SADDLE HORSES. 153 



above all, an intelligent, docile, sound, tough horse. 

 But we see very few such. Some men ride pretty, fat 

 cobs, that have little " go " and no endurance 5 others 

 are mounted on tall, bony, blood-like animals, good 

 for hunting, but not suited to a daily journey over 

 macadamized roads and pavements. Others again 

 ride long-legged, coarse-jointed, coarse-haired char- 

 gers that have no indication of good breeding except 

 the quite unnecessary amount of daylight which is 

 visible beneath them. 



What is wanted is a compact, elastic, rather small 

 horse, with legs and feet of iron. Such pre-eminently 

 is the Arab, and it cannot be doubted that, if Arabs of 

 pure lineage could be bred in this country, they would 

 furnish a useful and popular breed of saddle horses. 

 Their inferiority to thoroughbreds as racers is incon- 

 testable, but beside the point. 



In India, imported English and Australian horses 

 give the Arabs, three stone, country-breds two stone, 

 and Capes fourteen pounds. "These country -bred 

 horses,"' says an English officer, "having a strong 

 dash of thoroughbred English blood, are generally 

 faster than Arabs, for say six furlongs, but do not 

 stay as well." The same authority, after speaking of 

 the comparative slowness of Arabs, continues : "Yet, 

 for all that, there is a great deal to be said in their 

 favor as high-mettled racers. They are, as a rule, 

 game, honest, and grand stayers ; so sound that an 

 inexperienced owner may take all sorts of liberties 

 with them in their training without breaking them 

 down ; docile and easy to ride." Another peculiarity 

 of Arab horses, which shows the homogeneousness 

 and fixed character of the breed, is the fact that they 

 can all run about equally fast. 



