344 THE PONIES OF CONNEMARA. 



as large, hardy, and vigorous as the Galloways, so indispensable in many 

 parts of England and Scotland until railways revolutionised our modes of 

 travelling and transport ? 



That the size of horses, wild, feral, and domestic, is intimately related to 

 the surroundings is widely recognised. We know, for example, that horses 

 left to find their own food and shelter seldom exceed 44 inches in Shetland ; 

 48 inches in Exmoor ; and 50 inches in Dartmoor ; and that though on the 

 more fertile Welsh hills (as in the New Forest and some of the western 

 islands of Scotland) a height of 52 inches is sometimes reached, yet on the 

 more exposed and barren Welsh hill the ponies rarely measure over 48 

 inches at the withers. 



If in England and Wales the native moor and mountain ponies, left to 

 find their own food and shelter, are, as a rule, considerably under 13 hands, 

 i.e., are rarely within the reach of the mounted infantry standard, is there 

 any likelihood of Connemara — in virtue of its mild winters, moist climate, 

 and rich pastures — being able, without man's interference, to produce ponies 

 from 13 to 14 hands, ponies which, with but little outlay during the first two 

 winters, might easily reach a height of 58 inches? 



A satisfactory answer to this question can hardly be attempted without 

 a brief reference to the more recent ancestors of the Equidae, and to the 

 geology and physical features of Galway. 



The more recent Ancestors of the Horse. 



Up to the end of Miocene times, the ancestors of the recent Equidae were 

 still three-toed, and still provided with relatively short and simple molars. 

 The three hoofs plainly indicate that the Miocene horses lived near lakes, 

 rivers, and marshes, while the short crowns of the teeth as plainly show 

 that they fed throughout the year almost exclusively on soft, easily crushed 

 plants. 



In the course of time the three-toed Miocene horses gave place to their 

 larger and more highly specialised one-hoofed Pliocene descendants. 



As the outer hoofs dwindled in size, the crowns of the molars (the six 

 large cheek teeth) increased in length and complexity, with the result that 

 the Pliocene horses were eventually splendidly adapted for moving rapidly 

 over wide open arid plains, steppes, and plateaux, and among the foot-hills 

 of great mountains, and for dealing with coarse dry shrubs as effectively as 

 with grasses and soft herbage. 



Since the various living breeds of the domestic horses are practically 

 identical with their Pliocene ancestors, it follows, that in considering the 

 suitability of any given area as a centre for breeding and rearing an active, 

 hardy variety, it must be borne in mind that the Equidae, far more than 

 sheep or cattle, are adapted for leading a wandering, unfettered life, feeding, 

 during at least a part of the year, not so much on soft grasses (which more 

 often improve the condition than the fitness) as on various kinds of coarse, 

 dry plants (heaths, gorse, roots, twigs, and the like) so hard and fibrous that 

 they gradually wear down the hard enamel ridges of their long-crowned 

 complex teeth. 



The Physical Features and Climate. 



To understand the physical conditions of the west of Galway, one must 

 bear in mind that Ireland is especially characterised by a great central 



