146 MY HORSE; MV LOVE 



No true impetus was given to scientific breeding, how- 

 ever, until James the First, whose penchant for sport was 

 well known. With his reign, horse-racing as a pastime 

 and public sport, may be said to have been inaugurated. 

 In order to improve horse-breeding, this king gave ^154 

 (a very large sum of money for that time — 16 16) for 

 Markham Arabian, a pure bred son of the desert, and 

 subsequently called the ' Equine Father of the Turf.' This 

 laudable attempt on the part of the king, was ultimately 

 crowned with success — the superior get of horses suggest- 

 ing that popular sport, racing, which ever since has been 

 dear to the heart of every native-born Englishman. 



Races at that time were not of annual recurrence, or 

 at any stated dates, but an irregular kind of amusement, 

 the matches being made between animals belonging to 

 noblemen and gentlemen. The courses were any stretch 

 of turf that served, without starting or winning-posts. No 

 jockeys or grooms were required for riding ; weighing was 

 an unheard-of necessity ; and there was no element of 

 gain unless a small prize. 



Horses that had won the prizes became famous, and 

 their pedigree was highly valued. Although the methods 

 were still crude, and unlike those of the present day, yet 

 even then races were governed by rules rigidly enforced. 

 By the latter end of the reign of James the First, English 

 bred horses had acquired a continental reputation, as 

 runners and hunters. They were in great demand in 

 France, and were exported thither, where the same 

 method of training and managing them was adopted. 



In the reign of Charles the First, races were run in 

 Hyde Park and Newmarket called ' bell-courses,' as the 

 prize was a silver bell. 



