26' England's horses, 



The Norman conquest of England, effected by mounted 

 adventurers from every country in Western Europe, bad a 

 marked effect upon tbe breed of horses in England. At 

 that time the Spanish breeds, so largely indebted to Eastern 

 blood, obtained through the Mahomedan invasion, ex- 

 tended to England, and it is recorded that William himself 

 rode a war horse of that race at the battle of Hastings. 

 The newly-installed nobles, confident that their victory 

 there was greatly owing to their superiority in cavalry, 

 supported horse breeding with zest and vigour. Eoger de 

 Bologne, Earl of Shrewsbury, is recorded to have estab- 

 lished " the race of Spain " on his newly-acquired estates of 

 Powisland. 



In the battle of Hastings, that the horses were of a much 

 lighter description than those of later days of Norman 

 chivalry, may be inferred from the fact that there the 

 knights were not completely clothed in heavy armour that 

 marked a later era, and that their lances were of so much 

 greater lightness at the invasion, than further on, that they 

 admitted of being used as javelins or darts. The inference 

 is, that as "self-preservation is the first law of nature," 

 inculcating to us the most ample means for defensive and 

 offensive action in warfare, the warriors of the Normans 

 would have been more heavily armed in accordance with 

 that natural law and their own physical power, had the 

 abilities of their steeds to carry more weight than they 

 imposed at Hastings, and co-eval with their immediate 

 advent, admitted such a course of action. 



That much attention was paid to increased bulk from 

 this time may be entertained from the altered weight of 

 arms and horses in the Crusades. 



It is recorded that Lorabardy (a.d. 1217) furnished a 

 valuable contingent for increasing the size and weight of 

 the war horse or destrier of the knight. It is written : — 



