156 ROAD, TRACK, AND STABLE. 



crest as was in old Henry Clay, — it lopped over like 

 a bag of meal with old age ; and I remembered having 

 an old Messenger stalliou, years before, with exactly 

 such a crest, which, falling over in the same way with 

 age, was a great torment to my pride. 



" The fetlocks could not be found ; there were none. 

 The warts at point of ankle were wanting, and the 

 osselets were very small. Large coarse osselets show 

 cold, mongrel blood. . . . The mane was very fine and 

 silky, falling over so as to cause one to believe the 

 crest was a knife-blade, with blade up, for thinness. 

 . . . ]STow for his gaits. I had Addison lead him on 

 the walk to and from me, sav a distance of two or 

 three hundred feet, that I might see the position of 

 his feet in walking. There was no twisting behind, 

 nor paddle in front, but straight, clean, elastic step- 

 ping. I now had him pass me at the side, that I 

 might see his knee, and his hock and stifle action. 

 Prom the walk I had him moved upon the trot, and at 

 either walk or trot every movement was perfect. The 

 knee action was beautiful ; not too much, as in our 

 toe-weighted horses, nor stiff and staky, as in the 

 English race horse, but graceful and elastic, beauti- 

 fully balanced by movement in the hock and stifle." 



It cannot be doubted, I think, that the Arab horse 

 has no superior for what might be called miscella- 

 neous saddle use, and in particular for polo. Many 

 of the best polo ponies in England are pure Arabs, 

 and others are partly of Arab blood. The English 

 polo players state, moreover, that the Arab bred 

 ponies are instructed in the game more easily and 

 quickly than any others. 



In this country the first breed of saddle horses was 



