340 



THE HORSES OF PREHISTORIC 



[CH. 



horses of Flanders and Germany, they evidently still had great 

 merits, since Stradanus, in the "Stable of Don John of Austria," 

 shows one of these animals (here reproduced, Fig. 97), and 

 Blundeville gives a description of this breed : " The Frizeland 

 Horse is no verie great Horse, but rather of a mean stature, 

 being therewith strong and well compact togither, and hath 

 verie good legs. And Vegetius saith that the Frizeland Horses 

 be verie swift in running, and able to maintaine a long course. 

 And indeed I have seene of them myself, that would make a 



FIG. 97. The Friesland Horse. 



good cariere and manege verie well, and also do the curvet so 

 trulie as anie jennet of Spain." Blundeville adds that " the 

 disposition of this horse is so devilish that he requires extreme 

 care in breaking and handling. The pace of this horse is a 

 good comely trot." 



New conditions of life required a different animal, and by 

 breeding the old war-horse was gradually modified into a stately 

 coach-horse and into an animal suited to mount the new cavalry. 



Down to the last century the Friesland horse, also known as 

 Dutch, was the noblest breed of black horses in Europe, being 



