BREEDS OF HORSES — BRIDLES 



young stock, as they thus become familiarised with the out- 

 side world. (See Brood Mare, Foals, Pasture, Soil, Stallion, 

 Water.) 



Breeds of Horses. — More attention has undoubtedly 

 been paid to the breeding of horses in recent times than 

 formerly was the case, thanks in no small measure to the 

 efforts of the various societies of horse-breeders which have 

 been established. The different varieties of leading horses 

 and ponies which are now recognised are all described 

 under their own headings. These are the Arab, Barb, 

 Cleveland Bay, Clydesdale, Hackney, Hunter, Shire, Suffolk, 

 and Yorkshire coach-horse. The ponies include the Polo, 

 Dartmoor, Exmoor, Fell, Highland or Garron, New Forest, 

 Welsh, and Shetland. In addition to the above there 

 are the Australian and Argentine horses, the American 

 trotter, and such valuable continental varieties as the Holstein, 

 Oldenburgh, Orloff, Percheron, and Schleswig breeds, which 

 see. 



Brick Paving is a very good flooring for a stable, pro- 

 vided always that it is well laid and the bricks used are 

 hard and not absorbent of moisture. If they are soft and 

 porous the purity of the atmosphere of the stable will be 

 seriously affected. On the other hand, the hard blue bricks 

 often used are excellent for the purpose of paving, and so 

 are the small hard red ones, especially if laid edgeways. 

 (See Floors.) 



Bridles. — A saddle horse's bridle can scarcely be too plain, 

 especially if it is worn by a neat-headed horse, such as most 

 hacks are, and in the case of a man such additions as a 

 rough lower edge to the nose-band, a stitched nose-band, 

 ornamental cheeks, round reins and the like are simply 

 unpardonable. The bridle, of course, should fit properly, a 

 tight or loose nose or brow-band being unsightly, and care 

 should be exercised to ensure the bit fitting properly at the 



47 



