25 



tail, abundant but not curly, the height from 16 hands to 

 16 hands 2 inches, with fine head, sloping shoulders, strong loins, 

 and lengthy quarters, high- stepping action, good sound feet, flat 

 legs, and abundance of bone and muscle." 



The Yorkshire Coach-Horse in some respects strongly resembles 

 the Cleveland Bay, but is taller and shows more style and quality 

 the head is more refined and the crest more developed ; the action 

 also is freer, as well as higher. 



The doughty performances of the breed in the old coaching days 

 are worthy of mention : " Of the speed, power, and endurance of 

 these horses, we have recorded that Dreadnought, by Old Clothier, 

 won a trotting match for 100, carrying 16 stones 16 miles within the 

 hour ; Wonderful, a horse that won a high premium at Ripon Show 

 in 1819, had a brother, Pierson's Plato, that trotted 18 miles within 

 the hour, carrying 18 stones ; and Bevas Pullen's King William 

 trotted a mile in three minutes at Selby, carrying 14 stones." 



In spite of the reduction of the number of horses in the country 

 owing to the increase of motor cars, the prices of the best carriage 

 and harness horses are higher than ever before. There is likely 

 to be always a demand for the best class of Coach-Horses on account 

 of their elegant carriage, symmetrical form and uniformity of type 

 and colour. For many years numbers of the breed have been 

 exported to practically all parts of the world and the stallions have 

 proved themselves to be valuable and impressive sires when crossed 

 with the native light horses. 



PONIES. 



Distinct breeds of ponies are found in several parts of the British 

 Isles in rough mountain or moorland districts, where they roam 

 about in a half-wild state. The different breeds vary considerably 

 in size and appearance, but they all have certain common character- 

 istics and are probably descended from a common origin, the 

 distinctive features being partly the result of different conditions 

 of environment soil, food, and climate and partly due to the 

 infusion of foreign blood and of human selection of the ponies most 

 suited to particular kinds of work required of them in the different 

 districts. Thus the Shetland, the Highland, and the Irish ponies 

 of Galway and Connemara have been used from time immemorial 

 for carrying peat and other burdens. The Exmoor and Dartmoor 

 have always been riding ponies though they too carried a load 

 when required. 



Generally speaking, all British ponies have clean cut heads with 

 small ears and full lively eyes, they are extremely hardy, intelli- 

 gent, amazingly strong for their size, and able to withstand severe 

 climate, and to thrive on inferior food. Another characteristic 

 developed by the conditions in their native haunts is their sure- 

 footedness and activity in rough or hilly ground. In their half- 

 wild condition ponies are liable, as a result of the poor pasture, 

 exposure, and also of the absence of care in breeding, to exhibit 

 certain characteristic defects of conformation, the chief being 

 ewe-necks, low withers, narrow quarters, and sickle hocks, while, 

 when trotting the general tendency is to "go wide behind." 



