THE HORSE HISTORY. 493 



The French Horses in Motion. Instances are on 

 record of performances of the diligence horses in France that 

 show wonderful powers of endurance and great speed, when the 

 vehicles and loads carried are considered. A French horse of 

 the class " Small Percheron" made, in four hours and two min- 

 utes, fifty-eight miles, and came back over the same road the 

 next day in a half minute less time, without urging. Another 

 was driven fifty-five and three-fifth miles over a hilly and diffi- 

 cult road in four hours and twenty-four minutes, without dis- 

 tress. It is difficult to draw the line between the larger and 

 lesser types; but the large horse, of great power, good action, 

 and fine style will always be in demand, call him by what name 

 we may. 



The Norman Horse. The hot rivalry between import- 

 ers of the French draft-horses has led to confusion of names. 

 Those who have sought the larger type of French horses have 

 preferred the name Norman. That name is historic when 

 attached to the grand old Northmen, who overran Europe and 

 the British Isles, and affixed the name Normandy to a province 

 of France. After the days of Hollo the Walker, the Normans 

 seem to have turned their attention to the arts of husbandry, 

 in which they excelled, as they had in the pursuit of war. 

 The climate and soil, and care or management of horses, 

 favored the growth of large horses in the coast regions of Nor- 

 mandy, as in Flanders and the fens of England and Scotland. 

 But the horses of such lands, while larger, were more sluggish 

 than the horses of the inland and more elevated portions, 

 which have furnished a hardy, active, and spirited style of 

 horses. 



The history that attaches to the conquests of the old Nor- 

 rians has given a charm to the Norman war-horse, and distance 

 has lent enchantment, and made the name Norman attractive 

 and expressive of power and victory. 



The first French horses that made their impress on the 

 horses of Canada were named Norman, rather than French 

 horses. After the overthrow of the French in Canada, it was 

 good policy and natural for the conquerors not to attach the 



