 

 three hundred stallions and thirty thousand mares ; 

 but Epirus, formerly a kingdom of Greece, seems to 

 have been the Yorkshire of the East. According to 

 all that has been said on the subject, great attention 

 was paid to preserve the breeds pure. In Tartary, 

 a bad race-horse was immediately castrated ; and 

 among the Arabians the certificate of leap and produce 

 was delivered with all the forms and accuracy of a 

 title-deed to an estate. They had three classes of 

 horses in Arabia : first, noble ; next, nearly so ; and 

 the third, common. These answer to our thorough- 

 bred, half-bred, and cart-horse. To obtain posses- 

 sion of the first class has always been very difficult ; 

 and many interesting anecdotes are upon record of 

 those whose necessities have compelled them to part 

 with them. 



After what has been said, supposing it to be true, 

 we cannot wonder at the high honours that have in 

 all ages been paid to the horse, and that he has made 

 so conspicuous a figure in the history of every country. 

 Darius was chosen King of Persia by the neighing of 

 his horse ; and it has been gravely asserted that 



